Reading Comprehension. Healthy lifestyle.

Keeping healthy means doing things that are good for your body – things like eating nutritious foods, exercising, brushing your teeth and getting enough sleep.

A balanced diet means that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. Brushing your teeth at least twice a day helps prevent tooth decay. Exercising for around 30-60 minutes each day means that you’ll stay fit and burn the right amount of calories.

Keeping healthy means caring for your body so you have enough energy to learn, play and grow. 

All foods contain nutrients which your body needs to stay active throughout the day. Some foods have more nutrients than others.

Everyone should have their ‘5 a day’ – this means five portions of fruit and vegetables, to get the right amount of nutrients.

A ‘portion’ means the amount of food that fits in your hand. When you eat more than what your body needs to keep healthy and energised during the day, you can put on too much weight.

In addition to your 5 a day, you also need portions of other food group like carbohydrates, water, fibre, minerals and fats.

It’s important that you get the right amount of each food group, which is called a balanced diet. Your diet is another word for the food that you eat – too much one food group and too little of another food group can mean that your body isn’t healthy.

It's important not to eat too much sugar and salt: sugary foods are bad for your teeth and can be fattening, and salty foods can lead to heart disease.

Keep your mouth happy by brushing and flossing to have healthy teeth and gums.

Adults can keep healthy by avoiding things like alcohol and nicotine from cigarettes. Both of these can cause dangerous diseases.

It’s important to have 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. This can be little things like running around your back garden, playing games with your friends or even doing chores at home!

It’s important to drink plenty of water during the day. Your body is mostly made up of water!

Keeping healthy isn’t just about eating the right foods – it’s about getting exercise too. This doesn’t have to mean becoming an Olympic athlete – it just means playing a game of tag outside with your mates, or walking up stairs instead of taking the lift, or trying out for sports at school. You should get 30-60 minutes of exercise every day.