Portion sizes

A healthy, well balanced diet should include protein, carbohydrates and fats plus vitamins and minerals.

Ensure that you choose something from each of the 5 major food groups to stay fit and healthy.

The 5 major food groups are:

• Protein: fish, chicken, meat, eggs, milk and pulses.
• Fruit and vegetables: these contain many vitamins and minerals which are essential for our health. Aim to eat at least 5 of these a day.
• Carbohydrates (complex): also known as starches, these are found in bread, pasta, rice, cereals, potatoes and noodles.
• Carbohydrates (simple): these are found in some fruits (fructose) and milk (lactose). The other type of sugar called ‘refined sugar’ is found in cakes, biscuits and pastries and should be kept to a minimum.
• Fats: we require a small amount of fat in our diets. Include ‘good’ fats such as olive oil and reduce your consumption of saturated (‘bad’) fats.

What proportions of these foods should I have on my plate? In order to help you with this the Food Standards Agency has designed an ‘Eatwell’ plate which shows ideal portions of these foods.