Performance Skills Course

healthy eating

Stay balanced

Balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle. It’s about what you put into your body and how you burn that energy off. Food is burned in our bodies to create energy and if we don't use it, we get fat – simple!

Keeping active will improve your overall health, your mood and will help you keep a healthy body weight. Being active can reduce your stress levels and can give you the time to think clearly, and because of the natural chemicals that exercise releases into your brain – exercise can actually make you feel happier.

Get on the fast track to a healthy lifestyle

Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables - 5 portions a day (but this can include fruit juice and baked beans!)
Avoid fast foods as much as possible, they are high in fat and salt.
Avoid snacking, but if you get hungry in between meals, swap the chocolate and crisps for a banana or an apple
Read the nutritional information on food packaging; it will help you choose healthy options. Always go for low-fat cheese, milk and yoghurt. Watch how much salt you're eating. As most salt we eat comes from processed foods, read the label - food containing more than 1.25 grams of salt per 100g is a lot. Don't add it to food when you're cooking or at the table
Don’t skip breakfast. It sets you up for the day and gets your metabolism on an even keel.

Keep yourself fit

You don't need to join a gym, Jog in the park or walk home, every bit helps!
Drugs and alcohol affect your wellbeing in the long-term and can be harmful to your health.
Don't start smoking; try and give up smoking if you’re a smoker already.
Register with a local doctor for your health support and access to other health services.

Find out more

Dieting and eating disorders

With so many perfect-looking celebrities in the media, it is common to worry about your body image.

It’s best to eat well and to stay a healthy weight. Being on a diet is about losing some weight in a healthy way, but some young people can take diets too far and develop an eating disorder.

The two main types of eating disorders are: anorexia nervosa, which is when you starve yourself, and bulimia nervosa, which is when you make yourself sick after you eat, or take laxatives. Both of these eating disorders are very bad for your health.

Signs of anorexia include:

Eating less or avoiding eating.
Losing a lot of weight very quickly.
Growing more body hair (usually girls).

Signs of bulimia include:

Eating a lot in one go.
Going to the toilet after eating to be sick.
Sore throat and mouth infections.

If you think that you have an eating disorder:

Talk to someone you trust.
See your doctor, who can get you counselling.
Remember that the sooner you get some help, the easier it will be for you to beat your problem.

If you are worried your friend has got an eating disorder: