Diet: Key Information for Healthy Eating

Contents

• Introduction
• Regular meals
• Starchy carbohydrates
• Sugary carbohydrates
• Fruit and vegetables
• Salt
• Alcohol
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Fats
• Healthy weight
• Exercise
• Useful resources

Regular meals

Your food and drink intake should be based on regular meals with a good mix of nutrients and sensible portion sizes. By eating regularly, you keep your blood glucose levels steady, energy levels up and curb cravings for high-calorie snacks, which should be limited in a healthy diet.

Starchy carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates are foods such as pasta, rice, potato, bread, chapatis and plantains.

You should choose starchy carbohydrates which contain higher levels of fibre and whole grains and have a lower glycaemic index. These are digested more slowly and can help to keep you feeling fuller for longer, so they can help you with weight loss too.

Do not eat any more than one type of carbohydrate with every meal.

Sugary carbohydrates

It is possible to enjoy a small amount of sugar as part of an overall balanced approach to eating, but it is best to limit sugary foods and drinks where possible. Switching to artificial sweeteners and sugar-free options can help.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are good sources of fibre and are packed with essential vitamins and minerals. You should eat a wide variety and aim for a minimum of five portions each day – two or three fruits and at least two or three vegetables. This can help to reduce your risk of developing many health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabtees and certain cancers.

An added bonus is that most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories and high in fibre, which will help you to maintain a healthy weight.

Fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables (canned in fruit juice or water and with no added sugar and salt) all count.

Limit fruit juice, vegetable juice, and smoothies to a combined total of 150ml per day. Crushing fruit and vegetables into juice releases sugars that can harm teeth, so enjoy them at mealtimes rather than between meals to reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Salt

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, particularly if you are overweight or if high blood pressure runs in your family. This is concerning, as high blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Avoid adding salt to your meals and reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking. Choose fresh foods where possible as processed foods usually have a high salt content. Soups, crisps, savoury snacks, soy sauce, Marmite, gravy granules and stock cubes are all high in salt. Experiment with flavouring foods using herbs and spices, vinegar or lemon juice instead of salt and stock cubes.

Alcohol

The risk of developing a range of health problems, including high blood pressure and diseases such as certain cancers, increases if you consistently drink more alcohol than the recommended amounts.

However, having diabetes does not mean that you need to avoid drinking alcohol altogether:

• Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
• Spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
• If you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week

Remember that alcohol is high in calories and can contribute to weight gain.

Omega 3 fatty acids

Omega 3 fats are a type of healthy fat called an essential fatty acid. Your body cannot make these in sufficient amounts, so you have to get them through food. They can lower blood triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood) and help protect against heart disease.

Omega 3 fats are found mostly in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring and sardines, so you should try to eat these twice a week.

Fats

To achieve or maintain a healthy weight, it is important that you reduce the total amount of fat you eat, as all oil has the same number of calories, whether it is a healthy type or not. You should always measure the oil you use in cooking with a teaspoon rather than pouring it straight from the bottle, or use an oil spray instead.

You should try to replace saturated fats with moderate amounts of healthier fats:

• Monounsaturated fats, found in olive and rapeseed oils and spreads
• Polyunsaturated fats, found in soya, sunflower and corn oils and spreads, nuts, seeds and oily fish

Eating these types of fat can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

Healthy weight

If you are overweight, you may need to reduce the size of the portions of food you eat and aim for a better overall balance between the different food groups. Almost two in every three adults in the UK are overweight or obese, which can cause significant health problems. 

Living with overweight and obesity can also affect your quality of life, self-esteem and contribute to mental health problems, such as depression.

Exercise

To stay healthy, you should aim for 30 minutes of active exercise five times a week. This should include moderate aerobic exercise (such as cycling or brisk walking) and strength exercises that work most of the major muscle groups (such as Pilates or weights) at least twice a week.

Some people have found that a Mediterranean style diet which reduces their carbohydrate portion to a quarter of the plate is helpful for weight loss. You can increase the portion of vegetables or salad on your plate to compensate for the reduced carbohydrate.