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Achieving a Healthy Diet

Eating more starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice and pasta.

These are already popular foods and increased consumption will help reduce the amount of fats and increase the amount of fibre in the diet. Adding fat to these foods should be avoided or kept to a minimum. Changing the balance of foods eaten will help. An example of this is making sandwiches with thicker bread, less filling and less spread, or having more rice or pasta with less sauce.

Eating more fruit and vegetables.

When you choose grains, vegetables, and fruits, you are choosing foods packed with plenty of vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre. It has been suggested that individuals should aim for at least five portions a day (excluding potatoes) of fruits and vegetables. Most fruit and vegetables are low in fat and contain no cholesterol (unless butter, oil, margarine, or cream have been added), so eating these foods instead of foods higher in fat can help to reduce total fat intake, and help reduce the risk of heart disease. It will also increase intakes of vitamins, minerals and fibre, as well as plant phytochemicals, which are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Some of the vitamins are antioxidants, eg vitamin C and carotenes which help to neutralize free radicals in the body (free radicals are incomplete pieces of molecules that can damage cells when they link together and oxidize). Fruit (not covered with cream, sugar or syrup) and vegetables (without added fat or oil) are low in energy so can be useful in slimming diets.

Choosing leaner cuts of meat and lower fat versions of commonly eaten foods such as dairy products.

This will help reduce the amount of fat, particularly saturated fatty acids, in many people's diets. Trimming meat, choosing cooking methods which do not require added fat (eg grilling) and eating smaller portions of high fat foods can all be helpful.

Watch the amount your eat!

If you consume more calories than you use during the normal operation of your body you will store extra calories as body fat, and is the cause of weight gain. If you spend more energy than you consume, you begin burning your stored fat and you lose weight.

Obesity occurs when calories consumed exceed those burned over a long period, and is a risk factor for many diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, so balancing diet with exercise is important in maintaining health.

Control salt intake

Sodium is a mineral that helps to regulate the infusion of water in and out of the body's cells. However, some people find that excess sodium raises their blood pressure, affecting heart and circulatory health. Many pre-prepared foods and some natural foods have a high salt content already and provide us with all the salt we need in our daily diet - therefore it is recommended that salt is not added during cooking or food preparation to keep consumption within healthy levels.

Drinking sensibly.

Some people drink to much alcohol drink at any one time, thus risking their health. The current guidelines are:

Men
Regular consumption of between 3 and 4 units a day by men of all ages will not carry significant health risk. Consistently drinking 4 or more units a day is not advised as a sensible drinking level because of the progressive health risk it carries.The health benefit from drinking relates to men aged over 40 and the major part of this can be obtained at levels as low as one unit a day, with the maximum health advantage lying between 1 and 2 units a day.

Women
Regular consumption of between 2 and 3 units a day by women of all ages will not carry any significant health risk. Consistently drinking 3 or more units a day is not advised as a sensible drinking level because of the progressive health risk it carries.

Five Food Groups

Group 1	Bread, other cereals and potatoes	Main Nutrients	Recommendations
	Other cereals means things like: • breakfast cereals • pasta & rice • oats • noodles • maize, millet and cornmeal.	Carbohydrate (starch) Fibre (NSP). Some calcium and iron B vitamins	Eat plentifully
Group 2	Fruit and vegetables	Main Nutrients	Recommendations
	Fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables and dried fruit. A glass of fruit juice can also contribute. Beans and pulses can be eaten as part of this group.	Vitamin C Carotenes Folates Fibre (NSP) and some carbohydrates	Eat plentifully
Group 3	Milk and dairy foods	Main Nutrients	Recommendations
	• milk • cheese • yogurt and fromage frais. This group does not include butter, eggs and cream.	Calcium, Zinc Protein Vitamin B12, B2 Vitamins A and D	Eat or drink moderate amounts and choose lower fat versions whenever you can.
Group 4	Meat, fish and alternatives	Main Nutrients	Recommendations
	•meat, poultry & fish •eggs •nuts, beans and pulses. Meat includes bacon and salami and meat products such as sausages, beefburgers and paté. These are all relatively high fat choices. Beans, such as canned baked beans, and pulses are in this group Fish includes frozen and canned fish such as sardines and tuna, fish fingers and fish cakes.	Iron Protein B Vitamins, especially B12 Zinc Magnesium Oily fish - Omega 3	Eat moderate amounts and choose lower fat versions whenever you can.
Group 5	Foods containing fat, foods containing sugar	Main Nutrients	Recommendations
	Foods containing fat: Margarine, butter, other spreading fats and low fat spreads, cooking oils, oil-based salad dressings, mayonnaise, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, cake, puddings, ice-cream, rich sauces and gravies. Foods containing sugar: Soft drinks, sweets, jam and sugar as well as foods such as cake, puddings, biscuits, pastries and ice-cream.	Fat, including some essential fatty acids, but also some vitamins. Some products also contain salt or sugar.	Eat foods containing fat sparingly and look out for the low fat alternatives. Foods containing sugar should not be eaten too often, as they can contribute to tooth decay