Healthy Eating for You and Your Family

Many of us are experiencing a change to our lifestyle due to COVID-19. You might be isolating, working from home or home schooling the kids. We are all trying to find a balance and adjust to a “new normal”.

You may find that your diet or appetite has changed, but is this for the better or worse? Can your diet have an effect on the coronavirus?

Individual foods or supplements can’t prevent coronavirus, but eating a balanced diet and being a healthy weight is important for our immune system as well as helping us to look after our general health.

Click on the topics below to find lots of advice and information to help you achieve a healthy, balanced diet. There are also recipes, ideas on how to make the most of your food shop and information about other health conditions.

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• Healthy Eating for you and your family.

  To achieve a balanced diet it is important to eat foods from the 5 main food groups.  The eatwell guide shows us the different food groups and the amounts we should have throughout the day or the week.

   

  

  For more information click here.

  Children need different nutrition for different ages as they are growing and developing quickly. It is also an important time for them to get into the habit of healthy eating- by the time they are 5 years old they should be following the principles in the eatwell guide.

  To find out information on healthy eating for children, including what this looks like for different ages click here.

• I’m snacking more- does it make my diet unhealthy?

  You may find that you are snaking more when you are at home.  Planning ahead to make healthier choices can make snacks part of a balanced diet. For more information and ideas click here.

  For ideas for children click here.

• Shopping tips & making the best use of the food you buy
  • Check what you already have in your cupboards. Remove any out of date foods to free up space. Remember to recycle any packaging and food- follow advice from your local council about how to do this.
  • Plan to use leftovers the next day e.g. for lunch. ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ is a campaign that has lots of ideas to help reduce food waste:  https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com  Look at their A-Z food storage list to make your food last longer and what food can be frozen. 
  • Write a list before you go shopping – plan your meals ahead so you know what you need to buy. Remember to take the list with you!
  • Try to buy most of your food in 1 shopping trip
  • There is no need to buy more food that you need.
  • Don’t go shopping when you are hungry! You will buy more.
  • Use fresh foods first before foods that last longer. Some fresh foods have a longer shelf e.g. potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.
  • Cooking from scratch can be enjoyable and help save money. Make some meals that can be stored in the freezer in case you become unwell or have some foods like tinned soups or microwave meals that are quick and easy to prepare, this will make it easier if you don’t feel like cooking.
  • Supermarket own brands and budget ranges can help save money and often taste just as good.
  • Reduce the amount of meat in a dish by adding in extra beans, pulses or lentils.
  • Fruit and vegetables in season are less expensive – see the table below for some of the fruit and vegetables in season over the next few months

   

  April	May	June	July
  Beetroot Cabbage Carrots Kale Parsnips Rhubarb Spinach Scallions	Asparagus Aubergine Beetroot Lettuce Peas Peppers Rhubarb Spinach Scallions Strawberries	Asparagus Aubergine Beetroot Blackcurrants Broad Beans Broccoli Cauliflower Courgettes Cucumber Lettuce Peas Peppers Raspberries Rhubarb Runner Beans Scallions Strawberries Turnips	Aubergine Beetroot Blackberries Blueberries Broad Beans Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Courgettes Cucumber Onions Peas Raspberries Rhubarb Scallions Strawberries Tomatoes Turnips

  (You can find more information on seasonal fruit and vegetables on the The Vegetarian Society website)

  For more information click here.

  Having difficulty finding the ingredients you need? Click here for suitable swaps.

   

• Making the best use of your freezer & store cupboards

  It is helpful to use your freezer and store cupboards to have longer lasting foods that can be used to make nutritious meals.

  Freezer suggestions
  Cupboard suggestions Part 1
  Cupboard suggestions Part 2

• Recipe Ideas and Cooking with Children

  Remember to enjoy your food- cooking at home can be relaxing and fun and can be part of our daily routine.   These websites have useful ideas for meals, why not try something new.

  Try cooking together – don’t worry about the mess!

