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.

Food Portions Guide Index:

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• Food Portions
• Portion sizes
• Portion Breakdown

• Rainbow diet
• Larger portions
• Portion awareness

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