Good nutrition is vital for good health. A healthy, varied eating plan can help you manage your weight, improve wellbeing and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancers, diabetes and osteoporosis to name a few!

Articles appear in nearly every newspaper and magazine about healthy eating and food fads. Often the messages are conflicting or misleading. It can be hard to know what advice is nutritionally sound and accurate. Some governments have taken to providing nutrition information to their citizens through guidelines and standards. The UK's national food guide, known as ‘The Balance of Good Health’, is one of them.
Eating well is all about balance and variety, and ‘The Balance of Good Health’ can help you achieve this. It's made up of five food groups, each group representing a different segment on the plate. Notice that these vary in size, depending on the proportions needed to make up a healthy diet.

The rules of healthy eating:
1. Enjoy a variety of different foods from each food group. This ensures you are receiving the wide range of nutrients you need.

2. Eat regularly, including breakfast. Just like a car, depriving your body of fuel is a sure way to slow it down. Research has found people who eat breakfast are better nourished and weigh less than those who don’t.

3. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Most people know that we should be eating more fruit and vegetables. But most of us aren't eating enough; we need to double the amount. Fruit and vegetables are packed full of vitamins and minerals. There is mounting evidence that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and some cancers. Don’t forget they are also low in fat so great for weight loss. Did you know that we should be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day? You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced. If you count your portions each day it might help you to increase the amount you eat.

4. Base your meals on starchy foods. Starchy foods are a really important part of a healthy diet. Plan your meals and snacks around foods such as bread, rice, chapattis, potatoes, breakfast cereals, noodles, oats and pasta. They are a good source of energy, fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Aim to get at least half your starchy carbohydrate as whole grains. To find them look for the word ‘whole’ before the name of the cereal on the ingredients list e.g. ‘whole’ wheat pasta, ‘whole’ wheat flour.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but they contain little or no fat. You just need to watch out for the added fats used for cooking and serving, because this is what increases the calorie and fat content. Stick to a baked potato versus chips! If you're concerned about your weight be careful of the portion size.

5. Choose moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, eggs and pulses such as beans and lentils. These foods should be eaten in moderate amounts and lower fat options selected wherever possible. Lean meat itself is relatively low in fat, it is the consumption of the storage fat around the muscle (visible fat) and the fat added in processed meats such as hamburgers and minced beef that significantly increases fat intake.

Chicken breast eaten without skin is the lowest in fat, darker meat such as the chicken leg has a higher fat content and again portion control, half a roast chicken eaten with its skin can provide considerable quantities of fat and energy.

Try to include two portions of fish each week, ideally one white and one darker flesh fish for the beneficial n-3 (omega 3) fatty acids they contain. Some omega 3 fatty acids are also found in certain vegetable oils, such as linseed, flaxseed, walnut and rapeseed.

Eggs contain cholesterol, but the cholesterol we get from our food has less effect on the amount of cholesterol in our blood than the amount of saturated fat we eat. If your doctor has told you to watch your cholesterol levels, your priority should be cutting down on saturated fat and of course avoiding excessively high intakes of eggs (several each day).

Beans and lentils have a low glycaemic index (they have very little effect on blood sugar levels), provide a special type of fibre, are full of protein and are a great source of many vitamins and trace elements. What are you waiting for — try adding them to soups, salads, curries, casseroles, etc.