Healthy Eating Guidelines

What does a Balance diet consist of?

• 50-60% Carbohydrates
• 30-35% Fats
• 10-15% Proteins

The ‘eatwell plate’ is based on the healthy eating guidelines as stated above and the eight tips for healthy eating, as follows:

1.     Base your meals on starchy foods

2.     Eat lots of fruit and vegetables

3.     Eat more fish

4.     Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

5.     Try to eat less salt – no more than 6g a day

6.     Get active and try to be a healthy weight

7.      Drink plenty of water

8.      Don’t skip breakfast

Using the Food Plate

We can see that the food plate is split into five food groups:

1.   Bread, cereals and potatoes

2.   Fruit and vegetables 

3.   Meat, fish and alternatives 

4.   Milk and dairy foods

5.   Foods containing fat and sugar

Quality of Food

Bread, Cereals and potatoes (6-11 Servings)

This food group occupies a large section of the food plate, indicating that we should be obtaining a high percentage of our energy from this food group. This does not mean we can eat any amount of food from this group; it is crucial to note that there are ‘good’ choices and ‘bad’ choices in all the food groups.

We should be aiming to consume a variety of high ‘quality’ grains and cereals in this food group and not just the usual bread, pasta and rice; consider the sources of carbohydrates. When making food choices in this food group try following these simple rules:

• Choose unrefined carbohydrates – whole grains and fibre-rich.
• Avoid over consumption of refined carbohydrates – white bread and products made from refined flour, pasta, white rice and refined breakfast cereals.
• Add variety to your diet by including grains such as barley, millet, spelt, quinoa, whole grain rice and pasta.
• Try to include a variety of starchy vegetables as an alternative to potatoes e.g. sweet potato, yams, squash and pumpkin.

Fruit and Vegetables (3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit)

This food group also occupies a large section of the food plate. In fact, it indicates that we should be consuming this food group in the same proportion as the bread and cereal group.

A general guideline for this food group is that we should be consuming at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. This food group does not provide us with a great deal of energy, but is essential to provide us with a rich supply of vitamins, minerals and fibre. If we are consuming over this recommendation of five portions per day, this should not be seen as a problem, unless we are consuming a high volume of fruit and vegetables and not a lot from other food groups. This can lead to a deficiency in energy and other essential nutrients (namely protein and fat).

When making choices in this food group consider the following:

• Include a variety of fruits and vegetables  
• Include brightly coloured fruits and vegetables
• Include green leafy vegetables
•  Fruit juice and dried fruit can be included but should not replace whole fruit and vegetable
• Try something new

Meat, Fish and Alternatives (2-3 servings)

This food group occupies a smaller section of the food plate compared to the fruit and vegetable group and the grains and cereals group. This group will provide you with energy and protein as well as essential vitamins, minerals and fats.

As with all the food groups, we can make ‘good’ and ‘bad’ choices in relation to the ‘quality’ of the food we choose. Good choices will ensure we obtain a good supply of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Making bad choices will provide a high percentage of saturated fats

When making food choices in this group consider the following:

Include a variety of foods from non-animal sources such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, soya products, nuts and seeds

Include fish, especially oily fish, a few times per week

Limit the amount of meat and meat products and opt for leaner cuts of meat  

Dairy Products (2-3 servings)

As with the group above, this group is required in a smaller proportion than fruit and vegetables or the grains and cereals group. It will provide energy, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. Potentially, this group can provide a high proportion of saturated fat.

Therefore, when making food choices it may be beneficial to consider the following:

• Include some lower fat alternatives (it is important to read the food label as some lower fat options are high in sugar)
• Be aware of portion sizes as these foods can be rich in energy as well as fat
• Individuals who do not consume dairy products may increase their intake of foods from other groups to obtain the essential nutrients they may be missing out on e.g. nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains, brightly coloured and green leafy vegetables

Foods Containing Fats and Sugars (Include Sparingly)

This food group occupies the smallest section of the plate. It is not recommended that we need to consume food from this group, as we will obtain all the essential nutrients we require from the other food groups.

This section includes foods rich in additional fats and sugars such as crisps, confectionary, cakes, biscuits, pastry; and additional fats and sugar we may add to our diet e.g. butter, margarine, oil for cooking sugar in our tea, sugary drinks.

As with all the food groups we can make ‘good’ and ‘bad’ choices in relation to the ‘quality’ of the food in this group.

Following these guidelines will help you to make ‘good’ choices:

• Avoid or limit the amount of foods you consume that are high in additional fats and sugars.  
• As outlined above they are rich in saturated fats, trans fats, refined carbohydrates and sugar
• Choose snacks rich in seeds, dried fruits and nuts. They will provide you with energy and are rich in essential nutrients
• When cooking use vegetable oils, but use them sparingly
• Limit the amount of saturated fat you use e.g. butter
• Be aware that some vegetable oil spreads may be high in trans fats, therefore limit consumption of them

(Information sourced from YMCAfit)