Food Groups

The most crucial aspect of maintaining a healthy diet is to ensure that you are eating a wide variety of the 5 food groups in appropriate quantities every day. This sort of balanced diet ensures you are getting all the right amounts of vital nutrients you need to keep you healthy and prevent serious diseases later in life.

The 5 food groups are:

• Cereals/Complex Carbohydrates
~ bread
~ rice
~ pasta
~ noodles
~ cereal
~ oats

• Meat & Protein Products
~ lean red meat (beef, lamb, pork)
~ fish
~ poultry (chicken, duck, turkey)
~ eggs
~ lentils
~ chickpeas
~ nuts

• Dairy Products
~ milk
~ cheese
~ yoghurt

• Fruits

• Vegetables

As well as including all these foods in you diet, it is also very important to:
• Moderate fat intake
• Limit saturated fat
• Choose foods low in salt
• Limit alcohol intake
• Consume only moderate amounts of sugar and foods containing added sugars
• Try and eat only according to your energy needs, i.e. the amount of energy you put in should equal the amount of energy you’re expending
• Not skip meals, especially breakfast
• Eat healthy snacks, e.g. cheese, yoghurt, vegetables, fruits, nuts, fruit muffins, wholegrain rolls or crispbreads