What makes a healthy eating diet?
There are many different books and methods about how to have the perfect healthy eating diet. Have a look at our diet plans page and browse the healthy balanced diet homepage for more detailed information.
- Healthy Breakfast Ideas
- Healthy lunch ideas
- Healthy Dinner ideas
Generally, a healthy eating diet consists of the following:
Fruit and Vegetables – EAT LOTS and OFTEN – All types of veg, such as fresh, tinned and frozen!
Carbs and Starchy foods – Include in every meal – this is the main source of energy our body needs to work. Try to choose wholegrain sources where possible. Carbs are things like rice, potatoes, bread, pasta etc..
Milk, Dairy, Eggs, Cheese - These are fine to include in moderation as they contain some great nutrients and vitamins, but may also contain saturated fats so best not to over-do it.
Fats - Unsaturated fats help to lower cholesterol so these are not that bad, but they are still fat and if you are not active they will make you fat and could contrbute to potential health diseases. Saturated Fats – avoid as much as possible, these are the bad fats and can cause health problems if eating too much and too often. – BUT REMEMBER, NAUGHTY TREATS ARE PART OF A HEALTHY EATING DIET!! Life is too short to eat cabbage and celery all day, so long as you keep the treats as a treat and not as a daily meal.
Protein and Meats - These are great for getting protein, iron and vitamins into your diet, however they may also contain saturated fats, especially sausages, mince, poultry skin, duck etc.. try to grill meats where possible and trim visible fats from meat. In general meats are fine as part of a healthy diet. – Just don’t eat plate fulls of red meat every day of the week!
Sugar – In a nutshell, good if we are active, bad if we are not – Also sugar is bad for the teeth. So if you get your 60 active minutes a day then sugar is not bad at all, however if you are a bit of a couch potato then try to limit your sugar.
