A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for managing your weight and preventing serious health problems. The Eatwell Guide is a visual tool that represents government guidelines on healthy eating. Here, Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at the charity Heart Research UK, gives us some tips on planning a healthy diet using the Eatwell Guide.
THE Eatwell Guide is appropriate for most people, but it should not be used in meal-planning for very young children. It is not essential to achieve this balance with every meal, but it is good to try to get the proportions right over a day or longer. Try to consume a variety of foods from each ofthe food groups to ensure you consume a range of nutrients. Fruit and vegetables should make up over a third of the foods in your diet as they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. However, most people do not eat enough. Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables all count. Fruit juice and/or smoothies should be limited to around 150ml a day due to their high sugar and low fibre content. Try adding fruit to breakfast cereals and increase the amount of veg or salad inyour lunches and evening meals…