What do you think the most important factors in keeping healthy are?

Many people are unsure of what healthy eating means - not surprising when you consider the variety of, often conflicting, advice given.

The Balance of Good Health

Fruit & Vegetables

Eating healthily means at least 5 a day



This includes frozen, canned, dried and pure juices as well as fresh. Also included in this group are beans, including baked beans, pulses and lentils. The key for good health is to choose a wide variety - aiming for five different portions per day. A portion is approximately 80g, e.g. one medium apple or two medium plums.
Bread, Other Cereals & Potatoes

A healthy eating plan should include 5 portions daily



This group includes breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, noodles, oats and other cereals as well as bread and potatoes. You should aim to include at least one food from this group at each meal.
Milk & Dairy Foods

2-3 servings daily is the recommended healthy eating level



Milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are included in this group, but not butter, eggs and cream. Serving sizes in this group vary, depending on how concentrated the food is, e.g. 1 serving of milk is 200ml, a serving of yoghurt is 150g and a serving of cheese is 30g.
Meat Fish & Alternatives

2-3 servings daily, choose low fat if your healthy eating plan is for weight loss



This group includes eggs, poultry, and meat and fish products such as beefburgers and fishcakes. Some of these products can be high in fat - so it’s best to choose lower fat versions of products, and trim visible fat from meat and poultry. Alternatives are non-meat sources of protein such as nuts, tofu, mycoprotein, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and kidney beans.
Foods Containing Fat & Foods Containing Sugar

Eat in small quantities, 0-3 servings daily



These are foods high in fat and/or sugar. Butter, margarine, oil, mayonnaise, cream, crisps and fried foods are high in fat. Soft drinks, sweets and jam are high in sugar. Cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pastries and ice-cream are high in both. It is essential to include a small amount of fat in your diet, but most people need to eat less. The emphasis should be on unsaturated fat e.g. olive, sunflower and corn oil, rather than saturated fat which tends to come from animal products, cakes, biscuits and pastries.



Healthy Eating Tips for Kids



Whilst it’s best to encourage healthy eating among the whole family, some children may be reluctant to change their eating habits. Here are some tips to get children eating healthily without them even realising…
Add more veggies to favourite dishes – for example, add finely sliced mushrooms to Bolognese, finely chopped red pepper to tomato sauces and steamed leeks to mashed potato

Serve big portions of veggies they like – sweetcorn, carrots and peas are often popular.

Mix together grated carrot and Red Leicester cheese and use to fill sandwiches and jacket potatoes – the colours blend so well they may not notice the carrot.

Buy lower-fat versions of sausages, burgers and oven chips and grill or oven bake them rather than frying. Alternatively, make your own homemade burgers and swap chips for homemade potato wedges – simply cut potatoes in their skins into wedges, brush with a little olive oil and bake in the oven until they are soft in the middle and crispy on the outside.

Buy lower-fat versions of crisps and biscuits and opt for the smallest bags available.

Add barley, beans or lentils to soups, stews and other meaty dishes – children won’t notice baked beans in a cottage pie or lentils in a stew.

Buy sugar-free squashes and fizzy drinks – if the kids complain, pour them into empty bottles of the standard variety when they’re not looking.

If children won’t eat wholemeal or granary bread, try high-fibre white bread for sandwiches and toast.

If you can’t get your kids to give up sugary cereals, mix them with lower sugar varieties such as a handful each of Frosties and Cornflakes, or Rice Krispies and Coco Pops

Use whole-wheat pasta in pasta bakes – when mixed with sauce it’s impossible to tell it’s not white

For children who are resistant to brown rice or wholemeal pasta, cook half of each and then mix together.