A healthy diet comes in a lot of different forms but can be defined as a diet that contributes to overall health & well-being and supports your lifestyle. Whether that’s keeping your energy levels consistent throughout the day, dealing with a high-stress job, running after the kids or grandkids, attending that HIIT session or being able to carry the shopping all the way home.
The Eatwell Guide is a visual model used to define the UK government’s recommendations on eating healthily and achieving a balanced diet.
Eatwell guide explained
The guide is split into 5 categories with the addition of one more group that falls outside of it.
Fruit and vegetables
We’ve most likely all heard the saying 5-a-day, we should aim to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. In other words, this should make up about a third of what we eat. Fruit and vegetables provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals as well as fibre, which is necessary for supporting our microbiome (the trillions of good bacteria that live in our gut). Think about variety, fruit and vegetables will contain combinations of different key nutrients that our bodies need to stay healthy.
| What counts? | Portion Size |
| Fresh, frozen or canned fruit and vegetables | 80g |
| Dried fruit | 30g |
| Unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice or smoothie | 150ml |
Top tips:
- Canned/tinned fruit and vegetables with no added sugar and salt are a great alternative to fresh as they last longer and can be cheaper.
- Try to eat a rainbow each week, alternating between different colour fruits and vegetables
- Add lettuce, watercress, cucumber, tomato, radish and/or sweetcorn to your lunch sandwich for extra nutrients.
Starchy carbohydrates
This is the second largest group in the Eatwell guide. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our body’s cells. These foods are digested and broken down into glucose which fuels our organs, blood, muscles, brain and nervous system. Base your meals around starchy foods such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice and wholewheat noodles, wholemeal bread and potatoes with the skins on. Selecting the ‘whole’ varieties means the food is less refined and contains more fibre and key nutrients such as B vitamins.
| What counts? |
| Wholewheat varieties of pasta, noodles and couscous |
| Grains such as brown rice, bulgur wheat, barley, rye, quinoa, corn, oats and freekeh |
| Wholegrain bread and bread products, such as wholemeal varieties of bread rolls, sourdough, pitta, chapatis, bagels and roti |
| Potatoes with the skins on; baked, boiled or roasted |
| Yams, cassava, breadfruit and plantain |
Top tips:
- Look at the ingredients list to identify wholegrain products, look for wholewheat and wholemeal on the label.
- Limit adding ingredients high in saturated fat to starchy foods like ghee in chapattis, butter on potatoes or cream in pasta sauces
- Other root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, taro root, parsnips and turnips are part of the vegetable group of the guide.
Proteins
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and meat alternatives all fall into this category. We are encouraged to eat more plant sources of protein, such as pulses, as these are lower in fat and considered more sustainable. This food group provides protein which is broken down into amino acids which are the building blocks of our body’s cells. Protein is also essential for growth and maintenance of muscles and bones.
| What counts? |
| Pulses such as beans, lentils and peas |
| Other plant-based sourcessuch as tofu, soya mince and mycoprotein |
| Fish; white fish (tilapia, hake, cod), oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) and shellfish (prawns and mussels) |
| Meat, poultry and game such as beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and goat |
| Eggs |
| Unsalted nuts and seeds including nut butter and seed pastes |
Top tips:
- Reduce saturated fat and increase fibre intake by replacing half the red meat in your meals with your choice of pulses
- Choose leaner cuts of meat and lean mince, trim off visible white fat on meat
- Grill, bake or steam meat or fish instead of frying
Stay tuned for the second part of the guide next month. We’ll be looking at the food groups that should make up less of our meals such as dairy, oils & spreads and foods high in salt, sugar and fat.
The Eatwell guide is just that, a guide. It highlights what food groups we should focus on for a healthy diet. We are all unique so our needs may vary but broadly speaking this guide is a fundamental base to use. Need help with your diet? I offer appointments where I coach individuals to make sustainable incremental changes to their diet leading to happier healthier lives.
Get in touch via email with questions and/or comments at: dietitianroxaneb@gmail.com
