Walkers believe that all foods eaten in moderation can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet - balance is key.
Healthy eating is about eating the right balance and quantity of foods
Variety means including lots of different foods in your daily eating pattern. This will not only make sure you are getting all the food components ( nutrients ) your body needs, but it will make your food more interesting and enjoyable.
Balance means eating different amounts of some foods than others e.g. thick slice of wholemeal bread thinly spread with butter, margarine or low-fat spread, and eating some foods more often than others e.g. five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, sweets and other snacks as a treat.
Click here for details of our balanced lunchbox suggestion
All food contains the following components ( nutrients ) in different amounts:
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Energy (calories): found in all food in differing amounts. Needed for growth, activity and keeping the body working properly. Children have smaller stomachs than adults so they cannot eat such large meals. Therefore, regular mealtimes and snacks in between meals are important as is careful planning of these mealtimes. This ensures that what children eat is not only healthy but also packed with the energy and nutrients that children need for their active lifestyle, growth and development.
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Protein: for growth, repair and renewal.
Dietary sources include: Meat; fish; milk; cheese; eggs; nuts; pulses
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Carbohydrate: source of energy and a source of fibre.
Dietary sources include: Bread; cereals; pasta; rice; potatoes
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Fibre: For a healthy digestive system and to help reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Dietary sources include: Wholemeal bread; wholegrain cereals; fruit; vegetables
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Fat: Source of energy, essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins.
Dietary sources include: Oils; spreads; seeds; nuts
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Vitamins and minerals: Normal functioning of the body, growth and repair.
Dietary sources include: Fruit; vegetables; nuts; dairy products; cereals
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Salt: Salt is made up of sodium and chloride. Sodium helps control the levels of fluid which help to maintain blood pressure and keep nerves and muscles working properly. Health concerns about salt relate to the sodium content. Sodium plays an important role in the body and that’s why you see sodiumincluded in nutritional panels on food products, including Walkers crisps and snacks. We need to carefully monitor the quantities of sodium in our diet.
 | 10% of the sodium we eat is naturally present in foods such as; milk, eggs and spinach
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| 15% is added during cooking or at the table
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| The remaining 75% comes from processed foods
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| Health experts recommend a maximum salt intake of 6 grams per day for adults, which equates to a maximum of 2.4 grams of sodium per day. Children need less depending on their age
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