Healthy eating and drinking

Thảo trần

Why do we need a healthy diet?

The food you eat has a huge impact on your health. A well-balanced, nutritious diet can
help to prevent many illnesses and improve some existing health conditions, such
as diabetes or high blood pressure. It can lower your chances of developing heart
disease, stroke and some types of cancer.

A good diet alongside keeping physically active is important to help you to maintain a
healthy body weight. This helps to prevent or improve conditions such
as osteoporosis and arthritis.

What is a healthy diet?

You need to drink plenty of water and eat a variety of foods to make sure you’re getting
the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. This includes:

 fruit and vegetables

 fibre and starch foods
 protein
 dairy products
 drink alcohol in moderation

What should we be eating and drinking?

1. Fruit and Vegetables

Try to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. A portion is:

 An apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar size fruit

 2 plums or similar size fruit
 A grapefruit or avocado
 A slice of large fruit, such as melon or pineapple
 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned)
 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit
 A heaped tablespoon of dried fruit, such as raisins or apricots
 A dessert bowl of salad
 A cupful of grapes, berries or cherries
Try adding a sliced banana to your cereal, fruit to yoghurt, having a side salad with your
lunch, or having a piece of fruit as an afternoon snack. Remember that potatoes don’t
count towards your fruit and vegetable intake.
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2. Fibre and Starch (chất xơ và tinh bột)

Adults should eat 30g of fibre a day. Food containing starch and fibre should make up
about one third of the food that you eat. These foods also contain calcium, iron and B
vitamins, so are very important for your health. Starch and fibre are found in many foods,
including the ones listed below. Choose wholegrain and seeded varieties wherever
possible (or fermented bread to maintain a healthy gut), as they contain more nutrients
and help bowel movements:

 Bread (wholegrain, seeded and fermented)

 Cereals (oats and barley are particularly good)
 Rice (brown)
 Potatoes (with skins are best)
 Pasta (wholemeal)
Research now shows us that we need to keep “good bacteria” in our gut. Fibre helps
protect the gut.

Resistant starch is a form of starch that cannot be digested in the small bowel so it’s a
type of fibre. It’s found naturally in some foods such as bananas, potatoes, grains, and
legumes. It’s also added into some food products. It can help to control blood glucose
levels.

3. Protein (chất đạm)

Protein is found in the foods listed below and should make up around 10% to 15% of
your diet:

 Meat
 Fish
 Eggs
 Pulses (peas, beans and lentils)
 Tofu or bean curd
 Plant or soya based meat substitutes such as Quorn
You should eat protein every day as it helps to build and repair your body. For example,
healing sore muscles, or growing fingernails. Many of these foods also contain zinc,
omega 3 fatty acid and iron, which is important to prevent anaemia. Plant based protein
(beans and pulses) are inexpensive and a rich source of protein, as well as fibre, vitamins
and minerals.

Red meat and processed meats should be kept to a maximum of 70g a day.
It is recommended to eat two portions (140g cooked weight) of white, oily and shellfish a
week. One portion of oily fish is essential.

Oily fish such as sardines, herring, mackerel, trout and salmon are all rich sources of
omega 3 fatty acids which help prevent heart disease. Oily fish is also a good source of
vitamins A and D.

Fresh tuna is an oily fish and is high in omega 3 fatty acids. But when it’s canned, these
fatty acids are reduced to levels similar to white fish. So, although canned tuna is a
healthy choice for most people, it doesn’t count as oily fish.

thuý

4. Fluids and Water (chất lỏng và nước)

We should drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluids a day, (circa 1.2 litres). Water, lower fat milk and
sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.

Not drinking a sufficient amount of fluid can result in problems from headaches and
tiredness to dehydration. There are many benefits to be gained from drinking the
Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) of water. It is important to keep up fluids
during hot weather. It can:
 Help to prevent pressure ulcers and heart disease

 Stabilise blood pressure and prevent fainting

 Help to reduce the risk of falls by improving co-ordination
 Improve your dental health
 Keep skin healthy and young-looking
 Improve your general sense of well-being
If you don’t enjoy plain water you could:

 Add a slice of lemon or lime

 Drink fizzy water
 Drink water with meals instead of alcohol
 Carry a small bottle of water with you when you go out
 Have a glass of water before breakfast
Keeping regularly hydrated may become more of an issue as you get older. This can
become worse because of feeling less thirsty, ill health, chewing or swallowing problems,
dehydrating medications or life changes like bereavement.

If you or someone you know struggle to keep hydrated you could:

 Eat foods with high water content. If you have trouble drinking fluids, try including
water-rich foods with every meal. These include cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce,
strawberries, tomatoes and celery. Try meals such as soups, broths, yoghurt and fruit
bowls
 Eat specially created hydrating sweets and snacks such as Jelly drops
 Set a prompt or reminder to drink (this could be using phone apps, virtual assistants
such as Amazon Alexa, a written note or diary)
 Have a range of readily available drinks and fluids (hot and cold) at home
 If you are supporting somebody you could prompt themn gently in conversations,
visits or phone calls and have a drink with them.

