Eat Healthier

Making small, simple changes to what and how much you are eating and drinking can really help you lose the pounds.

A poor diet can lead to a number of negative side effects including cancer, diabetes, low confidence, stroke, infertility and high cholesterol.  Give your child the best possible start by encouraging them to be active and eat well.  Deciding ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘how much’ to give your child is not always easy.  

We have a range of programmes to support you and your children:

The NHS BMI (body mass index) calculator can help you find out if you're a healthy weight.  You can also use it to check your child's BMI.

If you think you may be suffering from any of the above conditions, you should speak to your GP or healthcare professional.  You should also consult your GP or healthcare professional before beginning any exercise or diet programme.

Also, don't forget that if you're under 18 and pregnant or if you're pregnant or have a child under four years old and are on benefits, you could get Healthy Start vouchers to help you buy some basic foods and milk.

Eat Healthier

HENRY, healthy families right from the start (0-5 years)


Mum and son

The HENRY programme is a free 8-week session, an evidence-based programme which supports families with children aged 0-12 years to develop a healthier lifestyle for the whole family. It supports physical and emotional well-being, and covers nutrition, physical activity, portion sizes, screen time, self-care, exploring feelings, and managing challenging behaviour

Families will receive FREE leisure vouchers to use for soft play, swimming, and Junior Gym on completion of the programme

Do you have a child under 5

Would you like to:

  • feel more confident as a parent?
  • reduce mealtime stress?
  • enjoy being active as a family more often?
  • encourage your child away from screens and TV?
  • see your child eat more fruit and vegetables?
  • gain ideas to help with family routine? 

Testimonial for our HENRY programme

“I loved the supportive atmosphere and the sharing of knowledge that is essential for parenting well. The resources provided (video, books, posters) were great, and the praise and encouragement from facilitators. At home, feeding time is more relaxed now. I’m more aware of boundaries and being responsive to baby's needs. I check labels when buying food. I’m sharing HENRY’s teachings with the rest of my family.”

Register for the HENRY programme

 

 

HENRY, healthy families growing up (5-12 years)


HENRY

The HENRY programme is a free 8-week session, an evidence-based programme which supports families with children aged 0-12 years to develop a healthier lifestyle for the whole family. It supports physical and emotional well-being, and covers nutrition, physical activity, portion sizes, screen time, self-care, exploring feelings, and managing challenging behaviour

Families will receive FREE leisure vouchers to use for soft play, swimming, and Junior Gym on completion of the programme

Do you have a child aged 5 to 12

The programme covers these 5 themes across 8 sessions and provides everything you need to help your children flourish:

  • feeling more confident as a parent
  • physical activity for the whole family
  • what children and the whole family eats
  • family lifestyle habits
  • enjoying life as a family

Register for the HENRY programme

 

 

LEAN Living - Adults


Lean Living

LEAN (Learning, Exercise and Nutrition) Living is a FREE  programme designed by a group of highly experienced nutrition, psychology, physiology and health and fitness experts. It has shown to be effective in supporting people to manage their weight and improve their health.

There are a range of flexible programmes both online and face to face where our expert healthy lifestyle coaches guide you through five key areas of the weight loss programme – the programme topics are outlined below.

If you:

  • Live in Barking & Dagenham
  • Are over 16
  • Have a BMI (body mass index) greater than 25

Register for the LEAN living programme (via thejoyapp.com)

You will also get FREE  access to local exercise classes, and FREE use of the Gym at either Abbey or Becontree Leisure Centre whilst you are on the programme and a discounted membership afterwards.

Programme details

LEAN Living Programme - January to March 2024 (DOCX, 337.48 KB)

Week 12 week programme topics 8 week programme topics
1 Key to Healthy Eating Goal setting and motivation
2 Get your HR up Sugars and fats
3 Food is fuel Food groups and exercise
4 What are your external triggers? Eating patterns and the importance of breakfast and water
5 Build your strength Triggers and rewards
6 Breakfast benefits  Physical activity
7 Fats under the spotlight Dining out and setbacks
8 Understand your internal triggers Programme recap and looking ahead
9 Make every day active  
10 Make meals matter  
11 Sugars under the spotlight  
12 Eat out and party  

Testimonials about the Lean Living Programme

Brian: "The programme as been such an eye opener when it comes to me losing weight. With the information given each week and applied, I now know what food groups should be on my plate, I have learnt how to apply portion control and I also incorporated exercising into my daily life and just by doing this simple things, the weight is coming off and also have made new friends during the session."

You could also download and follow the NHS Better Health plan. This is a free 12-week weight loss plan.

Eat Well, Live Well and Feel Great (ELF)

For adults living in Barking and Dagenham with a learning disability, we have Eat Well, Live Well and Feel Great (ELF), which aims to increase physical health and wellbeing through physical activity and healthy eating sessions.

This service aims to help people with learning disability to:

  • achieve a sustainable weight loss
  • reduce further weight gain
  • get into a regular healthy eating pattern
  • learn Portion Control and reduce overeating
  • become more physically active
  • learn new long-term healthy lifestyle skills

ELF Session leaflet and Timetable 2023 (PDF, 285KB)

Useful healthy eating links

The British Heart Foundation has a recipe finder that contains hundreds of heart healthy recipes with full nutritional analysis. You can filter your search by cuisine, dietary requirements, and condition so there is something to suit all tastes and diets.

They also have lots of recipes on eating healthy on a budget.

Looking for a healthy and easy meal? You can download the NHS Easy Meal App for free.

The BBC have lots of great freezable recipes.

NHS choices has pulled together 10 surprising 100 calorie snacks - most of which only use three ingredients and take less than 5 minutes to prepare!

Change4Life has some great tips and advice for healthier lunchboxes. 

Cooking Sessions Online: 

It’s important for children to eat a delicious healthy meal at school. Find out more information about school meals and if your child qualified for a free school meal.