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Eatwell Guide Booklet
Eatwell Guide Booklet
Use the Eatwell Guide to help you get a balance of healthier and more sustainable food.
It shows how much of what you eat overall should come from each food group.
13%
Fat
Saturates Sugars
3.0g 1.3g
LOW
LOW
4%
7%
Salt
34g 0.9g
HIGH
38% 15%
Fr
ui
of
a
nd
Potatoes
Cous
Cous
Whole
wheat
pasta
Porridge
Rice
Lentils
Tuna
Plain
nuts
Beans
lower
salt
and
s ugar
Chick
peas
Spaghetti
L o w f at
s o f t ch e es e
n
Leaince
m
Semi
skimmed
milk
Crisps
Be
ans
,
sugar
Bagels
Frozen
peas
Sauce
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fat,
Eat at
leas
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Chopped
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red urced e beans
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proc per we ulses, 2 portions of sustainably
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Lower fatad
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Low fat
y o g hu r t
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n
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and
Dairy
r fat
we tions
se lo
Choo ugar op
s
r
e
low
Per day
2000kcal
Source: Public Health England in association with the Welsh Government, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland
A closer look at
Fruit and vegetables
Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg, but many of us arent
eating enough. Fruit and veg should make up just over a third of the food we eat
each day.
Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day. If you count
how many portions youre having, it might help you increase the amount and
variety of fruit and veg you eat. Choose from fresh, frozen, canned, dried or
juiced. A portion is 80g or any of these: 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other
similar-size fruit, 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables, a dessert bowl of salad,
30g of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes) or a 150ml glass of fruit
juice or smoothie (counts as a maximum of one portion a day).
Raisins
Chopped
t omatoe s
A closer look at
Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy
carbohydrates
Starchy food is a really important part of a healthy diet and should make up just over
a third of the food we eat. Choose higher-fibre, wholegrain varieties when you can by
purchasing wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or simply leaving the skins on potatoes.
Base your meals around starchy carbohydrate foods. So, you could:
start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal; choose one lower in salt and
sugars
have a sandwich for lunch
round off the day with potatoes, pasta or rice as a base for your evening meal
Some people think starchy food is fattening, but gram for gram it contains less than
half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when youre cooking
and serving this sort of food, because thats what increases the calorie content.
Potatoes
Bagels
Whole
wheat
pasta
Spag
hetti
A closer look at
Dairy and alternatives
Try to have some milk and dairy food (or dairy alternatives) such as cheese,
yoghurt and fromage frais.
These are good sources of protein and vitamins, and theyre also an important
source of calcium, which helps to keep our bones strong. Some dairy food can be
high in fat and saturated fat, but there are plenty of lower-fat options to choose from.
Go for lower fat and lower sugar products where possible. For example,
why not try 1% fat milk which contains about half the fat of semi-skimmed
milk without a noticeable change in taste or texture? Or reduced fat
cheese which is also widely available. Or you could have just a smaller
amount of the full-fat varieties less often. When buying dairy
Plain
alternatives, go for unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions.
Low fat
y
o g hu r t
S em i
skimmed
Soya
drink
milk
L o w f at
s o f t ch e es e
A closer look at
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
These foods are sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, so it is important to
eat some foods from this group.
Beans, peas and lentils (which are all types of pulses) are good alternatives to
meat because theyre naturally very low in fat, and theyre high in fibre, protein,
vitamins and minerals. Pulses, or legumes as they are sometimes called, are
edible seeds that grow in pods and include foods like lentils, chickpeas, beans
and peas. Other vegetable-based sources of protein include tofu, bean curd
and mycoprotein; all of which are widely available in most retailers.
Aim for at least two portions (2 x 140g) of fish a week, including a portion of oily
fish. Most people should be eating more fish, but there are recommended limits
for oily fish, crab and some types of white fish. For more information on fish please
see www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish. Also www.msc.org/ for
more guidance on sustainably sourced fish.
