The Eatwell Guide
What is the Eatwell guide?
Divides the foods and drinks we consume into five main groups. It is recommended we consume foods from all these groups to make sure we get the variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals our body needs.
Shows the proportions in which different types of foods are needed to have a well-balanced and healthy diet. The size of each section is proportional to the amount we should eat from each group.
Applies to adults and children over the age of 5.
What are the main messages?
Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
Base your meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, choosing wholegrain versions where possible.
Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks), choosing lower fat and lower sugar options.
Eat beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, and other proteins (including two portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily).
Choose unsaturated oils and spreads over saturated and eat in small amounts.
Drink six - eight cups/glasses of fluid a day.
If consuming foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar have these less often and in small amounts.
Fruits and vegetables
Aim to eat at least five portions a day (one portion = 80g or one medium-sized fruit, three tablespoons cooked veg, dessert bowl of salad, 150ml fruit juice or 30g dried fruit).
You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried, or juiced.
Limit fruit juice or smoothies to 150ml a day (one portion).
Limit dried fruit to 30g a day (one portion).
Have a mix of fruit and vegetables and a mix of different colours.
Should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day.
Provide vitamins, minerals, and fibre and other healthy compounds.
Main role is to protect the body against disease e.g., colds, the flu, but also heart disease, certain cancers.
Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
Starchy foods should make up just over a third of the food we eat.
Choose higher fibre, wholegrain varieties when you can, e.g., brown rice, whole wheat pasta, skins on potatoes.
Provide slowly released and long-acting energy.
Provide B vitamins, iron, calcium, and fibre.
These foods are not fattening – just watch what you add to them.
Dairy and alternatives
Includes cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais and alternatives e.g., soya milk, soya yoghurt.
Choose lower fat and lower sugar varieties. For alternatives ensure they are unsweetened.
Rich source of calcium – needed for strong bones and teeth. Make sure you choose fortified versions if choosing dairy alternatives.
Also provides protein, vitamin B12, vitamins A, D and E, iodine and fat – again, dairy alternatives only when fortified.
Two-three portions a day are recommended. It’s good to mix both dairy and some alternatives such as soya (unless you cannot due to allergies etc.).
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
Beans, peas and lentils are good alternatives to meat because they are naturally very low in fat, and they are high in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Provide protein and iron, also B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.
Protein is needed for growth and repair of body tissues.
Iron is needed for healthy blood and energy levels.
Have a portion at each meal.
Aim for two x140g portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
Some types of meat are high in fat, particularly saturated fat, so buy leaner cuts of meat, trim the fat from meat and remove the skin from chicken.
If you eat red meat, try to limit it to 70g a day. Processed meat includes sausages, bacon, cured meats and reformed meat products – that should be avoided as much as possible.
Other plant sources of protein include soya, tofu, bean curd and mycoprotein, i.e., Quorn.
Oils and spreads
Some fat in the diet is essential for thermoregulation, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and hormonal function, but we generally eat too much.
Unsaturated fats are healthier fats that are usually from plant sources and in liquid form, e.g., rapeseed oil, olive oil.
Swapping to unsaturated fats will help to reduce cholesterol in the blood.
Remember that all types of fat are high in energy and should be limited in the diet.
Food high in fat, salt and sugar
Not needed in the diet and if included, should only be eaten infrequently and in smaller amounts.
Foods high in fat and sugar are sometimes known as ‘empty calories’ – they don’t provide us with vitamins, minerals, or protein – only high amounts of calories, sugar and/or fat.
These foods do not have a positive role in the body, but it’s okay to have them sometimes if we like them.
Can have detrimental effects if eaten in large quantities – tooth decay, obesity, and heart disease, but it is okay to have them in moderation.
Includes foods such as crisps, cakes, biscuits, chips, pies, butter, fizzy drinks, sweets etc.
Hydration
Aim to drink six-eight glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower fat milk and sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee all count.
Fruit juice and smoothies count but remember they are a source of “free sugars” so intake should be limited to one small glass a day.
Swap sugary soft drinks for diet, sugar free or no added sugar varieties – or better for water.