The Healthy Extra A allowance on Slimming World is your daily dairy portion — milk, cheese, or yoghurt — which covers your calcium requirement and costs zero Swips within the allowance. From January 2026, a new Healthy Extra fats category was added alongside HEA, covering nuts, avocado, and olive oil.
HEA is a daily portion of calcium-rich dairy food that you can eat without using Swips. The allowance is designed to ensure members get enough calcium while on a weight loss plan. You choose one HEA portion per day — milk, cheese, or a dairy alternative.
Using your HEA on milk is the most practical choice for most members. Skimmed milk at 350ml covers all your teas and coffees for the day and a bowl of cereal without needing to measure every cup. Any dairy above your HEA allowance costs Swips at the usual rate.
| Milk type | HEA portion | Calories in portion |
|---|---|---|
| Skimmed milk | 350ml | 123 kcal |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 250ml | 115 kcal |
| 1% fat milk | 300ml | 117 kcal |
| Whole milk | 175ml | 107 kcal |
| UHT semi-skimmed milk | 250ml | 115 kcal |
| Goats milk | 200ml | 124 kcal |
| Skimmed goats milk | 275ml | 101 kcal |
Plant milks — oat milk, almond milk, soy milk — do not qualify as HEA because they do not contain sufficient calcium at the same portion size. Plant milks carry a Swips cost. See our Calories in Milk UK guide for full plant milk Swips values.
| Cheese | HEA portion |
|---|---|
| Cheddar (full fat) | 30g |
| Cheddar (reduced fat) | 40g |
| Smoked cheddar | 30g |
| Gouda | 30g |
| Mozzarella | 50g |
| Halloumi | 35g |
| Feta | 65g |
| Parmesan | 30g |
| Paneer | 40g |
| Hard goats cheese | 30g |
| Laughing Cow Light triangles | 5 triangles |
| Laughing Cow Extra Light triangles | 6 triangles |
| Dairylea Light triangles | 4 triangles |
| Dairylea Cheese Spread Light | 80g |
Reduced fat cheddar gives you 40g for your HEA allowance versus 30g for standard cheddar — the same calcium for 10g more cheese. For most everyday cooking and snacking, reduced fat cheddar is the better HEA value.
From January 2026, Slimming World introduced a Healthy Extra fats category as an additional daily allowance. This is separate from HEA and HEB — you can use all three on the same day.
| Food | HE Fats portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Plain nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts) | 30g | 167–215 kcal |
| Mixed nuts (plain, unsalted) | 30g | 183 kcal |
| Peanut butter (100% nuts, no added oil) | 32g (2 tbsp) | 191 kcal |
| Almond butter (100% nuts) | 32g (2 tbsp) | 192 kcal |
| Half an avocado | ~80g flesh | 128 kcal |
| Olive oil | 1 tablespoon (15ml) | 135 kcal |
Nuts and nut butters must be plain — no honey roasting, no added oil, no chocolate coating. Flavoured varieties do not qualify. For the full breakdown including protein content, see our Calories in Nuts UK guide.
HEA is optional. If you do not consume dairy, you can skip it without affecting the rest of the plan. The allowance exists to prevent calcium deficiency during weight loss — if you get calcium from other sources, not using HEA is fine.
Any dairy you eat beyond your chosen HEA portion costs Swips at the standard rate. A splash of milk in tea within a 350ml skimmed milk HEA costs nothing. The same milk used after the 350ml allowance is used up costs Swips.
No. HEA works exactly the same way in 2026 as before. The only change is that the background syn/Swips calculation changed name. Your HEA portions and the foods that qualify are unchanged.
Yes. From January 2026, the HE fats allowance (nuts, avocado, olive oil) is a separate daily allowance from HEA and HEB. You can use all three on the same day.
No. Plant milks — oat, almond, soy, coconut — do not qualify as HEA because they do not provide the same calcium level as dairy milk at an equivalent portion. They carry a Swips cost. Unsweetened almond milk is 0.5 Swips per 100ml; oat milk is 2–3.5 Swips per 100ml depending on variety.
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