What is healthy eating: the Eatwell Guide

Introduction

We recommend a healthy, balanced approach to eating that follows the Eatwell Guide.

The Eatwell Guide uses the five main food groups as its basis and shows you how much you should eat from each group. These food groups are:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Starchy foods (carbohydrates) such as pasta, potatoes, rice and bread
• Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
• Dairy and alternatives
• Oils and spreads

Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are placed outside of the Eatwell Guide as these types of foods are not essential in the diet and should be consumed less often and in small amounts.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the NHS support this programme.

If you'd like to see how healthy your diet is, try our diet assessment.

Is the Eatwell Guide suitable for me?

The Eatwell Guide applies to most adults.

It doesn't matter whether you're a healthy weight or overweight, eat meat or are vegetarian. It also applies no matter what your ethnic origin.

It doesn't apply to babies under the age of two.

Specialised diets

Many specialised diet plans are available for people with pre-existing medical conditions. The advice may be different from that of the Eatwell Guide.

If you have a medical condition which needs a specialist diet, ask your healthcare provider for advice.

Diets promising fast weight loss

There are 'diets' available which promise fast weight loss results. But many are short term and not sustainable.

Our advice, based on the Eatwell Guide, is to make small healthy changes to your lifestyle you can keep up over time. This means the new habits and choices you make become a new way of life.

An overview of the guide's recommendations

We're going to take a closer look at each food group in detail. But these are the main recommendations from the Eatwell Guide:

• Have at least five portions from a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. Limit fruit juices and smoothies to 150ml per day.
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy foods (carbohydrates). Choose wholegrain and high-fibre versions where you can.
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya or oat drinks). Choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options.
• Eat some beans, pulses, eggs, meat and other proteins. If you eat fish, this should include two portions of fish every week. One of these should be an oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, or salmon.
• Reduce processed meats like sausages, bacon, ham and other cured meats. Chose lean cuts of meat and mince.
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat in small amounts
• Drink six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day, including water, lower fat milk, and sugar-free drinks. Tea and coffee (without added sugar also count)
• If consuming foods and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar, have these less often and in small amounts.  

If you want to find out more about the Eatwell Guide, go to The Eatwell Guide at GOV.UK.

You can also find out more about Eatwell from the NHS.

Fruit and vegetables

You should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day. You should also try to make sure about a third of what you eat every day is fruit and vegetables.

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg, but many of us aren't eating enough.

Portion sizes

Here are some examples of portion sizes:

• 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or similar-sized fruit
• 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables
• A bowl of salad
• A heaped tablespoon of dried fruit (you should save this for mealtimes rather than a snack)
• A small (150ml) glass of fruit juice or smoothie: this counts as a maximum of one portion a day

Starchy foods (carbohydrates)

Starchy food is an important part of a healthy diet and should make up just over a third of the food we eat.

Some people think starchy food is fattening, but gram for gram it contains less than half the calories of fat.

Carbohydrates and your energy

All the carbohydrate foods we eat are broken down into glucose which our cells use for energy. It's important to keep blood glucose levels steady because when levels spike and crash, you can feel tired, low in energy or irritable.

Simple sugars and refined carbohydrates (like biscuits, sweets, white bread or white pasta) digest quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose. By contrast, starchy and unrefined carbohydrates, such as brown rice, wholemeal pasta and bread, bananas and sweet potatoes take longer to digest, releasing glucose more slowly and helping to stabilise blood sugar and energy levels.

Choose wholegrain when you can

Wholegrain starchy foods provide extra fibre and nutrients, so we digest them more slowly, which can help keep you fuller for longer. When looking for wholegrain foods, look for those with less added fat, sugar and salt.

Wholegrain food includes:

• Wholemeal and wholegrain bread
• Rye (such as rye bread and rye crackers)
• Chapati
• Wholewheat pasta
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals and whole oats (such as porridge)

White bread and pasta with added fibre are available as an alternative for those who prefer them over wholegrain options.

Fish, meat, eggs, beans, pulses and other proteins

Foods like fish, meat, eggs, beans, pulses, and plant-based alternatives are great sources of protein, so it is important to eat foods from this group to stay strong and energised.

Protein is essential for building, repairing, and maintaining muscles and other tissues in the body. It also helps make enzymes, which are substances that support important processes like digestion, and it plays a key role in keeping your immune system strong.

