What is a healthy diet?
It does not mean you have to give up the foods you enjoy most. You may need to eat some foods more frequently whilst others may be eaten less often.
Healthy eating can contribute to how well we feel and helps reduce the risk of developing many conditions such as heart disease, cancer, constipation, obesity and tooth decay.
The advice on this sheet is not suitable for some people with special dietary needs, young children and some elderly people.
The guidelines for a healthy diet
· Enjoy your food.
· Choose a good variety of foods from the four main food groups.
· Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and dietary fibre.
· Do not eat too much fat.
· Do not eat surgary foods too often.
· Look after the vitamins and minerals in your food.
· If you drink alcohol, keep within sensible limits.
· Eat the right amount to be a healthy weight.
· Avoid adding too much salt to foods.
Enjoy a variety of food
Choose a variety of foods from the four main food groups. Foods that are eaten as snacks count as well as food eaten at mealtimes. The four main food groups are:
1. Bread, other cereals and potatoes This includes bread, chapattis, crisp breads, breakfast cereals, oats, pasta, noodles, beans, lentils, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and plantains. These foods should form the basis of your meals. Opt for the wholegrain types whenever possible as they contain more fibre which helps prevent constipation. When you eat a diet high in fibre you need to take plenty of fluids - at least eight cups per day.
2. Fruit and vegetables This includes salad, all fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables, beans and lentils.Try to eat at least five servings of different fruit and vegetables each day. A serving is a piece of fruit, a small bowl of salad or two large serving spoons of vegetables. Avoid over cooking vegetables as this destroys many of the vitamins. Prolonged and poor storage of fresh food can lead to a reduction in vitamin content.
3. Milk and dairy foods This includes milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais. Choose lower fat types of these foods where possible.
4. Meat, fish and alternatives This includes meat, meat products, fish, fish products, offal, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts, and textured vegetable protein. Use cooking methods which do not add extra fat when preparing these foods. Grill, steam, microwave, bake, or casserole rather than fry. Try to remove the fat from meat and the skin from chicken before cooking. Eat fish more often, ideally twice a week and aim to have oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, pilchards, salmon or herring once a week.
· Fatty and Sugary Foods. The foods included in this group are not necessary for a balanced, healthy diet - we should try to use them sparingly.Butter, margarine, reduced-fat spreads, cooking oils, biscuits, cakes, cream, crisps, soft drinks, puddings, chocolate, sweets, honey, sugar, mayonnaise and oil salad dressings are less useful to out health. Try not to eat these too often and when you do have small quantities.
Further information
· Enjoy Healthy Eating - booklet published by the Health Education Authority. Available from your local health promotion unit.
· Food Sense - Healthy Eating/Food Safety. Booklets available from: Food Sense, London SE99 7TT Tel: 0181 6948862
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