Eating Healthly

It seems like everyone is always talking about food, and what you should and shouldn’t eat. ‘Junk’ food and ‘healthy’ food – what does it all mean? Is it really important?

Yes!! Healthy eating can make you look different and feel different. This topic will tell you about the various food groups, why they are important, and how to put all the information together for healthy eating. And don’t worry; even small changes in the way you eat can make a difference!!

Benefits of healthy eating
There are some effects of healthy eating that you will notice pretty quickly. For example, a healthy diet can:
Help you keep a healthy body weight.

Give you more energy to enjoy all kinds of physical activity, like surfing, football, netball or dancing.

Support your body while you are growing and developing so that you reach your full physical potential.

Some studies suggest that what you eat affects your mood. A good balanced diet will make sure you have all the essential nutrients needed for your brain to function well.

There are also some benefits that you may not notice straight away, but are worth thinking about. Scientific evidence shows that a healthy diet can help you avoid diet-related diseases. These are diseases that usually develop when people are over the age of 40. For example:
– Heart disease
– High cholesterol
– High blood pressure
– Strokes (brain damage due to blood supply problems)
– Adult-onset diabetes (the most common form of diabetes)
– Some cancers
– Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).

Think of your parents or grandparents – do they have any of these diseases? Wouldn’t it be good if you could avoid having the same problems they do? Healthy eating now can reduce the risks of developing these diseases later on!

Healthy food – what to buy
We have talked about junk food. So what’s left? You may have heard about the basic food groups – if you go shopping and make sure you have a few food items from each group in your basket, you are likely to be eating healthily:

Cereals – bread, pasta, rice and other foods from grains all provide carbohydrates, which are important sources of energy.

Meat and fish – chicken, red meat, fish and seafood all provide protein which is very important. Be sure that fat and skin is trimmed off, and that the food is cooked using a low-fat method, such as grilling or steaming. If you are a vegetarian, there are non-meat sources of protein available.

Fruit and vegetables – contain LOTS of different nutrients, like vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables every day is recommended.

Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products all contain calcium, which is important for the development and health of bones, teeth and nerves. There are varying levels of fat in these products, but almost everything can now be bought in a reduced fat version. Lots of teenagers have low body levels of calcium and need to be careful about having enough calcium containing foods in their diet, especially teenage girls.
Sugars – avoid sweets in general, especially those with lots of fats – see the ‘junk food’ section above.

Water – everyone forgets about water but it is important and the best drink for you. Try to drink several glasses a day. A small glass of fruit juice is fine too, but avoid too much soft drink.
The food plate: a simple guide to healthy eating
The food plate has been designed to provide simple and easy to understand guidelines to good nutrition. It explains which foods you should eat more often, which ones you need in smaller amounts and which foods you need to limit.

Choosing to change & making healthy choices
If you have read all this and decided that your eating isn’t as healthy as you’d like, you can make changes. The best way to do this is to make gradual changes, and give yourself time to develop new habits.

For example:
Add one piece of fruit a day to your eating.
Start to drink two more glasses of water a day.
Try a new reduced fat recipe or snack food each week.
Eat something healthy for breakfast. Research shows that breakfast helps young people maintain a healthy weight and to be active.

Choose wholemeal or whole grain bread instead of white.
Try spreading less butter on your bread, only buttering one piece of bread in a sandwich, or leaving off butter altogether if you are having mayonnaise.

You could choose to eat a smaller portion than you used to, or eat more slowly and give your body a chance to tell you when you are full.

If you like hot chips… did you know that the thicker the chip, the less fat it absorbs? So, if you can’t resist chips, choose thick chips rather than thin french fries or ‘shoe-string’ chips.

Many energy drinks and bars contain lots of sugar and caffeine/guarana. These ingredients can give you a short brief feeling of energy, but they are not very good for you. You can end up putting on weight, feeling anxious, finding it hard to sleep, and maybe getting addicted. Try dried or fresh fruit and water as an alternative – they will give you a natural energy boost.