Healthy eating
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best.
The following websites provide advice about healthy diets:
- Eat well (NHS)
- Food Fact Sheets (The British Dietetic Association) contains helpful information from registered dietitians
- Ways to eat well and move more (NHS Better Health) has healthy eating and shopping tips, recipes, downloads and apps and tips for staying active
- The British Heart Foundation has a range of information to help you maintain a balanced diet
Smartphone app
You can download the free NHS Food Scanner app to help you find healthier foods when you shop.
Healthy cooking on a budget
Want to eat healthily? And keep the costs low? Here are some top tips:
- Look out for special offers on fruit and veg - buying them in season will be cheaper and tastier than out of season
- Frozen fruit and vegetables count towards your 5-a-day, and can be cheaper (especially when it comes to things like berries and cherries), as well as helping to avoid waste
- Tinned fruit and veg also count towards your 5-a-day if they’re tinned in water or juice, without added sugar or salt. Just look out for and avoid added sugar and salt, as this contributes to high blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes
- Try substituting alcohol with sugar-free drinks or water whilst eating out. This can help you reduce your calorie intake and save you money
For more tips to eat healthily on a budget, try these online resources:
- The Better Health healthier food swaps give simple food swap ideas to help families cut down on sugar, salt and fat in their diets
- The British Heart Foundation healthy eating on a budget page has helpful tips, short videos and recipes
- First Steps Nutrition Trust have simple, cost effective ideas for the whole family with helpful pictures of portion sizes
Healthy eating advice for children
There is a range of online guidance that can help with healthy eating for children.
- Sign up to NHS Better Health for lots of healthy eating and shopping tips, recipes, free vouchers and fun activities for kids
- Food Fact Sheets (The British Dietetic Association) have helpful information from registered dietitians
- Photo examples of healthy meals (The Caroline Walker Trust) for children five to eleven years
- Feeding young children (The Infant and Toddler Forum) has guides on healthy eating and fussy eating in toddlers
School lunches
If you pack a lunch for your child and are looking for recipe ideas, then healthier lunchbox recipes from NHS Better Health can give you some inspiration.
Healthy weight for children
There are several online resources you can use to find out if your child is a healthy weight.
- BMI healthy weight calculator (NHS) allows you to check your child's growth
- Healthy weight children (NHS) has advice for parents on helping children to stay a healthy weight as they grow
- The National Child Measurement Programme (NHS) has information about the school height and weight checks, which your child is likely to be involved in if they are in primary school
- School height and weight checks (NHS) has advice and tips on receiving a letter, following your child's weight and height check
- The Young People's Health and Wellbeing 2022 survey gathered valuable information about food habits of children and young people in Wandsworth.
Healthier Catering Commitment
The Healthier Catering Commitment is a scheme that helps food businesses offer healthier choices to their customers. The scheme recognises businesses in London that demonstrate a commitment to reducing the levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar in the food sold in their premises.