Healthy Eating (Produced By: Alison Wilson)

Healthy eating can be easy as there are lots of things you can do to improve your diet. A good start is to eat a range of foods to make sure you get a balanced diet. The eatwell plate makes this easier to to understand by showing the types and amounts of foods we need for a healthy, well balanced diet.

To get the balance right we should choose a variety of foods from the green, yellow, pink and blue groups to provide different nutrients needed for a healthy body. We should also try to limit our intake from the purple group - foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar - as these are not essential for a healthy diet, but are ok to have occasionally. The eatwell plate is suitable for most people aged over 2 years and for most types of diet, however if you have a medical condition or require a special diet you might want to check with your GP, or a Registered Dietitian.

Further information on the Eatwell Plate can be found at: www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/eatwellplate/  For a range of healthy eating advice visit: www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/index.html

Another way to make our diet healthier is to cut down on fat, especially saturated fat, added sugars and salt.  The traffic light system for food labelling has been designed to help us make healthier choices when we are shopping.

Although some labels may display this a little differently, the idea is the same: if the label has a red light it means the food contains a lot of something we should be cutting down, so this food should only be eaten occasionally, or as a treat.  If the label has an amber light it shows that the food contains a medium amount of that nutrient.  These are ok to have most of the time, but it may be better to choose green where possible, as green lights indicate a healthy choice.

More information on traffic lights and healthy balance can be found at www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/trafficlights/

This information is intended for guidance only; it is not a replacement for specialist dietary advice given by a registered dietitian. If you have concerns about your health or diet please contact your GP for further information.

Produced By: Alison Wilson, Student Dietitian (Andrea Basu, Supervising Dietitian) Dietetics Department North Wales NHS Trust (East) Nov. 2008