The key to a healthy diet is to consume the appropriate quantity of calories for your level of activity, ensuring that the energy you ingest is balanced with the energy you expend.
You will gain weight if you eat or drink more than your body requires because the energy you do not consume is stored as fat. You will lose weight if you eat and drink too little.
You should also eat a variety of meals to ensure that you have a well-balanced diet and that your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs.
Men should consume approximately 2,500 calories every day (10,500 kilojoules). A woman’s daily calorie intake should be around 2,000 calories (8,400 kilojoules).
The majority of adults in the United Kingdom consume more calories than they need.
1. Base your meals on higher fiber starchy carbohydrates
Just over a third of your diet should be made up of starchy carbohydrates. Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals are among them.
Choose wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with their skins on for more fiber or wholegrain variants.
They include more fiber than white or refined starchy carbohydrates, so they can keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Try to incorporate at least one starchy food into each main meal. Some people believe starchy meals are fattening, although the carbohydrates contain less than half the calories of fat, gram for gram.
When cooking or serving these items, keep an eye on the fats you use because that’s what raises the calorie count-for example, oil on chips, butter on toast.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetable
Every day, you should consume at least five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables. They come in a variety of forms, including fresh, frozen, tinned, dried, and juiced.
Getting your 5 a day is not as difficult as it may appear. Replace your mid-morning snack with a piece of fresh fruit by chopping a banana over your breakfast cereal.
A serving of fresh, tinned, or frozen fruit and vegetables is 80g. 30g of dried fruit (which should be consumed only at mealtimes)
A 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice, or smoothie qualifies as one serving, but limit yourself to one glass per day because these drinks are high in sugar and can harm your teeth.
3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
Fish is high in protein and provides a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Aim to eat at least two servings of fish per week, one of which should be oily.
Omega-3 fats found in oily fish may assist to avoid heart disease.
Oily fish include:
- salmon
- trout
- herring
- sardines
- pilchards
- mackerel
Non-oily fish include:
- haddock
- plaice
- coley
- cod
- tuna
- skate
- hake
- Fresh, frozen, or canned fish are all options, however canned and smoked fish include a lot of salt. Although most individuals should consume more fish, several varieties of fish have advised limits
#blood pressure #children #food 4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Saturated fat
You need fat in your diet, but the amount and type of fat you consume must be carefully monitored.
Saturated and unsaturated fats are the two basic forms of fat. Too much saturated fat in your diet can raise your blood cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of heart disease.
On average, men should consume no more than 30 grams of saturated fat per day. Women should consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat per day on average.
Children under the age of 11 should consume less saturated fat than adults, but children under the age of 5 should not consume a low-fat diet.
Saturated fat can be found in a variety of foods, including:
Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as:
- fatty cuts of meat
- sausages
- butter
- hard cheese
- cream
- cakes
- biscuits
- lard
- pies
.
Sugar
Consuming high-sugar foods and beverages regularly raises your chances of obesity and tooth disease.
Sugary meals and drinks are high in energy (measured in kilojoules or calories) and can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess. They can also promote tooth decay if consumed in between meals.
Sugars added to foods or drinks, as well as sugars present naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies, are all examples of free sugars.
Rather than the sugar found in fruits and milk, this is the type of sugar you should be avoiding.
Surprisingly significant levels of free sugar can be found in many packaged meals and beverages.
Free sugars can be present in a variety of foods, including:
- sugary fizzy drinks
- sugary breakfast cereals
- cakes
- biscuits
- pastries and puddings
- sweets and chocolate
- alcoholic drink
5. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults
- Too much salt in your diet might raise your blood pressure. High blood pressure makes you more prone to get heart disease or have a stroke. You may be eating too much even if you don’t add salt to your dish. About three-quarters of the salt you consume is already present in foods such as morning cereals, soups, pieces of bread, and sauces when you buy them. To help you save money, look at food labels. The presence of more than 1.5g of salt per 100g indicates that the dish is salty. Adults and children aged 11 and above should consume no more than 6g (about a teaspoonful) of salt per day. Children under the age of six should have even less.
