Top 10 Tips for Healthy Eating (Young People)

1. Try to avoid skipping breakfast!

Top Tip: If you find that you’re struggling to find time to make breakfast, have a fruit-based breakfast bar so that you can eat on the go, or prepare a pot of fruit before you go to bed so that you can eat it as you travel.

2. Stay hydrated!

Top Tip: Aim to drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day; water and low-fat milk are recommended choices. Add fruit to your water to add flavour.

3. Keep your iron topped up

If you often feel tired, your iron levels could be low. Teenage girls are particularly at risk because they lose iron during their period

Top Tip: Be aware of what’s in your food; red meat, seafood, beans, peas, dried fruit and iron fortified cereals, breads and pastas are all great for boosting your iron levels.

4. Does eating make you feel guilty, anxious or upset?

An eating disorder is serious and not something anyone should deal with on their own.

Top Tip: Talk to someone you trust, your parent, youth worker, teacher or GP. You can write your feelings down if you prefer, and pass this to your trusted person.

5. “Five–a–day”

It’s important that you try to have 5 portions of fruit and veg each day, drink a glass of unsweetened fruit juice or a smoothie before they start their day, and you’re already one down.

Top Tip: Team up with your peers to help each other keep track of how many you have achieved, join pupil councils and youth representative programmes so that you can suggest changes to meals and snacks that are provided, which may help others achieve their 5-a-day goal!

6. Plan your meals with your parents/carers.

Top Tip: Talk about food, ask if you can help to do the shopping or write a list and discuss what is healthy, what you like and what you don’t like.

7. Prepare at least one meal per week.

Top Tip: Try to eat with others where possible, whether this be your friends or family. Take responsibility for preparing one meal for someone every week, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work out you planned, you will learn a lot from the process.

8. Cut back on fat from your meals.

Top Tip: You can grill or bake food rather than frying it, and you can also try literally cutting the fat off, trimming off any fat that you see from meat before cooking it.

9. Variety is important

Always push yourself to try new things, and try not to eat the same meal more than twice in one week.

Top Tip: Try to introduce one new piece of food per week to your diet. We don’t all like every type of food, but there will be things that surprise you!

10. Avoid using Fad Diets

They don’t always do what they say on the tin!

Top Tip: Always talk your diet plans through with someone you trust so that you can make sure your diet is balanced, healthy and is the right one for you.

You can find lots more tips and guidance on Healthy Eating on the NHS website.

If you are having frequent difficulties relating to meal times and food, try keeping a food diary for at least one month. If the problem persists and you can’t find the cause, please contact your GP or speak to someone you trust.