Healthy Eating: What is a healthy diet? | Organic Food | 5 A Day | Free From Initiative| Freedom Food

What is a healthy diet?

We all know we’re supposed to eat a balanced diet. But what does that actually mean? It’s all about eating a combination of foods from the different food groups. To help show you the right balance, we’ve put together the chart below.


Fruit and Vegetables 33% – 5 portions a day
Milk and dairy products 14%– 2-3 servings a day
Bread, other cereals and potatoes 33%
Meat, fish and alternatives 12% - 2 portions of fish
Fatty/sugary foods 8%

How many calories should I consume per day?

Everybody needs to eat a different amount, depending on their age and lifestyle but as a general rule, women should have no more than 2000 calories per day and men no more than 2500. It is important not to exceed this amount as excess calories will be converted into fat. Of course, if you do intense exercise, your energy intake requirement will be higher as you’re using more energy



Why do I need protein?

Protein is needed for growth and repair of the body and the main sources include meat, fish, cheese, cereals, nuts and pulses. If you’re a vegetarian, it’s especially important that you have enough protein rich foods in your diet.



What is good carbohydrate?

Carbohydrate provides a valuable source of energy either from starchy foods (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) or sugary foods (jam, confectionery, fruit, vegetables). A balanced diet is made up of a third of these starchy foods, ideally ‘high fibre’ varieties like wholemeal bread or pasta. Sugary foods are tempting but try to limit the amount you eat! As a guide a ‘low’ sugar product contains less than 2g of sugar per 100g and a ‘high’ sugar product more than 10g of sugar per 100g.



Are fatty foods always bad?

Not always. We all need a small amount of fat in our diet but as fat is a concentrated source of energy then it should be eaten sparingly. Look for low fat or reduced fat alternatives and concentrate on increasing the amount of mono- and poly- unsaturated fats in your diet.

Women should be aiming for a maximum daily intake of 70g per day whilst men should have a maximum of 95g. A low fat product contains less than 3g of fat per 100g and a high fat product contains more than 20g of fat per 100g.



How much fibre should I have?

Fibre is found in cereal foods, beans, lentils fruit and vegetables. The recommended intake for adults is 18g per day, which is currently not being achieved. An increase in fibre in the diet is believed to relieve constipation and prevent particular cancers e.g. bowel cancer



What is “hidden” salt?

Too much salt in your diet can lead to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Aim to eat no more than 6g of salt per day and get into the habit of reading pack labels as salt is often “hidden” in products like cereals, biscuits, ready meals etc. A low salt product contains less than 0.8g of salt per 100g and a high salt product more than 3.8g per 100g.



Should I take extra vitamins and minerals?

Vitamins and minerals can be found in most healthy foods, especially fruit and vegetables. It is sometimes necessary to take supplements when your intake is too low or if you are not getting sufficient in your diet e.g. iron for vegetarians.

Can I have too many fruit and vegetables?

No! Fruit and vegetables are packed with many of the essential vitamins and minerals you need e.g. Vitamins A and C. These vitamins are thought to have an antioxidant effect resulting in a reduced risk of cancer. Aim to have 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. One portion is approximately 80g.


Budgens Nutritional Labelling

We aim to give easy to understand and useful nutritional information on our packaging.

Where possible a full nutritional breakdown is given per 100g, if space is an issue then values for energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate are given. It is this 100g information that will help you to see which products are high or low in a nutrient.

We also give nutritional information per portion and also show you how much fat, fibre, salt and calories should be consumed on a daily basis. Budgens labelling shows you what percentage of these daily allowances a portion of the product will give.

This information is a guide only, and should not replace advice given from your healthcare professional.