Eating a balanced diet across all the major food groups including fruit and veg, protein and carbohydrates is vital for our general health and wellbeing. However, knowing exactly what foods to eat and how much you should be consuming each day can be a challenging task.
When determining what you should be eating and how often, a variety of factors come into play. These factors include your age, sex, gender, height and daily routine as well as the type of work you do and your health and fitness goals.
As a general rule, ensuring you eat a balanced diet each day will provide you with enough nutrients to nourish your mind and body, maintain a healthy weight, prevent disease and a whole lot more! The amount each person should eat from the different food groups will vary based on the above factors, however it’s best to try and focus on the quality of the foods you’re eating rather than the quantity.
Unsure where to start? Read on below for our top tips on what and how much you should be eating each day.
Fresh produce
A diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables is essential in helping our bodies and minds function at their peak, as well as supporting our immune system and helping to ward off diseases.
New York Times best-selling author, world-renowned physician and scientist Dr. William Li confirms that “now is the time, more than ever, where we need to shore up our body’s defences.” He also states, “The foods that we eat, especially produce, contain natural chemicals that are part of nature’s bounty that activate our cells in a way that we can actually prevent disease.”
To reap these benefits, eat two pieces of fruit each day and incorporate vegetables throughout every meal where possible. Our tip? Try eating a rainbow of different fruit and veg each day so your body can get a great variety of nutrients.
Carbohydrates
Give your body the energy it needs to tackle the day with carbohydrates! Carbohydrates are vital for fuelling our brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system, while supporting our digestion and keeping our blood cholesterol levels in check. When choosing carbohydrates, it’s best to select wholegrain options such as brown rice, lentils, oats and wholegrain bread. Typically, carbohydrates should take up 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories.
Protein
Protein is essential for good health as it helps us to gain healthy weight and also assists in the growth of hair and production of blood, connective tissue and more! Protein can be found in a variety of meat and plant-based options including chicken, beef, tofu, eggs, nuts and seeds. On average, we should be eating two and a half serves of meat, fish, eggs, nuts and legumes a day and two and a half serves of milk, yoghurt and cheese each day.
Looking for some inspiration on how to incorporate these foods into your diet? Head over to our recipes page to find out more!