Every day, we are bombarded with messages about food, what's good for us, what's bad for us - it can be difficult to decide which advice to take.
If you are trying to change the way you eat, or if you just want to check how healthy your food intake really is, read on to find out the basics of healthy eating, together with some tips on how to change advice into food on your plate!

Enjoy your food!

We may need to eat to keep alive, but food isn't just physically essential, eating is also socially and emotionally important. It's easy to become obsessed with the nutrient and calorie content of food, but when this happens, you can lose out on the enjoyment of cooking for and eating with family and friends and experiencing the taste and variety of foods available.

Eat regularly

Have you found that when you snack and miss meals that you end up feeling dissatisfied, even though you seem to have been eating all day? Eating regularly helps to tune your body clock so that you feel hungry at regular times during the day. If you miss out on meals, you may find that you crave high fat high sugar foods to give you an energy boost, leading you to fill up on foods that don't provide the variety of nutrients you need to keep healthy.
 

Eat a wide variety of foods.

If you eat a wide variety of foods, there is more chance that you will get all the energy and nutrients that you need. Following restrictive diets may help to achieve weight loss, however as well as being hard to keep up in the long run, restrictive diets can lead to nutrient deficiencies, affecting your overall health. The healthy eating food pyramid is a great guide to the variety of foods that we need to meet our energy and nutrient needs.

Energy boosting food

Make foods like bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice and pasta a part of each meal. These foods are great energy sources, while the high fibre types can fill you up and keep your bowels regular.

Naturally packed vitamins

Fruit and vegetables are nature's way of providing you with water soluble vitamins in the right combinations and the right amounts packed in a healthy layer of fibre. Try and eat four or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Use frozen vegetables for handiness and remember to wash fruit and vegetables carefully before use.

Bones that last

To make sure that your bones and teeth have the calcium and vitamin D they need to stay healthy and strong, eat foods like milk, cheese and calcium. If you are watching your weight, there is no need to miss out, try the low fat versions of these foods.
Building muscles and healthy blood
The two most important nutrients that meat, fish, chicken eggs and some vegetable alternatives will provide you with are protein for muscle building and iron for healthy, oxygen filled blood.

The protein found in these foods provides the building blocks for strong healthy muscles, while iron ensures that your blood supplies the oxygen needed to create energy in the body.
When buying meat, choose leaner varieties. If you are making stir-fry or meat stew or meat sauce, try using half the usual amount of meat and use more vegetables such as mushrooms, beans, onions and tomatoes.

Try using plenty of fish (especially oily fish) chicken and turkey and use meat 3-4 times a week. If you are vegetarian or just fancy a change from meat, you can combine certain vegetable foods to provide you with excellent sources of protein and iron.

Sweets and Fats

Eating a wide variety of foods will help to limit your intake of fatty and sugary foods. Remember that treats are a part of heart healthy eating, as a very strict diet is difficult to keep up in the long term. If you are eating fatty or sugary foods, eat them as part of a meal, as this will help to limit the amount that you eat. Choose low fat spreads and products where you can.

Getting enough fluid

Remember to drink plenty of fluid, especially water. Drink 6-8 glasses of fluid every day if possible. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately, less is better.

Activity and Rest

Eating well is just one part of a healthy lifestyle. Keep active - whether it's walking to the shops or joining a gym. And don't forget to get enough rest! A good night's sleep will help you to have the energy to enjoy your day.


Written by Medpages Editorial Team
Last Editorial Review: 25/1/2010