The popular expression "you are what you eat" has been used for over 40 years and never has it been truer. Awareness that good food means good health and good life is slowly rising and people are starting to make more food choices based on health. With over 140 years of food and nutrition research, Nestlé is committed to helping you to make healthier lifestyle choices including Good Food you’ll enjoy for a Good Life!
All of us today are facing an increasing array of nutritional challenges due to the way in which we eat; what we eat; how much we eat; and the way that we live our lives. Eating a healthier diet may sound daunting, but for many, just a few small changes can make a big difference to our overall health – and you don’t need to compromise on taste and enjoyment. The two key steps to healthier eating are: to eat a healthy balanced diet and to eat the right amount for the level of activity that you do each day in order to avoid unwanted weight gain. By making healthier, good food choices you are more likely to:
- Feel and look great
- Meet your daily nutritional needs for nutrients, including essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
- Provide a boost to your immunity helping to fight off coughs, colds and other everyday bugs
- Be better able to control your weight
- Lower your risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or cancers
But healthy eating is just one part of the jigsaw. Keeping active as part of your daily life, is also an important part of keeping well and taking care of yourself.
We can help you to make good food choices by:
- Providing you with lots of useful information on the nutrition content of our products – both on this website and on our food and drinks packaging
- Providing you with information about healthy eating and tips on how you can make healthier choices
- Giving you a simple, practical tool to checking your diet, so you can see how healthy you really are.
Did you know?
According to the latest surveys (1) we are moving towards healthier eating habits – eating less energy, less added sugars, and less salt. However this is no time to be complacent as considerable improvements still need to be made before we get close to the Government recommendations for good health
Despite falling energy intakes, 6 out of 10 adults in the UK are overweight or obese (very overweight), in part due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Being overweight increase the chances of developing heart disease, raised blood pressure, diabetes and poor blood sugar control (2)
Worryingly around one third of children in the UK are also now overweight or obese (3)
Reference:
(1) DEFRA 2007 Family Food in 2007 The Stationery Office,
London
(2) BHF Heart Stats Obesity & Overweight Sept 2008
(3) BHF Heart Stats Obesity & Overweight Sept 2008
Check Your Diet
Want to know how healthy your diet is? Tell us what you ate yesterday and the Nestlé Nutrition database will give you facts and figures about your diet.
Healthy Lifestyles
Regular physical activity is good for both your physical health and mental wellbeing. People of all ages can benefit from regularly taking part in all activities of moderate intensity. For example you can swim, cycle, run, walk or go to the gym as all activity counts, including ironing, gardening and cleaning the house. Aim for at least 30 minutes exercise or physical activity on 5 days each week. The good news is that this could be three ten minute bursts, two 15 minute bursts or one 30 minute session, whatever suits you best and fits in with your lifestyle. Just make sure that your heart rate increases and usually you feel a little puffed out afterwards!
Special dietary needs
Some people suffer reactions each time they eat a particular food or ingredient and need to avoid all sources of that food in their diet. There are two main types of reactions to foods – food allergy, which tends to be more severe and can result in anaphylactic shock, and food intolerance, where symptoms range from mild reactions to those that are more severe.
What is a balanced diet
Child or adult, sporty or not, healthy eating is for everyone. Choosing the right balance of foods is essential in keeping ourselves healthy. To find out more about GDAs (Guideline Daily Amounts) click here.
