How to have a balanced deit for weight management

 

A healthy diet doesn't mean surviving solely on bird seed, rabbit food and carrot juice! The new approach to eating healthily means we’re positively encouraged to eat a wide range of foods, including some of our favourites – it’s just a question of making sure we get the balance right.

As no single food provides all the calories and nutrients we need to stay healthy, it’s important to eat a variety of foods to make a balanced diet. Meanwhile, most nutrition experts also agree that mealtimes should be a pleasure rather than a penance. This means it’s fine to eat small amounts of our favourite foods from time to time.

A balanced diet means eating plenty of different foods from four main groups of foods and limiting the amount we eat from a smaller fifth group. Ultimately, it’s as simple as eating more fruit, veg, starchy,  Fiber-rich foods and fresh products, and fewer fatty, sugary, salty and processed foods.

The following guidelines for a healthy, balanced diet are all based on guidelines recommended by the Food Standards Agency.

Bread, Other Cereals and Potatoes

Eat these foods at each meal. They also make good snacks.

Foods in this group include bread, breakfast cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta, noodles, yams, oats and grains. Go for high-fibre varieties where available, such as wholegrain cereals, wholemeal bread and brown rice. These foods provide carbs, fibre, B vitamins and small amounts of calcium and iron. They should fill roughly a third of your plate at mealtimes.
Typical serving sizes: 

• 2 slices bread in a sandwich or with a meal
• a tennis ball sized serving of pasta, potato, rice, noodles or couscous
• a bowl of porridge
• a handful of breakfast cereal

Top tips for slimmers: Carb-rich foods might have received a bad press in recent years, but they’re not as ‘fattening’ as many of us think they are. It’s what we add to carbs that pushes up their calorie content, for example, adding butter to bread, frying potatoes to make chips or serving pasta with a creamy sauce. For example, 1 slice of wholemeal bread contains around 75 calories and 0.7g fat. Add 10g of butter to that slice of bread and it provides 145 calories and 8.2g fat.

Fruit and Vegetables

Eat five different servings every day.

Foods in this group include all fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned and dried products, and unsweetened fruit juice. Choose canned fruit in juice rather than syrup and go for veg canned in water without added salt or sugar. These foods provide fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals. They should fill roughly a third of your plate at mealtimes.
Typical serving sizes:

• a piece of fruit eg apple, banana, pear
• 2 small fruits eg satsumas, plums, apricots
• a bowl of fruit salad, canned or stewed fruit
• a small glass of unsweetened fruit juice
• a cereal bowl of salad
• 3tbsp vegetables

Top tips for slimmers: Fruit and veg are low in calories and fat but high in fibre. This makes them particularly good foods for helping to fill you up. Adding plenty of veg or salad to meals can also help it to look like you still have a full plate of food and aren’t depriving yourself.

Milk and Dairy Foods

Eat two or three servings a day.

Foods in this group include milk, cheese, yogurt and fromage frais. Choose low-fat varieties where available such as semi-skimmed milk, reduced-fat cheese and fat-free yoghurt. These foods contain protein, calcium and a range of vitamins and minerals. They should fill no more than a sixth of your plate at mealtimes.
Typical serving sizes:

• 200ml milk
• a small pot of yoghurt or fromage frais
• a small matchbox-sized piece of cheese

Top tips for slimmers: These foods are packed with calcium, a mineral that helps to keep bones and teeth strong and healthy. However, research also shows that the calcium found in low-fat dairy products helps the body to burn fat, especially from around our midriff.

Meat, Fish and Alternatives

Eat two servings a day.

Foods in this group include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds. Choose low-fat varieties where available such as extra-lean minced beef and skinless chicken and don’t add extra fat or salt. These foods provide protein and a range of vitamins and minerals, especially iron. They should fill no more than a sixth of your plate at mealtimes.
Typical serving sizes:

• a piece of meat, chicken or fish the size of a deck of cards
• 1-2 eggs
• 3 heaped tablespoons of beans
• a small handful of nuts or seeds

Top tips for slimmers: Avoid adding extra fat to these foods when you cook or serve them. For meat, fish and chicken, try grilling, baking or dry roasting rather than frying and boil, scramble or poach eggs.

Fatty and Sugary Foods

Eat only small amounts of these foods.

Foods in this group include oils, spreading fats, cream, mayonnaise, oily salad dressings, cakes, biscuits, puddings, crisps, savoury snacks, sugar, preserves, confectionery and sugary soft drinks. These foods contain fat, sugar and salt and should only be eaten occasionally.
Typical serving sizes:

• a small packet of sweets or a small bar of chocolate
• a small slice of cake
• a couple of small biscuits
• 1 level tbsp mayo, salad dressing or olive oil
• a small packet of crisps

Top tips for slimmers: These foods tend to be packed with calories so your waistline will benefit from eating less. You don’t need to avoid these foods completely – just limit the amount you eat.

How to Make Your Plate a Slimming Plate

It’s really easy. Stick to the same proportions of the different foods on your plate but choose lower-calorie foods from each section. If you want to be really strict, you could also replace any fatty and sugary foods on your plate for extra fruit and veggies.

Are there any other tips to help me eat healthily?

Amway Nutrilite Fiber!   Recommend of health experts.


Fibre is most commonly known to aid digestive problems. However, a fiber-rich diet has many health benefits beyond preventing constipation .

Many fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes consist of a dietary fiber that is needed for the body to remain healthy. Fiber consists of plant foods your body cannot absorb. It passes through your stomach to the small intestine, and then into your colon.