A healthy, balanced diet provides your body with important nutrients and energy to function each day, maintain good health and help you to feel your best. Eating a balanced diet that includes a range of different types of foods, eaten in the right amounts, is beneficial for both our physical and mental health. Knowing what to eat can seem like a bit of a minefield but there’s no need for it to be confusing, time consuming, boring or expensive.

Here are just eight simple suggestions to help you to achieve a healthy, balanced diet:

Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. This can include 80g (about a handful) of fresh, frozen or tinned fruit/vegetables, 150ml of fruit/vegetable juice or a smoothie, or 30g of dried fruit.
Include starchy carbohydrates, such as potatoes (ideally with skins on), bread, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Try to choose wholegrain (brown) options where possible, such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholegrain/bran cereals. These contain more fibre, vitamins and minerals than refined options like white bread and pasta and will help to keep you fuller for longer.
Eat more fish. It is recommended to eat at least two portions of fish per week, one portion of which should be oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, trout, herring, pilchards and salmon. Remember that fish that is steamed, baked or grilled is a healthier choice than fried fish.
Cut down on foods high in saturated fat and sugar. These include fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes, pastries, biscuits, chocolate, crisps and sauces (e.g. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise). It is fine to have these foods and drinks occasionally, but try to have them less often and in smaller amounts. You may find leaflets from the British Heart Foundation helpful.
Eat less salt. Adults should eat no more than 6g salt a day, which is around one teaspoon. Children should have less salt than adults, and you can find out more at NHS Live Well. Reducing the amount of salt you add to your food is a great start, but it is estimated that around 75% of the salt we consume is already added to the foods that we buy. Therefore, checking food labels and choosing foods lower in salt is the best way to cut down. The British Heart Foundation website has lots of handy information and top tips on how to watch your salt intake.
Drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks and tea and coffee all count. Fruit juice and/or smoothies also count, but we should limit these to no more than 150ml per day. Plain water is the most hydrating option, so try to have as much of this as possible, using the other drinks to ‘top you up’ if necessary. Some people may find that avoiding caffeine for 5-6 hours before bedtime can help them to have a better night’s sleep – you could try fruit or herbal teas instead.
Have breakfast. This helps to set you up for the day and provides energy to help you concentrate through the morning, as well as being a chance to consume important vitamins and minerals. Not everyone enjoys, or has time for, a big breakfast but even a light, quick breakfast can be very beneficial. You may find these breakfast ideas useful.
Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to good health, especially if you are trying to reduce your weight or maintain a healthy weight. Controlling your portion sizes and checking food labels to choose foods/drinks lower in calories, saturated fat and sugar can help with weight management, and you may find this resource from the British Heart Foundation useful. In addition to a healthy diet, regular physical activity can help you to manage your weight as well as providing a wide range of other excellent benefits to your physical and mental health. The Government recommends that adults should do 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity, including strength training activities on at least 2 days of the week.