Dietary Choices

HEALTHY AND BALANCED The plate model represents the 5 food groups and in what proportion they should be in your diet. ¼ wholegrain carbs, ¼ low fat protein, ½ fruit and vegetableslittle healthy fats and low fat dairy

VARIED – Variety is important to encourage bacterial diversity, aim for 30 different types of plants per week. (avoid eating the same food every day)

FRUIT AND VEG – aim for 5 portions in total per day. Spread them out and aim to eat them with their skins and pips if possible. A portion is approx. a handful. (80g) e.g. 1 medium apple, orange, pear, a handful of grapes, A high concentration of fruit can be difficult for some people to tolerate. Stick to a maximum of 3 portions spread out per day.

FATS – vegetable based good fats and oily fish should be included in small amounts daily

WHOLEGRAIN CARBOHYDRATE – eat 3 small portions of high fibre starchy carbohydrate per day, preferably one with each meal.

LEAN PROTEIN – aim for 2-3 portions of lean protein in animal or plant forms.

DAIRY or dairy replacement with calcium should be included 2-3 times a day

DRINKING CHOICES

Aim for 2 litres of water a day.
Reduce the volume & frequency of fluids known to be triggers e.g caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks.
Limit to 1 or 2 caffeinated drinks per day