How to use the Eatwell Guide | Food Standards Scotland

Eat more fruit and vegetables - get at least 5 a day

You’ve probably heard that we all need to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fruit and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and fibre that keep us healthy.

Aim to eat a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables as different types and colours provide different vitamins, minerals and fibre.

It’s easier than you might think; you just need to spread them across your day. Here’s an example:

adding chopped bananas to your cereal or toast at breakfast
enjoying a piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack
including a bowl of salad or vegetable soup with your lunch
snacking on a bowl of raw carrots, peppers and cucumbers mid-afternoon
adding a portion of veg to your evening meal

What is ‘a portion’ of fruit and vegetables?

Any of these counts as one portion, choose from fresh, frozen or canned:

1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
2 plums or similar sized fruit • ½ a grapefruit or avocado
1 slice of large fruit, such as melon or pineapple
3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw or cooked)
3 heaped tablespoons of beans and pulses (however much you eat, beans and pulses count as a maximum of one portion a day)
3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit
1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes)
1 handful of grapes, cherries or berries
A dessert bowl of salad
A small glass (150ml) of unsweetened fruit juice or smoothie

Remember though, that no matter how many portions of fruit juice, smoothie or dried fruit you have in a day, they only count once towards your 5 a day. Any more than that only contributes unnecessary extra sugar to your diet.

Potatoes are a starchy food, and although it’s good to eat starchy foods, they don’t count towards your five a day.

Eat plenty, potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods are an important part of a healthy diet and should make up roughly a third of your diet. As well as being a good source of energy, they also provide fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Starchy foods include bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes. Wherever possible, choose higher-fibre, wholegrain versions because they tend to contain more fibre and nutrients. They are also digested more slowly and so can keep you feeling full for longer.

Examples of wholegrain food include wholegrain and wholemeal bread, pitta and chapatti, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, whole oats and wholegrain breakfast cereals. Some white breads and pastas are made with added fibre and can also help increase your fibre intake.

How to include starchy foods in your diet

You should aim to base each meal around starchy carbohydrate foods. You could:

Start your day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal and check the label to choose options lower in sugar
Have a sandwich for lunch, preferably with wholemeal bread
Have potatoes, pasta, or rice with your evening meal

Starchy foods are an important part of a healthy diet. However, some toppings and ingredients added during cooking or serving, such as butter, spreads, cheese and sugary jams, can add extra fat, salt or sugar.

If you do add anything to your starchy foods, choose healthier options like unsaturated oils or lower-fat spreads.

Checking the label on bread and rolls will help you choose the versions with the lowest salt.

Choose lower far and lower sugar dairy foods

Dairy foods and fortified alternatives provide protein, vitamins and minerals, including calcium, which helps keep bones and teeth healthy. But be careful, as some dairy products can be high in fat, especially saturated fat, sugar, or salt. For example, most cheeses contain a lot of saturated fat and salt, and some yogurts can contain lots of added sugars.

Checking food labels can help you choose products that are lower in saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Reduced fat cheese contains a lot less fat than full-fat versions

Why not try using strongly flavoured cheeses while cooking? You can use less of them than you would with a milder cheese, but still get the flavour your recipe needs, and all with less fat!

Lower fat milks like semi-skimmed, skimmed, or 1% fat milk, are much lower in fat than full fat milk, but still provide protein and important vitamins and minerals like calcium. There are plenty of lower and low-fat yoghurts and fromage frais to choose from too, but don’t forget to check the labels and look for unsweetened or versions with less sugar.

When buying dairy alternatives, go for unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions.

Foods in this group provide protein, which helps the body grow and repair itself. They also contain important vitamins and minerals.

Meat

Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as being one of the main sources of vitamin B12. It’s just a case of knowing which meats are high in fat, and aiming to choose leaner options instead.

Red and processed meat

Red meats include beef, lamb and pork, while processed meat includes ham, salami and other cured meats, sausages, bacon and reformed meat products.

Eating a lot of red and processed meat can increase the risk of developing bowel cancer. People who eat a lot of red and processed meat should try to reduce how much they eat. So, you should eat no more than 70 g of red and processed meat a day. That means about 2 slices of roast meat a day, or 2 sausages. If you eat a lot of red and processed meat (over 90g per person per day, which is around 3 slices of roast meat), you should try to reduce your intake.

For a healthier choice, you could swap some or all of the red and processed meat you consume with white meats like chicken or turkey, fish, eggs or beans, peas and lentils. You could even try meat-free days.

Meat and fat

Some types of meat are higher in fat, especially saturated fat. Eating lots of saturated fat can increase the level of cholesterol in your blood. Choose leaner cuts, remove the skin from chicken and trim visible fat (e.g. from rashers of bacon) and avoid adding too much extra fat/oil while cooking. Usually, the more white you can see on red meat, the more fat it contains.

Grilling meat instead of frying helps to reduce the amount of fat in the meat. Also if you’re roasting meat, a good tip is to put it on a metal rack above a roasting tin, so the fat can run out. And because meat contains its own fat, you don’t need to add much extra fat or oil, either.

Choose leaner cuts of meat while out shopping, or ask your butcher
Check the label on pre-packed meat, and choose those which are lower in fat
Sausages, salami, pâté, beef burgers and other processed meat products can be high in fat and salt: check the labels and choose options that are lower in fat and salt
Remove the skin from turkey and chicken before cooking to reduce the fat

Fish is good for you - eat two portions a week

You should aim to eat at least two portions of fish (for adults, each weighing at least 140g) every week. One of these portions should be an oil rich fish, like salmon, mackerel or herring.

