A balanced diet means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals and should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day.
Starchy Foods
Starchy foods should make up just over one third of everything we eat. They are a great source of fibre and vitamins
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
These foods are all good sources of protein, which is essential for the body to grow and repair itself. They are also good sources of a range of vitamins and minerals.
Milk and dairy
Milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are good sources of protein. They also contain calcium, which helps keep your bones healthy.
Too much sugar can cause a build-up of harmful fat. This fat can cause serious disease in the future, like:
Tooth Decay
Too much sugar can cause tooth decay.
Tooth decay is avoidable, and you can help keep your teeth healthy by practicing good dental hygiene and reducing your sugar intake.
Good dental hygiene
Brush teeth twice daily for two minutes each time with fluoride toothpaste. Please see our Dental Health page for further information.
Hidden sugars
Many packaged foods and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars. Free sugars are any sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices.
Cut down on:
https://www.nhs.uk/sugar-smart/home
If you need a helping hand with your family’s eating habits, BeeZee Bodies can help! Their award-winning BeeZee Families programme supports families in Hertfordshire to learn about nutrition, getting active and living a healthier lifestyle.
The team of family nutritionists are experts at engaging children around healthy eating and fun exercise and can help you turn one healthy choice into a good habit for life!
BeeZee Families is a free service for children aged 5-15 who are above their ideal weight, and their family. There are options for 1-1 support, group support and online support.
BeeZee Bodies also run the free HENRY (Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young) service to support parents of under 5s.
Click here to sign up for free support from BeeZee Bodies
The BeeZee Blog is a great place to find healthy recipes, top tips for parents and fun activity ideas too! You can get the best bits sent straight to your inbox by signing up to their monthly newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
Get active at home –lots of ideas for children and families can be found here.
Simple recipes for families can be found here.
The BNF is also a useful website for healthy living and includes some recipes and ideas. More info can be found here.
Click here for top tips for Healthy Eating!
Click here for information on free healthy lifestyle classes for children and their parents across Hertfordshire and here to view the website.
Please click here for some sample menus and recipes for children aged 6 - 9 months.
Please click here for some sample menus and recipes for children aged 10 - 12 months.
Copyright © 2022 Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust