Are you concerned that your health is not as good as it could be? Do you suffer from long-lasting health complaints, or are you tired all the time? Perhaps you should look at your diet to see if you could make changes to feel better and to function more effectively. Eating a balanced diet is one of the best ways of feeling better, preventing chronic disease, and maintaining a healthy weight. A balanced diet is one that includes food items from all of the healthy food groups.
How to Eat a Balanced Diet:
- Every day, eat a variety of foods from the different food groups.
- Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day – fruit and vegetables provide a good range of vitamins and minerals to help your body function to optimum capacity. Choose a variety of different vegetables and fruits to prevent boredom and also to make sure you are getting the full spectrum of nutrients.
- Eat three portions (three cups) of dairy products a day. Make sure you don’t eat too much fat by choosing low-fat or no-fat versions of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Eat protein every day from a variety of sources. You can get protein from lean meat, chicken or turkey, eggs (limit your consumption of egg yolks if you have high cholesterol), beans and lentils, and soy. Make sure you cook your protein healthily, for example by grilling meat or poaching fish. Avoid using fat to cook your protein choices. Make sure you include two portions of fish or seafood every week – fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which are good for your overall health.
- Eat carbohydrates for energy. Choose complex carbohydrates like wholegrain pasta, brown rice, brown bread, potatoes, starchy vegetables, and wholegrain cereals. Limit your consumption of white bread and sugary cereals.
- Eat a small amount of healthy fat each day. Use olive oil to cook, or eat avocados or nuts to get some unsaturated fat in your diet.
- Avoid foods with added fat or sugar. You can have “unhealthy” foods like cookies and cake sometimes; they don’t have to be banned completely from your diet. But make sure that the majority of your food choices come from the healthy food groups.
- Drink plenty of water every day for hydration. Avoid sugary drinks and limit your consumption of caffeine.
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