8 tips for eating well

1. Base your meals on starchy foods

Why choose wholegrain foods?

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

2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables

You could have:

• a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
• a side salad at lunch
• a pear as an afternoon snack
• a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal

You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, but remember potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and vegetables.

Most of us should be eating more fish - including a portion of oily fish each week. It's an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.

3. Eat more fish

Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned - but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

What are oily fish?

Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.

How much oily fish?

Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.

Examples of oily fish
Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, eel

Examples of white or non-oily fish
Cod, haddock, plaice, coley, tinned tuna, skate, hake

4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Foods high in saturated fat

Try to eat these sorts of foods less often or in small amounts:

• meat pies, sausages, meat with visible white fat


• hard cheese


• butter and lard


• pastry


• cakes and biscuits


• cream, soured cream and crème fraîche


• coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil

How do I know if a food is high in fat?

Total fat - what's high and what's low?

High is more than 20g fat per 100g
Low is 3g fat or less per 100g

If the amount of fat per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of fat.

Saturated fat - what's high and what's low?

High is more than 5g saturates per 100g
Low is 1.5g saturates or less per 100g

If the amount of saturates per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of saturated fat.

How do I know if a food is high in added sugar?

Watch out for other words used to describe added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these near the top of the list, you know the food is likely to be high in added sugars.

High is more than 15g sugars per 100g
Low is 5g sugars or less per 100g

If the amount of sugars per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of sugars.

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

How do I know if a food is high in salt?

Check the label to find out the figure for salt per 100g.

High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

If the amount of salt per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of salt.

6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight

If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:

• only eat as much food as you need
• make healthy choices - it's a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains
• get more active

7. Drink plenty of water

We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated. 

8. Don't skip breakfast

Breakfast can help give us the energy we need to face the day, as well as some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. But missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and it isn't good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients. 

There is some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight. 

So why not go for a bowl of wholegrain cereal with some low-fat milk and sliced banana and a glass of fruit juice for a healthy start to the day?