PRACTICAL ADVICE: HEALTHIER EATING AND COOKING

There are no bad foods, only bad diets

• A healthy lifestyle is about eating a healthy diet most of the time, while allowing a few treats, and being active. The key is to eat a wide variety of foods with the emphasis on starchy foods, fruits and vegetables.

The way to healthy eating- some guidelines from our Nutritionist

• Enjoy your food.
• Eat a wide variety of different foods.
• If you drink alcohol, keep within sensible limits (max 3 units a day for men, 2 for women; avoid binge drinking).
• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily (only one allowed from juice). 
• Don't eat too much fat (especially saturated fat). 
• Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre (bread, cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, fruit and vegetables). 
• Don't eat sugary foods too often (cakes, biscuits, confectionery). 
• Eat plenty of fresh foods and cook vegetables as little as possible to retain the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals. 
• Eat the right amount to be a healthy weight (keep your body mass index between 20-25).
• Drink 2 litres (8 glasses) of water a day.
• Allow yourself a treat once or twice a week, whether it is a takeaway, or a few glasses of wine, so that healthy eating does not feel like a chore. If you eat healthily most of the time, you can afford to eat less healthy foods occasionally as a treat.