Consuming a healthy diet throughout the life course is pivotal to good health and wellbeing. It can help people feel their best providing the nutrients that the body needs. It contributes to preventing malnutrition and non-communicable diseases such as type 2, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers and achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight.
With the increase in consumption of processed foods people are consuming more foods that are energy dense and high in fats, free sugars and salt. Many people do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and other dietary fibre such as whole grains. National Survey for Wales data (2021-22) shows that only 30% of adults reported that they ate at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables the previous day. The consumption of fruit and vegetables by children is also below recommendation along with a low intake of vitamins and minerals. (National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2019)
No single food contains all the essential nutrients our bodies need to be healthy and to function efficiently. A healthy balanced diet should include a variety of foods from each food group. The EatWell Guide highlights the proportions in which foods should be eaten from each of the food groups to provide a healthy diet that supplies all the nutrients our bodies need to be fit and healthy.
In 2020 the Welsh Government launched Wales’ long term strategy for tackling obesity: Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales strategy. The strategy focuses on four key areas: healthy environments, healthy settings, leadership and enabling change and healthy people.
The food system affects public health in many ways, including its ability to deliver healthy diets for people and the planet, supporting food security and food sustainability. The food system in Wales involves all the actors and relationships involved in growing, producing, manufacturing, supplying and consuming food. It encompasses agriculture, fisheries, food manufacturing, retail, food service, consumption and waste. It includes the social and economic drivers of choices and dynamics within the system and cuts across all scales and aspects of policy, including the economy, environment, business, education, welfare, health, transport, trade, planning and local government. It’s complex, vast and highly interdependent.
Food Sense Wales advocates a ‘food in all policies’ approach which can be achieved through research, cross sector collaboration and by mobilising a Wales Good Food Movement, increasing public awareness of food issues and encouraging widespread participation in food-related activity.
Nutrition Skills for Life® developed and led by Public Health Dietitians in Wales provides nutrition education and training for community staff and volunteers. It supports partner agencies to improve food and drink provision in community settings such as childcare, schools, and older adults care settings, and seeks to empower communities to overcome barriers in accessing a varied and balanced diet by investing in personal knowledge and skills, and working in partnership to establish local food initiatives.
Our aim is to ensure everyone has the skills, opportunity, and confidence to access a healthy, affordable and sustainable diet for themselves their families and their communities.
A range of quality assured food and nutrition training courses are available. Click here to see an example game ‘What is a portion?’
