Welcome to our Mental Health and Well-Being Page which will provide you with information to support your child and your whole family.

Healthy eating information

Children need to have a balanced diet from the 5 main food groups which consists of carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, protein, dairy and fats.  Getting a balance of all of these food groups will help support a child’s growth and development. Below is a copy of the Eatwell Guide that demonstrates how a balanced day should look.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-eatwell-guide/

As illustrated, the Eatwell guide shows how an average day of food should roughly look like. A good starting point is to ensure every meal contains a portion of carbohydrates, and at least one portion of fruit/vegetables, then you can add a portion of protein or dairy (If you can get in both then great). For example, breakfast could be porridge with milk and sliced bananas and strawberries, that meal then contains a portion of carbohydrates, fruit and dairy.

On the outside of the plate is the high fat, high sugar foods. These fall outside the plate in the middle as they are not needed every day. The current guidelines recommended by Warwickshire dieticians is no more than two foods from this group a week e.g. a small packet of crisps and a chocolate bar.

On the top right of the plate is water and the aim is to have 6-8 glasses per day which helps to stay hydrated.

Sugar and oral health

Below are the guidelines for the maximum amount of added sugar per day based on different ages.

The average chocolate bar contains 8 teaspoons of sugar, 2 chocolate digestives contain 2 teaspoons and an energy drink contains 11 teaspoons, it can be quite easy to exceed the recommended amount of sugar per day. Especially when we have hidden sugars in foods such as tomato sauce which contains 1 teaspoon for every serving of tomato sauce. Excessive sugar intake can have an impact on oral health and 9 out of 10 tooth extractions in the UK are from tooth decay according to the Public Health England.

Find out more about ‘Food Facts’ on the Better Health, Healthier Families webpage (https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/food-facts/). The page includes information on the following topics.

• NHS Food Scanner App
• Healthier Food Swaps
• Snacks
• Sugar and Sugar Calculator
• Salt and Fat

Also, why not take a look at Better Health, Healthier Families healthy recipes. Healthy eating doesn't need to be dull. Whip up tasty family meals with our easy step-by-step recipes.

https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/

Mental Health Support 

This website offers free advice for parents and carers of children aged 0-19 in the UK.

"Our parenting coaches have seen and solved it all – from weaning to teenage worries....Whatever your background or experiences, we want to help. We know that everyone’s challenges are unique, and aim to offer a welcoming and trusted place to get support."

https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/mental-health-wellbeing/ 

The website has resources and advice on the following topics:

• Mental health & Wellbeing
• Behaviour
• Stages & Development
• Additional Needs & Disabilities
• Education
• Parenting & Relationships
• Sleep
• Nutrition & Healthy Eating
• Activities

The Action for Children website also has a free, confidential 1:1 chat service with a parenting coach (UK based) which allows parents and carers to talk about family life, caring for children or managing wellbeing as a parent.