Eat well

What is a healthy diet?

With so much information available sometimes it can become confusing to know how to eat well.  The key to a healthy diet is ensuring a balance of foods from the five food groups of the Eatwell Plate. Eating a variety of foods from these groups ensures our body gets all the essential nutrients we need for good health. There are no foods that we can’t eat or not allowed to eat  it is just about the proportions of the foods we eat from the different food groups. The main food groups include:

• Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
• Fruit and vegetables
• Milk and dairy foods
• Foods and Drinks high in fats and/or sugar
• Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non diary sources of protein

Have a look at some of the tips below, rememember to be realistic about the changes you can make you don’t need to change everything at once maybe start by making one or two changes a week.

Eat well tips

Base your meals on foods from the bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starches food group. These foods provide our body with essential nutrients should make up a third of the food we eat. See Eatwell for more details of what these foods are.     

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables – start by increasing by just one portion a week working towards achieving your five a day visit the five a day for lots more practical tips and ideas on how to increase you intake. To find out if you may be entitled to free vouchers for fruit and vegetables visit Healthy Start

Have breakfast – If you currently skip breakfast then start be trying to eat breakfast a few days a week and gradually increase by a day until up to seven days a week visit breakfast ideas

Eat more fish – Most of us should be eating more fish aiming for at least two portions a week including one oily fish. Oily fish includes salmon, fresh tuna, pilchards and sardines.

Cut down on foods high in saturated fat. Having too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood which increase the chances of developing heart disease.

Try to eat less salt – The daily recommend salt for adults is no more than 6grams a day which amounts to just over a teaspoon .

Visit Eatwell, Be Well for lots more tips and advice and see local programmes for more information on healthy eating and cookery activities that are going on in your area.  

*The Eatwell plate is relevant for most of the adult population however does not apply to childen under two years old for more information on these go to Eating well in pregnancy and the early years.