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Healthy Eating

Published on 25 February 2020 10:53 AM

Healthy eating is important at any age, but even more so in later life.

Eating the right food can improve your mental acuteness, boost your energy levels, reduce your risk of certain diseases and help you fight off illness.

The NHS recommends that as an adult, we eat a certain proportion of different food groups to keep ourselves fit and healthy. There are five main groups;

  1. Fruit & Vegetables

Around a third of your food intake should be made up of fruit and vegetables; you should aim to eat at least five portions a day. This can be a mixture of fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced.

  1. Starchy Foods

Starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta should also make up around a third of your diet, aiming for wholegrain varieties where possible. Starchy foods are good source of energy and packed full of nutrients.

  1. Pulses & Meat

Things like beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. These should make up just over one tenth of your diet. Be sure to choose lean cuts of meat and try to eat less red and processed meats like bacon.

  1. Dairy & Alternatives

Dairy and non-dairy milk, cheese and yogurts are a good source of protein and calcium, and should make up around one tenth of your diet. If you’re trying to lose weight, opt for lower fat and sugar options.

  1. Fats

Some fat in our diet is essential. But we should try and avoid foods that are high in saturated fat (cakes, fatty meats etc.) and opt for unsaturated fats like vegetable, rapeseed, olive and sunflower oil. These are high in energy and should make up a very small proportion of your diet (around 1%)

And eating well doesn’t mean you have to go without the treats you enjoy. You can still eat things like crisps, biscuits and sweets but these should only make up around 3% of your diet.

As well as eating the right kinds of foods, you should also make sure that you are eating enough. The average woman should consume around 2,000 calories a day, and the average man around 2,500.

Please remember that these are just guidelines. If you are concerned about your weight or appetite, please contact your GP.

To read the NHS' full Eat Well Guide, click the button below.

NHS Eatwell Guide

For more information on keeping yourself healthy, visit the Age UK website: 

Age UK Health & Wellbeing