"You are what you eat"

We live in a world where we never have enough time. We want snacks on the go, fast food, lazy meals, or no meals. We choose instant gratification over choices with long term benefits. 

We all have foods that are guilty pleasures but might make us feel rubbish afterwards. We know what it feels like to need more of that unhealthy food or drink for days and days afterwards, but making better choices can beat that craving, which can enhance our vitality, energy for life and body confidence. Food can make us happy, feel at our best and help us thrive, which is surely what we’re all striving for?

Our bodies are impacted by everything we put in our mouths: our bones, our muscles, our fat. From our gut health, which impacts so much of our wellbeing, to brain function, the protection of our vital organs, even the quality of our vision. How much we eat and how often we eat is also part of that balance. 

Whether it’s fibre, protein, carbohydrate, healthy fat or saturated fat, the number of essential vitamins and minerals that we eat on a daily basis are countered by the bad sugars, chemicals and other toxins we eat. Food dictates how we feel, how productive we are and how much physical activity we’re able to do.  

Even more importantly, what we eat affects the quality of our immune system, our ability to fight illness. How often we need to see the doctor or visit hospital can be influenced by what we choose to put in our mouths. The good news is, we have control over our food choices and their impact on our health. 

If you knew that pineapple contained a natural anti-inflammatory, would you eat more of it? If you knew that eating blueberries could make you more intelligent, or that beetroot could give a long-lasting boost to energy and stamina far superior to sugar or caffeine, would it change your mind about whether you wanted to eat it or not? Do you know which foods cut your chances of getting cancer by the biggest percentages?   

Eat well with LiveWell 

The team at LiveWell Dorset are really passionate about eating well to look after our health and wellbeing. Food is so important to us, it’s one of the basic necessities of life. But we understand it can be challenging to find recipes that are easy, quick, tasty, and full of nutritious ingredients.  

The time it takes to prep and cook food can discourage many of us from making good, healthy meals, but this time is vital – it’s handy to think of it as downtime and how the end result will benefit your health. However, not all recipes require a lot of time, ingredients, or equipment! Here are some of the teams’ favorite recipes, click the images below to download them. 

Easy egg muffins

Breakfast Pots

Healthy Pancakes

Chicken Wrap

Tune Melt Bagel

Pizza

Lentil Soup

Healthy Chicken Stir-fry

Fruity Frozen Lollies

Food support in Dorset

As times are tough for many of us right now, accessing healthy food can feel like more of a challenge. But there is support available in Dorset to access nutritious food, as well as opportunities to develop your cooking skills. Here’s a list of where you can get food support in Dorset: 

The Friendly Food Club - For fun, free, and friendly cooking and confidence-building workshops, follow The Friendly Food Club on Facebook, they provide workshops where you can learn how to cook on a budget and make your food go further. 

Access to Food Partnership app – for people living in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, you can use this app to find community fridges, food banks, social supermarkets, cooking workshops and more. 

Help And Kindness – Find your local food bank, community fridge, social supermarket or pop-up larder using the Help And Kindness website, which covers the whole of Dorset County.  

Grounded Community – A charity based in Boscombe and Bournemouth who support residents to grow their own fruit and veg. Grounded community also provide access to food to those who need it. Find out more and how to get support. 

Tumbledown – A community greenspace project in Weymouth which produces and sells local fruit and veg. It also supports people with volunteering and learning opportunities and protects the local environment for the benefit of the community. Join the Facebook group to find out more. 

NHS Food Scanner app – Helping your family find healthier food swaps. Scanning food barcodes while you shop will help you find healthier options – an activity that can be fun for the whole family. Find out more and download the app. 

Take your next step to LiveWell 

If you would like support to eat a healthier diet, you can talk to us. Our advisors and coaches are experienced in helping people make healthy choices and long-term changes. Start fueling your body with good food and feel better. 

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