A healthy diet
The word ‘diet’ refers to everything you eat.
A healthy diet means that you are eating all the right things. An unhealthy diet means that you are eating too much of the wrong type of food.
Some foods are better for you than others. For some of us, chocolate, crisps, and doughnuts may be our favourite foods. But we can’t eat them all of the time. Although they taste nice, they don’t give you all the stuff you need to live a healthy life.
We need other types of foods to protect us from illness and to help us grow. Vitamins and minerals help our bones, eyes and teeth stay strong and our bodies healthy.
The best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need is through eating the food that contains them.
Carrots contain vitamin A, which helps your eyes. Oranges contain vitamin C, which helps your bones and skin.
You also need protein. You can get this from beef, which comes from cows. It is present in fish too. Plants such as the soybean also contain protein, as do nuts.
Carbohydrates are very important as well! Potatoes and pasta give you energy to play sports or walk in the park.
How to have a healthy diet
A lot of different things affect our health, including what we eat and how active we are.
We know that all living things need food to stay alive. Just like a car needs fuel to turn the wheels, our bodies need food to make them work.
There’s a lot to understand, so it’s best if you don’t try to take all this information in at once. What’s important is that you learn as you go.
Try to eat as much fruit and veg as you can (five portions a day if possible). Don’t eat much fried food, eat as little sugar as possible and drink lots of water.
That doesn’t mean you can’t eat crisps and chocolate at all. Every now and then you can have a treat, but not every day.
A diet for sports
Some people need a specific type of diet in order to do a certain task or activity. This is the case for elite sportspeople.
An Olympic athlete has a diet made up mostly of protein and carbohydrates. This is because they need lots of energy to break world records. They will eat loads of vegetables, fruit and whole grains. They’ll have plenty of fish, poultry and beans too. They will also choose the high quality fats found in foods like olive oil, nuts and avocados.
Some rugby players also have to eat a lot of protein, fats and carbohydrates to grow their muscles. They need strength to tackle opponents. That’s not to say that you should eat a packet of sausages every morning if you want to be a rugby player!
All you need to do is have a balanced diet, practice your sports skills and exercise outside.
