Thrive Highland

Your Family’s Guide to Living Well

Designed with families in mind, the Thrive website offers a welcoming space to explore healthy eating and lifestyle tips for children and adults alike. Packed with practical advice, fun activities, and simple nutrition facts, it brings together support and inspiration to help every family build lasting healthy habits.

You don’t need to change everything at once as big scale changes can be quite difficult to keep going and might not be popular with the whole family. It’s best to make smaller changes and build on their success.

Thrive is a friendly guide to feeling your best, one small step at a time. This website is designed to provide things you can start doing for yourselves, and that you can adapt to your own circumstances – giving you the tools and confidence to manage your own journey. However, if you do need some extra support, head to the Services and Resources in your area section for some more information.

What We Eat

How We Eat

Active Fun

Positive Body Image

Click a fruit to reveal useful information

A mother and her son eating pizza together

Questions & Quick Help for Parents & Carers

Parenting isn’t always easy – especially when it comes to food.

Here are some useful resources which can support parents and carers:

Bumps to Bairns for younger children
Parent Club for all age groups
Healthier Families for all age groups
First Steps Nutrition Trust for younger children

Some recipes for you to try at home:

Need a bit more help or have Questions or Worries?

Every family is different – and sometimes a little extra support can make a big difference.

Whether you’re facing challenges at mealtimes, have questions about your child’s eating habits, or simply want to make healthy changes as a family, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re here to listen, guide, and support you – no judgement, just practical help.

Our team can connect you with local services, trusted resources, and real advice tailored to your needs. Even a small conversation can be a helpful first step.

Find Support in Highland Council Area

Find Support in Argyll & Bute Council Area

Not sure if you need support? Lots of parents feel the same way.

I’m not sure what portion size are right for my child?

Children’s appetites can vary for a number of reasons; some children will eat more, and some will eat less. It is normal for a child’s appetite to vary across a week and as they grow. Portion sizes should be varied to meet the needs of each child.

There are no standard guidelines for portion sizes in the UK. However, a simple way to work out the suitable portion size is to use our own hand as a guide.

Remember- our hands are all different sizes and so are our portion size needs.

More information on Portion Size

We’re trying to eat healthy on a tight budget

Top Tips to shop for less

If you order a takeaway you could cook rice or noodles at home to
reduce how much you order

Plan meals in advance and make a list.

Smaller packaged items may cost more per 100g, compare the
price of a larger packet.

Loose fruit and vegetables can often be better value than
packaged.

Check different brands; cheaper does not necessarily mean less
nutritious.

Fruit and vegetables that are in season are often cheaper.

Tinned or frozen, fruit, vegetables and meat are good options to
consider.

Top Tips to Eat for Less

Add canned beans or lentils to recipes to use less meat.

Choose options such as stewing beef, chicken on the bone and
turkey.

Cook in bulk and freeze portions for another day.

Portion up items such as bread and rolls and freeze them to make
them last longer.

Use your leftover for lunches or sandwich filler.

Make smoothies and soups instead of throwing fruit and
vegetables away.

I don’t know how to talk to my child about weight or body image

Perceptions of body image start in the early years and are shaped by the environment, peers and family, the media, society, and biological predisposition. Promoting a healthy body image will promote body confidence for every child no matter what age, body shape, size and appearance (Knightsmith, 2015)

For more information on how to talk to your chid about weight, click the boxes below.

Talking to your child about weight

More information on Healthy Body Image