What Should I be Eating?
Healthy eating doesn’t mean you have to leave out all of the “naughty” foods you enjoy – it means eating them in moderation, cutting down on fatty foods and making sure you eat a variety of different things.
While you should aim to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables – remember the 5 a day rule – there’s a couple of other points to bear in mind:
- Eat the right amount of food for how active you are
- Eat different types of food so you get a balanced diet
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) offers tons of in-depth, but easy to read information on eating well.
Check out their Eatwell Plate and see if you’re eating the right amounts of fruit and vegetables, pasta, meat and dairy each day.
The Food Standards Agency's 10 tips for eating well
1) Eat starchy foods
Starchy foods like bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes and rice are a great source of energy and they contain good things like fibre, calcium, iron, and vitamin B. Go for wholegrain varieties where possible.
2) Remember your 5-a-day
Getting that 5-a-day isn’t as hard as you might think. Chances are you’re half way there already.
- How about orange juice and piece of fruit with your morning cereal?
- An apple or pear for mid-morning snack?
- Maybe have a salad with your lunch
- Polish off some peas or broccoli with your dinner
You can choose from fresh, tinned, dried or juiced fruit veg.
3) Eat more fish
Try to eat 2 portions of fish a week – one of which should be an oily fish. White, non-oily fish is good for you, but oily fish are even better because they contain omega 3 fatty acids. That mean’s they’re great for keeping a healthy heart.
- Oily Fish: Herring, Mackrel, Trout, Fresh tuna, Sardines
- White (non-oily) fish: Cod, Haddock, Plaice, Tinned Tuna, Hake
4) Cut down on sugar
According to the Food Standards Agency, most people in the UK are eating too much sugar. Sweets, cakes and biscuits don’t just add to your waistline they also cause tooth decay.
5) Cut down on saturated fat
You do need fat in your diet, you just have to keep an eye on what KIND of fat you’re eating
- Saturated fat – too much increases cholesterol, which increases your chances of developing heart disease
- Unsaturated fat – is better and chosen over saturated fat will help lower your blood cholesterol
| Unsaturated fat | Saturated fat |
| Vegetable oils | Butter and lard |
| Oily fish | Hard cheese |
| Avocados | Meat pies and sausages |
| Nuts | Cakes and biscuits |
| Seeds | Coconut and palm oil |
6) Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day
Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. And people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.
Lots of people think they don't eat much salt, especially if they don't add it to their food. But don't be so sure!
Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, sauces and ready meals. So you could easily be eating too much salt without realising it.
Check our read the label section to find out what to look out for.
7) Get active and try to be a healthy weight
It's not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight. Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. Being underweight could also affect your health.
If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:
- only eat as much food as you need
- make healthy choices - it's a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains
- get more active
Of course getting active doesn’t mean you need to rush out and join a gym. Check out our Stay Active section for hints.
8) Drink plenty of water
You should drink about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water every day to stop you from getting dehydrated. When the weather is warmer of you’re being more physically active you will need more.
9) Alcohol
While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional drink, you risk harming your health if you exceed the recommended limits – and you’re also likely to put on weight.
Don’t exceed:
- Women = 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day a
- Men = 3 to 4 units a day
To find out if you’re going over the limit, see our Sensible Drinking section.
10) Don't skip breakfast
When you’re trying to lose weight the temptation is there to skip breakfast. You shouldn’t though, because without breakfast you’re more likely to snack. You’ll also miss on out important vitamins and minerals and an energy kickstart to your day.
