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Your diet can have a positive or negative affect on your general health. A poor diet is associated with a wide range of diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, some cancers and diabetes. A healthy diet which includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables can reduce cholesterol levels, help you maintain a healthy weight and contribute to a general sense of well-being.

In the UK, we use ‘the balance of good health’ model to show what is involved in a healthy diet for the majority of people. This picture shows the different types of food you should eat for good health.
 

The balance of good health splits food into five groups, and the size of the group differs depending on how much of that food group we need to achieve a healthy diet.

We need lots of fruit and vegetables and unrefined starchy foods (such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals). We need some meat, fish and alternatives (such as beans and pulses) and milk and dairy foods, but we only need a little of the foods containing fat and sugar.

These eight tips can also help you to achieve a healthy diet:

1.  Base your meals on starchy foods (such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or cereals)
2.  Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
3.  Eat more fish
4.  Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
5.  Try to eat less salt
6.  Get active and try to be a healthy weight
7.  Drink plenty of water
8.  Don’t skip breakfast

Further information

Contact your GP or practice nurse for advice for yourself and talk to your health visitor for dietary advice for your children. You can also get lots of useful information from the following websites:

• www.eatwell.gov.uk - the food standards agency website contains advice on how to prepare food safely, additives, allergies and a range of other healthy eating information.

• www.nutrition.org.uk - the British nutrition website contains resources on healthy eating that support the National Curriculum.

• www.5aday.nhs.uk - the 5 a day website supports the national campaign to get everyone to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

• www.bdaweightwise.org.uk - the weight wise website contains information on leading an active lifestyle and eating a balanced diet in order to maintain a healthy weight.

• www.teenweightwise.org.uk - this site provides information on eating healthily targeted at teenagers.

• www.healthystart.nhs.uk  - this website provides information about the healthy start vouchers which can be swapped for milk, fruit and vegetables. The vouchers are available to families on ceratin benefits.