Healthy Practice

The healthy food plate was created by Harvard Health Publishing, and is a simple guide to how we can mix different foods and drinks to create healthy balanced diet. It gives lots of ideas on how to plan meals, create a nutrient base and have variety.

Here’s some basics that will help you make your decisions around this resource.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Try and eat 5 portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, but even better – 7 portions

You can use fresh, frozen, tinned, dried, or juiced options.

If you enjoy smoothies try not to have more than 150ml a day unless you’re a trained athlete burning lots of calories a day.

Starchy Carbohydrates:

Try and use starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes or rice as a base for your meals

Always aim for high fibre or wholegrain varieties of bread, pasta and rice.

Protein Foods:

Lean meats, eggs and fish are excellent sources of protein

You can also use beans and pulses as a source of protein.

Try and limit your intake of red and processed meats – but treat yourself now and then.

Have one portion of oily fish per week as its high in Omega 3 fats which are essential for health. Have another portion of a non-oily fish if you so choose.

Dairy or Dairy Alternatives:

Milk, yogurt and cheese are good sources of protein and vitamins.

Don’t eradicate calcium from your diet as it’s essential for bone health.

You may want to use skimmed milk or low fat cheeses if you have been advised to lower you fat intake.

Healthy Fats:

Don’t view fats as the enemy. They are essential for our health. But remember that there are different types of fat – and generally we want short chain fatty acids.

Choose unsaturated oils and spreads. Olive oil has been shown to have many health benefits

Remember that fish oils and Omega 3 and 6 fats are great for the health.

All types of fat are high in energy, so you don’t need large amounts.

Limit High-Fat, High-Sugar Foods:

Chocolate can produce Serotonin which can give a happy or relaxed feeling. If some people try and eradicate this from their diet completely it can lead to unhappiness. Use chocolate now and then in smaller amounts. Remember, its consumption can be the same as alcohol. The more you consume – the less effect it can have

In terms of cakes, biscuits and butter – it can be detrimental to simply tell someone to remove these completely from the diet. Diet and activity should always be viewed through the same lens.

Stay Hydrated:

Try drinking at least a litre to a litre and a half of water per day. Spread it out through the day to prevent dehydration. Don’t use tea and coffee to hydrate as they absorb water from the muscles. However, feel free to drink your beverages at different points of the day around your water intake.

General Advice

We will provide advice on the app on a whole range of subjects to do with diet and nutrition. Sometimes we will provide advice directly from Sport and Health and at other time we will provide information and links from professional bodies from around the world. We will make sure this advice is science based and easy to understand.

Healthy Hydration

It’s very confusing to know what ‘healthy hydration’ is.

How much should we drink on an average day ?

What should we drink ?

Does the temperature matter ?

Do some people sweat more salts than others ?

You can find the answers to all these questions on our app.

Spotting Problems

Would you know how to spot if you were dehydrated – and if you could spot it, how to fix it ?

We will provide simple guidance on the app for you.