Healthy Eating

Young people grow and develop quickly. They crave food which gives them the energy to grow.

Junk food, like crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks and burgers will satisfy the cravings, but leave you tired and undernourished.

To get the energy you need to grow and develop you need to eat the right food for you.

For most people, a healthy, balanced diet contains different types of food. It should include:

• Plenty of fruit or vegetables
• Enough starchy foods like bread, pasta and cereals
• A smaller quantity of protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils
• Not too much fat and sugar

Exercise: The Balance of Good Health

Tips for better eating

Worried about what you eat? You're not alone. It's normal for people to worry that they're eating too much, or not the right things. But actually, eating well is quite simple, as long as you stick to some basic rules:

• Eat a variety of foods, including plenty of fruit and/or vegetables
• Don't eat too much, only eat when you are hungry
• Don't eat too much salt, sugar, fat or meat

Eating too much of the wrong things can make you unhealthy. But so can eating too little, dieting and obsessing about food. People come in lots of different shapes and sizes, and most of us can cope with overeating occasionally.

Eating too much

When you overeat all or most of the time, you run the risk of becoming overweight or even obese.

Obesity can cause health problems:

• Emotional stress and anxiety
• Greater strain on joints
• Raised risk of life-threatening diseases like some cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease

If you are worried about being overweight, exercising regularly, eating whole-grain and low fat foods and eating less can all help.

Related: Exercise, Healthy Weight

Eating too little

Weight changes are normal for teenagers. As your body changes and grows, many people find they are not happy with their weight. But becoming too focussed on losing weight can cause problems:

• Anxiety, bad eating habits, over-dieting, eating disorders
• Problems with growth, bones and teeth
• Raised vulnerability to infections and diseases

If your weight is causing you serious concern, or you are dieting constantly, you should talk to a Doctor or health adviser. There may be an underlying health problem that needs addressing.

Related: Eating disorders, Healthy Weight

Simple rules for better eating

Part of growing up is learning how much food you need. It's different for everyone, and there are no rules that will work for everyone, all of the time.

But many people find these tips are useful:

• Eat five different portions of fruit or veg a day.
  A portion is about as much as you can easily fit into your hand. For example: a small glass of orange juice, an apple, a portion of baked beans, and peas and carrots with your dinner.
• Base your meals on wholegrain starchy foods
  Examples are pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. Try and vary what you eat, go for wholemeal options if you can, and try not to add too much salt and fat.
• Don't eat meat every day, eat fish or alternatives instead
  If you eat meat, substitute oily fishor a vegetarian substitute for two days of the week.
• Cut down on saturated fats and sugar
  We need some fats and sugars in our diet to stay healthy, but most of us eat more than we need.
• Get active and try to maintain a healthy weight
  Everyone can find some sort of physical exercise that works for them, whether it's swimming, walking, wii or dancing. Find yours and watch your health improve.

Other things which can help are setting yourself a budget for treats and snacks, learning how to cook healthy food and cutting out sweetened drinks and alcohol.

Experience: Learning how to cook made all the difference

When I first started living away from home I mostly ate burgers, greasy sandwiches and sausage rolls. I didn't really start eating well until I got a place with a kitchen and could start cooking my own food. I was very bad at first, but you quickly get the hang of making simple stuff. I found I enjoyed eating more, saved money and lost weight; success all round!

Whatever health stories you have, we'd love to hear them, so email and let us know

Links

These websites will help you find health advice and services:

• Eat well
  Advice around eating from the NHS
• Change 4 Life
  Make changes to make your life more healthy
• Teen Life Check
  How healthy are you? Check with the NHS online lifecheck tool

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