Public Health England In Association With The Welsh .

etalplleeatwr dieteihtlaeu eat a hoygnihelpnowdetratsGetide !See insPublic Health England in association with the Welsh Government, the ScottishGovernment and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland

Eating well andyhtlaehagnivahpil festyle can hel–us feel our bestand make a ted toda2

ellIs the eatw ?eplate for mThe eatwell plate applies to mostpeople, whether they’re a healthyweight or overweight, whether theyeat meat or are vegetarian, and itapplies to people of all ethnic origins.However, it doesn’t apply tochildren under two, because theyhave different nutritional needs.Between the ages of two and five,children should gradually move toeating the same foods as the restof the family, in the proportionsshown on the eatwell plate.Anyone with special dietaryrequirements or medical needsmight want to check with aregistered dietitian whether theeatwell plate applies to them.3

How can theeatwell plate help?The eatwell plate shows the differenttypes of food we need to eat – and inwhat proportions – to have a wellbalanced and healthy diet.So take a look at what you eatduring the day (including anysnacks) and try to eat:plenty of fruit and vegetablesplenty of bread, rice, potatoes,pasta and other starchy foods –choose wholegrain varietieswhen you cansome milk and dairy foodssome meat, fish, eggs, beansand other non-dairy sourcesof proteinjust a small amount of foods anddrinks high in fat and/or sugarIt’s a good idea to try to get thisbalance right every day, but youdon’t need to do it at every meal.4And you might find it easier to getthe balance right over a longerperiod, say a week.When should I use theeatwell plate?You can use the eatwell plate tohelp you make healthier choiceswhenever you’re:at home deciding what to eat,what to cook or what to shop forout shopping – aim to fill yourtrolley with a healthy balanceof different types of foodeating out in a restaurant, caféor work canteen, or when you’rechoosing food ‘on the run’ –follow the eatwell plate to helpyou choose a healthy balance

How does it work?As you can see on the eatwellplate, the food we eat has beendivided up into five food groups.Try to choose a variety of differentfood from each of the food groups,apart from the ‘Foods and drinkshigh in fat and/or sugar’ group. Thiswill help you get the wide range ofnutrients your body needs to stayhealthy and work properly.It’s important to have some fat inyour diet, but you don’t need toeat any of the food in the ‘foodsand drinks high in fat and/or sugar’group as part of a healthy diet.Many of the things we eat, suchas pizzas, casseroles, pasta dishesand sandwiches, are a combinationof the food groups. For these sortsof food, you just need to work outthe main ingredients and thinkabout how these fit with thesections on the plate.For example, if you’re having achicken stir-fry with rice, this ismade up of:c hicken – this fits in the sectionfor meat, fish, eggs, beans andother non-dairy sources ofproteinv egetables – this fits in thesection for fruit and vegetablesr ice – this fits in the section forbread, rice, potatoes, pasta andother starchy foodsLet’s take a closer look at each ofthe food groups.5

at :koer losolAcBread, rice,potatoes, pastaodsand other starchy foStarchy food is a reallyimportant part of ahealthy diet and shouldmake up about a thirdof the food we eat. Tryto choose wholegrainvarieties when you can.6

Most of us should eat more starchyfood – try to include at least onestarchy food with each of yourmain meals. So, you could:Why choose wholegrain?start the day with a wholegrainbreakfast cereal – choose onelower in salt and sugarsWholegrain food contains morefibre than white or refined starchyfood, and often more of othernutrients. We also digestwholegrain food more slowly soit can help us feel full for longer.have a sandwich for lunchWholegrain food includes:round off the day with potatoes,pasta or rice as a base for yourevening mealSome people think starchy food isfattening, but gram for gram itcontains less than half the caloriesof fat. You just need to watch thefats you add when you’re cookingand serving this sort of food,because that’s what increasesthe calorie content.wholemeal and wholegrainbread, pitta and chapattiwholewheat pasta brown ricewholegrain breakfast cerealsand whole oats7

lookresA cloat :Fruit andvegetablesLots of people know we shouldbe eating more fruit andveg, but most of us stillaren’t eating enough.Fruit and veg shouldmake up about a thirdof the food weeat each day.8

Aim to eat at least five portions ofa variety of fruit and veg each day.If you count how many portionsyou’re having, it might help youincrease the amount and varietyof fruit and veg you eat.Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned,dried or juiced.A portion is 80g or any of these:1 apple, banana, pear, orangeor other similar-size fruit3 heaped tablespoonsof vegetablesa dessert bowl of salada glass (150ml) of fruit juice(counts as a maximum ofone portion a day)9

at :kor loesolAcMilk anddairy foodsTry to eat some milk and dairyfood – such as cheese, yoghurtand fromage frais –every day.These are good sources of proteinand vitamins, and they’re also animportant source of calcium, whichhelps to keep our bones strong.Some dairy food can be high in fatand saturated fat, but there areplenty of lower-fat options tochoose from. For example, why nottry 1% fat milk – it contains abouthalf the fat of semi-skimmed – orreduced-fat cheese? Or you couldhave just a small amount of thehigh-fat varieties less often.10

