Balance of Good Food

Balance of Good Food

A healthy, well balanced diet is about eating the right quantity and variety of foods from each of the main food groups every day.

Balanced plate of good food

Food group


Proportion of
daily food intake


Daily portion allowance

Carbohydrate foods - bread, other cereals and potatoes


33 %


4-5 portions

Fruit and vegetables



33%


At least 5 portions

Dairy products - milk and dairy foods



15%


3 portions

Protein foods- meat, fish and alternatives



12%


2-3 portions

Fats and sugars - foods containing fat and foods and drinks containing sugar.


7%


1 portion



The Balance of Good Health is consistent with the UK Government’s eight tips for healthy eating, published in October 2005, which are:

1.

Base your meals on starchy foods
2.

Eat lots of fish.
3.

Cut down on healthy weight.
4.

Drink plenty of water
5.

Don’t skip breakfast

Measuring portion size

When it comes to getting a balanced diet, it’s not easy understanding what a healthy portion looks like, after all it depends on what food you’re eating for example, a cup of pasta a day is a recommended daily portion, but not a cup of butter! It may seem time consuming to begin with but one trick is to watch what you’re eating throughout the day. Read food labels to check the serving size and nutritional value of each serving and if you’ve got time, use a food weighing scales to weigh out your portion size. Of course most of us haven’t got the time or inclination to get too bogged down at this level, so we’ve made it easy with our quick-to-view portion size guide..

Our portion size guide allows you to eyeball portions at a glance.

Food Groups



Standard Serving


Visual Equivalent


Calories

Bread, cereal, rice, pasta and potato

READ MORE HERE

http://www.tesco.com/health/food/healthy_eating/principles/portions.page?