Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Healthy Weights Guidance

1. Healthy Eating

Good nutrition is the foundation of health. A balanced diet supplies the body with essential nutrientsvitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fatsrequired for growth, repair, and everyday energy needs.

Key Principles

• Variety: Choose foods from all food groups to ensure a breadth of nutrients.
• Proportion: Aim for half the plate to be vegetables and fruits, onequarter whole grains, and onequarter lean protein.
• Whole foods: Prioritise minimally processed items such as fresh produce, legumes, nuts, seeds, and wholegrain cereals.
• Limit added sugars and salt: Keep added sugars to less than 10% of total energy and sodium below 2g per day.
• Hydration: Drink water as the primary fluid; limit sugary drinks and excessive caffeine.

Practical Tips

• Plan meals ahead and keep a grocery list focused on the foodgroup plate.
• Use the trafficlight label system when shopping green = choose often, amber = consume in moderation, red = limit.
• Prepare snacks that combine protein and fibre, such as hummus with carrot sticks or a handful of almonds.
• Read nutrition information to compare products, especially for hidden sugars and sodium.

2. Physical Activity

Regular movement supports cardiovascular health, muscular strength, mental wellbeing, and helps maintain a healthy weight. Activity can be broken into three domains: aerobic, musclestrengthening, and flexibility/balance.

Recommended Amounts

• At least 150 minutes of moderateintensity aerobic activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.
• Two or more days a week of musclestrengthening activities involving major muscle groups.
• Incorporate flexibility or balance exercises especially for older adults.

Making Activity Enjoyable

• Choose activities you likedancing, cycling, swimming, or brisk walking.
• Set realistic goals and track progress with a phone app or diary.
• Integrate movement into daily life: take stairs, park further away, or have walking meetings.
• Invite friends or family to join; social support increases adherence.

3. Healthy Weights Guidance

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as type2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Weight management is most successful when it combines balanced nutrition with regular activity.

Assessing Weight Status

• Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple screening tool: weight (kg) height (m).
• For adults, a BMI of 18.524.9kg/m is considered healthy; 2529.9 indicates overweight; 30+ indicates obesity.
• Consider waist circumference as an additional risk indicator (men>94cm, women>80cm suggest higher health risk).

Weight Management Strategies

• Focus on gradual change aim for 0.51kg weight loss per week if weight reduction is needed.
• Adopt a caloriecontrolled diet that still meets nutrient needs; a deficit of 500kcal/day is generally safe.
• Combine diet changes with increased physical activity for sustainable results.
• Seek professional support from dietitians, physicians, or structured programmes when needed.

4. Implementing the Guidance

Effective implementation requires coordinated effort at individual, community, and policy levels.

Individual Actions

• Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) goals for diet and activity.
• Use foodtracking tools to become aware of intake patterns.
• Schedule regular movement breaks during sedentary work.

Community Strategies

• Promote local walking groups, community gardens, or cooking workshops.
• Ensure schools provide nutritious meals and daily physicaleducation sessions.
• Partner with retailers to highlight healthier product choices.

Policy Recommendations

• Implement frontofpack nutrition labeling that uses clear colour coding.
• Regulate marketing of highsugar, highsalt foods to children.
• Support infrastructure for active transportbike lanes, safe sidewalks, and public parks.

The recommendations above are based on evidence from the World Health Organization, national dietary guidelines, and peerreviewed research on nutrition and physical activity.