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 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 6. Get active and be a healthy weight 7. Don’t get thirsty 8. 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.