Eight tips for healthy eating

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best.
It doesn't have to be difficult either. Just follow these eight diet tips to
get started
.
Download Losing weight: Getting started, a 12-week weight loss guide that combines advice on healthier eating and physical
activity.
he key to a healthy diet is to do the !ollowing:
"at the right number o!calories !or how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with
the energy you use. #! you eat or drink too much, you$ll put on weight. #! you eat and drink too little, you$ll lose
weight. he average man needs around 2,%&& calories a day '1&,%&& kilo(oules). he average woman needs
2,&&& calories '*,+&& kilo(oules). ,ost adults are eating more calories than they need, and should eat !ewer
calories.
"at a wide range o! !oods to ensure that you$re getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all
the nutrients it needs.
Get started
The eatwell plate
o help you get the right balance o! the !ive main !ood groups, take a look at the eatwell plate '-D., 1./,b)
o maintain a healthy diet, the eatwell plate shows you how much o! what you eat should come !rom each !ood group
hese practical tips cover the basics o! healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices:
Base your meals on starchy foods
0tarchy !oods should make up around one third o! the !oods you eat. 0tarchy !oods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice
and bread. 1hoose wholegrain varieties 'or eat potatoes with their skins on) when you can: they contain more !ibre, and
can make you !eel !ull !or longer.
,ost o! us should eat more starchy !oods: try to include at least one starchy !ood with each main meal. 0ome people
think starchy !oods are !attening, but gram !or gram they contain !ewer than hal! the calories o! !at. Learn more
in 0tarchy !oods.
Eat lots of fruit and veg
#t$s recommended that we eat at least !ive portions o! di!!erent types o! !ruit and veg a day. #t$s easier than it sounds. 2
glass o! 1&&3 unsweetened !ruit (uice can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. 4hy not
chop a banana over your break!ast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack !or some dried !ruit5 Learn more in %
2 D26.
Eat more fish
.ish is a good source o! protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. 2im to eat at least two portions a week,
including at least one portion o! oily !ish. 7ily !ish is high in omega-8 !ats, which may help to prevent heart disease. 6ou
can choose !rom !resh, !ro9en and canned: but remember that canned and smoked !ish can be high in salt.
7ily !ish include salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, !resh tuna, sardines and pilchards. :on-oily !ish include haddock,
plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate and hake. 2nyone who regularly eats a lot o! !ish should try to choose as wide a
variety as possible.
ut down on saturated fat and sugar
4e all need some !at in our diet. ;ut it$s important to pay attention to the amount and type o! !at we$re eating. here are
two main types o! !at: saturated and unsaturated. oo much saturated !at can increase the amount o! cholesterol in the
blood, which increases your risk o! developing heart disease.
0aturated !at is !ound in many !oods, such as hard cheese, cakes, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and pies. ry
to cut down, and choose !oods that contain unsaturated rather than saturated !ats, such as vegetable oils, oily !ish and
avocados.
.or a healthier choice, use a (ust a small amount o! vegetable oil or reduced-!at spread instead o! butter, lard or ghee.
4hen you<re having meat, choose lean cuts and cut o!! any visible !at. Learn more, and get tips on cutting down, in "at
less saturated !at.
,ost people in the => eat and drink too much sugar. 0ugary !oods and drinks, including alcoholic drinks, are o!ten high
in energy 'measured in kilo(oules or calories), and could contribute to weight gain. hey can also cause tooth decay,
especially i! eaten between meals.
1ut down on sugary !i99y drinks, alcoholic drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars: this is the
kind o! sugar we should be cutting down on rather than sugars that are !ound naturally in !oods such as !ruit and milk.
.ood labels can help: use them to check how much sugar !oods contain. ,ore than 22.%g o! sugar per 1&&g means that
the !ood is high in sugar. Learn more in 0ugars and =nderstanding !ood labels.
Eat less salt
"ven i! you don$t add salt to your !ood, you may still be eating too much. 2bout three-?uarters o! the salt we eat is
already in the !ood we buy, such as break!ast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. "ating too much salt can raise your
blood pressure. -eople with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.
=se !ood labels to help you cut down. ,ore than 1.%g o! salt per 1&&g means the !ood is high in salt. 2dults and children
over 11 should eat no more than /g o! salt a day. 6ounger children should have even less. Learn more in 0alt: the !acts.
Get active and be a healthy weight
"ating a healthy, balanced diet plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important part o!
overall good health. ;eing overweight or obese can lead to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers,
heart disease and stroke. ;eing underweight could also a!!ect your health. 1heck whether you$re a healthy weight by
using our@ealthy weight calculator.
,ost adults need to lose weight, and need to eat !ewer calories in order to do this. #! you<re trying to lose weight, aim to
eat less and be more active. "ating a healthy, balanced diet will help: aim to cut down on !oods that are high in !at and
sugar, and eat plenty o! !ruit and vegetables.
Don<t !orget that alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down can help you to control your weight. 6ou can !ind
in!ormation and advice in Lose weight. #! you$re underweight, see =nderweight adults. #! you<re worried about your
weight, ask your G- or a dietitian !or advice.
-hysical activity can help you to maintain weight loss or be a healthy weight. ;eing active doesn$t have to mean hours at
the gym: you can !ind ways to !it more activity into your daily li!e. .or eAample, try getting o!! the bus one stop early on
the way home !rom work, and walking. ;eing physically active may help reduce the risk o! heart disease, stroke and type
2 diabetes. .or more ideas, see Get active your way.
2!ter getting active, remember not to reward yoursel! with a treat that is high in energy. #! you !eel hungry a!ter activity,
choose !oods or drinks that are lower in calories but still !illing.
!on't get thirsty
4e need to drink about 1.2 litres o! !luid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. his is in addition to the !luid we get
!rom the !ood we eat. 2ll non-alcoholic drinks count, but water, milk and !ruit (uices are the most healthy. ry to avoid
sugary so!t and !i99y drinks that are high in added sugars and can be high in calories and bad !or teeth. 4hen the
weather is warm, or when we get active, we may need more. Learn more in Drinks.
!on"t s#ip brea#fast
0ome people skip break!ast because they think it will help them lose weight. #n !act, research shows that eating
break!ast can help people control their weight. 2 healthy break!ast is an important part o! a balanced diet, and provides
some o! the vitamins and minerals we need !or good health. 4holemeal cereal, with !ruit sliced over the top is a tasty
and nutritious break!ast.