Making healthy choices

A healthy balance around the food you eat is recognised as an important part of overall health including prevention of several disease processes like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer (World Health Organisation, 2021).

We should all aim to eat around 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. More information around portion size and maintaining a healthy weight can be found below.

You may also be starting to take an interest in preparing your own food or helping with food shopping and cooking. There are some easy and low cost meal suggestions in the links below and more information about kitchen safety including food hygiene.

If you are concerned about your weight or have worries around eating you can speak to a member of our team for more advice.

It is also really important to maintain good hydration (water intake) to make sure your body can function properly and you can learn more about this, including different types of drinks in the links below. As a guide we should be aiming for around 6 to 8 cups or classes of fluid each day (1600 to 2000ml).

You might be tempted to buy energy drinks but these can have some unpleasant side-effects. Read more about energy drink facts.

Regular exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle and can help with physical fitness, sleep, mood, stress and mental health.

You should try to take part in a healthy amount of physical activity, such as sport and moving around. This can include formal exercise like going to the gym, playing football or dance classes, but can also be walking, running, riding a bike or work in the home or garden. Read more about teen exercise.

As you get older it is likely that you will want to spend more time with your friends. During teenage years our friends become even more important to us, and they are often the first people we talk to about our problems. The way our friends see us and whether we feel accepted is closely connected to the way we see ourselves and our self-esteem.

Social interaction is recognised as having a positive impact on mental health, but everyone is different in the amount of interaction with others they like. Some people are very socially active, others like lots of quiet time. Whichever you prefer, there are ways to enjoy spending time with others to suit everybody, some ideas are:

• spend casual time with friends
• browse internet forums
• write letters or phone conversations
• work together on a project or area of special interest
• join organised youth groups, such as sports or activity classes
• join after school clubs

You can spend time with friends both face-to-face and on-line and you should take steps to keep yourself safe in both situations. Read our information about keeping safe.

If you are finding friendships hard or are being bullied, you can access support from a trusted adult. This could be a parent or carer, member of the school staff team or another adult you feel safe with.

This might include being discriminated against, called names or other people using hurtful language towards you and this can happen in-person or online. 

Read these 15 things to do if you are feeling lonely.

Think about the things you enjoy doing and how they make you feel and try to set time aside to do these activities. Stay connected with friends and family and talk to the people you trust about your thoughts and feelings Read this guide about 5 steps to mental wellbeing.

You can speak to a trusted adult for support and advice or explore the links below for more information.

Treating your body well also includes things like:

• maintaining good personal hygiene
• understanding your changing body 13+
• self-care (rest, good diet, positive relationships, exercise and being kind to yourself)
• looking after your teeth and mouth
• taking care of your eyes and ears
• being aware of you overall health
• inspecting your body for changes, aches pains, lumps and bumps and seeking advice for any concerns you have
• breast awareness
• testicular awareness