Healthy eating
Healthy choices
Making healthy choices now will help you to live a healthy and independent life in the future.
A healthy balanced diet can make you feel better and lowers your risk of developing certain health conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
LiveWell Dorset is a free service for adults who would like support to change their lifestyle, they offer 1 on 1 coaching that sets goals and encourages you to stick to the changes.
They can help you:
- manage your weight
- increase your physical activity
- reduce you alcohol intake
- stop smoking
- stick to your goals
Stay hydrated
Drinking enough water has many health benefits that include reductions in:
- constipation
- urinary infections
- headaches
It will also improve blood pressure and sleeping patterns. In general, you are likely to feel better as a result of drinking more.
Dehydration means your body loses more fluids than you take in. If it's not treated, it can get worse and become a serious problem.
It's recommended that you drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day to avoid dehydration. This does not have to be water. You can drink tea, coffee, fruit juice or squash - but avoid sugary fizzy drinks as they contain extra calories, which can lead to weight gain.
As you get older, you start to feel thirsty less even though your body still needs the same amount of fluid. It's important to drink plenty even if you don't feel thirsty.
Intentional weight loss
The NHS have lots of information to help and advise you to lose weight and not give up all of the things you love (also available in Easy Read).
Unintentional weight loss
If you're concerned that you, or someone you know, is losing weight without dieting, there are simple steps you can take and you may find these resources helpful:
- Build Yourself Up (also available in Easy Read) - how to reduce the risk of malnutrition and dehydration
- NHS Choices - advice for those who are underweight
Losing weight is not a normal part of the ageing process and if you're concerned about losing weight, you should see your GP.