Resource

12

Resources funded by:

Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG
West Suffolk CCG

Healthy
Eating
An easy-read booklet
Eating a balanced diet

Eating a balanced diet helps to keep you a

healthy weight, and may help to stop you
getting some diseases.

Eating a balanced diet makes you feel good too!

Try to choose different foods from each of the
groups to help you get the nutrients your body
needs to stay healthy.

Pasta
Potato
Rice

Meat
Bread

Dairy

Fruit
Eggs

Fish
Vegetables
Drink plenty of fluids.

The government recommends 6 to 8 glasses a day.

Water, lower-fat milks and lower-sugar or
sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee all count.

Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and

vegetables a day.

Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced.

Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta.

Have some dairy or dairy alternatives.

Choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options. Milk,

cheese & yoghurt are good sources of protein, and
they’re also an important source of calcium, which
helps to keep your bones strong.
Eat some beans, fish, eggs, meat and other
protein.

These foods are good sources of protein, vitamins

and minerals. Try to grill fish or meat, instead of
frying.

Choose oils and spreads and eat in small amounts.

Unsaturated fats are healthier fats and include

vegetable, rapeseed, olive and sunflower oils.

Avoid foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.

These foods include chocolate, cakes, biscuits,

sugary soft drinks, butter, ghee and ice cream.
They’re not needed in the diet and so should be
eaten less often and in smaller amounts.

Over the next few pages there are more tips on

how to maintain a balanced diet.

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Tip 1: Base meals on carbohydrates

Most of us should eat more starchy foods. Try to

include at least 1 starchy food with each main
meal.

Choose brown rice and bread where possible.

Tip 2: Eat lots of fruit and veg

It's recommended that we eat at least 5

portions 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?
 Tip 3: Eat more fish

Fish is a good source of protein and contains

many vitamins and minerals.

Aim to eat at least 2 portions of fish a week,

including at least 1 portion of oily fish.

Oily fish Non-oily fish

Salmon Mackeral Cod Tinned tuna

Fresh tuna Sardines Haddock Plaice

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 Tip 4: Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Saturated fat in our diet

We all need some fat in our diet. There are 2
main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated.
Too much saturated fat increases your risk of
getting heart disease.

Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as:

Hard cheese Cakes Biscuits Sausages

Cream Butter Bacon Pies

Try to cut down on your saturated fat intake, and

choose foods that contain unsaturated fats
instead, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and
avocados.
 Tip 4 continued: Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Sugar in our diet

Having foods and drinks high in sugar increases

your risk of obesity and tooth decay.

Sugary foods and drinks can cause you to put

on weight. Food labels can help to check how
much sugar is in your food.

Cut down on

Sugary fizzy Alcoholic Sugary Fruit

drinks drinks cereals yoghurt

Pastries Biscuits Chocolate Cakes

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 Tip 5: Eat less salt

Eating too much salt can raise your blood

pressure. People with high blood pressure are
more likely to get heart disease or have a stroke.

Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may

still be eating too much.

Most 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.

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Tip 6: Get active and be a healthy weight

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important

to stay a healthy weight, which is an important
part of good overall health.

Being overweight can lead to health conditions

such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and
heart disease. Being underweight could also
affect your health.

Most adults need to lose weight, and need to

eat fewer calories to do this. If you're trying to
lose weight, aim to eat less and be more active.

If you want to lose weight, aim to cut down on

foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar,
and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

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 Tip 7: Don't get thirsty

We need to drink plenty of liquids to stop us

getting dehydrated. You should drink 6-8
glasses every day.

All non-alcoholic drinks count, but water and

lower-fat milk are healthier choices.

Try to avoid sugary fizzy drinks that are high in

added sugars and calories. These are also bad
for your teeth.

Even unsweetened fruit juice and smoothies

are high in sugar. You should aim to drink no
more than 1 small glass of fruit juice or
smoothies a day.
 Tip 8: Don't skip breakfast

Some people skip breakfast because they think it

will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows
that people who regularly eat breakfast are less
likely to be overweight.

Breakfast has also been shown to have positive

effects on your concentration throughout the
morning.

A healthy breakfast is an important part of a

balanced diet, and provides some of the
vitamins and minerals we need.

A low-sugar cereal with fruit sliced over the

top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

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Being active

Being active can help you to lose weight or stay

a healthy weight. Being active doesn't have to
mean hours at the gym, you can find ways to be
more active in your daily life.

For example, try getting off the bus one stop

early on the way home, and walking the rest
of the way.

After getting active, remember not to reward

yourself with a treat that is high in calories. If you
feel hungry after activity, choose foods or drinks
that are lower in calories.

Being underweight can also affect your health.

If you are worried about your weight, ask your
doctor for advice.

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Fruit and vegetables: getting your 5 a day

You should eat at least 5 portions of a

variety of fruit and vegetables every day.

There's evidence that people who eat at least 5

portions a day have a lower risk of heart disease,
stroke and some cancers.

What counts as 1 portion?

1 slice of 1 glass of 3 tablespoons

pineapple fruit juice of vegetables

1 apple 1 large tomato 1 small bowl of

mixed leaves
Need to lose weight

The NHS has a helpful weight loss guide. You can

download information packs, as well as food and
activity planner.

The 12 week weight loss guide combines advice

on healthier eating and physical activity.

You get a information pack for each week of the

plan, plus a stick-it-on-the-fridge planner to
help you track your weekly progress.

Search on the internet for:

‘nhs lose weight’

Full page address:

www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Losing-weight.aspx

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One You Easy Meals App

Public Health England have made the One You

Easy Meals App.

The app is a great way to eat foods that are

healthier for you. You’ll find delicious, easy
meal ideas.

Search recipes by meal time and create

shopping lists.

You can download from iTunes and from

Google Play. Search for ‘easy meals’

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One Life Suffolk

One Life Suffolk provides healthy lifestyle services

across Suffolk.

One Life Suffolk provide programmes on weight

management, help to stop smoking, support to
keep active and health checks.

They run free weight loss programmes. These are

held all across Suffolk.

For more information go to:

https://onelifesuffolk.co.uk/our-services/lose-
weight-adults/

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Primary Care Accessible Resources
Resource 13: Healthy Eating

This booklet was co-produced by Ace Anglia and

members of the ‘Staying Healthy, Safe & Well’
Workstream of the Joint Suffolk Learning Disability
Strategy 2015-20.

The resources were funded by NHS Ipswich & East

Suffolk & NHS West Suffolk clinical commissioning
groups.

This booklet is Resource 13 & forms part of a

number of projects that help to explain things
about primary care services.

Designed by: Ace Anglia: Accessible Information

For more information, please e-mail:

info@aceanglia.com

Made using:

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