Balanced diet

Making small changes to improve diet is better than no change, find out more about what a healthy balanced diet looks like

Mum, dad and two children sitting at a table eating a healthy meal.

In this section

A healthy diet includes a wide range of types of foods and is an important part of maintaining good health.

The Eatwell Guide

The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions in which different types of food are needed to have a healthy, balanced diet.

This consists of lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates plus some dairy, meat, fish, pulses and other kinds of protein. Eating plenty of these, whilst consuming foods high in fat, salt and sugar, less often and in smaller amounts, can help to reduce your risk of health conditions.

The Eatwell Guide
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Understanding nutrients

Our advice covers everything from getting the right amount of healthy food and cutting down on fat, salt and sugar to vitamins and minerals.

Understanding nutrients
A colorful assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, avocados, apples, pears, peaches, oranges, lemons, onions, green chili peppers, broccoli, celery stalks, and a pineapple.

Eatwell Everyday

Eatwell Everyday brings together the Eatwell Guide recommendations for a healthy balanced diet, showing what a balanced diet can look like over the course of a week.

Eatwell Everyday weekly menus
Family eating a meal at home

Diet and health conditions

Discover how a healthy and balanced diet can help manage health conditions.

Diet and health conditions
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Vegetarian and vegan diets

Following a vegetarian or vegan diet can be a healthy option, but it is important to ensure it is balanced and varied.

Vegetarian and vegan diets
A bowl of tofu stir-fry with kale and chickpeas, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions, served with chopsticks on the side.

Diet and life stages

Eating a healthy balanced diet is important for us all. But there isn’t one diet for all of us. Pregnant women, young people and older people all need slightly different things when it comes to food groups and types of food.

Diet and life stages
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Processed and ultra-processed foods

What are processed and ultra-processed foods, and should we really be worried?

Processed and ultra-processed foods
Chicken nuggets, popcorn bites and ketchup on a plate.

Healthy Eating Tutorial

Our Healthy Eating Tutorial helps you to know what a healthy diet looks like, why it's important, and what help is available to achieve it.

Take our Healthy Eating Tutorial
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