Whole grains may protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, excessive weight gain, and some cancers. At least two-thirds of choices should be wholegrain varieties. Eating a variety of these foods each day will provide the protein you need, as well as a range of other nutrients, including iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins especially B12 , and essential fatty acids.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that you eat one to three serves of food from this group each day, depending on your age. If you are pregnant, three to four serves a day are recommended. A standard serve is — kilojoules; for example, 80 g cooked lean poultry g raw , g cooked fish fillet about g raw , 65 g cooked lean red meat about 90 — g raw , two large eggs 60 g each , g tofu, 30 g nuts or seeds, or g cooked legumes.
Milk, yoghurt and cheese are rich sources of calcium and other minerals, protein, and vitamins. They can protect against heart disease and stroke, and reduce the risk of high blood pressure , some cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
Dairy is also good for bone health. If you prefer to avoid dairy, go for alternatives with added calcium, such as calcium-enriched soy or rice drinks. Make sure they contain at least milligrams of calcium per millilitres. Extras are higher in kilojoules, added sugar, saturated fat, and added salt, such as commercial burgers, pizza, alcohol, lollies, cakes and biscuits, fried foods, and fruit juices and cordials. Information about exact servings and other examples can be found at Eat for Health.
When you eat also plays a part in a healthy diet. The biggest food timing tip is eat breakfast. Breakfast skippers are more likely to be tempted by unhealthy choices later in the day and to eat bigger servings at their next meal. Children who skip breakfast generally have poorer nutrition and poorer performance at school. They are found in many foods, such as breads, breakfast cereal, rice, pasta, noodles, fruit, potato and starchy vegetables, corn, dried beans and lentils, sugar, milk and yoghurt.
Eating a carb at every meal fuels the body throughout the day. Include a variety of good-quality carbs, such as fresh, canned or dried fruit; rice, bread, quinoa and pasta preferably whole grain or high fibre varieties ; and legumes in your healthy diet.
Carbohydrate-containing foods are rated on a scale called the glycaemic index GI. This rating between zero and is related to how quickly their carbohydrate content is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, and the effect it has on blood glucose levels. Low GI foods GI less than 55 absorb into the bloodstream slowly and give sustained energy throughout the day.
Examples include wholegrain bread, pasta, oats, apples, apricots, oranges, yoghurt, milk, dried beans and lentils. High GI foods 55 or more on the GI scale are quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. Examples of high GI foods are white and wholemeal bread, processed cereals, short grain rice, potatoes, crackers, watermelon.
Use low-fat yogurt, low-fat soymilk evaporated skim milk or cornstarch as a thickener instead of cream. Choose to scrub the vegetables than peel as there are many nutrients in the skin. When you have to boil the vegetables, retain the vitamin-rich water and use it as a stock in another preparation.
Switch to a reduced salt wholemeal or wholegrain bread. For sandwiches, limit your use of spreads high in saturated fat like butter and cream cheese; replace with scrapings of spread or alternative nut spreads or low-fat cheese spreads or avocado. Choose reduced-fat ingredients like low-fat cheese or salad dressing.
Add a lot of vegetables to your sandwich to make it healthier. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp. You may also like. Benign Prostate Enlargement February 16, Winter Diseases: Guide to protect yourselves December 25, Rheumatoid Arthritis December 21, Bleeding after Sex: Is it Cervical Cancer?
December 11, August 6, July 29, Follow us. But they do still contain high levels of fat, so eat them in moderation. Read more about eggs and pulses and beans. Swapping to unsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol. Find out more about the different types of fats. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and tooth decay.
Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of getting heart disease or having a stroke. See 8 tips for healthy eating to find out more about why you need to cut down on saturated fat, sugar and salt, which foods they're found in, and how to make healthier choices. Find out more about how to eat less saturated fat. Most adults in England are overweight or obese. Check whether you're a healthy weight using the BMI calculator. If you need to lose weight, you can use the NHS weight loss plan.
It's a free week diet and exercise plan to help you lose weight and develop healthier habits. The plan, which has been downloaded more than 2 million times, is designed to help you lose weight safely, and keep it off.
