ADAPT

ENJOY YOUR FOOD

Eating is an essential part of everyone’s lives. Food should be enjoyable as well as nutritious – it doesn’t matter how nutritious a food is if you don’t eat it!

There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods; it is the overall balance in the diet that matters.

All foods provide some nutrients and contribute to the taste, smell, colour, texture and enjoyment of the whole meal.

What we eat and drink now influences our health now and in the future. A healthy balanced diet helps us to grow and develop properly and enjoy life. This is particularly important if you are between 12 – 19 years old. As an adolescent your body has extra needs for energy and nutrients to help you grow.

EAT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FOODS

No single food provides all the nutrients needed for your body to stay healthy and work properly. So you should try to eat a variety of different foods throughout your life.

We should try to eat more fruit and vegetables and more starchy foods like bread, other cereals like rice and pasta and potatoes.

In general foods can be divided into five food groups, based on the nutrients provided.

1. Bread, cereals, potatoes
2.  Fruit and Vegetables
3.  Milk and dairy foods
4.  Meat, fish and protein alternatives
5.  Fatty and sugary foods

The ‘Balance of Good Health’ shows the proportions of the different food groups which you should try to eat for a healthy balanced diet.

EAT PLENTY OF FOODS RICH IN STARCH AND FIBRE

Foods like bread, other cereals and potatoes are rich in starch and give us energy and can also be good sources of fibre.

Most people do not eat enough of the starchy, fibre-rich foods like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. We should increase our intake and base our meals around starchy foods. These foods are versatile, nutritious and relatively cheap. Wholemeal, whole grain starchy foods such as wholemeal bread, whole wheat flakes and breakfast cereals are particularly rich in fibre, which helps to prevent constipation.

Fibre in fruit, pulses (beans, peas and lentils) and vegetables can help to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Many people mistakenly believe that starchy foods such as bread and potatoes are particularly fattening, but this is not the case. However, adding butter, fat spreads, olive oil, to starchy foods, for example by frying potatoes in vegetable oil or fat, greatly increases their calorie content.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

We should try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This includes frozen, fresh, canned, dried fruit and unsweetened fruit juices. Fruit and vegetables provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals important to good health and preventing disease.

Examples of a serving:

• a piece of fruit

• a small glass unsweetened fruit juice

• a bowl salad

• 2 –3 serving spoons vegetables

• a bowl of stewed fruit

MEAT, FISH AND ALTERNATIVES

All of us need to eat foods that provide protein for the body to build and repair itself. Meat of all kinds provides protein. We can also get protein from fish, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Protein foods also provide valuable minerals and vitamins such as iron and Vitamin B12.


MILK AND DAIRY FOODS

All types of milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are valuable sources of calcium. Calcium is essential for strong bones and the normal functioning of your nerves and muscles. We can also get calcium from green leafy vegetables, nuts and tinned fish.

FOODS CONTAINING FAT AND SUGAR

A small amount of fat in the diet is essential for good health and to make foods more pleasant to eat.

Convenience foods tend to be higher in fat and sugar and should not be eaten too often.

Although foods containing fat should not be taken in excess they are still important for health.

Decay is caused by the sugar in your food interacting with plaque on your teeth. Try to reduce the frequency of eating sugary foods and limit them to meal times.

Water and milk will not erode your teeth and so are a good alternative. Your dentist can check whether your teeth are effected by erosion.

WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR NUTRITIONAL BALANCE!

Certain eating behaviours will lead to poor physical and mental health.