Healthy living
Looking to improve your everyday health?
Taking small steps to look after your health can make a big difference to how you feel day to day. Whether you're looking for guidance on eating well, staying active or making healthier lifestyle choices, trusted support is available.
The live well page on the NHS website provides expert advice on key areas of healthy living, including eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting active, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.
A good diet for good health
A good diet is important for good health. Eating a variety of foods can improve general wellbeing, reduce the risk of conditions including heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes and osteoporosis (thin bones) and help you manage your weight.
Eat sensibly, choosing a varied diet from a range of food. Not smoking and keeping active are all great ways to boost your health.
The NHS publishes The Eatwell Guide which shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
Regardless of medication, eating well and exercising tends to be good for people and helps to improve mood and mental wellbeing.
Relieving constipation and promoting healthy bowels
Is it constipation?
Constipation is very common and it affects people of all ages. You can usually treat it with simple changes to your diet and lifestyle.
It is likely to be constipation if:
- You have not had a poo at least three times during the last week
- The poo is often large and dry, hard or lumpy
- You are straining or in pain when you have a poo
- You may also have a stomach ache and feel bloated or sick.
What causes constipation?
Constipation in adults has many possible causes. Sometimes there is no obvious reason.
The most common causes include:
- Not eating enough fibre - such as fruit, vegetables and cereals
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not moving enough and spending long periods sitting or lying in bed
- Being less active and not exercising
- Often ignoring the urge to go to the toilet
- Changing your diet or daily routine
- A side effect of medication - be especially aware of this if you are prescribed Clozapine
- Stress, anxiety or depression.
Foods that help ease constipation
Consider adding some the following fibre-rich foods to your diet to help ease constipation:
- High fibre cereals such as: bran flakes, wheat cereals, porridge and muesli.
- Whole grains
- Try to avoid stodgy foods such as white bread
- Fruits with skins such as: apples, prunes, oranges, raisins, dried fruits, plums, berries and pears. This does not include bananas.
- Nuts and seeds. These can be easily added to cereal or snacks.
Vegetables. - Peas, lentils, pulses and beans, including baked beans and kidney beans.
- Herbal teas such as: green tea or peppermint tea.
Seeking further advice
Arrange to speak with nursing staff, a ward doctor, your GP or your community nurse if you:
- Are not improving with treatment
- Are regularly constipated and it lasts a long time
- Are bloated and it lasts a long time
- Have blood in your poo
- Have unexpectedly lost weight
- Are taking medicine that can cause constipation.
Most of the information in this leaflet has been gathered from the official NHS website.
Healthy living support
- Alcohol Change UK is a national charity providing information, tools and resources to check and reduce your drinking.
- Drinkaware offers advice, tools and support to help you learn about the impact of alcohol on you, your family and friends.
- Frank provides support, advice and information about the risks of taking drugs, alcohol and other substances.