How to eat healthily

The illustration below shows you the amounts of each type of food you should eat to have a balanced and healthy diet. It shows that you don't have to give up the less healthy foods you enjoy, just eat less of them in proportion to the amount of healthy foods in your diet.
The recommended balance of the five major food groups.

In general terms, if you want to improve your diet there are certain foods you should aim to eat more or less of. The following table gives some examples of these foods.

Eat more	Eat less
Lean meat - skin and extra fat removed	Fatty meat products - sausages, salami, meat pies
Fruit and vegetables - five portions per day - steam rather than boil vegetables - eat when fresh and soon after preparation	Salty foods - salted peanuts, crisps - processed foods such as ready meals and sauces, burgers and sausages
High-fibre foods - wholegrain (or brown) bread or rice, beans	Sugary foods - sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits
Low-fat dairy products - skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low-fat cheese, spreads and yogurts	High-fat dairy products - full-cream milk, full-fat cheese and yogurt, cream and butter
Starchy foods - potatoes, rice, pasta, bread

If you're concerned that your diet may not be as healthy as it should be, talk to your GP. He or she may be able to give you some practical advice or refer you to a dietitian or nutritionist who can help you further.