Healthy Eating Guidelines
Healthy Balanced Diet

To create a healthy balanced diet you need to make sure that you are eating a variety of different foods from all the essential food groups. Each food group provides your body with key nutritional support. Without it your body can't function effectively and is more prone to disease.

The food pyramid below is a simple way of illustrating the correct proportions of each food group that you should be eating. The bulk of your diet should be made up of wholegrain foods, fruits, vegetables and pulses such as peas, beans and lentils. Dairy products, fish and meat should constitute a smaller part of your diet, with cakes and sweets being the smallest of all.

The Food Pyramid

The food pyramid is helpful in looking at what constitutes a healthy balanced diet, so what should your portion sizes be and how many portions do you need to eat daily or weekly?

• Grains and Cereals: a cup of cooked rice, oats or millet or a thick slice of wholegrain bread. Around 5 portions daily, depending on how physically active you are.
• Beans and Pulses: one cup (cooked). Aim for one portion 3 times a week.
• Fruit: one apple, orange kiwi, mango, papaya or banana, 2 small plums or a cup of berries. Eat a variety of fruit over the week and eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Vegetables: eat 4 or 5 cups of vegetables daily. Eat a good variety of different veg over the week including some raw salads. Count a salad or a stir-fry as one portion.
• Meat and Fish: 4-6 oz of red meat (e.g. lean lamb, beef, pork) to be eaten once a week or fortnight, 4-6oz white/wild meat (e.g. turkey, pheasant,chicken, venison) once a week; fish - one trout, mackerel, a wild salmon steak or tin of sardines at least 3 times a week.
• Dairy: half a glass of semi-skimmed milk or 2oz cheese daily.
• Eggs: one egg twice a week.
• Fats and Oils: 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (olive or flaxseed is good) or 1/2 oz unsalted butter daily.

There are some key things to be aware of in terms of the nutritional benefits you gain from eating a healthy balanced diet. Click on the links below to find out the essential nutrients your body receives from each food group.

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fruit and Vegetables
• Fats and Oils
• Fibre
• Water

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