Pack Lunch (and lots of snacks)
With all the great food served in the canteen, it can be tempting to buy your favourite foods every day. But, it’s easy to pack a fresh healthy lunch for the day. Try watching some meal prep videos on YouTube to get started. There are also tons of websites that have healthy recipes like BBC Good Food , Change4Life and British Heart Foundation.
Don’t skip breakfast
Skipping meals won’t help you lose weight and is not good for you, because you can miss out on important nutrients. Having breakfast will help you get some of the vitamins and minerals you need for good health. Try some healthy breakfast ideas.
Get your 5 A DAY
Fruit and vegetables are good sources of many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs during your teenage years. Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg a day. Find out what counts as 5 A DAY.
Eat the rainbow
You might have been told to ‘eat your greens’, but what about your reds, oranges, yellows, blues and purples? It is now known that the natural phytochemicals, responsible for giving fruit and veg their bright colours, keep us healthy and free from disease.
Choose a variety of different coloured whole foods throughout the day and week. The more naturally occurring colours on your plate at each meal or snack, the better.
Why not try the ‘Eat the rainbow Challenge’
Healthier snack ideas
Cut down on food and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt, such as sweets, chocolate bars, cakes, biscuits, sugary fizzy drinks and crisps, which are high in calories (energy). Consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain and becoming overweight. Get tips on eating less sugar, fat and salt.