Food and healthy eating

Learn how to plant, eat and grow your own produce. Find local food bans and enterprises.

• Growing Newsome
  Growing Newsome aims to build and strengthen relationships between local residents through the shared activity of growing and eating our own local food.
• Stirly farm
  Stirley Community Farm is one of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's most ambitious projects to date - to turn a failed, derelict dairy farm on the edge of Huddersfield into a sustainable working farm.
• Food banks
  The Welcome Centre offers practical support, including food, toiletries, bedding, household items and warm clothes to individuals and families in crisis.
• Growing works
  Growing works, Growing on Wheels and Growing Healthy.
• Edibles
  Edibles inspires people to grow their own food, teaches vital skills and provides hands on experience that aims to put food at the heart of community.
• Golcar local food growing cooperative
  A community based cooperative which grow fruit and vegetables in Golcar.

Learn how to cook healthy and the nutritional values of certain foods.

Cooking

• Kirklees Food Initiative Nutrition Education
  Free healthy eating training to paid workers and/or volunteers who work in Kirklees
• FoodWise
  FoodWise offers one to one appointments about healthy eating and to set individual goals to change the way children and young people eat.

Healthy eating

It is important to eat well and regularly, and to drink plenty of fluids to stay healthy. Eating well helps you stay active and get more out of life. A healthy diet can also improve your physical and mental health. If you are struggling to eat healthily, manage your weight, or make meals for yourself at home, there is support available.

A healthy, balanced diet contains a variety of foods, including:

• plenty of fruit and vegetables
• plenty of starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice
• some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils
• some dairy foods
• not too much fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar
• plenty of water or other fluids (at least 4 pints a day)

Eating and conditions, illnesses and ageing

As you age, your digestive and immune systems may become less efficient. It is important to eat well and nutritiously to get the most out of your food. If you have health conditions such as diabetes, arthritis or high blood pressure, your doctor or dietitian can help you understand if you need to make changes to what you are eating.

Loss of appetite can be a symptom of some illnesses and mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. If you experience long-term appetite loss, speak to your doctor about it.

Poor appetite

Exercise can help you avoid developing health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health difficulties such as depression. It can also improve your appetite. Small meals or snacks, rather than large meals, could be more helpful if you aren't feeling hungry and your appetite is poor.

Weight problems

Adults with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 are classed as being overweight. You can get your BMI measured by attending a free NHS health check, which you can discuss with your GP. You can also find weight loss groups within the local community.

Advice to help you make positive choices about your diet

• NHS: Live Well
  NHS advice about healthy living, including eating a balanced diet, healthy weight, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.
• NHS: Healthier Families
  Easy ways to eat well and move more.
• NHS: Vitamin D
  Vitamin D has several important functions. For example, it helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.
• MAN v FAT
  Diet tips and weight loss motivation for men.

If you are thinking about getting involved in gardening and renting an allotment, there is plenty of information available to help get you started. You can apply online to rent an allotment and start growing your own food or raise live stock.

• Gardening and allotments