A balanced diet is a food that contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins, and minerals.

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex carbohydrates.

6 grams of salt a day is the limit anyone should eat. and we get most of these 6 grams from just eating normal food without putting any salt on it at all.

The energy we get from food is measured in calories:

• Men need approximately 2500 calories a day.

• Women need approximately 2000 calories a day.

One calorie – This is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one-degree centigrade.

The number of calories we need can vary depending on various factors. A really small person needs fewer food calories, whereas a really large person needs more.

The Government’s ‘5 a day campaign, advises that we should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

As vegetarians don’t eat meat, the amount of saturated fat they eat is usually low.

Our bodies are mostly made of water. About 66% (percent) or two-thirds of us are actually just water.

Water does a lot of work such as lubricating our joints and eyes, aiding digestion, flushing out waste and toxins, and keeping skin healthy.

It is advisable to always drink about 1.2 liters or two pints of water each day.

Alcohol is made by mixing sugar (such as malted barley, grapes, etc) and water with yeast.

Alcohol affects the speed at which your brain sends messages (like texts) all around your body. The more alcohol you drink, the slower these messages travel.

Government recommendation on alcohol:

• For men, it’s 3 – 4 units of alcohol a day maximum.

• For women, it’s 2 – 3 units of alcohol a day maximum.

It takes about 1 hour for your body to absorb 1 pint of beer or 2 units of alcohol when you’ve finished drinking it.

Heart disease, strokes, and diabetes are the main problems caused by an unhealthy diet.

Your weight and height are calculated to give a figure called a Body Mass Index or BMI.

• People with a BMI of under 18.5 are underweight.

• People with a BMI of between 18.5 and 25 are an ideal weight.

• People with a BMI of over 25 are overweight.

• People with a BMI of between 30 and 40 are obese.

• People with a BMI of over 40 are very obese.

If you eat more food calories/energy than your body uses, the body will store the rest as fat.

A balanced diet with vitamins and minerals will also protect you against a range of common illnesses like colds and flu, as vitamins and minerals help our immune system work efficiently.

This is why high blood pressure – measured by a doctor – is a real problem. It’s also called hypertension.

Diabetes is caused if the body has too much sugar in it.

Insulin is something that most people make in their bodies and is vital for life. It helps glucose from carbohydrates etc to enter the cells and then be used for energy.

Type 1 diabetes – Injections of insulin are needed where the person cannot make their own insulin at all. They need medical help and diet is not usually a part of their problem.

Type 2 diabetes – The person can make some insulin but not enough for the amount of sugar they have to process. Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight and need to change their diets.

This is where a person doesn’t have enough iron in their body and they become weak and tired.

Anorexia Nervosa – This is a medical illness where sufferers have EXTREME weight loss caused by VERY strict dieting.

Bulimia Nervosa – This is a medical illness where sufferers crave food and binge eat. They don’t always look thin like people with Anorexia Nervosa.

Best before date – you can use this product after this date but it will start to get worse after this date.

Additives are often linked to hyperactivity in children and other forms of difficult behavior, such as children finding it more difficult to concentrate, etc.

Regular exercise releases chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which make you feel happier about yourself.

Any form of exercise produces chemicals in your brain which give you a bit of a high and make you feel better about yourself – more happy and relaxed. These are the Serotonin, Dopamine, and Endorphin chemicals.

Start with just 10 minutes at a time, but do 10 minutes regularly. Build up to 30 minutes and do it three times a week or more if you can.

Aerobics exercise – This is a normal exercise like walking, swimming, running, and team sports. Aerobic exercise is also called cardiovascular exercise.

Anaerobic exercise – This is short and fast exercises such as sprinting, weight training, and push-ups, which builds the muscles.