Eating Well

Table of Contents

Eating Well 

Food can have a big effect on your mood and wellbeing. Having a balanced and varied diet helps you get everything your body needs to feel good and function well. Think about food as a source of nutrition and energy instead of something to relieve stress or to be avoided.

Choosing healthier foods and eating them in the right amounts will help to:  

  • reach and maintain a healthy weight  
  • reduce your risk of serious health problems  
  • maintain strong bones and muscles  
  • improve resistance to infection  
  • keep up energy levels, improve mood and feel your best  

Eight tips for eating well:  

  • base your meals on starchy foods  
  • eat lots of fruit and vegetables  
  • eat more fish  
  • cut down on saturated fat and sugar  
  • try to eat less salt – no more than 6g a day  
  • get active and be a healthy weight  
  • don’t get thirsty  
  • don’t skip breakfast  

View the eight tips in detail on the NHS website.  

NHS Website

For information about a balanced diet, 5-a-day, food labels, losing weight and more visit NHS Choices, which highlights the different types of food that make up a healthy diet, and shows the proportions we should eat to have a well-balanced and healthy diet.  

For more practical tips on eating well visit:  

  

Supplements  

For most people, eating a healthy, balanced diet based on the NHS’s Eatwell Guide should provide all the nutrients needed to stay healthy.   

However, at some stages in our lives, we may need to take supplements to make sure we get enough of a particular vitamin or mineral. If you think you’re not getting enough of one or more nutrients and are thinking about taking a supplement, we recommend that you consult your doctor or see a dietitian.  

It is recommended that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter, when we cannot make vitamin D from sunlight. Vitamin D is needed to keep bones and muscles healthy.  

The NHS advice is that children and adults should take a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement to protect musculoskeletal health.  

Some people who are at risk of not getting enough vitamin D should take them all year round.  

NHS - Vitamin D

  

Eating well for less   

Tips for shopping on a budget   

  • look out for wonky fruit and veg to save money   
  • seasonal vegetables are usually cheaper   
  • freeze foods if you can to keep them for longer like bread  
  • shopping when you’re hungry, can make you will buy more than you need  
  • using the scan as you shop can help you keep an eye on your spending   
  • buy the basics first and then if you have extra money that week you can buy extras and treats  

Reducing food waste can help reduce your food costs How to reduce and recycle food waste | BETA – South Gloucestershire Council (southglos.gov.uk)  

How to reduce and recycle food waste

Recipe and meal ideas 

It can be hard to know what to cook. Here are some recipe ideas and tips to help you get started: