Diet and healthy eating

Are you unsure about how to eat healthily? Do you find all the messages about food and nutrition confusing?

If so, please email healthyliving@brent.gov.uk if you would like to book one of our healthy eating workshops to discuss and learn about the following:

• the eatwell plate - this shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group
• how to read and understand food labels to make healthier choices
• the hidden fats, sugar and salt in food
• practical tips for healthy food ideas
• what physical activities in Brent are available to get you moving more.
  
  

We want people to really think about how much sugar they are consuming. The health statistics of the borough suggest that hundreds of us are consuming more sugar than we should. The kind of sugar we eat too much of is known as the collective term "free sugars". Free sugars are any sugars added to food or drinks. 

Many foods and drinks that contain added sugars can be high in energy but often have few other nutrients. Sugar has been dubbed as ‘empty calories’ because it has no nutritional benefit. Eating these foods too often can mean you eat more calories than you need, which can lead to weight gain and obesity.

Being overweight can increase your risk of health conditions such as:

• heart disease
• type 2 diabetes

In particular, drinking lots of sugary drinks has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The government recommends that no more than 5 per cent of daily calories should come from sugar.

As part of the Slash Sugar campaign, we would love you to sign up to not eat any refined sugar on a Tuesday. This includes cakes, biscuits, sugary cereals, chocolate bars. Fruit is allowed!

Have a look at the sugar swap table below to find healthier alternatives.

#SugarFreeTuesday is the name of the campaign and we would love you to be part of it. Tweet us @Brent_Council with what alternatives you are eating to sugar or how you are finding it. We’ve chosen one day of the week – Tuesday – so that colleagues and friends can do it together and you can support each other through it.

Say no to sugary drinks

A huge part of our campaign is around saying "no to sugary drinks". This is because around a quarter of the added sugar in childrens’ diets comes from sugary drinks. That’s why the new advice is that sugary drinks have no place in a child’s daily diet. 

Adults are also advised to avoid sugary drinks - a typical can of sugary drink contains 9 teaspoons of sugar.

Instead swap to:

• water
• lower-fat milks
• sugar free
• diet and no added sugar drinks.

Watch our video below to see how much sugar is in some popular sugary drinks.

Recommended maximum sugar intake

Sugar swaps

Try these easy swap ideas to reduce the amount of sugar you and your kids eat throughout the day!

The Healthy Schools Programme is a voluntary scheme which schools in Brent can apply to join.

Schools can promote healthy eating, cooking clubs, growing and eating clubs and the promotion of physical activity such as walk to school programmes, taster sports sessions and roller skating clubs for secondary pupils.

Many schools are working with their caterers to ensure the uptake of universal free school meals for infants, including taster sessions for parents, and to promote healthy eating.

Every school has its own website which provides information on aspects of school life including healthy school activities and awards.

• Find your school

Apply for the programme

Any London school can apply for the Healthy Schools London Award by registering and completing the requirements.

The programme has bronze, silver and gold awards. This approach is to help schools progressively build on their policy and practice over a period of time.

The Healthy Early Years Award is an accreditation and award scheme for early years settings in Brent including nurseries, child minders and children’s centres.

The scheme focuses on seven key health improvement areas for the under fives:

• healthy eating
• oral health
• physical activity
• breastfeeding
• immunisations
• safety at home
• emotional wellbeing.

If you are a childcare provider, children’s centre, or health professional, you can apply for a Healthy Early Years award.

• Find your nearest dentist on the NHS website

Children under 16 (and 17 and 18 year olds in full time education) get free access to NHS dentists, so there is no excuse not to visit a local dentist.

You can download and print off the healthy smiles leaflet (.pdf, 2.39MB), a helpful resource which gives a tooth-brushing chart and tips on maintaining healthy teeth.

Sadly, children in Brent have very poor oral health. On starting school, 46 percent of children have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth.

Here are some top tips to look after your children’s teeth:

• baby teeth are also important to guide adult teeth into position in the mouth
• brush teeth twice per day with fluoride toothpaste – especially at bedtime and at one other time in the day
• bedtime brushing is important as it allows the toothpaste to work whilst your child is asleep
• start to brush as soon as teeth appear, usually around six months of age
• fluoride information can be found on the toothpaste packet
• use a smear of 1000 ppm fluoride toothpaste for children under 3
• use a pea sized amount of a family (1350 ppm or above) fluoride toothpaste for children over the age of 3
• encourage the child to spit out and do not rinse the mouth out with water as this will wash away the fluoride toothpaste that strengthens the tooth surface
• reduce the amount and frequency of sugar and sugary drinks consumed and use sugar free medicines
• help and supervise children with tooth brushing until they reach the age of 7. This may be later for children with additional needs.