The Purefit guide to Eating for Health Eating for Health What you eat and drink are vital parts of what you are – the length and quality of your life. Everytime you choose a meal, snack or drink, you are making a decision that affects you and your body in a positive or negative way. The role of diet in health and well being is becoming more recognised. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other minor ailments and disease including cancers are often linked to poor nutrition. Everybody deserves good food and good nutrition. Food for a balanced diet The experts are always telling us to eat a balanced diet. You probably know it by heart. Eat less fat, more fruit and veg and fibre. But what does that mean, and how do you know you are achieveing the right balance? Most of us eat too little healthy carbohydrates, too little fibre, too much fat and sugar. Then we have heard about the 5 a day. What is a portion? How much protein should we be eating? What is a healthy fat? Are we getting too much of the bad ones? So what does a balanced diet look like? A perfect day’s eating for an average women, containing all the carbs, fats proteins, minerals, vitamins and fibre. In all the right quantities. Use this as your blueprint. We all have different tastes, needs, lifestyle and preferences. That is the beauty of food. There is so much there. The Building blocks of a healthy diet Average calorie needs for a women is 2000 calories, Men 2,500 calories Breakfast: Glass of orange juice, homemade museli (oats, oat bran, nuts, dried apricots) Skimmed milk, fresh raspberries 100g, 1 slice of wholemeal bread, low fat spread, a drizzle honey. Lunch: 175g cooked brown rice (half cup cooked) combined into salad with chickpeas, pine nuts, cooked baby sweetcorn, tomato, watercress, baby spinach all tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice or wine vineagar. Snacks: 1 banana, shelled almonds, 10, 7 dried apricots, 1 oatcake. Evening Meal: Salmon fillet grilled, sliced red pepper, broccoli florets, spring onions, mangetout, stir fried in seasame oil, tossed in lime juice and black pepper served with cooked wholewheat noodles, 2 pieces of fruit.