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Healthy eating keeps you feeling at your best for longer. It's good for your physical and mental health and can help you recover after an illness. Find out more about healthy diets, keeping your food bill in budget and where to get support to eat well.
Eating well is one of the foundations for a healthy lifestyle. It provides you with nourishment and energy to keep your body and mind at its best every day.
What eating well looks like for you may be different to someone else. It’s important to eat a wide variety of foods so you get all the nutrients you need. As a general rule, a healthy, balanced diet includes:
It's also important to stay hydrated, so a healthy diet also includes what you drink. Aim for 6–8 glasses of fluids a day. This includes water, tea, coffee, milk and low-sugar juices.
Visit NHS Live Well for more information about healthy eating.
Some people find their appetite changes as they get older. While this is common, not eating enough can put you at risk of becoming malnourished. This is when you don’t get the energy and nutrients you need from your diet to stay healthy.
If you’ve lost your appetite, you might not feel motivated to eat. But there are small steps you can take to still eat well. For example, you could:
If you’re finding appetite loss is regularly affecting how you feel, you could consider getting some support. Read more on our webpage Looking after your mental health.
Visit the NHS webpage Healthy ways to gain weight or the British Dietetic Association’s webpage Spotting and treating malnutrition for more information.
If you’re having trouble chewing or swallowing, talk to your dentist or GP. If you've lost weight suddenly or you're not sure why, speak to your GP or another health professional. They can check there's no underlying cause.
It can be easy to gain weight over time without realising. But just like being underweight, becoming overweight can increase your risk of health problems too.
If you’re looking to lose weight, don’t crash diet. It’s better to make gradual changes and lose weight slowly. Small changes may include:
You could also speak to your GP surgery if you need help to lose weight. They can check if there are any health conditions causing you to put on weight and help you make a weight-loss plan. For example, they may be able to refer you to a dietician or to local groups, such as exercise classes or weight-loss support groups.
For more advice on losing weight healthily, visit the NHS Better Health website.
If you’re finding it hard to cook or shop for food, consider asking others for some help.
For example, you could order from companies offering pre-prepared meals – search for one using the Housing care search tool. Or you may qualify for meals on wheels, which delivers hot or ready-made meals to your home, usually for a charge.
For help with shopping, you could see if volunteers from Age UK or the Royal Voluntary Service could go with you. Or check whether you can get home deliveries from your nearest supermarket or local shops.
If you’re regularly finding it hard to cook yourself, you could consider getting a care needs assessment from your local council. This looks at what your care needs are and whether you’d qualify for any help. Help might include things like visits from a care worker who could help you cook, or adapting your home to make cooking and eating easier. Special equipment – for example, easy-grip utensils and non-slip boards – is also available to help with cooking and eating. Read more on Getting Disability Equipment.
You don't need to spend a lot of money to eat healthily. To keep your food costs within your budget, you could try:
For more tips, read the British Dietetic Association’s Eat well, spend less Food Fact Sheet.
Find out more about healthy eating on NHS Eat well or the British Dietetic Association's food fact webpages.