Healthy eating
Learn what makes up a balanced, nutritious meal and how to maintain a healthy weight.
How can we help you?
Understanding nutrition
Why does my body need carbohydrates?
Learn what carbohydrates are, where they come from and what our bodies need with Senior Specialist Dietitian, Maya Aboukhater.
Good and bad fats in the diet: what’s the difference?
Our Lead Dietitian, Niamh Hennessy, talks about the differences between good and bad fats in our diets.
Why is fibre important?
Specialist Dietitian, Iona Bell, explains why fibre’s important. She also gives us her tips on how to get more of it into your daily diet.
Why are vitamins and minerals important?
Christina Merryfield, Senior Specialist Dietitian teaches us why vitamins and minerals are vital to keeping us healthy.
What should I drink to stay hydrated?
Lead Dietitian, Niamh Hennessy, explains why getting enough fluids is important and how to stay hydrated.
Inside Health:
Facts about food with Dr Zoe Williams and Niamh Hennessy
Food groups l Portions
Watch in 2 mins
Do we really know what we’re putting into our bodies each day? Our experts talk about each food group and how much you need.
False.
We actually need
to have some fat in the diet.
But what we can do to be
healthier is try and reduce
the amount of saturated fat and increase
the amount of unsaturated fat.
True,
carbohydrates are good
as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
We're looking for the more complex
variety, such as granary or whole wheat
variety of carbohydrates.
False.
Whilst both eggs and prawns
contain cholesterol,
they don't actually
have much of an impact
on your blood cholesterol.
In fact, decades ago
we used to be told that we did.
But now evidence shows that they don't.
So you can happily include eggs
and prawns in that very healthy diet.
False.
Gluten free diet is essential for anyone
with a diagnosis of coeliac disease
or if they have a sensitivity to gluten.
True, particularly
when we're
talking about vegetables and fruit.
If they're frozen
when they're picked, it often means
they're picked when they're ripe
and they maintain their nutrients.
So yep, frozen is as good
as fresh, often.
True.
Meat is a very good source of protein,
especially the lean variety.
We also have some very good plant
based protein, such as lentils, beans
and pulses.
It's true.
So whilst strictly speaking, a potato
is the type of vegetable,
when we think about the eat well guide
and we're thinking about carbohydrates
and vegetables,
it slots into the carbohydrate group
because it's a starchy vegetable.
False.
It's the fat we add to starchy foods
that can increase the calories.
False.
So sugar free fizzy
drinks are not good for you
because they have no nutritional value.
However, they are preferable
to fizzy drinks
that contain a lot of sugar.
So especially when
thinking about children,
they're quite good
if you're
trying to get children off sugary
fizzy drinks to water,
they're quite a good transitional option.
False.
There's a place
for plant based milks in the diet,
but they're not better
for you than cow's milk.
How to maintain a healthy weight
How to maintain weight loss sustainably
Lead Dietitian, Niamh Hennessy, explores how to avoid fad diets and gives us five tips to maintaining weight loss.
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight and keeping it off takes time. We’ll walk you through next steps, including goals, nutrition and movement.
Food portion size guide
To help take control of your weight, take a look at how much you need of each food group and what that looks like.
Understand weight-related health conditions
Advice on healthy eating
Seven tips for a well-balanced diet
From how much protein you need a week to getting enough calcium.
Fad diets: are they healthy?
Understand the impact of following diet trends and fasting to lose weight.
What are ultra processed foods?
Explore what counts as an ultra processed food and what the health risks of eating them are.
Six diet tips for a healthier heart
A healthy lifestyle can have a big impact on your heart. Explore our six diet tips for a healthy heart.
Healthy recipes
Fast, affordable meal ideas
Healthy dishes don’t need to be expensive or time-consuming. Read our easy, affordable recipes to get some mealtime inspiration.
Family friendly meal ideas
Sometimes it can be difficult to find something the whole family enjoys. Check out our healthy, family-friendly meals to fill your recipe book.
Easy, nutritious meal ideas
Healthy food doesn’t have to be hard. Browse our easy and nutritious meal ideas to stay on track with your health and wellbeing goals.
Find out how to lower your health risks
Our health experts can look at your body fat percentage, your risk of diabetes, and provide a comprehensive cholesterol profile. All to work out potential health risks and how you can lower them.
We have different assessments to suit your lifestyle. All include 12 months of support to help you achieve your long-term goals.
Our health assessments are available on a pay-as-you-go basis, at selected Bupa health centres.
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This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition.
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