Fish is a great source of protein, and contains many vitamins and minerals too. Oil-rich fish contain lots of omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for keeping your heart healthy.

The benefits of oil-rich fish

Oil-rich fish contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for keeping your heart healthy.
These types of fish are also good sources of vitamins A and D.

Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, pilchards are all examples of oil-rich fish - you can choose from fresh, frozen or tinned.

The benefits of white or non-oil-rich fish and shellfish

White fish is very low in fat. So it can be a healthier, low-fat alternative to red or processed meat.
All fish, including white fish, contain important vitamins and minerals. Haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tuna, skate and hake are all examples of white fish.

The fish you eat can be fresh, frozen or canned – it all counts. But remember that fish canned in brine, as well as smoked fish can be high in salt. Fish and shellfish provide us with many essential vitamins and minerals, including niacin, selenium and iodine. Depending on the fish you choose, there may be other nutritional benefits too.

Eggs

Eggs are a good source of protein and they are easy to prepare. There’s no recommended limit on how many you can eat in a week. Try to avoid adding extra fat/oil or salt to them during cooking – why not try boiled or poached eggs, instead of fried?

Pulses: Beans, peas and lentils

What is a pulse?

Pulses are edible seeds that grow in a pod. They include the whole range of beans, peas and lentils, and you can add them to soups, casseroles and meat sauces to add extra texture and flavour. That means you can use less meat, which makes the dish lower in fat and maybe even cheaper. They are high in fibre, which helps keep our digestive system healthy.

Beans, peas and lentils are all types of pulses and are good sources of protein and fibre, vitamins and minerals and are naturally very low in fat.

These make a great addition to the dishes you cook at home, and can bulk them out and help them go further. You could even use them as a tasty alternative to meat in soups, casseroles and sauces.

Other protein foods

Tofu, soya products and other plant-based alternatives can also provide protein and can be included as part of a healthy diet.

We need some fat in our diet to stay healthy, but many people eat more saturated fat than they need. Oils and spreads should be eaten in small amounts as part of a healthy diet.

Choose plant-based oils and spreads that are high in unsaturated fats such as rapeseed, olive and vegetable oils. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can help lower blood cholesterol levels and support hearth health.

Unsaturated spreads are usually a healthier alternative to butter because they contain less saturated fat.

Remember that all fats are high in calories, so oils and spreads should be used sparingly.

These types of foods are not really needed in the diet because they are high in fats, sugars and salt.Examples include sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, pastries, sugary drinks, crisps and ice cream. If you choose to eat these types of foods and drinks, you should only do so occasionally and in smaller amounts, avoiding large and supersized portions. Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar, increases your risk for obesity and tooth decay. Many people consume more sugar than recommended so it is a good idea to choose lower-sugar options where possible.

Many foods in this group are also high in saturated fat. Eating less saturated fat can help lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease later in life.

Our bodies are two-thirds water, so drinking plenty of fluid is essential to keep our bodies working. Your body needs between 6-8 glasses of fluid each day, or you may become dehydrated.

You need to keep topping your body up with fluid, because we constantly lose it through breathing, sweating or going to the toilet. You may need even more fluid than normal if it is hot or you are exercising. Healthier choices include water and lower-fat milk. Fruit juice and fruit smoothies contain many vitamins and minerals. However, only one small glass (150ml) of fruit juice or smoothie counts towards your 5 a day because they also contain lots of sugar, which is harmful to teeth. Drinking any more than one portion is just providing us with extra sugar that we don’t need.

Remember to check the labels of drinks because many drinks contain hidden added sugars, which means they contain a lot of calories - and very few nutrients, so you should limit these types of drinks in your diet. Try swapping to sugar free varieties, milk or water or have smaller amounts.

Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can be damaging to your health. Alcohol is also high in calories, so it can make you put on weight if you drink too much of it too often, so limit the amount you drink to no more than 14 units per week. You can visit the Drinkaware website, for more information about alcohol guidelines.

Drinks containing caffeine

Tea, coffee and fizzy drinks drinks contain caffeine, which means they could make your body lose more water than normal by passing more urine. So you may need a drink again sooner after drinking any of these drinks, to help keep yourself hydrated.

Signs of dehydration

One of the first signs of dehydration is feeling thirsty. And if you’re not getting enough fluid, you may see some of these signs:

Your urine may be darker than usual, or you don’t pass much when you go to the toilet.
You have a headache.
You feel confused or irritable.
You find it hard to concentrate.
Feeling tired or lacking in energy

Lots of pre-packaged foods have a label on the front of the pack showing information about calories, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. This may be shown per 100g (or 100ml), per portion, or both. Front-of-pack labels may also show Reference Intakes (RI’s). These are guideline amounts for an average adult and help show how much a serving contributes to daily energy and nutrient intakes. Food labels can help you to choose between foods and to pick those that are lower in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt. Where colour coded labels are used you can tell at a glance if they are high, medium or low in fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. Green means low, amber means medium and red means high for that nutrient. For a healthier choice, try to pick products with more greens and ambers and fewer reds.

Remember that the portion sizes used on the label are suggestions and may not be the same as you actually consume. Always check whether the nutrition information relates to the whole pack or just part of it, as the amount you eat may be different from the suggested serving size.