My tips for eating well
Here are my practical tips for a wholesome diet and help you make healthier choices for you and your children and make food fun! This is what I do with the children in my care and follows my food and drink policy.
- Carbohydrates
- Fruits and vegetables
- Less saturated fat
- Easy on the sugar
- Less on the salt
- Be active
- Drink plenty of water
- Don't miss breakfast
Carbohydrates
Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.
Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.
Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.
Fruits and vegetables
Most people know we should be eating more fruit and vegetables. But most of us still aren't eating enough.
Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. It might be easier than you think.
You could try adding up your portions during the day.
For example, you could have:
• a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
• a side salad at lunch
• a pear as an afternoon snack
• a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal
I prefer to choose from fresh, however, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced are a suitable alternative.
Less saturated fat
To stay healthy we need some fat in our diets. What is important is the kind of fat we are eating. There are two main types of fat:
• saturated fat - having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
• unsaturated fat - having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterol
Cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils (including sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil), avocados, nuts and seeds.
For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or a reduced-fat spread instead of butter or ghee.
Easy on the sugar
We are all eating too much sugar. We should all be trying to eat fewer foods containing added sugar, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits. I my house I have banned sugary soft and fizzy drinks.
Having sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories so cutting down could help you control your weight.
Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much sugars you will get from it.
Less on the salt
Lots of people think they don't eat much salt, especially if they don't add it to their food. But don't be so sure! Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, sauces and ready meals.
Every day in the UK, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt. Adults - and children over 11 - should have no more than 6g salt a day. Younger children should have even less.
Be active
Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps control our weight. But this doesn't mean you need to join a gym.
Just try to get active every day and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine. Try to walk at a good pace.
Whenever we eat more than our body needs, we put on weight. This is because we store any energy we don't use up - usually as fat. Even small amounts of extra energy each day can lead to weight gain.
Drink plenty of water
We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated.
When the weather is warm or when we get active, our bodies need more than this.
Don't miss breakfast
Breakfast can help give us the energy we need to face the day, as well as some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.
Some people miss breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. But missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and it isn't good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients.
There is some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight.
So why not go for a bowl of wholegrain cereal with some low-fat milk and sliced banana and a glass of fruit juice for a healthy start to the day?
