Eating well

Making healthy choices in what you eat can help give you energy and the right nutrients to keep going. There are lots of tools, resources, and support services available to help you feel your best.

To stay at a healthy weight, you need to eat a diet that is balanced. Balanced means eating a variety of foods, in the correct amount. A diet that is balanced can help reduce the risk of several health conditions including heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

What makes up a balance diet?

Eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday
Base meals on high fibre starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, brown rice or whole wheat pasta
Include some dairy or dairy alternatives
Eating beans, pulses, fish, lean meat, eggs and other sources of protein
Eating a small amount of unsaturated oils and spreads
Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of fluids every day

Where can I go for more healthy eating support?

The NHS website has a variety of resources which can help you achieve a more balanced diet:

8 tips for healthy eating to help you make healthier choices
The eat well guide shows you how much of what we eat should come from each food group
Recipe ideas for the whole family plus more recipes which can be filtered by culture, diet, cooking time and health condition
Easy ways to eat well and move more
The importance of hydration and how to make sure you’re drinking enough water in the day.
For people who have specific physical or mental illnesses or conditions, there may be guidance on food for you that a health professional will give to you.

Shopping for food and preparing food

Food labels contain key information about what nutrients are in food and how they relate to the portion size of the food and how they might fit into your daily diet using the traffic light system
The Food Scanner app can help you see how much sugar, salt and saturated fat is inside your food and drink
Food safety and hygiene skills should be used by the whole family like washing hands before eating and making sure food is prepared in a safe way.

Healthy, balanced South Asian diets

Find tips for understanding food groups and tips for cooking healthier South Asian food.
Your Healthy Kitchen has videos and a recipe book for healthier versions of traditional meals, using swaps for ingredients another tips.
As well as the NHS Eatwell guide, you can use the South Asian Eatwell guide to plan your balanced meals.

Healthy, balanced African, Afro-Caribbean or Caribbean diets

If you cook and eat African or Afro-Caribbean food, this booklet includes tips on having healthier options, as well information on healthy eating for African and Caribbean individuals.

For people looking to address cholesterol or lower blood pressure, there is information available to help:

As well as the NHS eat well guide, you can use the African and Caribbean eat well guide to plan your balanced meals.