NUTRITION & HEALTH

Why is eating healthy important?

Healthy eating has many other benefits. When we eat well we sleep better, have more energy, and better concentration – and this all adds up to healthier, happier lives! Healthy eating should be an enjoyable social experience. When children and young people eat and drink well they get all the essential nutrients they need for proper growth and development and develop a good relationship with food and other social skills.  

Active children and young people whose eating is well-balanced tend to:

1. have a healthy body weight

2. Feel good about themselves

3. Have plenty of energy to be active

4. Have stronger muscles and bones

5. Enjoy better physical and mental health

Children and young people who are hungry or poorly nourished (e.g. consume higher intakes of food and drink high in calories, fat, sugar, and/or salt often termed ‘junk food’ such as chips, sweets, and soft drinks) may:

1. Be irritable, moody, or aggressive

2. Be unable to concentrate and focus on tasks

3. Have less energy for daily activities

4. Be uninterested in learning situations and do less well at school

5. Be at higher risk of developing conditions such as dental health problems, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some types of cancer,  depression, becoming overweight and obese

What is healthy eating?

Healthy eating isn’t about cutting out foods – it’s about eating a wide variety of foods in the right amounts to give your body what it needs. There are no single foods you must eat or menus you need to follow to eat healthily. You just need to make sure you get the right balance of different foods. Healthy eating for children and young people should always include a range of interesting and tasty food that can make up a healthy, varied, and balanced diet, rather than denying them certain foods and drinks. Although all foods can be included in a healthy diet, this will not be true for people on special/medical diets.