A healthy balanced diet

Woman with kiwi These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you're getting a balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some milk and dairy foods.

On this page

1. Base your meals on starchy foods


2. Eat lots of fruit and veg


3. Eat more fish


4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar


5. Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day


6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight


7. Drink plenty of water


8. Don't skip breakfast


1. Base your meals on starchy foods

Woman eating pasta Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

Starchy foods 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.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain foods?
sandwich layered Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods.

We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.

Wholegrain foods include:

* Wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti
* Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
* Wholegrain breakfast cereals

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Health Secretary Opposes Diet Plan for Schools | TopNews United Kingdom

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley has told the British medical Association that the healthy school meals plan by chef, Jamie Oliver has reduced the number of children eating those meals.
However, Prime Minister David Cameron has backed the meal selection of Oliver, saying that the cultural change is of great significance.
A recent report from the institute for Social and Economic Research has revealed that children from the schools following the new meal plan are performing better in the academics. The report said that this new diet has improved the performance of 11 year old science students by 8%. The schools, which are still following the previous plan, have not recorded any improvement in the performance of the students.
Oliver has added fish in the diet plan for schools. Cameron has said that the decreased number of eaters is because of change in the menu, but later on, they will adopt this new diet.
Cameron backing Oliver said that the Lansley should turn his attention towards shops, which are selling food with ‘hydrogenated oils’. This hydrogenated oil is very unhealthy. He said that reduced use of these Trans fat will decrease the heart diseases by a quarter.