Healthy eating doesn’t necessarily mean making big changes to your diet, small changes and ‘swapping’ unhealthy foods for healthier options can get you on the road to eating better. The secret to eating healthy is getting a balance, which means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions.

A diet based on starchy foods such as rice and pasta, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish and lentils, and some milk and dairy foods (and not too much fat, salt or sugar) will give you all the nutrients that you need. Achieving that balance in modern life can be tricky as time is short and there sometimes isn’t enough time to cook a proper meal. After a long day, it can be tempting to grab the first ready meal on the supermarket shelf, which is OK occasionally but the nutritional labels on these foods show that many ready meals contain high levels of fat, added sugar and salt - something you should be aware of.

The five main food groups are

• Fruit and vegetables
• Starchy foods, such as rice, pasta, bread and potatoes (wholegrain varieties are better for you so you should choose them whenever you can)
• Meat, fish, eggs and beans
• Milk and dairy foods
• Foods containing fat and sugar

The ‘Eatwell‘ healthy eating plate shows you the right balance of food types that you should be eating from the five main food groups daily, to see the Eatwell plate click here.

NHS Choices have lots of information and advice about how to make your diet healthier. There is information on how to get your 5 a day, recipes and 5 a day on a budget. To find out more click here.

NHS Choices even have information and advice on how to make takeaways healthier for you, read more about this by clicking here.

If you want to find out what your BMI (Body Mass Index) is, you can do so by NHS Choices BMI Calculator below:

The Mental Health Foundation have produced a Food & Mood diary which you can print off to help you understand how the way you feel is affected by what you drink and eat. To download it click here.

If you have any suggestions, information, advice or tips or want to tell us how healthy eating has helped you, please contact us by clicking here.

Live It Well wants to encourage people in Kent and Medway to eat healthier

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Healthy eating self-assessment

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