We have put together some information and advice with regard to healthy eating for all the family.

The information as been taken from the following websites, please click on the links to find out more:

Food Standards Agency

School Food Trust

The following should give you a brief understanding of what young people should be aware of and help them to make the correct food choices:

Eating well is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. It can be simple too. Just follow these eight tips to get started.

To help youget the right balance of the five main food groups, take a look at the Eatwell plate

To maintain a healthy diet, the Eatwell plate shows you how much of what you eat should come from each food group.

These practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices:

1. Base your meals on starchy foods
   Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties when you can: they contain more fibre, and can make you feel full for longer. Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat. Try to include at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain fewer than half the calories of fat.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
   It’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and vegetables a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for some dried fruit?
3. Eat more fish
   Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least two portions a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish is high in omega-3 fats, which may help toprevent heart disease.You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned; but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt. Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards. Non-oily fish include haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate and hake. Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try to choose as wide a variety as possible.
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
   We all need some fat in our diet. But it’s important to pay attention to the type of fat we’re eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as cakes, pies, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and hard cheese. Try to cut down, and choose foods that contain unsaturated rather than saturated fats, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and avocados.
   Most people in the UK eat too much sugar. Sugary foods and drinks are often high in calories, and couldcontribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals. Cut down on sugary fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars: this is the kind of sugar we should be cutting down on rather than sugars that are found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk. Food labels can help: use them to check how much sugar foods contain. More than 15g of sugar per 100g means that the food is high in sugar.
5. Eat less salt
   Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Younger children should have even less.
6. Get active and be a healthy weight
   Eating well plays an important part in maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important part of overall good health. Being overweight can led to health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Being underweight could also affect your health. If you're trying to lose weight, healthy food choices will help: aim to cut down on foods that are high in fat and sugar, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.
   Physical activity can help you to maintain a healthy weight. Being active doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym: you can find ways to fit more activity into your daily life. For example, try getting off the bus one stop early on the way home from work, and walking.
7. Drink plenty of water
   Try to drink about six to eight glasses of water (or other fluids) a day to prevent dehydration. When the weather is warm or when we get active, we may need more. But avoid soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars. Remember: When thinking about alcohol, there is nothing wrong with the occasional drink, but drinking too much can cause serious health problems. Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you to control your weight.
8. Don’t skip breakfast
   Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. Wholemeal cereal, with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.
    

It's important to vary a vegetarian diet because some nutrients are not present in vegetarian foods or are less easily absorbed by the body than those in meat or fish.

Plant sources of omega-3 (per 100g)

• Linseed (flaxseed) oil: 50g
• Linseeds: 20.3g
• Walnut oil: 11.5g
• Rapeseed oil: 9.6g
• Soya bean oil: 7.3g
• Pumpkin seeds: 3.5g
• Soya beans: 1.2g 

Any diet that is not planned properly can mean you miss out on essential nutrients.

Contrary to popular belief, most vegetarians have enough protein and calcium (found in dairy products) in their diet.

However, five nutrients that vegetarians need to be careful to getenough of are vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is needed for the absorption of calcium, which keeps the bones and teeth healthy. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to illnesses including rickets (weak bones) in children and osteoporosis or osteomalacia (soft bones) in adults.
The main source of vitamin D is the action of sunlight on skin. Other vegetarian sources of vitamin D are foods fortified with vitamin D, such as margarine, some dairy foods and certain breakfast cereals.

Vitamins B12 and B2
Vitamin B12 is needed for growth, repair and general health. B12 is only found naturally in animal products. If you regularly eat dairy products or eggs it’s likely that you're getting enough. But if you avoid all animal products it’s important to have a reliable source of vitamin B12within your diet.

Good sources of B12 are milk, cheese, eggs, fortified yeast extracts (for example, Marmite), fortified breakfast cereals and fortified soya products. Vitamin B2 is found in milk, wholegrain bread, fortified breakfast cereals and yeast extracts.

Iron
Vegetarians are more likely to lack iron than meat-eaters. If there is a lack of iron in your blood, your organs and tissues will not get as much oxygen as they usually do, and this could develop into anaemia.

Plant sources of iron include pulses, green vegetables (such as watercress, broccoli, spring greens and okra), bread and fortified breakfast cereals. It's easier to absorb iron from food if we eat it with foods that contain vitamin C, so have some fruit or vegetables, or a glass of fruit juice with your meal. Tea makes it harder for the body to absorb iron. Try not to drinktea 30-minutes before and after a meal.

Vegetarian sources of:

Iron
Eggs, pulses, dried fruit, dark green vegetables, wholemeal bread and fortified cereals (with added iron).

Calcium
Milk and dairy products, oat milk, fortified soya products (with added calcium), tofu, pulses, fortified cereals and bread, dark green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B12
Yeast extract, fortified soya milk, fortified breakfast cereals (with added B12), eggs, cheese and milk.

Vitamin C
Citrus fruit and pure fruit juices, vegetables, salads.

Vitamin D
Fortified breakfast cereals andlow-fat spreads (with added vitamin D), margarine,eggs, food supplements.

Protein
Milk, cheese, soya, textured vegetable protein, Quorn, pulses (for example, beans, peas, lentils, tofu, and houmous).

Selenium
It’s important to get enough selenium, which promotes a strong immune system. Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your weekly selenium intake, but make sure it contains brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium. If you eat a mostly vegetarian diet but eat fish occasionally, you should be getting enough selenium.

Fatty acids
There is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids, primarily those found in oily fish, when eaten as part of a healthy diet, can help maintain a healthy heart and reduce risk of heart disease. Sources of omega-3 suitablefor vegetarians include flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil, soya oil and soya-based foods (for example, tofu), walnuts andomega-3 fortified egg. Using a tablespoon offlaxseed, rapeseed, soya or walnutoil in salad dressings or stir fries is a good way of adding omega-3 to your diet.