Top Tips

Eat Regular Meals

Don't go for long periods of time without eating - this can often lead to increased snacking on unhealthy foods and drinks

Regular meals help to:

• make sure that we eat a wide range of foods and get all the nutrients we need to stay healthy
• keep blood sugar levels steady
• stop us getting hungry - if we get hungry we tend to crave fatty or sugary foods, and so can end up eating or drinking a large amount of calories in a short space of time

Be Aware Of Our Eating And Drinking

Try to avoid distractions when eating. If we eat whilst watching the television for example, we tend not to notice or appreciate the food we're eating

Don't eat on the run. We should take time to eat our food - this is important for digestion, for helping us to taste and appreciate our food and for helping to ensure that our brains recognise when we feel full.

Don't eat everything on the plate if we don’t need it - we should stop eating once we feel full.

Clear away any food from sight as soon as you can after eating. People who leave food such as leftovers lying about in their kitchen, end-up eating almost twice as much compared to when they clear food away.

Have healthier options (vegetables, salads, fruits) more readily available and visible in your home. People tend to snack on foods that are 'to hand' or in eyesight - for example on the worktop or at the front of cupboards.  If you buy high fat and high sugar foods, put them out of the way so that they're not an easy option.

Eat a healthy snack before going food shopping. People who are hungry when they go shopping for food don’t necessarily buy more food, but they:

• buy food which is about 50% higher in fat and/or sugar content
• buy more snack food

Active Living

If possible we should aim to be as active as possible every day. This might include:

• Using stairs instead of a lift or escalator.
• Walking the whole way or part of the way instead of using the car or bus.
• Washing the car ourselves instead of going to a car wash