Fuel for life
Food and eating play a very important part in our lives. We all vary in the foods we like, how much we need to eat, and when we like to eat. Food is essential for our health and development.
The food we eat is converted into energy which we then use for our daily activities. So, in order to maintain a healthy weight we need to balance the amount of food we consume with the amount of energy we expend through our day-to-day activities - we need a food energy balance.
No single food is healthy on its own, so it also is important to ensure that you are eating a balanced diet and getting enough of the right vitamins & minerals.
If you are concerned about your weight, check out are you a healthy weight? and weight loss tips for more information. Although it is not unusual to experiment with different eating habits (e.g. changing your diet to improve your health), some eating patterns can be damaging - see the section on eating disorders for more information.
