The NHS-approved healthy food swaps you can make in the New Year

• Many of us may be looking for ways we can eat healthier in 2025
• The NHS has shared its top tips to encourage kids to eat healthy
• It has also shared easy healthy snacks you can make yourself

As we settle into a New Year, many of us may be looking to make some healthy lifestyle changes.

While we enjoyed a Christmas of delicious food and drink, the first month of the new year is the ideal time to put a healthy meal plan in place.

The NHS website has shared healthy food ideas which are tasty, inventive and filling, suitable for all of the family to enjoy.

Here is a list of six healthy snacks and meals that you can make.

Fruit kebabs

For a delicious and filling sweet treat, Fruit Kebabs are incredibly easy to make and will be enjoyed by the whole family. All you need is a skewer and your favourite chopped fruit.

Watermelon fruit lollies

If your little ones love a lollipop, then Watermelon fruit lollies are a fantastic, healthy alternative. Chop a watermelon into slices and place it on top of a wooden stick for a refreshing snack or sweet treat.

Rice cakes with low-fat cream cheese and cucumber

One of the healthiest snacks is a rice cake, but you can make it even more exciting and filling by adding low-fat cream cheese, topped with cucumber.

Hummus and veggie fingers

For those who love crisps and dips, hummus and veggie fingers are a healthy alternative. There are plenty of exciting hummus flavours to either make yourself or buy from the shops, and dipping sliced vegetables into it gives a satisfying crunch.

Sliced fruit with yogurt

A sweet breakfast option is to add sliced fruit to a yoghurt. Again, there are plenty of options for yogurt flavours, and the addition of your favourite fruits will definitely enhance the meal.

Homemade popcorn

There is nothing better than sitting down to watch a movie with a bowl of popcorn in hand, and there is no need to let that tradition go in the new year. You can make your own homemade popcorn, which is a healthy alternative. For a homemade popcorn recipe, please visit the Good Food website.

How do I encourage my children to eat healthier?

The NHS also shared top tips to encourage children to enjoy healthier snacks.

After school ideas

When purchasing snacks for children to enjoy after school, the NHS recommends chopped vegetables, plain rice cakes, toast with low-fat spread or fruit tea cakes.

Fill the fridge

Fill the fridge with pre-prepared healthy snacks such as chopped and ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables that the kids can eat quickly and easily.

Cut and colour

Brightly coloured fruit and vegetables will keep the children’s attention, and you can spark their creativity and interest by playing games such as making funny faces with the ingredients.

Nuts and seeds

While nuts and seeds are healthy, they are high in energy. The NHS recommended keeping an eye on the amount eaten and to not give whole nuts to children under the age of five years old.

Get the kids involved

You can make snack time more exciting for the little ones by asking them to help prepare the food.

Have it to hand

Having a fruit bowl readily available and filled with delicious fruit is a great way to encourage children to eat healthy.

Pack a snack

To help with not only healthy eating but also money and time, pack snacks such as bananas or chopped vegetables with you when out and about for a quick snack.

Leave it on the shelf

The tip which the NHS named “the simplest trick in the book” is to not purchase any unhealthy snacks for your fridge or cupboards.

Watch the teeth

While certain snacks may be healthy, some may not be very good for teeth such as dried fruit.

Liquid sugar

While we may be focusing on healthy foods, it is worth checking drinks too. Swap sugary and fizzy drinks for diet, no added sugar or low-fat.

For more information on healthy eating and food ideas, please visit the NHS website.