A new guide on what food to eat and healthy portion sizes has been produced by Public Health England to help people eat a balanced diet.
The newly published Eatwell Guide recommends that a healthy diet should now include more fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates and have fewer sugary foods and drinks.
The guide also includes revised proportions of the food groups that can help people meet official advice and nutrition recommendations.
Eating healthily can be a vital part of self-management for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. By eating healthily and getting regular exercise people can reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
The guide replaces the previously available Eatwell Plate and is updated to reflect the latest dietary recommendations, including those on sugar, fibre and starchy carbohydrates from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) report on Carbohydrates and Health in 2015.
The latest recommendations place greater emphasis on the importance of fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates, preferably wholegrain.
Public Health England recommends consuming 30 grams of fibre a day – which is the same as eating five portions of fruit and vegetables, two whole-wheat cereal biscuits, two thick slices of wholemeal bread and one large baked potato with the skin on.
Currently many people only consume around 19 grams of fibre per day, less than two thirds of the latest recommendation.
Sugary soft drinks have been removed from the Eatwell Guide image and foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar have been moved to the edge of the guide, reflecting advice that they are not an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. Adults should have less than six grams of salt and 20 grams of saturated fat for women, or 30 grams for men a day.
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