What is a healthy balanced diet?

Starchy foods contain carbohydrate mainly in the form of starch, which provides energy. Examples include bread, potatoes, and cereals such as rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and couscous. Starchy foods also contain some protein, minerals, vitamins and fibre.

Fibre helps the digestive system function properly and helps prevent bowel disorders such as constipation. Most people don't eat enough fibre. On average we only eat two thirds of the fibre we should eat every day.

The healthiest choices are wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal bread or brown rice, because these also help protect us against the risk of heart disease and stroke.

So try to increase the amount of starchy foods you serve. See Planning your menu for some practical tips.

For more on starchy foods see the link at the end of this section.

You probably know that we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day.

But did you know that:

• fresh, frozen, juiced, canned and dried fruit or veg all count
• a portion of fruit or veg is about 80g. This means people should be having at least 400g of fruit and veg every day
• potatoes don't count, because they're included in the starchy foods group
• juice only counts as one portion however much someone drinks
• beans and pulses count as a maximum of one portion a day

But why are lots of fruit and veg needed? Many different studies have shown that populations with a high intake of fruit and veg have a lower incidence of heart disease, some cancers and other health problems.

Fruit and veg provide the body with vitamins, minerals, fibre and carbohydrate, mainly in the form of sugars. For a table giving you a rough guide to what is a portion as well as some practical tips on getting the most out of your fruit and veg, see the link at the end of this section.

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and pulses are all rich sources of protein. The body needs protein to grow and for body tissues to repair themselves.

These foods also provide B vitamins, which help release the energy from food so it is available for the body to use.

One of the B vitamins contained in meat, fish and eggs is vitamin B12. The body needs vitamin B12 because, for example, it helps make red blood cells and keeps the nervous system healthy.

Vitamin B12 is not found in foods originating from plants, unless they are fortified. It is important to bear this in mind when catering for vegetarians. Fortification is the addition of one or more vitamins or minerals to a food.

Liver is the richest source of vitamin B12. Liver is also a rich source of vitamin A. Pregnant women should avoid eating liver because it contains a lot of vitamin A.

Protein-rich foods also contain minerals such as:

• iron, which helps to build healthy blood and prevent anaemia
• zinc, which helps with wound healing
• magnesium, which helps the body use energy

For more on iron and iron deficiency, and for information on why we need other vitamins and minerals, and how much we need, see the link at the end of this section.

Fish
Everyone should be trying to eat at least two portions of fish a week as part of a balanced diet. One of these portions should be oily fish.

Eating oily fish can help protect against coronary heart disease because fish such as mackerel, sardines, salmon and trout (canned or fresh) are good sources of a special type of fat beneficial to health. They're also good sources of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. Note that canned tuna, while still a good source of protein, is not counted as an oily fish because the canning process removes the beneficial oils.

For more on fish, including some practical tips, see the link at the end of this section.

Milk and dairy foods make an important contribution to the diet. They provide protein and:

• are rich in calcium, which is needed for healthy bones and teeth
• provide B vitamins, especially vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, which has a number of important functions, including helping the body turn the food we eat into energy
• vitamin A, which is found only in foods of animal origin. Carotene – which the body can convert into vitamin A – is found in orange fruit and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and apricots

For more on milk and dairy foods, including some practical tips on healthier options, and for more on vitamins and minerals, see the links at the end of this section.

Most people would benefit from eating less saturated fat, which is the type of fat found in meat- and milk-fat, lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, pastries, pies and cakes. Eating too much fat in general may promote weight gain and saturated fat can encourage heart disease and increase the risk of other common illnesses.

Eating sugary foods too often is the main cause of tooth decay, so try to limit the amount of sugar you use.

Fat
Different types of fat are made up of differing proportions of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. In addition, some fats, and products made with these fats, contain trans fats.

Try to cut down on the amount of fat you use in recipes, especially saturated and trans fats. We need to eat some fat for good health, but we are eating too much of it. Fat contains more energy than any other nutrient: twice as much as the same amount of carbohydrate or protein. This was useful in the past, when there was a shortage of food, but nowadays food is plentiful and we are eating more than we are burning off.

Too much fat isn't just a factor in obesity. Saturated and trans fats may raise the level of cholesterol in the blood, and this increases the risk of heart disease. The good news is that unsaturated (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) fat actually reduces cholesterol levels. So try to replace saturated fats, such as lard and butter, with monounsaturates such as rapeseed (canola) or olive oil. And try to limit your use of hard margarines because these may contain high levels of trans fats.

As a guide when you're looking at labels:
20g or more of fat per 100g food is a LOT of fat
3g or less of fat per 100g is a LITTLE fat

Sugar
More than half of 11 to 14 year olds and two thirds of 15 to 18 year olds have dental decay. This is caused by a build-up of plaque on the teeth. The plaque contains bacteria that use the sugar in foods to make acid. Foods high in added sugar include soft drinks, sweets, jam, cake, puddings, biscuits, pastries and ice cream. The main cause of dental decay is the sugar found in foods and drinks that are especially popular with young people, such as soft drinks, cakes and confectionery.

We also know that children who have lots of sugary drinks are more likely to put on weight than children who don't have so many.

Natural sugars are found in milk and fruit, but we only need to cut down on added sugars.

For more on fats and sugars see the links at the end of this section.

Salt contains sodium. Too much sodium in the diet can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.

People in the UK tend to eat much more salt than they need. In fact, the relatively high salt diets we have in this country may be part of the reason why blood pressure tends to increase with age.

You can help to limit the salt in your customer's diet by:

• choosing ingredients low in salt
• asking your supplier for foods or ingredients low in salt
• not adding too much salt during cooking

On average, adults should aim to keep their salt intake to less than 6g per day (equivalent to about 2.5g sodium). Most of the salt we eat comes from bought food products, so when you are choosing products, compare similar ones to find those with lower amounts of salt/sodium.

As a guide when you're looking at labels:
0.5g sodium or more per 100g food is a LOT of sodium
0.1g sodium per 100g is a LITTLE sodium

If you prepare foods for children, you should be aware of the salt targets for children and choose lower salt ingredients or limit as much as possible the amount of salt you add to the foods you prepare.

For more on salt see the link below.