Healthy eating

The secret of a healthy diet is a good balance of foods from the different food groups. The British Nutrition Foundation recommend that a balanced diet should include foods chosen from these groups each day:

  • Bread, cereals and potatoes
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Milk and dairy products
  • Meat, fish or alternative sources of protein.

Foods containing fat and sugar can be eaten in small amounts but should not be used to replace any foods from the other groups.

Photo of assorted food

A healthy lunch

Look through the list of ingredients for a lunchtime meal. Tick the boxes which closest fit your typical lunch.Do you have a healthy lunch?

Food group   Healthy option   Less healthy
Starchy food Whole grain brown bread, sesame pitta pocket, pasta or rice salad Chips, crisps or burger bun
Fruit and vegetables Apple, orange, dried fruit, tomatoes, cucumber chunks or carrot sticks No fruit or vegetable
Milk or dairy food Portion of cheese or pot of yogurt Glass of full-fat milk
Meat, fish or alternative Slices of ham, tuna fish or hummous Burger, fried fish, sausages
Drink Sugar-free soft drink or bottle of water Full-sugar drink

ROLL OVER the foods to see the additives in a healthy lunch.

photo of food for lunch fromage frais pasta fruit drink

Fruit fromage frais

Flavour, colour and sweetener

Tuna, pasta and low-fat mayonnaise

Flavour, colour, preservative and emulsifier in the low fat mayonnaise.

Sugar-free soft drink

Flavour, colour, preservative, antioxidant, acidulant and sweetener.

Cereal bar

Flavour, colour, preservative, antioxidant, emulsifier, thickener and sweetener.

Click here for a table showing the use of additives in lunchbox foods (pdf file - opens in new window)

Click to see how diets can be enhanced with Functional Foods