Healthy Eating

The Eat Well Plate is a pictorial representation of foods that are recommended in our diet. The chart was created by the Food Standard agency with the purpose to help people balance their daily food choices and become healthier. The chart clearly shows that all foods can be consumed as long as it is in the right proportions. Favourite foods do not have to be given up to be healthy they just have to be balanced (smaller quantities and less frequent).

The Eat Well message is aimed at:

• Vegetarians
• People of all ethnic origins
• People healthy/unhealthy weight
• Adults and children (over 2 years)

People under medical supervision or with special dietary requirements should check with their doctor.

How the Eat Well Plate works:

The Eat Well Plate model makes healthy eating easier to understand. It does this by showing the types and proportion of foods needed to make a well-balanced and healthy diet. As no single food contains all the correct nutrients to enable the body to function properly and keep us healthy.

The Eat Well Plate is based on the five commonly accepted food groups, which are:

• Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods.
• Fruit and vegetables - try to eat at least 5 portions every day.
• Milk and dairy - try to include milk, yogurt and cheese with low or reduced fat versions to cut fat but not calcium.
• Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein.
• Foods containing fat; foods and drinks containing sugar - are not essential to a healthy diet, but add choice and palatability.

Information on each food group is linked below, as well as portion sizes and other nutritional information.

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