Tips for a healthy, balanced diet

 Author: All-Bran | 18.05.2015

Your overall diet should be made up of lots of different types of foods, in different proportions, to ensure you have a balanced and healthy diet that gives you all of the nutrients your body needs.

It’s a good idea to think of getting the balance right every day, but not necessarily at every meal. You might even find it easier to get the balance right over a longer period, like a week.

here are five main food groups that we can think about in our diet:

Fruit &
Vegetables,

Bread,
Cereals, Rice,
Potatoes, Pasta

Milk
and Dairy
Foods

Food and
drinks high in
fat and/or sugar

Meat, fish,
eggs, beans

Fruit & Vegetables

Aim for at least 5 servings from the vegetable and fruit group every day. Mixing it up with a variety of yellow, green and red vegetables, both as salads and cooked should make it easy to make it up to five portions.

Bread, Cereals, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta

Cereal grains play an important role in meeting the body's requirements for nutrients. They provide our bodies with energy, as well as some protein and dietary fibre. Most breakfast cereals are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals that can help us to make sure we are meeting our daily intake requirements. When choosing cereal-based products, always opt for high fibre or wholegrain varieties such as multigrain and wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta and high fibre breakfast cereals like Kellogg's All-Bran, to help to keep your digestive system healthy.

Milk and Dairy Foods

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are all important sources of calcium, essential for healthy bones and teeth. They also provide protein, vitamin A, phosphorus, and some B vitamins. Choose low fat options where possible. Foods within this category that are high in fat (particularly saturated fat) and/or added sugar and salt should be eaten only in moderation.

Food and drinks high in fat

Foods such as almonds, avocado and sunflower oil contain a high level of unsaturated fats and are a good contributor of so-called ‘healthy fats’ in the diet. Fat is an essential nutrient for our bodies and plays an important role in the development of the brain, eyes and nervous system, but saturated fat should be eaten in moderation.

Meat, fish, eggs, beans

Meat, fish, and poultry are all excellent sources of protein, essential for growth and development. They also play a major role in providing iron, zinc, vitamin B12 (only from meat, poultry and fish) and omega-3 fats (largely from fish and seafood). Make sure you choose lean meat and trim away any visible fat before cooking.

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MORE TIPS & ADVICE

10g of wheat bran fibre per day helps reduce digestive transit time. ALL-BRAN contains at least 3-6g wheat bran fibre per serve. Enjoy as part of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.