TIPS SHEET ON HEALTHY MEALS
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Where possible, cook from fresh ingredients rather than buying processed ‘ready-meals’. Most of us will have the
occasional pizza or other supermarket offering, but all the evidence is that processed foods (and especially ‘ultra-
processed’ foods) aren’t great for our health if we have them in substantial quantities. A simple way to recognise ultra
processed foods is that they usually contain ingredients you wouldn’t have at home (mainly chemicals, colourings,
sweeteners and preservatives). A good rule of thumb is that if your grandparents wouldn’t have recognised the words
on the ingredients labels of foods, then they are worth avoiding.
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Include fruit and vegetables with a range of colours. ‘Rainbow eating’ is a great way of getting good nutrition, but the
colours need to be natural, not artificial.
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Make larger quantities of some meals so you can freeze them for another time. This way, if you’re short of time, you
can take something healthy out of your freezer rather than reaching for snacks.
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Have your main meal early in the day if you can. There’s some evidence that this is a healthier way to eat and
certainly avoiding eating late at night helps your digestive system work well.
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Have a balance of nutritional elements – protein, carbohydrates and fats – they all have major contributions to the
development and performance of our body and brain.
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Include fibre in your diet – this helps with bowel function and also feeds the good bacteria in your gut without which we
wouldn’t survive.
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Have plenty of fluids – water is great - but don’t overdo them. Many people are often dehydrated and don’t realise it,
so getting enough liquid will help you function well.
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Have a good breakfast; it will keep you going for many hours and prevent you snacking mid-morning.
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If you’re vegetarian or vegan, make sure you get enough of the essential nutritional elements – this may require
supplements of certain things such as particular vitamins.
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Eat seasonal, and locally-produced, ingredients where you can. This will give you food that’s likely to be fresher and
also avoid long-distance transport. There are lots of local farm shops and farmers’ markets which are a great choice
instead of relying entirely on giant supermarkets. You can help support local businesses, eat well and help the
environment at the same time – win-win all round.