Healthy eating
We all enjoy food – sometimes too much, sometimes too little! But how do you decide what is right for you? How do you get your body to perform as efficiently as a motorcar? Presumably by putting in the right fuel, giving it a regular run and getting the odd service! Read on to find out more...
Children and young people need the right balance of food and nutrients to develop and grow. Healthy eating is about getting that balance right in order to provide enough of the important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre, without too much fat, salt and sugar.
Because a good diet is essential for good health and doing well in school it is important that teenagers are encouraged to adopt healthy life-long eating habits. That’s why school meals have changed too - they are trying to promote the right balance of foods!
The diets of many young people fall short of national dietary recommendations and it’s already well known that poor diet is significantly contributing to Scotland’s poor health record.
Energy is our body’s fuel and we get energy from what we eat and drink. Different foods give us different kinds of energy and to feel good we have to get enough of the right things. Calories are the units of energy contained in the food and drink we consume. Calories are either burned to produce energy or if excess to requirements, stored as fat. What you’ll often find on food packaging are references to the amount of calories in the food. In nutrition terms calories = kilocalories and these terms are used interchangeably.
It’s All About Energy Balance
Your body needs energy every day in order to work, be active and grow normally. It gets this energy from the foods in your diet. All foods provide energy although some provide more than others.
The trick is to balance the energy you take in with the energy you use up. Some teenagers might find this easy because they are growing rapidly and are always on the go but for others it might not be so easy.
Why Do Some People Store More Energy Than Others?
If you take in more energy than your body burns up, your body will start to store this extra energy as excess fat.
How Can People Burn More Energy?
- By being more active.
- By generally spending more time up and about.
- By growing rapidly.
- By limiting time spent sitting watching TV and playing computer games.
Ways To Reduce Food Energy
- By limiting foods which are very high in energy e.g.butter, margarine, oil, cream, pastry.
- By eating foods that are more filling, such as high fibre foods.
- By having larger portions of foods which are low in energy – fruits and vegetables, low fat yoghurts and non creamy soups.
- By planning healthy snacking.
If you want to get your energy balance back on track there are some simple things that you can start to do which should help you:
Eat Three Regular Meals Every Day
By doing this you are more likely to have a healthier body shape than those who eat on the run, miss meals and rely on regular snacking. Base your meals around the main food groups.
Start By Having A Breakfast
Let’s face it your body has gone all night without food. You need to “refuel” ready for the day. Despite scientists having proved that eating a healthy breakfast helps us concentrate at school, at least 1 in 5 teenagers still skips breakfast. For ideas on healthy breakfasts check out our recipes.
Plan To Snack Sensibly
Yes it’s OK to snack provided you plan your snacks and don’t just eat the first thing you can grab. For ideas on healthy snacks check out our recipes.The eatwell plate
We all love to eat! But what kinds of food should we be eating?
The answer? Everything in moderation!
A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of foods. The wider the variety, the better!!
We should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (crunchy salads and juicy oranges, yummy!), plenty of starchy foods (smooth mashed potato, my favourite!), some protein rich foods (meat, fish and eggs), and low fat, low salt and low sugar.
The Eatwell plate is a simple way to get the balance right
Click the image for a larger version
Download a larger printable version here:
Eatwell plate 01 Sep 2009 (PDF 136,18 kB)
Play the balanced plate game »