These protein-rich foods also provide important vitamins and minerals, such as iron, which helps carry oxygen in your blood; zinc, which supports healing and immunity; and B vitamins, which help your body use energy from food.

Fish

Aim for at least two portions (2 x 140g) of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish.

Most people should be eating more fish. But oily fish, crab and some types of white fish do have recommended limits. For more information see the guidance from NHS Live Well.

If you want to know more about buying sustainably sourced fish, go to the Marine Stewardship Council.

Meat and processed meat

If you eat more than 90g of red or processed meat per day, try to cut down to no more than 70g per day. This is roughly the size of a clenched fist.

The term processed meat includes sausages, bacon, cured meats and reformed meat and fish products such as chicken nuggets or fish fingers.

Milk, dairy and alternatives

If you consume milk and dairy products, choose lower-fat and lower-sugar alternatives. If you don't have milk or dairy, then choose unsweetened, calcium-fortified alternatives.

Milk and products such as cheese, yoghurt, kefir and fromage frais (plus alternatives) are good sources of protein and vitamins. They're also an important source of calcium, which helps to keep our bones strong.

Some dairy food can be high in fat, including saturated fat, but there are plenty of lower-fat options to choose from.

If you're pregnant, it's particularly important to eat dairy or alternatives that are high in calcium. This is essential for you and your baby's development. For more information see the NHS guidance on having a healthy diet through pregnancy.

Oils and spreads

Most oils and spreads are made up of fats. Some fat is essential in our diet. But in general, we eat too much of this food group and should try to cut down on saturated fats in particular.

You should choose unsaturated oils and use them in small amounts. Unsaturated fats, which are healthier than saturated fats, come mainly from plant sources and are found in oils such as vegetable, rapeseed, and olive oil.

Swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats may help lower LDL cholesterol levels in your blood and support heart health.

Choosing unsaturated oils and spreads, rather than butter and saturated fats, can also contribute to better cholesterol balance. However, all types of fat are high in energy, so they should be eaten in moderation.

Fats, sugars and salts

You should eat foods from this group less often and in small amounts.

Fats

A small amount of fat in your diet is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. It can help your body absorb certain vitamins.

There are different types of fat - saturated and unsaturated. As part of a healthy diet, you should try to cut down on foods and drinks that are high in saturated fats. Try to replace some of these with unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats

Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol (a harmful fatty substance) in our blood.

The blood carries cholesterol as:

• Non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol, sometimes referred to as "bad" cholesterol, which includes low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and other types that can contribute to fatty deposits in arteries.
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, sometimes referred to as "good" cholesterol, which helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood.

Eating too much saturated fat can raise "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood. This increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. "Good" HDL cholesterol can have a positive effect by helping to remove excess cholesterol from the blood and transporting it to the liver for disposal.

On average, men should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. On average, women should have no more than 20g of saturated fat a day. This is about 11% of your daily calorie intake.

Most saturated fats come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products. A smaller amount comes from plants, such as palm oil and coconut oil.

Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats can help to lower your cholesterol. They are also known as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fats help protect your heart. They maintain levels of "good" HDL cholesterol in your blood while reducing levels of "bad" non-HDL cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol.

Monounsaturated fats are in olive oil, avocados and nuts such as almonds and peanuts.

Polyunsaturated fats

Polyunsaturated fats can also help lower the level of "bad" non-HDL cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol, in your blood. The two main types of polyunsaturated fats are omega-3 and omega-6.

Your body can't make these, so it's important to include them in your diet. Omega-6 fats are mainly found in vegetable oils, as well as nuts and seeds. Omega-3 fats are mainly found in oily fish (kippers, salmon, sardines, mackerel), but plant-based sources include flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has a guide on the different types of fats.

Sugar

Eating too much sugar can make you gain weight and is a main driver of tooth decay.

Most adults and children in the UK eat too many "free sugars" which include sugars added to food and drinks, as well as those naturally found in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit juices. You'll find these in biscuits, cakes, flavoured yoghurts, breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks, as examples.

Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day (roughly 7 teaspoons). This is about 5% of your daily calorie intake. A can of cola can contain as much as 9 teaspoons of sugar.

