Healthy eating: what does it mean?

Nutrients and mindful eating 🍉

Quick summary 📝

1️⃣ Healthy eating means having a balanced diet that gives your body energy and nutrients

2️⃣ A healthy diet includes five main food groups and drinking plenty of water while limiting sugary and caffeinated drinks

3️⃣ Balance is key – eating nutritious foods while still enjoying what you love makes for a healthy and happy relationship with food

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We hear about healthy eating all the time, but what does it actually mean?

A healthy diet is a balanced diet – one that includes nutritious foods which give you energy and vitamins.

Eating well is especially important for young people as the body is going through lots of growing and changes.

A healthy diet includes five main food groups

👉 Carbohydrates

👉 Protein

👉 Dairy

👉 Fruit and veg

👉 Fats and oils

These food groups give you calories or energy to help you get through the day.

How many calories do teens need?

Because the body is growing, teens need between 2,200-3,000 kcal a day, depending on age and gender 🎂

You might notice that foods have labels showing calorie content 🍽️ this helps you understand how much energy they provide.

Top tips for healthy eating include...

👉 Get plenty of fruit and vegetables: aim for 5 portions a day to get your essential vitamins and minerals in

👉 Go for starchy carbohydrates: found in wholegrain bread, rice, pasta and potatoes, they provide energy and fibre

👉 Eat enough dairy and protein: found in meat, fish, beans and pulses, these help keep muscles, bones and skin healthy

👉 Moderate foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat: as they’re not very nutritious

👉 Listen to your body: eating too much may make you feel unwell, eating too little can leave you tired and hungry

👉 Try not to skip meals: three regular meals a day is great – pause during meals to check if you’re full or still hungry

Know that it’s also totally okay to treat yourself occasionally, as eating something you love is good for you too 🫶

What about drinks?

Drinks count as part of your diet too 🦋

Perhaps unsurprisingly, water is one of the best things to hydrate yourself with.

It’s recommended that you drink about 2 litres (or 6-8 glasses) of fluids a day to keep you healthy and hydrated 🍵

Drinks like...

• fruit juice
• fizzy drinks

should ideally be limited as they contain lots of sugar.

And drinks like...

• black, oolong, green, and white tea
• coffee
• energy drinks

should be drunk in moderation because of their caffeine content.

💡 they're also know as “diuretics” which mean they don’t hydrate you well as they pass through the body quickly ☕

Healthy eating = balance, not rules

Overall, healthy eating means having a balanced mix of nutritious foods that give you energy.

Healthy eating also means enjoying foods that you love!

It’s all about listening to your body and giving it what it needs without restrictions.

Food isn’t just fuel – it’s about enjoyment too ✨