| The essentials |
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WATER
Drinking enough?
Water makes up about two-thirds of our body weight and it's important for this to be maintained. We also need water for our blood to be able to carry nutrients around the body. The British Dietetic Association guidelines state that an average adult should consume 2.5 litres of water per day.
CARBOHYDRATES
Always on the go?
Carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet and should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Some people think carbohydrates are fattening, but they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch out for the added fats used for cooking and serving, because this is what increases the calorie content.
FIBRE
Full enough yet?
Foods rich in fibre are a very healthy choice as they help to keep bowels healthy, stop constipation and may reduce the amount of cholestrol in your blood. These are all rich in fibre: wholegrain bread, brown rice, pasta, oats, beans, peas, lentils, grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables. PROTEIN
Do you need an MOT?
Protein plays an essential role in building and repairing your body, good sources of protein are meat, fish, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds.
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| Fruit and vegetables |
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ARE YOU GETTING
YOUR 5 A DAY?
The message at the heart of the 5 A Day programme, set up by the government, is to eat at least 5 portions (400g) of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day. Fruit and vegetables are key to a healthier lifestyle. Currently, average fruit and vegetable consumption among the population in England is estimated to be less than 3 portions a day.
Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many serious diseases. The scheme also encourages you to enjoy eating fruit and vegetables. BUT WHAT IS A PORTION?
1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
2 plums or similar sized fruit
½ a grapefruit or avocado
1 slice of large fruit, such as melon or pineapple
3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned)
3 heaped tablespoons of beans and pulses (however much you eat, beans and pulses count as a maximum of one portion a day)
3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit
1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit (such as California Raisins)
1 handful of grapes, cherries or berries
A dessert bowl of salad
A glass (150ml) of fruit juice (however much you drink,
fruit juice counts as a maximum of one portion a day) |
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| Vitamins |
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| Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables means you're more likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.
A (RETINOL)
Cheese, eggs, oil, fish (such as mackerel), milk, liver, yoghurt and California Raisins.
• Helps maintain healthy skin,
_strengthen immunity and aids
_vision in dim light B1 (THIAMIN)
Pork, vegetables, dairy products, peas, fresh and dried fruit, wholegrain breads and California Raisins.
• Helps release energy from the
_food we eat
• Keeps nerves and muscle tissue
_healthy
B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)
Milk, eggs, rice, mushrooms and California Raisins.
• Keeps skin, eyes and the nervous
_system healthy B3 (NIACIN)
Beef, pork, chicken, wheat flour, maize flour, eggs and milk.
• Provides energy
• Keeps the nervous and digestive
_system healthy
B6 (PYRIODOXINE)
Pork, chicken, turkey, cod, bread, whole cereals, eggs, vegetables, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes and California Raisins.
• Allows the body to use and store
_energy from the protein and
_carbohydrates we eat and helps
_haemoglobin to form
(the substance that _carries oxygen
around the body)
B12
Meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs, yeast extract, and some fortified breakfast cereals.
• Makes red blood cells and keeps the
_nervous system healthy
• Helps release energy from the food
_we eat C (ASCORBIC ACID)
Peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, oranges, kiwi fruit and California Raisins.
• Protects cells and keeps them
_healthy
• Helps the body absorb iron from food
D
Oily fish and eggs, fortified foods such as breakfast cereals, bread and powdered milk. We get most vitamin D from sunlight on our skin.
• Regulates the amount of calcium
_and
phosphate in the body, which are
_needed to help keep bones and
_teeth
healthy E
Soya, olive oil, nuts and seeds and wheatgerm (found in cereals and cereal products)
• Protects cell membranes by acting
_as an antioxidant K
Broccoli, spinach, vegetable oils and cereals.
• Helps wounds heal and helps build
_strong bones |
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| Minerals |
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Vitamins are not the only important nutrients you need for a healthy diet, minerals also have an important role to play.
BORON
Almonds, dates, peanuts, soya and California Raisins.
• Maintains bone density
CALCIUM
Dairy foods, broccoli, cabbage, okra,
soya beans, tofu, nuts, bread, sardines, pilchards and California Raisins.
• Builds strong bones and teeth
• Regulates muscle contraction,
_including the heartbeat
• Makes sure blood clots normally
COPPER
Nuts, shellfish, offal and California Raisins.
• Produces red and white blood
_cells
and triggers the release of
_iron to
form haemoglobin
• Important for infant growth, brain
_development, the immune system
_and for strong bones
IRON
Liver, meat, beans, nuts, brown rice, soya bean flour, watercress, curly
kale and California Raisins.
• Helps make red blood cells, which
_carry oxygen around the body
MAGNESIUM
Spinach, nuts, bread, fish, meat,
dairy foods and California Raisins.
• Helps turn the food we eat into
_energy
• Helps make sure the parathyroid
_glands work normally. The parathyroid
_glands produce hormones
important
_for bone health
PHOSPHORUS
Milk, cheese, fish, meats, eggs and California Raisins.
• Contributes to healthy cells, bones
_and teeth |
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| Eat these sparingly |
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SATURATED FATS
They slow down some essential cell functions and compete with good oils for nutrients. Can be found in some baked products.
TRANS-FATS
They lower good cholesterol and raise bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Can be found in some chips and margarines.
VEGETABLE OIL
May cause irregular heart rhythm, cramps and other health problems. Can be found in oils such as sunflower, corn and soy.
WHITE FLOUR
They lack essential nutrients and their rapid absorption causes imbalances in sugar levels. Found in some pastas and noodles.
SUGAR
White and brown sugar and most soft drinks contain no fibre, vitamins or minerals making them very bad for your heart and teeth. An example of a food that contains lots of sugar,
is doughnuts.
SALT (SODIUM CHLORIDE)
When most people think of salt, they think of shaking it on their food or adding a pinch to cooking, however, 75% of the salt we consume is already in foods we eat everyday. When you're shopping take a look at the label and try to choose brands/recipes that contain less salt. The government recommends that you eat no more than 6g of salt a day, excess salt intake can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. |
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