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The 5 food groups
Drinks
Are you Weight Wise?

What's a healthy diet?: Healthy eating, dieting and food fads - there are articles in nearly every newspaper and magazine. But often the messages are conflicting or misleading, and it can be hard to know what advice is nutritionally sound and accurate.

That's where the UK's national food guide comes in, known as 'The Balance of Good Health'. Eating well is all about balance and variety, and 'The Balance of Good Health' can help you achieve this. It's made up of five food groups, each group representing a different segment in the plate. Notice that these vary in size, depending on the proportions needed to make up a healthy diet.

Reproduced by kind permission from
the Food Standards Agency.

Balancing everyday basics:

• Enjoy a variety of different foods from each food group
• Eat regularly, including breakfast
• Fruit and vegetables should make up one third of the food you eat (aim for 5 or more servings per day)
• Unrefined starchy foods (e.g. bread, other cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes) should also make up about a third of your food intake
• Eat smaller amounts of meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives, choosing lower fat options whenever possible
• Swap high fat dairy foods such as milk and cheese, for lower fat versions
• Limit foods in the fatty and sugary group, and use sparingly!

For more information on food groups and healthy eating, go to the Food Standards Agency website at: www.eatwell.gov.uk

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