A healthy balance
As healthy lifestyles come under the spotlight, so too does the
need for a balanced diet. The Food Standards Agency states that
food must have nutritional values on the packaging. Some
supermarkets' own products contain “easy reference” information
about guideline daily amounts of sugar, salt, fat and calories to
make it easier to choose healthy options but with all these
different things to look out for - polyunsaturated fats and
monounsaturated fats, cholesterol, salt, sugar…surely there’s a
simpler way to stay healthy.
With so much information being thrown at us, it’s hard to pick
out the bits we really need to know. So here’s our guide to getting
a healthy balance – all the bits you need to know and none of the
bits you don’t.
No single food contains all the nutrients our bodies need, so
it’s important to eat a varied diet. There are five main food
groups and by eating a range of food from each of the groups, we
can get all the nutrients we need to stay healthy and active.
Fruit and vegetables
This is the food group that most people rave about.
They should make up about one third of your diet and it’s
recommended that you eat five portions a day. The size of a portion
varies depending on what you’re eating but a good rule is that a
portion of fruit or vegetables will weigh about 80g. It includes
all fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruit and vegetables and also
juice. They provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and fibre
but to eat five-a-day, you need to eat portions of five different
fruits and vegetables. Fruit juice will only count as one portion,
no matter how many different types of fruit juice you drink in a
day.
Bread, cereal, rice, pasta and potatoes
Starchy foods like this should make up the main part of most
meals. They are the main source of energy. Wholemeal or brown
varieties of bread are also high in fibre which will keep your
bowels healthy. They are usually not high in calories so long as
you don’t add too much sugar or fat.
Milk and dairy foods
These are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals and are
the richest source of calcium in your diet. This helps strengthen
your bones and teeth and ensures your muscles and nerves function
properly. The best choice would be lower fat options.
Fatty and sugary foods
Fatty foods give us loads of energy. You’ll need to do a lot of
exercise to work off a fatty food. Saturated and hydrogenated or
trans fats are bad for our health and should be avoided as much as
possible, as they contribute to heart disease. They are usually
found in processed food products such as cakes, biscuits and pastry
foods like sausage rolls.
Don’t avoid fat altogether.
Good fats can be found in nuts, seeds, avocados and fish. These
fats are needed for transporting vitamins around the body, cell
membranes and making hormones. Most of us eat much more from this
group than we should.Meat, poultry, fish, soya, eggs, nuts and
pulses, quorn
These are all sources of protein, which helps the body to
rebuild itself (repairing hair and nails, for example).
So, these are the main food groups which we should be including
on our plates to make sure we’re getting a balanced diet.
Remember:
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Eating a healthy diet is all about getting the balance
right.
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You don’t have to achieve this balance in one meal. You could
apply it to the food eaten in a day or over a week.
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It’s not so much about healthy and unhealthy foods but about
healthy or unhealthy diets.
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Lots of dishes contain a variety of the main food groups. For
example, a pizza – has a starchy base, with vegetables, meat and
cheese on top.