Eight tips for healthy eating

These eight practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices.

                                           .  Base your meals on starchy carbohydrates
.Eat lots of fruit and veg
.Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish
.Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
.Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults
.Get active and be a healthy weight
.Don't get thirsty
.Don't skip breakfast

:The key to a healthy diet is to

Eat the right amount of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat or drink too .much, you'll put on weight. If you eat and drink too little, you'll lose weight

Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you're getting a balanced diet and .that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs

It is recommended that men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules). Most adults are eating more calories than they need, and should .eat fewer calories

Base your meals on starchy carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates should make up just over one third of the food you eat. .They include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals

Choose wholegrain varieties (or eat potatoes with their skins on) when you .can: they contain more fibre, and can help you feel full for longer

Most of us should eat more starchy foods: try to include at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram the carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the .calories of fat

Keep an eye on the fats you add when you're cooking or serving these types of foods because that's what increases the calorie content, for example oil on .chips, butter on bread and creamy sauces on pasta

Eat lots of fruit and veg

It's recommended that we eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and .veg every day. It's easier than it sounds

Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit?

Unsweetened 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies can only ever count as a maximum of one portion of your 5 A DAY. For example, if you have two glasses of fruit juice and a smoothie in one day, that still only counts as .one portion

Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish

Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish contains omega-3 fats, which may help to prevent heart disease

Oily fish include

.salmon

.mackerel

.trout

.herring

.fresh tuna

.sardines

.pilchards

Non-oily fish include

.haddock

.plaice

.coley

.cod

.canned tuna

.skate

.hake

If you regularly eat a lot of fish, try to choose as wide a variety as possible.

You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned: but remember that canned and .smoked fish can be high in salt

Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood .pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke

Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as .breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces

Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt (about a teaspoonful) a day. Younger children should have even .less