Eight Practical Tips for Making Healthier Eating Choices
Achieving a healthy diet involves consuming the appropriate amount of calories based on your level of physical activity, thereby maintaining a balance between energy intake and expenditure.
Exceeding your body's energy requirements leads to weight gain as the surplus energy is stored as fat. Conversely, insufficient intake results in weight loss.
To ensure a balanced diet and provide your body with essential nutrients, it's crucial to consume a diverse range of foods.
Recommended daily calorie intake is approximately 2,500 for men (10,500 kilojoules) and 2,000 for women (8,400 kilojoules).
Many adults in the UK currently surpass their calorie needs and should aim to reduce calorie intake for better health.
1. Build Your Meals Around High-Fiber Starchy Carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates should constitute slightly more than one-third of your daily food intake, encompassing items like potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals.
Opt for higher-fiber or wholegrain options, such as whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with their skins intact. These choices offer more fiber compared to white or refined starchy carbohydrates and contribute to a prolonged feeling of fullness.
Ensure each main meal includes at least one starchy food. Despite common misconceptions about starchy foods being fattening, their carbohydrate content provides fewer than half the calories per gram compared to fats.
Be mindful of the fats used in cooking or serving these foods, as they contribute to calorie content. For instance, consider moderation with oil on chips, butter on bread, and creamy sauces on pasta.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
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Ensuring a healthy diet involves consuming a minimum of 5 portions of diverse fruits and vegetables daily. These can be sourced from fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced varieties.
Meeting the 5 A Day recommendation is simpler than it might seem. Consider adding sliced bananas to your breakfast cereal or substituting your usual mid-morning snack with a piece of fresh fruit.
Each portion of fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables amounts to 80g. For dried fruit, kept to mealtimes, a portion is 30g.
It's important to note that a 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice, or a smoothie also counts as one portion. However, it's advisable to limit your intake to no more than one glass a day, as these drinks contain sugars that can potentially harm your teeth.
3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
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Fish serves as an excellent protein source, rich in various vitamins and minerals.
Strive to include at least two servings of fish in your weekly diet, with one of those portions being oily fish.
Oily fish, containing omega-3 fats, can potentially contribute to heart disease prevention. Examples of oily fish include salmon, trout, herring, sardines, pilchards, and mackerel. Non-oily fish options encompass haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tuna, skate, and hake.
Whether fresh, frozen, or canned, be mindful of the salt content, especially in canned and smoked fish.
While increasing fish consumption is generally encouraged, specific types of fish have recommended limits, and individuals should be aware of these guidelines.
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Fat is a necessary component of your diet, but it's crucial to be mindful of the quantity and type of fat you consume.
There are two primary types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Excessive saturated fat intake can elevate cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. On average, men should aim for no more than 30g of saturated fat daily, while women should limit their intake to 20g.
Children under 11 should consume less saturated fat than adults, but a low-fat diet is not suitable for those under 5.
Saturated fat is present in various foods, including fatty cuts of meat, sausages, butter, hard cheese, cream, cakes, biscuits, lard, and pies. Opt for foods with unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils, spreads, oily fish, and avocados.
For healthier choices, use small amounts of vegetable or olive oil or reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard, or ghee. When selecting meat, opt for lean cuts and trim visible fat.
While all fats are energy-dense, they should be consumed in moderation.
Sugar consumption, especially in foods and drinks high in sugar, heightens the risk of obesity and tooth decay.
Sugary items are often calorically dense and can contribute to weight gain when consumed excessively. They also pose a risk of tooth decay, particularly when consumed between meals.
Free sugars, added to foods or naturally present in honey, syrups, unsweetened fruit juices, and smoothies, are the sugars to reduce, as opposed to those found in fruit and milk.
Many packaged foods and beverages contain significant amounts of free sugars, such as sugary fizzy drinks, breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, pastries, puddings, sweets, chocolate, and alcoholic drinks.
Checking food labels can assist in monitoring sugar content. Foods with more than 22.5g of total sugar per 100g are considered high in sugar, while those with 5g or less per 100g are classified as low in sugar.
5. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults
Excessive salt intake can elevate blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Even if you don't add salt to your meals, your intake may still be too high. Approximately three-quarters of the salt consumed is already present in purchased foods like breakfast cereals, soups, bread, and sauces.
Utilize food labels to assist in reducing salt intake. Foods with more than 1.5g of salt per 100g are considered high in salt.
For adults and children aged 11 and over, the recommended daily salt intake is no more than 6g (approximately a teaspoon). Younger children should consume even less.
6. Get active and be a healthy weight
In addition to adopting a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise can contribute to lowering the risk of developing serious health conditions and is essential for overall health and well-being.
Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial in preventing health issues such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, and stroke. Both being overweight and underweight can have adverse effects on your health.
For those looking to shed pounds, the key is to consume fewer calories while increasing physical activity. A balanced and healthy diet supports weight management.
You can assess whether you're within a healthy weight range using the BMI healthy weight calculator. The NHS weight loss plan, a 12-week guide combining advice on healthier eating and physical activity, can be a helpful resource for those aiming to lose weight.
If you find yourself underweight or have concerns about your weight, seeking advice from your GP or a dietitian is recommended.
7. Do not get thirsty
Staying adequately hydrated is crucial to prevent dehydration. The government recommends consuming 6 to 8 glasses of fluids daily, in addition to the fluid obtained from food.
While all non-alcoholic drinks contribute to your daily intake, opting for healthier choices such as water, lower-fat milk, and beverages with lower sugar content, including tea and coffee, is advisable.
Steering clear of sugary soft and fizzy drinks is recommended due to their high-calorie content, and they can also have detrimental effects on your teeth.
It's worth noting that even unsweetened fruit juice and smoothies contain free sugars. The combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice, and smoothies should not exceed 150ml a day, equivalent to a small glass.
During hot weather or physical activity, remember to increase your fluid intake to stay properly hydrated.
8. Do not skip breakfast
Skipping breakfast is a choice some make in the belief it aids weight loss. However, a nutritious breakfast, rich in fiber and low in fat, sugar, and salt, can be a valuable component of a balanced diet, providing essential nutrients for overall health.
Opting for a wholegrain, lower-sugar cereal accompanied by semi-skimmed milk and sliced fruit on top not only makes for a delicious breakfast but also promotes a healthier start to the day.
