Healthy eating
Supporting healthier eating for better health
Eating well and keeping hydrated is really important for our physical and mental wellbeing. There are many ways that
foods can affect how we feel, just as how we feel has an influence on what foods we choose. Eating a healthy varied diet and enjoying our food helps to improve our mood and maintain our energy levels. You can find out more below on how food affects our mood.
A healthy varied diet can:
Lower high blood pressure and cholesterol
Reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer
Help you reach and maintain a healthy weight
Try to eat more:
A variety of fruits and vegetables
Wholegrains, like wholewheat pasta, oats and wholemeal bread
Lean proteins such as fish, pulses or chicken
Try to limit:
Red and processed meat such as sausages and bacon
Sugary drinks
Foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt like takeaways and ultra-processed snacks
There are lots of ways you can feed your family healthy, nutritious meals while keeping your shopping bill down.
- Plan ahead: Before you go shopping – plan your meals for the week and write a list of what you will need to buy. Have a look at the recipes section below for some inspiration.
- Shop smart: Buy frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables – they are just as good for you, cheaper and last longer.
Switch to own-brands: Supermarket own-label products often taste identical to big brands but cost a fraction of the price.
- Make Your Food Last Longer: Proper storage is an easy way to save money. If food doesn't go off, you don't have to buy it twice! Keep potatoes and onions stored in a cool, dark place, while tomatoes and lettuce should be kept in the bottom of the fridge.
- Check the dates: 'Use By' is about safety—don't eat food past this date. 'Best Before' is about quality—food is often perfectly safe to eat after this date, they just may not be as tasty.
- Love Your Leftovers: Cooking from scratch in larger batches is usually cheaper. Enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day or freeze them for a "ready meal" on a busy night. When reheating, ensure the food is piping hot. Do not reheat cooked food more than once
- Skip the takeaway: fast food is often expensive, high in salt and served in very large portions.
Quick and simple tasty recipes can make healthy eating feel more manageable and enjoyable.
Kirkby Kitchen recipe book created by Liverpool John Moores University students along with Kirkby residents. Mediterranean inspired recipes which are cheap and easy to cook.
British Heart Foundation Recipe finder
The Healthy Knowsley Hub can support you to achieve a healthy weight. They can refer you to a weight loss programme or offer you free Slimming World vouchers, alongside more intensive personalised support.
Contact the Healthy Knowsley Hub on 0800 0731 202 and speak to a friendly advisor to find out more.
How food can affect your mood
The food we eat can not only influence how we feel physically, but it can also affect our emotions and how we think. On the other hand, how we feel can also affect what and how we eat, such as eating too much or not enough food
To help improve how food can affect the way you feel the British Nutrition Foundation recommends the following:
-having regular mealtimes
-avoiding strict diets
-making 'plants' e.g. vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds a priority
-eating high-fibre carbohydrates
-eating two portions of fish a week
-limiting fatty, sugary and salty foods
-staying hydrated
-avoiding or limiting alcohol
-cutting back on caffeine
For more information on how food and eating habits may affect our mood and how feeling depressed, anxious or stressed can affect what we eat, and how to manage this, visit food and mood.
Mounjaro® (the brand name for Tirzepatide) is a new medicine that helps people lose weight. It’s a weekly injection prescribed by your GP.
It works by making you feel full, so you don’t eat as much.
Mounjaro® will only be prescribed as part of a comprehensive weight management programme, including support for healthier eating, keeping
active, and other important changes such as cutting down on alcohol or stopping smoking.
Mounjaro® is not suitable for everyone. Other NHS weight management services are still available and may be more suitable for many people.
Mounjaro® may be available privately, but availability varies and costs can be significant. Ongoing cost and medical supervision are important
considerations.
Who Can Get Mounjaro® on the NHS?
You may be eligible if you:
- Are an adult with a BMI of 35 or above
And have been diagnosed with four of the weight-related health conditions listed below:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart or vascular disease
- High cholesterol
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
As access is limited, the medicine will be prioritised for people at the highest health risk.
Important information
Common side effects affect 1 in 10 people and include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach discomfort.
Mounjaro® is not recommended:
- During pregnancy or breastfeeding
- If trying to conceive (stop Mounjaro® one month before)
- For people with certain thyroid cancers
It is common for people to put weight back on after stopping weight-loss medication. This is why it is important to follow a weight management programme to help you develop healthy habits to keep the weight off.
Other Support for Weight Loss
If you’re not eligible for Mounjaro® on the NHS, your GP practice can still offer support, including:
- NHS Health Checks – assessing weight, blood pressure, and overall health
- Healthy eating and keeping active advice
- Referral to NHS weight loss programmes, the Diabetes Prevention or Remission Programme, or the Healthy Knowsley Service
Eating well and moving more as a family has benefits for everyone. Healthy choices in childhood help to promote good health and wellbeing later in life.
- For healthy lunch box ideas take a look at our Healthy Schools webpage
- Knowsley Info Hub website lots of information and support for families
- Visit NHS 'Healthier Families' for easy ways to eat well and move more
- Best Start in Life has lots of health advice for parents and carers of babies and toddlers.
- Simply veg website offers a variety of tips on how to encourage children to eat vegetables. They also offer expert advice for those who are neurodivergent.
For direct support you can contact Healthy Futures Knowsley on 0151 426 7462 or email chcp.oralhealthknowsley@nhs.net
National child measurement programme (NCMP) measures the height and weight of children in Reception and Year 6 and provides indication of how children are growing. This is done at school by the school nursing team in private with children being made to feel comfortable, and you will receive your child's results by letter a few weeks later.
Watch the videos below to find out more.
Further support and health information you can trust
For local support, call Healthy Knowsley Hub on 0800 0731 202
