Healthy eating

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best.

Healthy eating guides for Wandsworth residents

The Community Brain have worked with residents across Wandsworth to co-produce culturally appropriate healthy eating guides for South Asian, Caribbean and African communities.

Designed and developed with community groups across Wandsworth, the healthy eating guides provide information and advice to support you to eat a healthy, balanced diet. 

You can download our healthy guides: 

• South Asian healthy eating guide
• Caribbean healthy eating guide
• East African healthy eating guide
• West African healthy eating guide 

Healthy eating and nutrition resource pack

We have partnered with the British Nutrition Foundation to develop a healthy eating and nutrition resource pack with recipe ideas and helpful tips to support you to eat healthily and live well. 

 Download our resource pack using one of the links below:

• Wandsworth healthy eating and nutrition resource pack
• Wandsworth healthy eating and nutrition resource pack (large print)
• Wandsworth healthy eating and nutrition resource pack (facilitator guide)

Healthy eating advice for adults

The following resources provide information and advice to support you to eat healthily and live well:

• Eat well (NHS) 
• Food Fact Sheets (The British Dietetic Association) contains helpful information from registered dietitians 
• Ways to eat well and move more (NHS Better Health) has healthy eating and shopping tips, recipes, downloads and apps and tips for staying active
• The British Heart Foundation has a range of information to help you maintain a balanced diet 

Smartphone app

You can download the free NHS Food Scanner app to help you find healthier foods when you shop.

Healthy cooking on a budget 

Want to eat healthily? And keep the costs low? Here are some top tips:

• Look out for special offers on fruit and veg - buying them in season will be cheaper and tastier than out of season
• Frozen fruit and vegetables count towards your 5-a-day, and can be cheaper (especially when it comes to things like berries and cherries), as well as helping to avoid waste
• Tinned fruit and veg also count towards your 5-a-day if they’re tinned in water or juice, without added sugar or salt. Just look out for and avoid added sugar and salt, as this contributes to high blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes
• Try substituting alcohol with sugar-free drinks or water whilst eating out. This can help you reduce your calorie intake and save you money

For more tips to eat healthily on a budget, try these online resources:

• The Better Health healthier food swaps give simple food swap ideas to help families cut down on sugar, salt and fat in their diets
• The British Heart Foundation healthy eating on a budget page has helpful tips, short videos and recipes  
• The British Nutrition Foundation eating healthily on a budget page includes useful tips when shopping and cooking foods to help you to save money

Healthy eating advice for children 

There is a range of online guidance that can help with healthy eating for children.

• Sign up to NHS Better Health for lots of healthy eating and shopping tips, recipes, free vouchers and fun activities for kids
• The British Nutrition Foundation have lots of healthy eating information and advice for children
• Food Fact Sheets (The British Dietetic Association) have helpful information from registered dietitians 
• Photo examples of healthy meals (The Caroline Walker Trust) for children five to eleven years 
• First Steps Nutrition Trust have simple, cost-effective ideas for the whole family with helpful pictures of portion sizes 

School lunches 

If you pack a lunch for your child and are looking for recipe ideas, then healthier lunchbox recipes from NHS Better Health can give you some inspiration.

Healthy weight for children

There are several online resources you can use to find out if your child is a healthy weight.

• BMI healthy weight calculator (NHS) allows you to check your child's growth 
• Healthy weight children (NHS) has advice for parents on helping children to stay a healthy weight as they grow 
• The National Child Measurement Programme (NHS) has information about the school height and weight checks, which your child is likely to be involved in if they are in primary school 
• School height and weight checks (NHS) has advice and tips on receiving a letter, following your child's weight and height check
• The Young People's Health and Wellbeing 2022 survey gathered valuable information about food habits of children and young people in Wandsworth.

Healthier Catering Commitment

The Healthier Catering Commitment is a scheme that helps food businesses offer healthier choices to their customers. The scheme recognises businesses in London that demonstrate a commitment to reducing the levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar in the food sold in their premises. Refer to the map to find out where you can find healthier items on the menu before the next time you eat out.