Healthy Eating
Eating the right food will get your skin, hair and nails looking their best as well as helping to keep you at a healthy weight
Top tips for healthy eating
Drink plenty of water – 6-8 glasses a day are recommended. Replacing fizzy drinks full of caffeine, sugar and artificial colours and flavours with water will reduce headaches, improve attention span and give you a glowing complexion. It’s also better for you teeth.
Eat lots of fruit and veg – 5 portions a day are recommended, and most people don’t eat enough. There are easy ways to include more in your diet, though. Add sliced banana to your breakfast cereal, snack on fruit or vegetable sticks, instead of crisps or chips.
Don’t skip meals – 42% of you report regularly skipping breakfast, but when you skip meals, it is harder to concentrate; and you’ll end up snacking – usually on something that’s not very healthy.
Choose healthy snacks – try dried fruit like apricots or figs, fresh fruit salad, a handful of nuts, a pot of yoghurt or low fat rice pudding, or a homemade smoothie.
Keep it interesting – don’t fall into a food rut. Variety is a key part of a healthy diet - Why not try something new today? There are loads of recipes to try now in the foodhall ».
Fast Food Nation
Fast food is fine to have as a treat once in a while. But try to choose these healthier options...
Burgers
A quarter pounder with cheese, medium fries and a medium drink is a whopping 1,000 calories! To make your burger bar less of a healthy eating disaster:
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Avoid cheese, mayonnaise and chips
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Go for grilled burgers made from chicken or fish or veggie burgers. Ask for extra salad
Fried Chicken
2 pieces of fried chicken, regular fries and a regular fizzy drink will rack up 950 calories! To make your chicken fix less damaging to your diet:
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Don’t be distracted by the extras in meal deals - stick to ordering off the main menu.
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Try a fillet burger without chips - If you want a selection of options, try choosing from the kids menu as the portions will be smaller!
Pizza
A medium take out cheese and tomato pizza has 140 calories a slice, while a meaty pepperoni has around 170 calories a slice. Can’t resist calling the takeout guy? While you’re placing your order, think about:
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Eating fewer slices!
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Don't ask for extra cheese!
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Go for toppings like vegetables, fish or prawns
So you want to lose weight...
If you want to lose a few pounds or have a more substantial goal, try these tips for healthier weight loss.
Weight loss dos
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Eat breakfast every day. Skipping it won't help you lose weight. It'll just have you reaching for snacks later.
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Drink water, juice, milk or smoothies instead of fizzy drinks. The normal ones are packed with sugar, and the diet ones have no nutritional benefits.
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Plan your meals – if you decide what to eat before you are hungry and stick to it, you are less likely to make impulse purchases like chocolate or crisps.
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Do some exercise – check out Fitness Fun » for ideas for how to get more active
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Diet with a friend, parent, brother or sister – then you can motivate each other to stay on track
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The odd treat's fine; just don't base your diet solely around chips!
Weight loss don'ts
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Don't go on a serious diet! Instead, aim to get active and eat sensibly. This means eating enough starchy foods (bread, pasta), lots of fruit and veg and moderate amounts of meat, fish and dairy.
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Avoid any eating plan that restricts your intake of dairy products. While you are still growing, your bones need calcium.
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Your body needs certain types of fats to look and feel healthy. But limit the saturated kind (found in crisps, biscuits and cakes) to an occasional treat.
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Crash diets don't work – in the short term you will get grouchy and start snapping at friends and family, and in the long term you will pile the weight back on. The best way to achieve lasting results is to adapt your lifestyle gradually.