Thiên Total fat (tổng số chất béo)

High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g

Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g

Saturated fat (chất béo bão hòa)

High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g

Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g

Sugars

High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g

Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g

What should we be eating and drinking less of?

Most people in the UK eat and drink too many calories, too much fat, sugar and salt, and
not enough fruit, vegetables, oily fish or fibre. Eating too many calories and too much fat
and sugar lead to weight gain and tooth decay as well as contributing to other medical
conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and causing stroke, cancer and heart
disease.

Thuý
1. Fat

There are two main types of fat – saturated and unsaturated. Eating too much saturated fat
increases the cholesterol in the blood which can cause serious health problems, such as
heart disease or a stroke. These should be eaten infrequently and no more than 20g for a
woman and 30g for a man.

Examples of foods which have a high fat content are:

 Cheese
 Cakes, biscuits and chocolate
 Pies and pastries
 Meat with visible white fat
 Sausages and bacon
 Coconut milk
 Chocolate spread
 Processed foods
 Fried foods and rich sauces
Healthier choices include:

 Swap cooking with butter, ghee or coconut and palm oil, for rapeseed or olive oil
 Look at food labels – for example, if you’re trying to cut down on saturated fat, eat
fewer foods that have more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g.
 Grill, bake, poach or steam food rather than frying or roasting
 Eat oily fish (salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines etc), vegetable oils, soft margarine and
nuts as they are good sources of unsaturated fats
 Too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels. It makes you more likely to have
heart problems or a stroke.
Thư

2. Sugar

We are consuming too much sugar in the UK. Sugar consumption leads to eating too
many calories and weight gain as well as worsening conditions such as arthritis and
osteoporosis. Consumption of sugar- sweetened drinks is particularly high in the UK and
too much sugar causes tooth decay.

The recommended allowance of free sugars for an adult is 30g, or 7.5 tsp or 7 cubes per
day. Children under 11 years should eat less. For example, one 330ml can of cola
contains 36g of free sugars and 200ml flavoured milk contains 16.2g free sugars.
Food labels have to include the total amount of sugars but this doesn’t help you when
purchasing or making food. Read the ingredients list carefully. Free sugars include:
 cane sugar
 honey
 brown sugar
 high fructose corn syrup
 fruit juice concentrate

3. Alcohol

Although alcohol is thought to have some health benefits in small quantities there are also
many risks when alcohol consumption is too high.

How much alcohol can we drink?

The more you drink the more likely it is that alcohol will harm your health. To keep
health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest to drink fewer than 14 unites a
week. We all need several days a week without alcohol. Doctors agree that drinking more
than the sensible limit damages health in the short and long term. As we get older, we
become more sensitive to the effects of alcohol.

Managing your weight

Managing your weight is essential throughout your life. You can check if you are in the
healthy weight range by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI).
It can be harder to keep a healthy weight if you have a medical condition and exercise
less. Being overweight can take 9 years off your life expectancy. It can reduce your
quality of life because your are hips, knees, feet and internal organs are under greater
strain. It increases your risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke..

Thinking about what you eat, when you eat it and cutting out sugar and fatty snacks can
help to manage your weight. For most men, this means sticking to a calorie limit of no
more than 1,900kcal a day, and 1,400kcal for most women. at a rate of 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb
to 2lb) each week by sticking to a daily calorie allowance.
Managing your weight isn’t easy and you should give yourself non-food rewards if you
are on a weight loss programme to maintain your motivation.
Vũ thảo

Underweight

Your appetite may decline as you get older. This can become worse because of ill health,
chewing or swallowing problems or life changes like bereavement. Becoming
underweight can have be harmful to your health. Poor diet can lead to excessive weight
loss, weakness, tiredness, confusion, a weakened immune system, fragile
bones or osteoporosis and you are more at risk of falls.
You still need to eat a balanced diet. If your appetite has reduced you can try to:

 add unsalted nuts or fruit to cereal

 eat eggs yoghurts and milky puddings
 try peanut butter or baked beans on toast
 baked potato and cheese intake
 switch to smaller meals and frequent snacks, so you’re not struggling to eat 3 large
meals a day
 avoid filling up on foods that are high in saturated fat or sugars, such as sugary fizzy
drinks, cakes and biscuits

Vegetarian and Vegan diets

 Vegetarian for Life are an advocacy and educational charity for older vegetarians and
vegans and people who cater for them. Vegetarians don’t eat products or by-products
of slaughter including fish, meat and poultry.
 The Vegan Society believe in a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as
meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey – as well as
avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use
animals for entertainment.

Ways to Wellness service helps people in the West of Newcastle to manage their long-
term health conditions through activities such as:
 Getting involved in local groups and activities
 Accessing specialist services and support
 Healthy eating and getting more active