  Healthy recipe ideas from the Public Health Agency:

  https://www.choosetolivebetter.com/content/healthy-recipes

  101 Square Meals is an online recipe book:

  http://safefood.eu/SafeFood/media/SafeFoodLibrary/Documents/Healthy%20Eating/101_Square_Meals.pdf

  Safefood also have recipes with videos:

  https://www.safefood.eu/Recipes.aspx?cid=115

  Change for life have lots of healthy recipe ideas for even the fussiest of eaters- check out the rest of their website for some indoor fun activities for children.

  https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes

  This could be a time to get your children excited about food- there are lots of tasks that children of any age can help you with, making sure they have supervision right for their ability.  This website provides more tips & advice on cooking with children:

  https://www.bda.uk.com/food-health/lets-get-cooking/cooking-at-home.html

• Food & Mood

  It is important to look after your mental health as well as your physical health.  The foods we eat can impact on our mood.  Eating a balanced diet is important.  This fact sheet provides more information click here.

  It is not just a balanced diet that helps our mental health; we can all take 5 steps to look after our mental health when we have to stay at home:

  • Connect – e.g. via a daily phone call to friends or family
  • Be active- housework counts as physical activity
  • Take notice- stop, pause and take a moment to be still and look around you.
  • Keep learning – learn something new & give yourself a sense of achievement.
  • Give- we are doing this by staying at home- the greatest gift we can give right now.

  More information can be found click here.

• Malnutrition

  Malnutrition means ‘poor nutrition’ –it is often used to describe under nutrition which can happen to anyone at any age but it is more common in older people and those who were already socially isolated before the current situation. Social distancing and social isolation can lead to less access to foods that keep you healthy and being isolated may make you want to eat less.

  Malnutrition can increase your risk of frailty which can lead to weaker muscles making people more at risk of falls, infections and it can take you longer to recover.  Someone doesn’t need to be underweight to be malnourished; weight loss without trying due to illness or infection is not good – whatever someone’s original body weight was. For more information click here.

  Use this website to check if you or someone you know is losing too much weight, click here.

  Resources
  

  Watch out for weight loss

  Getting the most from your food if you have a poor appetite or have lost weight without trying

  Remember if you are concerned speak to your GP.  If you are already on a special diet or have swallowing problems please discuss unexpected weight loss with your GP or Dietitian.

• TAB Diabetes

  Type 1 Diabetes

  If you or your child have recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes you should be referred to a Diabetes Dietitian who can help you understand and manage your condition.

  Type 1 Diabetes Sick Day Rules

  It is important that people with diabetes follow Sick Day Rules if they become unwell. When you have diabetes, being ill can cause your blood sugars to increase as your body tries to fight off the illness.

  • Check your blood sugar at least every four hours, including during the night, and check your ketones. If your blood sugar level is high or if ketones are present, contact your diabetes team
  • Do not stop taking your insulin
  • Keep eating and drinking

  If you can’t keep food down, try snacks or drinks with carbohydrates in to give you energy. Try to sip sugary drinks (such as fruit juice or non-diet cola or lemonade) or suck on glucose tablets or sweets like jelly beans. Letting fizzy drinks go flat may help keep them down.

  If you’re vomiting, or not able to keep fluids down, get medical help as soon as possible.

  Click here for more advice.

  Type 2 Diabetes

  If you have Type 2 diabetes or have been recently diagnosed you can find more information on the British Dietetic Association Food Fact Sheet, click here.

  Type 2 Diabetes Sick Day Rules

  It is important that people with diabetes follow Sick Day Rules if they become unwell. When you have diabetes, being ill can cause your blood sugars to increase as your body tries to fight off the illness.

  • If you are taking insulin do not stop
  • Keep eating and drinking

  If you can’t keep food down, try snacks or drinks with carbohydrates in to give you energy. Try to sip sugary drinks (such as fruit juice or non-diet cola or lemonade) or suck on glucose tablets or sweets like jelly beans. Letting fizzy drinks go flat may help keep them down.

  If you’re vomiting, or not able to keep fluids down, get medical help as soon as possible.

  Click here for more advice.

  Gestational Diabetes (Diabetes in Pregnancy)

  If you have recently been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes you should be referred to an Antenatal or Diabetes Dietitian who can help you understand and manage your condition.

  Useful Sites and Resources

  Diabetes UK is the leading charity for people living with diabetes in the UK, providing information, dietary tips, recipes, resources and links to support groups in your local area click here.