Healthy eating is all about balance. There are no good or bad foods and you don’t have to give up certain foods to eat healthily or live on lettuce. Why? Because all foods can be included in a healthy diet as long as the overall balance of foods is right. All foods provide energy and nutrients and it is maintaining the right balance of nutrients that is important for staying healthy.
The Food Groups – What Counts?
Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans, Pulses & Nuts
You need to eat the foods in this group to get enough protein which the body needs to grow and develop. These foods also contain nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium and B vitamins. To make sure you don’t eat too much fat, choose leaner cuts of meat and trim off any visible fat and skin. When you cook them, bake or grill instead of frying.
But don’t forget, you do need some fat in your diet and not all types of fat are unhealthy. The fats found in olive oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish are good for you. In fact when it comes to fish, it is recommended that you eat two portions a week and that at least one of these is an oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel or sardines.
Nutrients Provided
The main nutrients provided by this group of foods are:
- Protein
- Iron
- B vitamins (especially vitamin B12 from meat and fish)
- Zinc
- Magnesium
Practical Advice
- Eat moderate amounts of foods from this group and choose lower fat versions where possible.
- These foods should cover about a third of your plate.
- Choose lean meats and remove visible fat.
- Take the skin off chicken or turkey.
- Limit chicken and fish cooked in batter or breadcrumb coatings.
- Cook these foods without adding fat e.g. by grilling, roasting, baking or in a casserole.
- Aim to eat at least two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oil-rich (oily fish include mackerel, salmon, trout, kippers, pilchards, sardine and fresh tuna – but canned tuna doesn’t count because the processing removes most of the beneficial oils).
If you are a Vegetarian
It is especially important if you are vegetarian to get your protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12 from sources other than meat. Choose from the foods listed below:
- Soya based foods including tofu
- Beans, lentils and chick peas
- Seeds, nuts and nut butters (like peanut butter)
If you eat these foods in combination with cereal foods (such as wholemeal bread, rice, pasta) these will provide you with proteins that are equivalent to those found in meat.
Some vegetarians still eat eggs, milk and fish. These provide a more complete form of protein equivalent to that in meat.
B vitamins can be obtained by eating fortified breakfast cereals, soya foods and yeast extracts (such as marmite or vegemite).
Bread, Potatoes and Cereals
Bread, Potatoes, Breakfast Cereals and other Cereal Foods
Foods from this group should account for about a third of what you eat. Include them at every meal. Regularly eating starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, breakfast cereals and pasta can help keep the amount of fat in your diet in check. Choose wholemeal and wholegrain versions most of the time to boost your fibre intake and keep your bowels healthy.
It’s easy to add fat to the foods in this group; butter on bread, frying potatoes to make chips, adding creamy sauces to pasta. Too much fat in the diet is unhealthy so keep this in mind when choosing what to eat.
Nutrients Provided
The main nutrients provided by this group are:
- Carbohydrate (starch)
- Calcium
- Iron
- B vitamins
- Fibre
Practical Advice
- Eat foods from this group in good amounts.
- Include them at each meal.
- Eating more foods from this food group may help to reduce the amount of fat and increase the amount of fibre in the diet.
- Cover about a third of your plate with these foods.
- Try to eat wholemeal, wholegrain and brown or high fibre versions as well as white or refined versions.
- Foods from this group are often cooked or served with fat, so try to avoid having them fried or adding too much fat.
Fruit & Vegetables
We all know the 5-A-DAY message. But did you know that all fruits and vegetables count except for potatoes. This includes fresh, raw, cooked, canned, dried, frozen and juices as well as vegetables in soups, stews and sauces.
You can also get one of your five a day from half a tin of beans, one glass of fruit juice and two from a smoothie.
Fruit and vegetabes are good because they are nearly always low in fat and high in fibre. They also contain vitamins, minerals and other substances known as phytonutrients which keep you healthy and may help protect you from infections and some diseases.
Nutrients Provided
The main nutrients provided by this group of foods are:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Carbohydrate
- Fibre
- Phytonutrients
Practical Advice
- Eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and aim to have at least five portions every day e.g. 3 portions of vegetables and 2 fruits.
- One portion is a handful of vegetables or a medium piece of fruit. Fresh, frozen, dried, canned fruit and vegetables all count as does a glass of juice.
- Mix up your fruit and veg – Try not to eat the same ones every day.
- Fruit juice counts but only as one portion, however much you drink in a day.
- Beans and pulses count but only as one portion, however much you eat in a day.
- Increase your intake of fruit and vegetables by adding them to dishes such as curries and stews or blend them into soups or smoothies.
- Smoothies can count for up to two portions of your 5-A-DAY because they are made with fruit juice mixed with crushed whole fruits.
- Add vegetables to the top of pizzas and add fruit purees, stewed fruit or canned fruit to puddings.
- Try to avoid adding fat or creamy sauces to vegetables, or adding sugar or syrup to fruit.
Milk & Dairy
Foods in this group provide calcium and are very important for our bones, teeth and muscles. Teenagers need a lot of calcium in their diet this is because you are growing a lot. Once you stop growing it is not so easy to get calcium into your bones, so if you don’t get enough as a teenager your bones may become weak as an adult. Not getting enough calcium can also make our teeth weak and may mean that our muscles cannot work properly
Nutrients Provided
The main nutrients provided by this group of foods are:
- Calcium
- Protein
- B vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B12
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
Practical Advice
- Eat and drink at least 4 portions from this group and choose lower fat versions where possible.
- Choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, low-fat yogurts, fromage frais and reduced fat cheeses.
Foods High In Fats & Sugars
Most of us enjoy eating these foods. You don’t need to give them up completely but you should only eat them in small amounts. Some of these foods, such as butter, spreads and mayonnaise, are typically eaten every day, so they should be used sparingly. Other foods, such as cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks, should not be eaten too often, and when they are choose small amounts.
Eating foods and drinks high in sugar on a regular basis can affect our teeth. The bacteria that live in the sticky plaque on our teeth, love to consume the sugar that is left behind after eating a chocolate bar, toffee or handful of dried fruit. The acid they produce dissolves the enamel on the tooth’s surface and this causes tooth decay.
The best way to stop teeth from getting decay is to:
Brush teeth morning and night with a flouride toothpaste to help remove the sticky plaque.
Limit the number of times each day you have sugary foods, try sugar free squashes or sugar free gum instead.
When you do have sugary foods try to have them just after a meal as this way they do less damage to your teeth.
Braces
Be particularly careful if you have a permanent dental brace as your teeth will be particularly hard to brush and there are more places where plaque and sugar can settle on your teeth. When your brace is removed what you want to see is a perfect smile, not rotten teeth!
Nutrients Provided
The main nutrients provided by this group of foods are:
- fat
- carbohydrate (sugar)
- vitamins D and E