When it comes to a healthy diet, balance is the key to getting it right. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions.To have a healthy diet, most people should be eating plenty of fruit and veg,plenty of starchy foods such as rice, bread, pasta (try to choose wholegrain varieties when you can) and potatoes. Some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses are needed for a healthy diet. Some milk and dairy foods and just a small amount of foods high in fat, salt and sugarare neccecry.
Eight tips for eating well
These eight practical steps you can take to make healthier choices, whether you're planning a meal, or picking up a snack:
-
Base your meals on starchy foods
-
Eat lots of fruit and veg
-
Eat more fish
-
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
-
Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day
-
Get active and try to be a healthy weight
-
Drink plenty of water
-
Don't skip breakfast
If you want to get the balance of your diet right, use the eatwell plate. To see a larger version of the eatwell plate, click on the image or the following link for a PDF version
The eatwell plate makes healthy eating easier to understand by showing the types and proportions of foods we need to have a healthy and well balanced diet. The eatwell plate shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group. This includes everything you eat during the day, including snacks. So, try to eat:
plenty of fruit and vegetables
plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can
some milk and dairy foods
some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
just a small amount of foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
Look at the eatwell plate to see how much of your food should come from each food group. You don’t need to get the balance right at every meal. But try to get it right over time such as a whole day or week.Try to choose options that are lower in fat, salt and sugar when you can.
Eating too much salt is bad for your health. It can raise your blood pressure which triples your chance of heart disease and stroke.
Currently adults in Greater Manchester eat on average 9g of salt a day but we should eat a maximum of 6g, which is about a teaspoon full. The recommended daily limit for children depends up on their age, but is significantly less than adults.
The good news is that it is easy to reduce salt intake – just don’t add it to the food you are eating. By eating fewer processed foods and ready meals and understanding food labels we can reduce our salt intake.
ASK is a Greater Manchester initiative to reduce the amount of salt added to food by customers in restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments.
By working with local eateries across Greater Manchester to remove salt from the tables, the ASK campaign hopes to encourage customers to taste their meal before deciding whether they wish to add more salt.
In most cases food will already be seasoned adequately when it is served. But if you really want salt, all you have to do is ASK.
It should be stressed that the intention is not to ban salt, which is of course an essential ingredient in a lot of recipes, but to get residents of Greater Manchester thinking about whether they actually need to add salt and how much they are consuming.
How business owners can join the halt the salt scheme
If you have a business and would like to take part in the ASK campaign please contact your local authority Food Safety and Trading Standards Officers. See contact numbers below.
Bolton 01204 336500
Bury 0161 253 5353
Manchester 0161 234 4873
Oldham 0161 770 4455
Rochdale 01706 924141
Salford 0161 925 1082
Stockport 0161 474 4208
Tameside 0161 342 2278
Trafford 0161 912 4529
Wigan 01942 827490
