Eat well to keep well in winter!

Local senior citizens recently attended an event in the Holiday Inn Express, Antrim to find out how to eat well to keep well in winter. The event was organised by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and funded by the Public Health Agency.

Around 120 seniors enjoyed hearing talks from Dr Brian Hunter, GP and Ruth Balmer, Dietitian. Dr Hunter highlighted the key features of looking after our health as we get older, especially in winter and Mrs Balmer raised awareness of how to eat well to keep well focusing on the Eat Well Plate and the importance of keeping a store cupboard.

Leesa Houston, Senior Health Promotion Officer for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust said,

“Eating healthily over the winter months is an essential part of keeping well. One way of ensuring you have a good stock of basic ingredients to make a nutritious meal is to keep a store cupboard. Keeping a store cupboard is also a good idea for times when you are unable to get to the shops.”

Some examples of foods to keep in a store cupboard are cartons of long life milk, packets of high fibre cereals, oats, crackers and pasta. Tins of meat and fish such as tuna, salmon, ham and corned beef, which is a good source of iron, are also useful to keep in the store cupboard. Fruit and vegetables can also be stored such as instant potato powder, tins of carrots, peas, soups, baked beans, tinned fruit and rice pudding. Drinks such as fruit juices and tea, coffee and drinking chocolate all provide an instant hot drink in cold weather.

Mrs Joyce Zeilmann, from Randalstown attended the event and commented that the event was

“A most enjoyable day… it is so important that older people are included in healthy eating messages as quite often they may be living alone and not feel like cooking for one or generally loose interest in food. The cost of food may also put older people off eating healthily and sometimes it is hard to buy food in small quantities”

For further information on this event please contact:
The Health Improvement Service
Tel: 028 2563 5575

Related links

Nutrition

15th March 2013