NHS calories per day
NHS calories per day – Nutrition on the Go campaign
Many of us are consuming more calories than we realise – an average of 200 to 300 extra calories per day. Over time, these extra calories can creep up on us and cause unhealthy weight gain.
Eating out has also become commonplace, and now a quarter of our calories come from eating out, which can make it tricky to keep track of how many calories we are consuming. Back in 2018 Public Health England (which no longer exists and has been replaced by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) came up with a ‘Nutrition on the Go’ campaign which aimed to help people to eat more healthily and be more calorie aware. Many people consume lots of calories ‘on the go’ and the idea of this campaign was to help people to make healthier choices. The term ‘on the go’ includes picking up breakfast on the way to work, having lunch at our desks or buying everyday meals.
This ‘calorie creep’ contributes towards the country’s growing obesity problem, causing a range of health issues including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
Healthier choices
The ‘Nutrition on the Go’ campaign provided adults with a simple way to help them make healthier choices while out and about and this approach is till helpful today. The idea is to aim for a breakdown of calories per day into the 3 meals of the day – 400-600-600. Everyone is encouraged to try to stick to around 400 calories for breakfast, 600 calories for lunch and 600 calories for dinner, plus a couple of healthier snacks and drinks in-between.
As part of the campaign major retailers including Greggs, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway provided a range of options to help shoppers find meal options around 400 calories for breakfast and 600 calories for lunch and dinner.
So the suggestion is that if you are looking to eat well, try a healthier choice today and follow the suggested 400-600-600 rule, which can help you to maintain a healthy weight.
Find out more about good nutrition on our Eat Well page. You can also find lots of easy, cheap family recipes on the Better Health Healthier Families Healthy Recipes page
If you would like to speak to one of our health advisors about setting goals to eat more healthily then please call 020 8973 3545.
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