These
eight practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you
make healthier choices.
Base your meals on starchy carbohydrates
Eat lots of fruit and veg
Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults
Get active and be a healthy weight
Don't get thirsty
Don't skip breakfast
Eat lots of fruit and veg
Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults
Get active and be a healthy weight
Don't get thirsty
Don't skip breakfast
The key to a
healthy diet is to:
- Eat the right amount of calories for how active you are, so
that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you
eat or drink too much, you'll put on weight. If you eat and drink too
little, you'll lose weight.
- Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you're
getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the
nutrients it needs.
It is recommended that
men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should
have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules). Most adults are
eating more calories than they need, and should eat fewer calories.
Base your meals on starchy carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates should make up just
over one third of the food you eat. They include potatoes, bread, rice,
pasta and cereals.
Choose wholegrain
varieties (or eat potatoes with their skins on) when you can: they contain
more fibre, and can help you feel full for longer.
Most of us should eat
more starchy foods: try to include at least one starchy food with each main
meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram the
carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the calories of fat.
Keep an eye on the
fats you add when you're cooking or serving these types of foods because that's
what increases the calorie content, for example oil on chips, butter on bread
and creamy sauces on pasta.
Eat lots of fruit and veg
It's recommended that
we eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and
veg every day. It's easier than it sounds. A 150ml glass of
unsweetened 100% fruit juice or smoothie can count as one portion, and
vegetables cooked into dishes also count.
Why not chop a banana
over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of
fresh fruit?
Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish
Fish is a good source
of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including at
least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish contains omega-3 fats, which may help
to prevent heart disease.
Oily fish include:
- salmon
- mackerel
- trout
- herring
- fresh tuna
- sardines
- pilchards.
Non-oily fish include:
- haddock
- plaice
- coley
- cod
- canned tuna
- skate
- hake
If you regularly eat a
lot of fish, try to choose as wide a variety as possible.
You can choose from
fresh, frozen and canned: but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high
in salt.
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Saturated fat
in our diet
We all need some fat
in our diet, but it's important to pay attention to the amount and type of fat
we're eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too
much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which
increases your risk of developing heart disease.
The average man should
have no more than 30g saturated fat a day. The average woman should have no
more than 20g saturated fat a day, and children should have less than adults.
Saturated fat is found
in many foods, such as:
- hard cheese
- cakes
- biscuits
- sausages
- cream
- butter
- lard
- pies.
Try to cut down on
your saturated fat intake, and choose foods that
contain unsaturated fats instead, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and
avocados.
For a healthier
choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or reduced-fat spread instead
of butter, lard or ghee. When you're having meat, choose lean cuts and cut off
any visible fat.
Sugar in our diet
Regularly consuming
foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and
tooth decay.
Sugary foods and
drinks, including alcoholic drinks, are often high in energy (measured in
kilojoules or calories), and if eaten too often, can contribute to
weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between
meals.
Many packaged foods
and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars. Free sugars are
any sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and
unsweetened fruit juices.
Cut down on:
- sugary fizzy drinks
- alcoholic drinks
- sugary breakfast cereals
- cakes
- biscuits
- pastries
These foods contain
added sugars: this is the kind of sugar we should be cutting down on, rather
than sugars that are found in things such as fruit and milk.
Food labels can help: use them to check
how much sugar foods contain. More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
means that the food is high in sugar, while 5g of total sugars or less per
100g means that the food is low in sugar.
Get tips on cutting down sugar in your diet.
Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults
Eating too much salt
can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely
to develop heart disease or have a stroke.
Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be
eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food
we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces.
Use food labels to
help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in
salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt (about a
teaspoonful) a day. Younger children should have even less.
Get tips on cutting down on salt in your diet.
Get active and be a healthy weight
Eating a healthy,
balanced diet plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy weight, which is
an important part of overall good health.
Being overweight or
obese can lead to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers,
heart disease and stroke. Being underweight could also affect your health.
Check whether you're a
healthy weight by using our Healthy weight calculator.
Most adults need to lose weight, and need to eat fewer calories to
do this. If you're trying to lose weight, aim to eat less and be more
active. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help: aim to cut down on
foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar, and eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables.
Don't forget that
alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down can help you to control your
weight.
Physical activity can
help you to maintain weight loss or be a healthy weight. Being active
doesn't have to mean hours at the gym: you can find ways to fit more activity
into your daily life. For example, try getting off the bus one stop early on
the way home from work, and walking.
Being physically
active may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
For more ideas, see Get active your way.
After getting active,
remember not to reward yourself with a treat that is high in energy. If you
feel hungry after activity, choose foods or drinks that are lower in calories,
but still filling.
If you're underweight,
see our page on underweight adults. If you're worried about
your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.
Don't get thirsty
We need to drink
plenty of fluids to stop us getting dehydrated – the
government recommends 6-8 glasses every day. This is in addition to the
fluid we get from the food we eat. All non-alcoholic drinks count, but
water and lower-fat milk are healthier choices.
Try to avoid sugary
soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars and calories, and are also
bad for teeth. Even unsweetened fruit juice and smoothies are high in free
sugar, so limit how much you drink to no more than one 150ml glass of
fruit juice each day.
When the weather is
warm, or when we get active, we may need more fluids.
Don't skip breakfast
Some people skip
breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research
shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight.
A healthy breakfast is an important part of
a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for
good health.
A wholegrain, lower-sugar cereal with fruit
sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.
More information
- To help you get the right
balance of the five main food groups, take a look at the Eatwell Guide. To maintain a healthy
diet, the Eatwell Guide shows you how much of what you eat should come
from each food group. It's important to have only small amounts of
foods high in fat and/or sugar.
- Learn how to have a balanced diet, and read
about the energy contained in food in our page
on understanding calories.
- Download Losing weight: Getting started,
a 12-week weight loss guide that combines advice on healthier eating and
physical activity.
Source: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eight-tips-healthy-eating.aspx
