Healthy Diet Guidelines and Meal Planning

Fruit and vegetables should make up just over a third of the food eaten each day. Aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables daily. They provide vitamins, minerals and fibre. Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried varieties can all contribute. Fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to a combined total of 150 ml a day because they contain free sugars that can damage teeth.

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates should also make up just over a third. Base meals on these foods, which supply energy and other nutrients. Choose higher-fibre or wholegrain versions, such as brown rice and wholewheat pasta, or leave the skins on potatoes.

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins provide protein, vitamins and minerals. Include some of these foods, choosing lean meat and eating less red and processed meat, such as bacon and sausages. Beans, peas and lentils provide both protein and fibre and are low-fat alternatives to meat. Aim for at least two portions of fish each week, each about 140 g, including one portion of oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel.

Dairy and alternatives include milk, cheese, yoghurt and alternatives such as soya drinks. Dairy foods provide protein and calcium, which helps maintain healthy bones. Choose lower-fat and lower-sugar products where possible, such as semi-skimmed milk and plain low-fat yoghurt.

Oils and spreads are needed only in small amounts. Choose unsaturated oils, such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil. Although these are healthier choices, all fats are high in energy.

Foods and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar, such as cakes, biscuits and sugary soft drinks, sit outside the main food groups. They are not necessary for a balanced diet and should be eaten less often and in smaller amounts. The guide also recommends about six to eight cups or glasses of fluid daily.

Turning guidance into meal choices

Mixed dishes contain more than one food group. A wholewheat pasta dish with lentils, tomatoes and peppers provides starchy carbohydrate, protein and vegetables. A small amount of olive oil contributes unsaturated fat. Rather than treating the whole dish as simply 'pasta', consider the amounts of its separate ingredients.

If a day's meals contain plenty of bread and pasta but few vegetables, adding vegetables helps improve the balance. A plain yoghurt could contribute dairy. This is more useful than trying to make every individual dish contain all five groups.

Ingredients and cooking methods both affect the result. Choosing lean mince, adding beans and vegetables, and using only a small amount of oil can improve a meal's balance without replacing it entirely.

Planning and measuring portions

A portion is the amount served to one person. Appropriate portions help avoid underfeeding, overfeeding and unnecessary waste. Consider who will eat the meal, their appetite and energy needs, and what else will be served. The Eatwell Guide describes proportions, not one fixed serving weight suitable for everyone.

Weighing ingredients and dividing a finished dish evenly make portions more consistent. Cutters or slicers help divide foods such as pizza. A fist-sized amount of cooked vegetables or a palm-sized amount of cooked meat can be a rough serving guide, but these are estimates rather than exact measurements or universal requirements.

To change the number of servings, calculate a scaling factor:

$$\text{Scaling factor} = \frac{\text{required servings}}{\text{original servings}}$$

For a recipe serving four people, making six servings gives a factor of $6 \div 4 = 1.5$. If the original recipe uses 300 g of dry rice, the new quantity is $300 \times 1.5 = 450\text{ g}$. Scale the other ingredients by the same factor to retain the recipe's proportions.

Costing the ingredients actually used

A recipe may use only part of a pack. Calculate the cost of that quantity using:

$$\text{Ingredient cost} = \frac{\text{quantity used}}{\text{pack quantity}} \times \text{pack price}$$

Use the same units for both quantities. Then add the ingredient costs and divide by the number of servings to find the cost per portion.

The following is a costing example. A four-serving rice-and-bean dish uses:

For the rice, $300 \div 1000 \times 2.00 = 0.60$, so the amount used costs £0.60. The total ingredient cost is £2.68, giving $2.68 \div 4 = 0.67$, or £0.67 per portion.

Buying one pack of each ingredient would require £8.80, even though the recipe uses only £2.68 worth. The remaining rice, vegetables and oil can contribute to later meals. Comparing prices for equivalent quantities and planning how to use leftovers help keep meals within a budget.

Maintaining a healthy body weight over time

The body uses energy for its normal functions and for activity. Food and drink supply this energy, commonly shown on labels in kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (kJ).

For a stable body weight, energy intake and energy use should be approximately equal over time. Consistently consuming more energy than the body uses is likely to cause weight gain because surplus energy is stored as fat. Consistently consuming less is likely to cause weight loss as stored energy is used.

Average adult guides are around 2,000 kcal a day for women and 2,500 kcal for men, but individual needs vary with age, body size and activity. These are not targets for children. Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life means adjusting portions and food choices as needs change while continuing to obtain essential nutrients. Regular physical activity increases energy use; appropriate portions and limiting energy-rich extras help manage intake.

The Eatwell Guide applies to most people, but not to children under two, who have different nutritional needs. After two, children should gradually move towards family foods in the guide's proportions. People with medical or special dietary needs may require individual advice from a registered dietitian.

• Eatwell Guide: balance the diet across a day or week, not necessarily every meal.
• Fruit and vegetables: just over one-third; at least five varied portions daily.
• Starchy carbohydrates: just over one-third; choose wholegrain or higher-fibre varieties.
• Include protein foods and dairy or alternatives; choose lean meat and lower-fat, lower-sugar dairy where possible.
• Fish: two 140 g portions weekly, including one oily fish portion.
• Oils and spreads: choose unsaturated types in small amounts.
• Foods high in fat, salt and sugar: less often and in smaller amounts.
• Fluids: about six to eight cups or glasses daily; juice and smoothies combined limited to 150 ml daily.
• The guide does not apply to under-twos.

Portions and costing

Choose portions for the people eating, then measure or divide consistently. Break mixed dishes into their ingredient groups when checking balance.

$$\text{Scaling factor} = \frac{\text{required servings}}{\text{original servings}}$$ $$\text{Ingredient cost} = \frac{\text{quantity used}}{\text{pack quantity}} \times \text{pack price}$$ $$\text{Cost per portion} = \frac{\text{total ingredient cost}}{\text{number of portions}}$$

Use matching quantity units. Recipe cost covers amounts used; shopping cost covers the packs bought.

Healthy body weight

• Intake approximately equals energy use over time → stable weight.
• Intake consistently exceeds use → likely weight gain.
• Intake consistently falls below use → likely weight loss.
• Adult averages: women 2,000 kcal/day; men 2,500 kcal/day. Needs vary with age, body size and activity.
• Adjust portions as needs change; retain dietary balance and regular physical activity.