Meat, fish, cheese, beans, pulses and nuts
Your main providers of protein. Aim to include 2 small portions each day. Fish and particularly oily types of fish (mackerel, sardines, salmon etc) are known to be beneficial to health, but infrequently eaten in the UK. Try to include fish in your diet at least twice each week. When eating meat, try to choose the leanest cut that you can afford, and watch fatty processed meats such as pies, sausages and breaded cutlets etc.
 

Milk, cheese, yoghurts
Dairy foods are a vital source of calcium and protein. Aim to include 2-3 portions each day. Despite receiving a bad press, all types of milk are actually low in fat and can be consumed regularly. Choose lower fat types of yoghurts, custards and milk puddings. Most types of cheese are high in fat and so eat in smaller portions or check that you are choosing half fat varieties.
 

Breads, breakfast cereals, potatoes, pasta & rice
Starchy carbohydrate foods are the bodies first choice for energy to keep muscles and cells working well. These should form the basis of each meal. Many people worry that carbohydrates are loaded with calories - this is not true, but take care over the amount of fat you add during cooking - especially potatoes and the amount of margarine or butter that you spread on bread.
 

Fruit and Vegetables
One of the most vital and most under eaten parts of our diet. Fruit and vegetables provide a huge range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant nutrients to our diets - helping the body to work well and remain healthy. Aim to include at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Portions include fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced varieties.  One portion is equivalent to one piece of fruit, 2 heaped tablespoons of vegetables, a small bowl of mixed salad or a small glass of fruit juice. 
 

Fatty and Sugary foods
A delicious but not essential part of our diets. Biscuits, cakes, chocolate bars, crisps and soft drinks are often are the quickest foods to grab as a quick snack in a fast paced life - giving short term satisfaction and limited nutrition.  Enjoy an occasional treat, but don't rely on these as a major part of your diet. Better alternative snacks include breakfast cereals, low fat cereal bars, sandwiches, fruit - fresh, dried or juice, scones or fruit buns.
 
 

Always start the day with a breakfast - providing the body with energy and get up and go.
Fact: breakfast skippers tend to be fatter than breakfast eaters and have a lower concentration during the mornings.
 

Try to include at least one portion of fruit or vegetables with every meal. Boost the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat by looking out for those in season (cheaper) and keeping a good supply of frozen vegetables as a quick and easy addition to meals. The more people living in a house, the less fruit and vegetables are eaten by each person.
Fact: frozen vegetables provide as many, and at some times of the year, more vitamins than fresh varieties.
 

Oily fish are the main source of Omega 3 fatty acids in the UK diet and are know to play a vital role in the prevention of coronary heart disease and development of the baby during pregnancy. Try to include oily types of fish into your diet once or twice each week e.g. poached salmon, sardines on toast, mackerel pate, grilled herring or kippers
Fact: less than one third of the UK population ever eat oily fish.
 

Increasing the amount of fluid you drink helps to keep you feeling full, allows the fibre eaten in cereals , fruit and vegetables to work effectively and assists the body in getting rid of toxins and waste materials. Try to drink at least 8 mugs or glasses of fluid each day and to have some of this as water.
Fact: When exercising you can lose up to 2 litres of fluid per hour - remember to drink plenty of water or dilute squash before, during and after activity.
 

Eating more fibre helps to maintain a healthy digestion, and may also help to prevent chronic disease such as overweight, coronary heart disease and some cancers. We often think of bran as fibre, but there are many different types of fibre, all of which have a benefit to health. Simply eating more starchy carbohydrate foods will start to increase your fibre intake plus choosing wholegrain cereals, wholemeal, granary or soft grain breads and including plenty of fruit and vegetables will all help to achieve a great diet.
Fact: On average we eat 4 times as much white bread as wholemeal, and yet bread is one of the major sources of fibre in the UK diet.
 

Being overweight is the most common nutritional problem in the UK affecting more than half of all adults. If trying to lose weight avoid the many 'quick fix' diets available. The only way to lose weight successfully and keep it off is to eat a healthy balanced diet and increase the amount of activity you manage each day. The body can only break down 1-2 lbs. of fat each week and so this should be the amount of weight you aim to lose.
Fact: Including an additional 20 minute brisk walk every day could result in the loss of 10lbs of body fat in a year.
 

On average we eat 3-4 times the amount of salt that we actually need each day. Reducing or cutting out salt added during cooking or at the table will help to control the amount of salt we eat, but two thirds of what we eat comes already added to manufactured foods. An increasing range of reduced salt options are becoming available e.g. reduced salt canned vegetables and beans, reduced salt breads and meat products such as bacon.
Fact: a high salt intake can contribute to the problems of high blood pressure and fluid retention during the menstrual cycle.