A Balanced Diet

A Balanced Diet

This section contains details on what a healthy diet should consist of

and why each vitamin and mineral is an essential part of staying

healthy. The majority of people in this country eat too much fat and

not enough fibre and for most people a healthy diet is simple and easy

to do. The move towards a healthy diet may just mean eating more

fruit, vegetables, bread, cereals, potatoes, and pasta. People in the

UK have a 1 in 3 chance of developing cancer at some time in their

lives, eating a healthy diet, which includes 5 portions of different

fruit and vegetables a day can help reduce the risk of developing

heart disease, or cancer. There are 7 basic food groups and a healthy

diet consists of eating a variety of foods from all of the groups but

in the correct proportion.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the fast – realise energy providers. They are the

easiest nutrient for the body to digest and are quickly converted into

glucose and used as energy. There are two types of carbohydrate,

starch and sugar. We obtain most of our carbohydrate in starch. This

is a slow realise of energy and is found in potatoes, rice, spaghetti,

bread and cereals.

The other carbohydrate is sugar. Sugar is a quick realise of energy

and can be found in cakes, sweets, fizzy drinks, jams and honey.

Carbohydrates make up 60% of a balanced diet. You should aim to base

all meals on good size serving from this group, choosing wholegrain

types when you can.

Fats

Small amount of fat is essential in our diets as it gives us energy

but the majority of us eat far too much and should try to cut down.

There are 2 main types of fat.

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thinning. Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish (herrings,

mackerel, tinned sardines and pilchards) egg yolks, some margarine and

fortified breakfast cereals. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient. It

reduces the risk of health problems from cancer to heart disease.

Vitamin E also plays a crucial role in promoting overall health and

immunity by protecting cell membranes. Vitamin E may be found in green

leafy vegetables, wheat germ (bread and cereals), nuts, egg yolks and

vegetable oils.

Water

Water is the most essential nutrient because humans can last weeks

without food but only 4-5 days without water. Two thirds of our body

weight is water. Water helps to regulate the body temperature. It also

helps the body to digest food once eaten. You should aim to drink two

litres of water everyday.