Page last reviewed: 27 March Next review due: 27 March Eat well Secondary navigation Food and diet Nutrition and food groups Eating a balanced diet 8 tips for healthy eating The Eatwell Guide Food labels Food labelling terms Reference intakes on food labels Starchy foods and carbohydrates Dairy and alternatives Meat in your diet Fish and shellfish The healthy way to eat eggs Beans and pulses Water, drinks and your health Eating processed foods.
Why 5 A Day? What counts? Fat: the facts Salt: the facts Sugar: the facts Top sources of added sugar What does calories look like? Red meat and the risk of bowel cancer What is a Mediterranean diet? How to prepare and cook food safely How to store food and leftovers 10 ways to prevent food poisoning Why you should never wash raw chicken Cooking turkey How to wash fruit and vegetables The truth about sweeteners Sprouted seeds safety advice.
Much of the energy calories in what we eat comes from carbohydrate. These are divided into two carbohydrate types:. There is a lot being written about how much of our food should be made up of carbohydrates but most of the guidelines recommend about one third.
This should be mostly starchy carbohydrates, preferably higher-fibre options such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals and brown rice. Glycaemic index The glycaemic index of a food is the rate at which the food raises blood sugar levels after it has been eaten. If a food has a low glycaemic index, it is processed by the body in a way which means it is less likely to lead to problems such as diabetes and obesity.
You can find out more about the role of food on your blood sugar from our leaflet on Type 2 Diabetes Diet. Higher-fibre carbohydrates, such as wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, tend to have a lower glycaemic index than more refined starches such as white bread, snack foods and sugary drinks.
This means they are a healthier option for this reason as well as for the fibre they contain. New research suggests that eating two portions of fruit and at least five portions of vegetables daily reduces the risks of many illnesses, such as stroke, heart disease and some cancers.
Ideally there should be more vegetables than fruit in your diet. In addition to these benefits, fruit and vegetables:. An average portion of vegetables may be about a handful, or about 80 g. Alternatively, one portion of fruit or vegetables is roughly equivalent to one of the following:. Starchy foods and fruit and vegetables contain the most fibre. So the tips above on starchy foods and fruit and vegetables will also increase fibre.
If you switch to wholemeal rice and pasta, and wholemeal bread, this can significantly increase your fibre intake. Pulses like lentils and beans are also full of fibre. Eating higher-fibre foods can make you feel full for longer, which can help if you are trying to watch your weight.
See the separate leaflet called Fibre and Fibre Supplements for more details. Milk and other dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are important in your diet, as they provide calcium which is needed for healthy teeth and bones. They are also a source of protein and can provide other vitamins and minerals important for your health. Calcium-enriched soya milk and fromage frais also come under 'milk and dairy foods'. However, other foods such as butter and cream are not considered as dairy foods here, as they are also high in fat, so they come under the fatty foods group.
To make sure that you have enough calcium in your diet, you need three servings a day from this food group. One serving is:. As the fat content of dairy foods can vary, make sure that you go for lower-fat options where possible, such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and low-fat yoghurt. Non-dairy sources of calcium include leafy green vegetables, tinned fish particularly if the bones are included , dried figs, almonds, oranges, sesame seeds, seaweed and some types of beans.
Non-dairy calcium needs to be eaten with a source of vitamin D, as the body needs this to help it absorb the calcium. Vitamin D can be found in eggs, fish and mushrooms but is mostly made in the skin by contact with sunshine. Some foods are fortified with calcium, such as breakfast cereals, some soya drinks and tofu. These may already have added vitamin D. Other protein-containing foods include meat, fish, eggs and plant sources of protein.
Plant sources of protein include nuts, seeds, tofu, beans such as red kidney beans and canned beans, and pulses such as lentils and chickpeas. You need a certain amount of protein to keep healthy. Protein is important for energy and for growth and repair in your body. Some of these high-protein foods can also be a source of iron and vitamins, including B vitamins and vitamin D. However, most people eat more protein than is necessary. Beware, some meats are also high in fat. Choose poultry such as chicken, or lean meat.
Also, be careful, as many meat-based recipes include creamy or fatty sauces which are high in calories.
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