Checkingthe labelWhen you’re food shopping, it’sa good idea to look at the labelto help you make a healthierchoice. Try comparing similarproducts and choose the oneswith less fat, saturated fat, sugarsand salt. Sometimes there canbe a big difference betweensimilar products.For a healthier choice, try to pickproducts with more greens andambers and fewer reds.To find out more, seenhs.uk/foodlabelsMany foods are now labelled withnutrition information. Front of packnutrition labels contain informationto help you make decisions, such aspercentage of your Guideline DailyAmount and/or traffic light colourcoding. Where traffic light coloursare used, you can tell at a glance ifthey are high (red), medium(amber) or low (green) in fat,saturated fat, sugars and salt.¼ pie (175g) typically contains (pack serves 4)Calories383 8.9g2.2g1.28g26%45%2%21%of your guideline daily amount11

Aat :koolrcloseMeat, fish,eggs, beansyand other non-dairsources of proteinAs well as being greatsources of protein,these types of foodare rich in vitaminsand/or minerals,so try to eat somefood fromthis groupevery day.12

And aim for at least two portionsof fish a week, including a portionof oily fish. Most people shouldbe eating more fish, but thereare recommended limits for oilyfish, crab and some types of whitefish. See nhs.uk/fish for moreinformation about these limitsand choosing fish fromsustainable sources.Some types of meat are highin fat, particularly saturated fat.So, when you’re buying meat,remember that the type of cutor meat product you choose,and how you cook it, can makea big difference.To cut down on fat:c hoose lean cuts of meat and gofor leaner mincec ut the fat off meat and the skinoff chickent ry to grill meat and fish insteadof fryingt ry not to eat too many sausages,meat pies and salami, becausethese are often high in fat ave a poached or boiled egghinstead of a fried eggBeans, peas and lentils (which areall types of pulses) are goodalternatives to meat becausethey’re naturally very low in fat,and they’re high in fibre, protein,and vitamins and minerals.13

at :kor loesolAcFoods anddrinks high infat and/or sugarTry to eat just a smallamount of thesefoods and drinks.Foods that are high in fat includecakes, biscuits, butter, cream and oil.Cakes and biscuits are often high insugars too.Lots of the sugars we have comefrom sugary fizzy drinks, chocolateand sweets, so it’s a good idea tocut down on these.If you get hungry between meals,try to go for healthier snacks suchas fruit, wholemeal toast, a low-fatyoghurt or a few unsalted nuts.14Checkthe tableat thebackofthis booklet forexamples of foodincluded ineachthe foofod groups.

Cutting downon saturated fatCutting down on saturated fat canlower your blood cholesterol andreduce your risk of heart disease.Most people in the UK eat toomuch saturated fat – about 20%more than the recommendedmaximum amount.The average man should haveno more than 30g saturated fata day.You don’t need to stop eatingthese foods altogether, but eatingtoo much of these can makeit easy to have more than therecommended maximumamount of saturated fat.To find out more, seenhs.uk/satfatThe average woman shouldhave no more than 20gsaturated fat a day.Children should have less saturatedfat than adults. But rememberthat a low-fat diet isn’t suitablefor children under five.One of the easiest ways to cutdown on saturated fat is tocompare the labels on similarproducts and choose the onelower in saturated fat.And watch out for foods that arehigh in saturated fat, includingfatty cuts of meat, sausages,meat pies, butter, cream,cheese, chocolate, pastries,cakes and biscuits.15

Cutting down on saltEating too much salt can raise yourblood pressure, which triples yourrisk of developing heart disease orstroke. And since many people inthe UK eat too much salt, thatmeans that lots of people wouldbenefit from cutting down.talking about thesalt you add to yourfood because most ofthe salt we eat isalready in everydayfoods such as bread, breakfastcereal, pasta sauce and soup.Adults should eat no more than6g of salt a day. Children shouldhave even less.Checking the label and choosingfoods that are lower in salt is oneof the best ways to cut down.6g of salt is about a teaspoonful.But remember we’re not justTo find out more, seenhs.uk/salt?How much food do I needWe all need different amounts ofenergy (or calories) from food to bea healthy weight. How much youneed depends on lots of things,including how active you are.Whenever we eat more than ourbody needs, we put on weight.This is because we store the energywe don’t use as fat. Even if we havejust small amounts of extra energyeach day, we can put on weight.16And most people in the UK eatmore than they need.Try to:eat only as much food asyou needimprove the balance ofyour diet by looking atthe eatwell plateget more active

If you’re eating a good balanceof the different food groups,and you’re a healthy weight,you’re probably eating aboutthe right amount.But if you’re overweight, then youmay need to eat less, improve thebalance of your diet and/or getmore active. Ask your GP, or otherhealth professional, for adviceabout losing weight.Do you know if you’re a healthyweight? Find out at nhs.uk/bmiDo I need vitamin andmineral supplements?Most people can get all thenutrients their body needs byeating healthily. And supplementscan’t do the same job as abalanced diet.taking anti-epileptic medicinesshould consult their GP for advice.People should also take a daily10mcg vitamin D supplement if they:Are pregnant or breastfeedingAre aged 65 or overAren’t exposed to much sun, forexample, those who cover uptheir skin for cultural reasons,who are housebound or confinedindoors for long periodsHave darker skin, such as peopleof African-Caribbean and SouthAsian originFor more information, talk to yourGP or another health professional,or see nhs.uk/vitaminsHowever, some people do needcertain supplements.For example, if you’re pregnantor planning to get pregnant,you should take a daily 400microgram (mcg) folic acidsupplement from the time youstop using contraception untilthe 12th week of pregnancy.Women who have already had apregnancy affected by neural tubedefects, need to take 5mg of folicacid each day until the 12th weekof pregnancy. In addition, womenwho have diabetes and those17