HEALTHY EATING

 

There is a different news story every week telling us what we should or shouldn’t be eating. If you believed everything you read in the newspapers you wouldn’t eat anything! So what is a healthy plate of food and what is a healthy diet?

 

The Food Standards Agency has produced the Eatwell Plate, below, to help show what a healthy diet looks like.

 

 

This doesn’t mean you need to include all food groups in these exact proportions in every meal but gives you an idea of the best way for you to get all of the vitamins and minerals you require throughout the day. Basically, a healthy diet is based on fruit and vegetables and starchy foods like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. If you look carefully, you will see cakes and chocolate bars feature on this plate but the message here is a little bit of what you fancy does you no harm!!!

 

Fruit & Vegetables

 

The original superfoods, full of vitamins and minerals. Just so so good for you! Their importance cannot be overemphasised. You’ve all heard about 5 day but do you actually eat at least 5 portions every day? If not, the simple message here is fruit and vegetables should be a MAJOR part of your diet. There are so many varieties available, and they can be frozen, dried, canned or fresh it doesn’t matter. Basically the more you eat the better!

 

Did you know……..

 

A medium glass of orange juice will supply all of the vitamin C you need for the day (unless you are a smoker, they need more vitamin C!)

 

Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta and other starchy foods

 

You may think carbs are bad as they seem to have had a bad press recently. This is not true, these foods provide your body with energy, are rich in vitamins and minerals and also provide fibre which helps your digestion. Wholegrain versions are best as they are particularly nutritious and rich in fibre. For more information about carbohydrates click here

 

Did you know……

 

Some breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, some can provide 15% of your daily Iron requirement.

 

Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

 

These foods not only supply protein but are rich in vitamins and minerals. Although red meat can be high in saturated fat, if you choose lean cuts it can be a great source of Iron, Zinc & vitamin B12. The benefits of oily fish are well publicised, it is rich in omega 3 and can also provide vitamin D. Beans, nuts and meat replacement products can be good sources of protein for Vegetarians or Vegans.

For more information about protein click here

 

Did you know……

 

Milk and Dairy foods

 

Brilliant sources of calcium, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin A, these foods are incredibly important for bone health. But milk & dairy foods also contain fat, so if you drink a lot of milk, it may be beneficial to switch to skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Although cheese is a good source of calcium, it can be very high in saturated fat.

 

Did you know…….

 

So a healthy diet doesn’t mean surviving on lettuce and seeds. Your body needs fuel to function and this fuel is your food. The amount of food needed varies from person to person, depending on age, gender, weight and activity levels but if you base your diet on these foods you can get the right amount of fuel and all the other nutrients your body needs. There’s one other thing to remember……..

 

Variety

It’s obvious really, different foods contain different nutrients so the more variety you have in your diet the more likely you are to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need. By eating lots of different foods you are also more likely to enjoy what you eat, if you’ve ever followed one of the many fad diets you will know how boring it is to eat the same thing again and again. Enjoying your food is so important so never cut out your favourite foods, even if it’s a slab of chocolate cake or the traditional fry up. You will do yourself no harm by enjoying these foods occasionally.

 

For more information click here for Nutrition Basics