Healthy Food for Life

Do you want to feel good and have more energy?

Eating a variety of nutritious foods will provide the energy and nutrients you need each day to stay healthy. Use these tips to plan your diet. Take the time to plan your diet ahead of time. This will help you introduce variety and eat more nutritiously. Check out this flip book for more ideas on this.

What is Food Pyramid?

The Food Pyramid shows how much of what you eat overall should come from each shelf to achieve a healthy, balanced diet. The shape of the Food Pyramid shows the types of foods and drinks people need to eat most for healthy eating. It is divided into six shelves and each provides you with the range of nutrients and energy needed for good health.

What is Healthy Eating?

Healthy eating is all about choosing the right amounts from each shelf. Many of the foods you eat, such as pizzas, casseroles, pasta dishes and sandwiches, are a combination of the food shelves. For these sorts of foods, you just need to work out the main ingredients and think about how these fit with shelves on the Food Pyramid. Following the Food Pyramid doesn’t mean that you need to achieve this balance with every meal, but aim to get the balance right over the day and over the week. Small changes can make a big difference. This Food Pyramid guide is for children aged 5 and over, teenagers and all adults, both healthy weight and overweight. As two out of three Irish adults are overweight there is a list of top tips to help overweight adults get to a healthy weight on the back page.

Top tips for overweight adults

• Know your weight
• Check your body mass index (BMI) on www.healthyireland.ie
• Weigh yourself once a week and set a target of 1–2lb/1kg weight loss a week.

Watch what you eat – use the Food Pyramid guide

• Avoid Top Shelf foods and drinks. Limit chips and takeaway food as much as possible – maximum once a month.
• Limit or avoid alcohol.
• Eat lots more fruit and vegetables.
• Choose the lower servings options recommended for your age and activity levels in the Daily Servings Guide for wholemeal cereals and breads, potatoes, pasta and rice shelf.* Be aware of the calorie difference.
• Drink more water – at least 8 glasses or cups a day.

Eat regularly and healthily

• Eat regular meals and cook mostly with fresh ingredients.
• Use very little fats and oils on food and in cooking.

At meals:

• Use a smaller plate
• Eat slowly
• Stop when you feel full.
• Be mindful of what you’re eating and drinking.
• Sit at a table and try not to watch TV while you’re eating.

Get active

• Being physically active for 60–90 minutes every day will help you lose weight