Download A balanced diet

A balanced healthy diet
A balanced diet provides all the nutrients in the correct amounts
to meet individual needs.
Advice on good nutrition
It is important when looking for advice on nutrition that you look at
reliable sources of information. The following are good sources:
• The COMA Report – Committee on Medical Aspects of Food
Policy. This is a government report which sets the Dietary
Reference Values (DRV) and was written by scientists and health
professionals. They worked out how much of each of the different
nutrients you need to stay healthy and grow properly. The groups
are based on age, gender and for females, whether they are
pregnant or breastfeeding
• The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition – This group took
over from COMA to advice the government on nutrition and health
issues. This includes advice on the nutrient content of individual
foods and on a balanced healthy diet. They also monitor the
nutritional status of people in the UK and report on diet related
health problems for example cardiovascular disease, cancer,
osteoporosis, obesity
• The Food Standards Agency – a government department
responsible for food hygiene and safety in England, wales and
Northern Ireland. They give consumers the information they
need to make informed choices about where and what they
eat. The aim is to improve public health.
• The National Health Service (NHS) – gives advice on
nutrition through campaigns such as ‘5 a day’. Provide up to
date and reliable information on many food related health
issues
• The British Nutrition Foundation - a charity that educates
the public in food and nutrition. Provides easy to understand
information based on evidence and aimed at everyone. Thei
‘Food a Fact For Life’ website for schools provides up to date
nutrition advice for children aged 3 to 18
How to achieve a balanced diet
• Achieving a balanced diet is easier if an individual
eats a wide variety of different foods.
• The government (Public Health England) has
produced eight tips for eating well. By following
these you can achieve a balanced diet.
• The Eatwell Guide also shows you how different
foods can contribute to a healthy balanced diet.
The Eatwell Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MlE4G8ntss
The Eatwell Guide
• The Eatwell Guide applies to virtually all groups of the
population except very young children.
• Between the ages of 2 and 5, a child’s diet should gradually be
adapted to include the foods in the proportions shown on the
Eatwell Guide.
• The Eatwell Guide does not need to be followed for every
snack or meal eaten, but you should follow it over the course
of a day or even a week.
• You will notice that the two largest segments of the Eatwell
Guide are plant based foods and this makes the diet relatively
sustainable as plant-based foods have less of an impact on
the environment. This is especially true if the fruits and
vegetables eaten are in season.
The Eatwell Guide
The Eatwell Guide shows you how to follow a healthy
balanced diet by eating:
• plenty of fruit and vegetables
• plenty of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy
carbohydrates
• some dairy and alternatives (choose lower fat and lower
sugar options)
• some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
• a very small amount of oils and fat spreads.
Extra information:
- Foods high in fat and sugar have been removed from main segments, as
these such as sweets, crisps, chocolate, ice cream, cakes and sauces such
as tomato ketchup should be eaten less often and in small amounts.
- Hydration: You should have 6–8 cups/glasses of liquid drinks a day – water,
lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee all count. Limit fruit
juice and/or smoothies to a total of 150ml a day.
- Average energy needs of men and women: Female adults should have
about 2,000Kcal a day and males 2,500Kcal a day of all foods and drinks
- Nutritional label: You should check the label on packaged food and choose
foods lower in fat, sugar and salt. Be familiar with what food albels look like
when shopping
The 5 segments of the Eatwell Guide
Public Health England (PHE) has reviewed recommendations to help improve health
and the Eatwell Guide was developed to promote a balanced diet
The Eatwell Guide is divided into five segments/groups depending on their nutritional
role:
•
Fruit and vegetables (largest) 40%: at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and
vegetables should be consumed daily (portion = 80g serving)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIp3wvAFGYE
•
Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates 38%: greater
emphasis on wholegrains and starchy foods low in salt, fat and sugar. This should
be the base for all meals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPi3KPRXJGA
•
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins 12%: fish should be eaten
twice a week one of which should be oily. Emphasis on beans and pulses as they
are more sustainable sources and have less impact on the environment compared
to animal proteins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61LeIea02ao
•
Dairy and alternatives 8%: emphasis on lower fat and lower sugar versions. Dairy
alternatives include soy drinks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4puRnrqA0vI
•
Oils and spreads 1%: used in small amounts, but important to provide fat soluble
vitamins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMZaLYA_zQM
The eight tips for eating well
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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8.
Base your meals on starchy foods
Eat lots of fruit and veg
Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish each week
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Eat less salt
Get active and be a healthy weight
Don’t get thirsty
Don’t skip breakfast
Task: Write notes on each of the 8 tips
The 8 tips for eating well
Most of these tips do not give the amounts of each
food to eat, but these do:
• You should aim to eat at least five portions of fruit
and vegetables a day (a portion is 80g).
• You should aim to eat fish at least twice a week, one
portion should be oily.
• Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day
(less for children).
• You should try to drink about 2 litres (6–8 cups) of
water (or watery drinks) per day.