Health for life!

What is health? Hands up if you think you are healthy. What makes you healthy?

Being healthy Being healthy keeps us strong and prevents us from being ill. There are two main things which are important for health: eating and drinking well and being active. Do you eat and drink well? Are you active every day?

Eating well Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods Fruit and vegetables The eatwell plate is the government’s healthy eating guide which shows the types and proportions of foods which make up a healthy, varied diet. It is made up of five food groups. Can you name them? Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein Milk and dairy foods Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

Eight tips for healthy eating The government has produced some practical tips to help us make healthier choices. They are: 1) Base your meals on starchy foods 2) Eat lots of fruit and veg 3) Eat more fish 4) Cut down on saturated fat and sugar 5) Eat less salt 6) Get active and be a healthy weight 7) Don’t get thirsty 8) Don’t skip breakfast To make healthy eating easier to follow, the government has also provided some practical tips to help people make healthier choices. They are: base my meals on starchy foods eat lots of fruit and veg eat more fish cut down on saturated fat and sugar eat less salt get active and be a healthy weight drink plenty not skip breakfast

A. Cous cous B. Peas C. Rice D. Cassava Which is the odd one out? correct A. Cous cous B. Peas C. Rice D. Cassava A, C and D are starchy foods.

Base your meals on starchy foods Hands up if you include some of these foods at every meal: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, breakfast cereals, noodles, cous cous, yam, cassava. These are called starchy foods which provide energy, as well as dietary fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Starchy foods are important for our health. These foods should make up a third of our diet. They provide energy, as well as dietary fibre, B vitamins and some minerals, e.g. calcium and iron. Choose wholegrain varieties for the extra fibre.

False True or false? “Foods high in carbohydrate make you fat.” Gram per gram, fat provides more than double of the energy provided by starchy carbohydrate.

Eat lots of fruit and veg Do you eat 5 a day? Fruit and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals for the body to function properly. Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All options count – fresh, frozen, dried, canned, juiced. fresh frozen dried canned juiced

Eat more fish Hands up if you include some fish every week. Fish is a good source of protein and provides many vitamins and minerals. Oily fish contains long-chain omega-3 fatty acids which can help keep our hearts healthy. We are recommended to eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be an oily type. We are recommended to eat two portions of fish a week, with one being oily. Can you name some examples? White fish: cod, haddock, halibut Oily fish: salmon, fresh tuna*, mackerel. *Canned tuna is counted as white fish as the amount of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is reduced to levels similar to white fish. White fish is low in fat. Oily fish contains long-chain omega-3 fatty acids which can help keep our hearts healthy. A portions is 140g – this is around the size of a salmon fillet you can get from supermarkets. What is a portion? 140g

Cut down on saturated fat and sugar What are foods high in saturated fat? What are foods high in sugar? Eating too much saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol levels and the chance of developing heart disease. Too many sugar-containing food and drinks consumed between meals is linked with an increased tendency towards tooth decay. Foods high in saturated fat include: fatty cuts of meat and sausages, cakes and pastries, butter. Foods high in sugar include: sweets and confectionary, cakes, some carbonated drinks. Eating too much saturated fat increases the amount of blood cholesterol and the change of developing heart disease. Having too much sugary foods and drinks, especially between meals, is linked with an increased risk of tooth decay, particularly when dental hygiene is poor.

How much salt per day can be eaten? A. No more than 4g per day B. No more than 5g per day C. No more than 6g per day D. No more than 8g per day correct

Eat less salt Where is salt found? How much should we eat each day? Adults and teenagers should eat no more than 6g of salt each day, and children under 11 years need even less. Maintaining a normal blood pressure is important for health. Eating too much salt may raise blood pressure and lead to stroke and heart disease. No more than 4 grams No more than 6 grams No more than 8 grams b) No more than 6 grams Most of the salt we eat comes from the food we buy readily prepared, such as bread and cereal products, meat products and some ready meals. Use the labels when buying foods to select lower salt options. Answer: b). Adults and children over 11 years should eat no more than 6g of salt each day, children under 11 years should eat less. Why? This is because the developing kidneys of young people cannot cope with the extra salt. Why is eating less salt important? Most of us in the UK are eating too much salt. This may lead to an increased blood pressure and the chance of stroke and heart disease in the future.

Get active and be a healthy weight Why is it important to be active? How much activity should we do each day? Children and young people are recommended to do at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every day. What do you do to be active? Being active can help maintain a healthy weight by using more energy. Being overweight or obese can lead to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers, heart disease and stroke. Being underweight could also affect our health. Children and young people are recommended to do at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity each day. What counts? This type of activity will: make your heart beat faster; make you breathe harder; make you feel warmer.

How much of our body is made up from water? correct

Don’t get thirsty How many of you had a drink this morning? Our body is two-thirds water, so it is important to keep hydrated. Everyone should drink around 6 to 8 glasses each day, more when the weather is hot or when you have been active. Drink throughout the day and remember to include a drink at every meal. Our body is two-thirds water. We lose water throughout the day, when we sweat or when we go to the toilet. So it is important to keep hydrated. Everyone should drink around 6 to 8 glasses each day, more when the weather is hot or when you have been active. Drink throughout the day and remember to include a drink at every meal. Don’t wait till you are thirsty to drink – even a small loss of water in our body can lead to problems such as headaches and loss of concentration.

Don’t skip breakfast Who had breakfast this morning? Eating breakfast provides us with energy as well as some important nutrients that we need for good health. Breakfast can help to increase concentration and alertness during the morning. By the time we wake up, we have usually been fasting for several hours and need energy from food and drink to replenish our energy stores. Therefore, it is important to have a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast gives us the energy and some important nutrients to be healthy. It helps to boost concentration during the morning. If we skip breakfast, we are more likely to fill up on snacks that are high in fat and/or sugar if we get hungry before lunch. What is your favourite breakfast?

Make a pledge! Can you make a pledge? How? I will… base my meals on starchy foods eat lots of fruit and veg eat more fish cut down on saturated fat and sugar eat less salt get active and be a healthy weight drink plenty not skip breakfast Raise your hands if you can make a pledge to… base my meals on starchy foods eat lots of fruit and veg eat more fish cut down on saturated fat and sugar eat less salt get active and be a healthy weight drink plenty not skip breakfast How can you achieve this? (Refer to Teachers’ notes)

Track your health

For further information on Healthy Eating Week, visit www For further information on Healthy Eating Week, visit www.healthyeatingweek.org.uk