Some types of meat are high in fat, particularly saturated fat. So when youre
buying meat, remember that the type of cut or meat product you choose, and
how you cook it, can make a big difference. To cut down on fat:
choose lean cuts of meat and go for leaner mince, cut thePfat
Chick
lain
peas
off of meat and the skin off of chicken, try to grill meat andnuts
fish instead of frying and have a boiled or poached egg
Plain
nuts
instead of fried. If you eat more than 90g of red or
processed meat per day, try to cut down to no more
n
Leaince
than 70g per day. The term processed meat
m
includes sausages, bacon, cured meats
and reformed meat products.
Lentils
B
Cehaincsk
lower
salt
and
s ugar
Tuna
A closer look at
Oils and spreads
Although some fat in the diet is essential, generally we are eating too much
saturated fat and need to reduce our consumption.
Unsaturated fats are healthier fats that are usually from plant sources and in
liquid form as oil, for example vegetable oil, rapeseed oil and olive oil.
Swapping to unsaturated fats will help to reduce cholesterol in the blood,
therefore it is important to get most of our fat from unsaturated oils.
Choosing lower fat spreads, as opposed to butter, is a good way to
reduce your saturated fat intake.
Remember that all types of fat are high in energy and should be
limited in the diet.
5
Lower fatad
spre
Veg
O il
Sauce
Hydration
Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of fluid every day. Water, lower fat milk and
sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee all count. Fruit juice and
smoothies also count towards your fluid consumption, although they
are a source of free sugars* and so you should limit consumption to
no more than a combined total of 150ml per day.
Sugary drinks are one of the main contributors to excess sugar
consumption amongst children and adults in the UK. Swap sugary
soft drinks for diet, sugar-free or no added sugar varieties to reduce
your sugar intake in a simple step.
Alcohol also contains lots of calories (kcal) and should be limited to
no more than 14 units per week for men and women. The calorific
content of an alcoholic beverage depends on the type of alcohol,
the volume served and the addition of mixers. As an example, 1 pint
of standard strength lager contains approximately 136kcal, a 175ml
medium glass of wine contains approximately 135kcal and a 25ml
shot of spirit (40% vol) contains approximately 56kcal.
6-8
a day
Food labelling
Lots of pre-packaged foods have a food label on the front of pack which shows the nutrition
information per serving. They also refer to reference intake which tells you how much of each
nutrient should be included in the daily diet. The percentage refers to the contribution that the
product makes to the reference intake for each nutrient.
Food labels can help you to choose between foods and to pick those that are lower in
energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt. Where colour coded labels are used you can tell at a
glance if they are high, medium or low in fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. For a healthier
choice, try to pick products with more greens and ambers and fewer reds.
*Free sugars - Any sugar added to food or drink products by the manufacturer, cook or
consumer including those naturally found in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice.
6
13%
Fat
Saturates Sugars
3.0g 1.3g
LOW
LOW
4%
7%
Salt
34g 0.9g
HIGH
MED
38% 15%
Sugar cubes
4-6 years
5 cubes
7-10 years
6 cubes
7 cubes
Many packaged foods and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars* including
some breakfast cereals, yoghurts and fruit juice drinks. Use the food label to help you choose
foods lower in sugar. Swap sugary breakfast cereals for plain cereals such as plain porridge,
wholewheat biscuit cereals, shredded wholewheat or no added sugar muesli. Cereal bars
often contain high levels of free sugars* too, so remember to check the label. Swap flavoured
or corner-style yoghurts for low fat, lower sugar yoghurts, adding fresh fruit for variety.
*Free sugars - Any sugar added to food or drink products by the manufacturer, cook or
consumer including those naturally found in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice.
7
Sugary drinks have no place in a childs daily diet but account for a surprisingly large proportion
of the daily sugar intake of both children and adults. Almost a third of the free sugars consumed
by 11-18 year olds comes from soft drinks. We should aim to swap sugary drinks for water,
lower fat milk or sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee. Be sure to check the label for added
sugar. For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/sugars.aspx.