Salt

A diet high in salt (or sodium) can cause raised blood pressure. This increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Adults should aim to be eating less than 6g of salt per day - this is just over 1 teaspoon. High salt foods include:

• Processed meats (such as ham and bacon)
• Olives
• Preserved and pickled foods
• Soy sauce
• Stock cubes and gravy
• Cheese

Vitamins and minerals

You may have heard a few names of vitamins and minerals and wondered what they do and why they're so important.

The following is an overview of the main types of vitamins and minerals you should aim to have in your diet.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for your health because it:

• Helps with wound healing
• Keeps your skin, bones and blood vessels healthy
• Protects cells and keeps them healthy

You can't store Vitamin C in your body, so you need it in your diet every day. Some good sources of vitamin C include:

• Citrus fruit, such as oranges and orange juice
• Peppers
• Strawberries
• Blackcurrants
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Tomatoes
• Kiwifruit
• Potatoes

Iron

Iron helps make red blood cells and transport oxygen around your body. Some good sources of iron include:

• Liver (but avoid this during pregnancy)
• Red meat
• Beans, such as red kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas
• Nuts
• Dried fruit - such as dried apricots
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Tofu
• Pumpkin seeds
• Soybean flour

Tip: Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from plant-based (non-haem) sources, so try and include a source of vitamin C, such as peppers or tomatoes, with iron-rich meals.

Calcium

Calcium is important for your health because it helps with:

• Building bones and keeping teeth healthy
• Regulating muscle contractions, including your heartbeat
• Making sure blood clots normally

Some good sources of calcium include:

• Milk, cheese and other dairy foods
• Green leafy vegetables - such as curly kale and okra (but not spinach, which contains natural compounds called oxalates that reduce how much calcium your body can absorb)
• Soya drinks with added calcium
• Bread and anything made with fortified flour
• Fish where you eat the bones - such as sardines and pilchards
• Sesame seeds
• Almonds

Potassium

Potassium is an essential mineral that we need in our diet because it helps:

• Nerves and muscles work properly
• Heart functioning
• Move nutrients into cells and move waste products out of cells

You'll find potassium in most types of food. Some good sources of dietary potassium include:

• Bananas
• Vegetables - such as broccoli, parsnips and brussels sprouts
• Beans and pulses
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish
• Beef
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Sweet potatoes
• Avocados

If you eat a healthy, balanced diet and can follow the Eatwell Guide advice, you should get all your vitamin and mineral requirements from your food.

The NHS Vitamins and minerals guide has more information, including recommended amounts.

Vegetarian and vegan diets

Choosing to eat a vegan or vegetarian diet is becoming more popular. Here we outline the key differences in these diets.

What is a vegetarian diet?

Vegetarian diets don't include any red meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea (such as crab or lobster), or animal by-products (such as gelatine).

Vegetarian diets consist of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables, dairy products and eggs.

For more information, including recipes and tips, see the NHS Eatwell page on vegetarian diets.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet contains only plants (such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits) and foods made from plants.

Vegans do not eat foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs.

For more information, including recipes and tips, see the NHS Eatwell page on vegan diets.

What are the health benefits of a plant-based diet?

Vegetarian and vegan diets can be very healthy. Scientific research has found evidence to suggest that plant-based diets may offer several health benefits. These include:

• Lower cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower blood sugar levels
• Minimising the risk of chronic kidney disease
• Lower risk of obesity
• Reduced risk of heart disease

Following a plant-based diet doesn't automatically mean it's healthy. It is still possible to eat too many processed or high sugar foods. Like any diet, vegetarian and vegan diets need to be well planned to make sure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. The Eatwell Guide guidance can provide support:

• Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates (choose wholegrain where possible)
• Include some low-fat, low-sugar dairy free or dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts (choose those fortified with calcium and vitamin D)
• Eat some beans, pulses, eggs (vegetarian only), and other proteins
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat them in small amounts
• Drink plenty of fluids - the government recommends six to eight cups or glasses a day
• Limit fruit juices and smoothies to a total of 150ml a day

Key nutrients to monitor

If you choose to follow either a vegetarian or vegan diet, it's important to make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals from your food. Most importantly these are:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Protein
• Omega-3
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Iodine
• Selenium

For more information about these vitamins and minerals and why they're important, visit the NHS Eatwell page.

What's next

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