Healthy living

Healthy living and prevention

Clear, referenced guides to living well — eating well, staying active, sleep, wellbeing and prevention: what to do and why it matters. 40 guides and growing.

Eating well

Mediterranean DietThe Mediterranean diet is a way of eating rich in vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, beans, o… DASH DietThe DASH diet is an eating pattern designed to lower blood pressure, rich in fruit, vegeta… Intermittent FastingIntermittent fasting means cycling between periods of eating and not eating, such as the 5… Low-Carb DietA low-carb diet reduces carbohydrate foods such as bread, rice and sugar in favour of prot… Low-FODMAP DietThe low-FODMAP diet is a short-term, dietitian-led approach to identify which fermentable … Gluten-Free DietA gluten-free diet avoids gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. It is essential for … Healthy Weight LossHealthy weight loss means losing weight gradually through balanced eating and activity — a… Understanding Portion SizesPortion sizes have grown over time, and eating the right amount for you — even of healthy … Reading Food LabelsFood labels help you compare products and make healthier choices — look at the colour-code… Cutting Down on SugarMost people eat more free sugar than recommended — cutting down protects teeth and helps w… Keto DietThe keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat way of eating that pushes the body to burn fat … Paleo DietThe paleo diet is based on foods thought to have been eaten by early humans — meat, fish, … Going VeganGoing vegan means eating only plant foods — it can be healthy and sustainable with plannin… Dairy-Free DietA dairy-free diet avoids milk and products made from it — needed for milk allergy or lacto… Eating Well on a BudgetHealthy eating does not have to be expensive — planning, cooking from scratch, and using f… Meal Planning and Batch CookingPlanning meals and cooking in batches saves time and money, cuts waste, and makes it easie… Intuitive EatingIntuitive eating is an approach that encourages tuning in to hunger and fullness cues and …

Mental wellbeing

Sleep and Your HealthGood sleep is essential for physical and mental health — most adults need around 7 to 9 ho… Improving Your SleepSimple habits — a regular routine, a restful bedroom and winding down before bed — can imp… Managing StressSome stress is normal, but ongoing stress affects health — managing it involves recognisin… Looking After Your Mental WellbeingMental wellbeing can be supported by simple, evidence-based steps: connecting with others,… MindfulnessMindfulness means paying attention to the present moment, which can help reduce stress and…

Physical activity

How Much Exercise Do I Need?Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-streng… Benefits of Physical ActivityBeing active is one of the best things you can do for your health, cutting the risk of man… Getting Started with ExerciseIf you are new to exercise, start small, build up gradually, and pick activities you enjoy… Strength and Balance ExerciseStrengthening and balance activities keep muscles and bones strong and help prevent falls … Reducing Sitting TimeSitting for long periods is linked to poorer health, even in active people — break up sitt… Sports NutritionEating well around exercise means enough carbohydrate for energy, adequate protein for rec… Hydration for ExerciseStaying hydrated supports performance and safety during exercise — drink before, during an… Eating for Muscle and StrengthBuilding muscle needs strength training plus enough overall energy and protein spread thro…

Prevention & life stages

Stopping SmokingStopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health — support and stop-sm… Cutting Down on AlcoholTo keep health risks low, the UK guideline is to drink no more than 14 units a week, sprea… Healthy Weight and BMIA healthy weight lowers the risk of many diseases. BMI and waist size are useful guides, t… Looking After Your HeartYou can greatly cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by not smoking, eating well, sta… Preventing Type 2 DiabetesType 2 diabetes can often be delayed or prevented by reaching a healthy weight, eating wel… Sun SafetyProtecting your skin from strong sun — with shade, clothing and sunscreen — helps prevent … Nutrition in PregnancyA healthy, varied diet supports you and your baby in pregnancy — take folic acid and vitam… Weaning Your BabyWeaning — introducing solid foods alongside milk — usually starts at around 6 months, buil… Healthy Eating for ChildrenChildren thrive on a varied, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, limited su… Healthy AgeingStaying active, eating well, keeping socially connected and looking after your mind all he…

See also

Nutrition · Conditions A–Z · First aid · Vaccines · Health calculators

Where the returns actually are

A small number of habits carry most of the benefit

The evidence on prevention is unusually consistent, and it points at a short list: not smoking, being physically active, keeping alcohol low, sleeping adequately, eating a broadly plant-rich diet, and maintaining a weight and blood pressure in a reasonable range. Nothing on that list is novel or sellable, which is precisely why it gets crowded out by things that are.

Two points are worth holding onto. First, the largest gains come from the first steps, not the last: moving from inactive to somewhat active does far more for your health than moving from active to very active, and stopping smoking helps at any age and at any smoking history. Second, these factors compound — they act on the same underlying processes, so improving two or three together does more than the sum of each alone.

UK physical activity guidance for adults is a useful anchor: aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening on two days, and break up long periods of sitting. Moderate means you can talk but not sing.

Making a change stick

Behaviour, not willpower

  • Change one thing at a time. Simultaneous overhauls of diet, exercise and sleep tend to collapse together.
  • Make it specific and small. "Walk 20 minutes after lunch on weekdays" survives contact with a real week; "get fitter" does not.
  • Design the environment, not the intention. What is convenient wins over what is intended more often than we like to admit.
  • Expect lapses and plan for them. A lapse is data about the plan, not evidence about you. Most people who stop smoking successfully have stopped unsuccessfully before — see stop-smoking treatments, which roughly double the chance of success compared with willpower alone.
  • Use help that exists. NHS stop-smoking services, structured exercise referral, and support for alcohol reduction all outperform going it alone.

These guides cover the practical side of each area. For the nutrients behind the dietary advice see nutrition; for how these factors feed into risk of specific disease see conditions; and several risk scores on our calculators show how much individual factors move an estimate.

Reference only. If you have an existing heart, lung, joint or mental-health condition, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time, get advice about starting or increasing activity safely rather than assuming general guidance applies unchanged.

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