Females
Age
kcal
kJ
kcal
kJ
765
3201
717
3000
1004
4201
932
3899
1171
4899
1076
4502
1386
5799
1291
5402
1482
6201
1362
5699
1577
6598
1482
6201
1649
6899
1530
6402
1745
7301
1625
6799
1840
7699
1721
7201
10
2032
8502
1936
8100
11 and over
2500
10,460
2000
8368
Try to:
eat only as much food as you need. Improve the balance of your diet by looking at the
Eatwell Guide
get more active! If youre eating a good balance of the different food groups, and youre a
healthy weight, youre probably eating about the right amount
8
If youre overweight, then you may need to eat less, improve the balance of your diet and/or
get more active. Ask your GP, or another health professional, for advice about losing weight.
Do you know if youre a healthy weight? Find out at: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/
BodyMassIndex.aspx
/or
juice and
it
u
fr
r
to no
e
e limited
Rememb
b
ld
u
o
h
ss
total.
smoothie 50ml per day in
n1
more tha
Less
Food group
Fruit and
vegetables
Potatoes, bread,
rice, pasta and
other starchy
carbohydrates
Whats included?
pasta, noodles
potatoes
millet, spelt
polenta
couscous, bulgur
maize, cornmeal,
All fruit and vegetables including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced varieties.
Potatoes do not count as they are considered a starchy carbohydrate food.
bread, including:
soda bread, rye
bread, pitta, flour
tortilla, baguettes,
chapatti, bagels
rice
vegetarian meat
alternatives eg tofu,
mycoprotein
eggs
nuts
Milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, quark, cream cheese. This also includes non-dairy
alternatives to these foods. Butters and creams are not included in this group as they
are high in saturated fat and so they fit into the foods to eat less often and in small
amounts section.
sweets
chocolate
biscuits
cakes
crisps
honey
jam
ice cream
pastries
mayonnaise
cream
butter
sauces
Unsaturated oils including vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil and sunflower oil. Soft
spreads made from unsaturated oils. Butters are not included in this section as these
are high in saturated fat and are included in the foods to eat less often and in small
amounts section.
puddings
Tips
How much?
When youre buying meat, ask your butcher for a lean cut
or compare the labels on different products and choose
the one lower in saturated fat.
10
Salt
34g 0.9g
Saturates Sugars
3.0g 1.3g
Frozen
peas
Eatwell Guide
Potatoes
Whole
grain
cereal
L o w f at
s o f t ch e es e
Plain
Low fat
y o g hu r t
Whole
wheat
pasta
Bagels
Rice
6-8
a day
Lower fatad
spre
sugar
Spaghetti
Veg
O il
r
pa
s
i
on
sta
s
a
w
n
d
ot
in
o
Pota
r hi
toes
gh
,b
e
r
r
e
fi
a
bre
d
, ri
ce
ve
,
Choos
e
w
hole
gra
Cous
Cous
Porridge
Semi
Soya
drink
ed
s
dd
drate
ohy
sa
arb
les
yc
ith
rch
ta
rs
he
n
Leaince
m
Lentils
Use the Eatwell Guide to help you get a balance of healthier and more sustainable food.
It shows how much of what you eat overall should come from each food group.
Chopped
t omatoe s
Beans
lower
salt
and
s ugar
Chick
peas
Tuna
Plain
nuts
skimmed
milk
s
tive
rna
alte
2000kcal
nd
and
Dairy
fat a
wer tions
se lo
Choo ugar op
s
lower
Per day
and
salt
fat,
Crisps
puls
Ea
e
s
,
fi
sh, e
so t mor
ggs, m
eat an
re urce e bea
oteins
d
r
p
o
r
e
t
h
d
and d fish ns and pu
lse
s
p
,
2
p
ro per w
o
ably
rt
c
e
ssed eek, one of wh ions of sustainss
ich is oily. Eat le
meat
Be
ans
,
250kcal
y day
LOW
LOW
HIGH
MED
ever
13% 4% 7% 38% 15%
bles
eta
of an adults reference intake
veg
nd
Typical values (as sold) per 100g: 697kJ/ 167kcal
it a
Raisins
fru
Choose foods lower
s
of
ble
in fat, salt and sugars
ty
ta
rie
ge
va
ve
Sauce
Source: Public Health England in association with the Welsh Government, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland
11
ta
n
Fr
ui
of
a
po
rtio
ns
Eat at
leas
t5