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Healthy Eating Guidelines

Enjoy your food!
Eat a variety of different foods, using the food pyramid as a guide.
Eat the right amount of food to be a healthy weight, and exercise regularly. Foods with a lot of fibre fill you up quickly, so you’ll be less likely to want high-fat foods. This will help you be a healthy weight.
Eat 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Try and get into the habit of having at least one portion of fruit juice, fruit or vegetable at every meal.
Eat more foods rich in starch– breads, cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice. Aim to have 6 servings a day.
Eat plenty of foods rich in fibre – breads and cereals (especially wholegrain) potatoes, pastas and rice; and fruit and vegetables.
Reduce the amount of fatty foods you eat, especially saturated fats. Make lower fat choices whenever possible. Grill, boil oven bake, or stir-fry in very little fat instead of deep-frying. Try eating fewer foods from the top of the food pyramid.
If you drink alcohol, keep within sensible limits. Preferably, drink with meals and try to make every second day an alcohol free day.
Use a variety of seasonings; try not to always rely on salt to flavour foods. Use herbs, spices and black pepper as alternatives.
If you drink or eat snacks containing sugar, limit the number of times you take them throughout the day. This is particularly important for children’s growing teeth.

Download a guide to 'healthy food choices'.

Healthy lunch box – putting ideas into practice:

Wholemeal bread with cheese slice and tomato + 1 banana + sugar free squash
Pitta bread with cooked ham, low-fat mayonnaise lettuce and cucumber + orange segments + milk to drink
Burger bun with chicken, relish, lettuce and grated carrot + dried fruit + yoghurt + water to drink
Toasted wholemeal bread with cooked beef, tomato and cucumber + small apple + milk to drink
Cooked pasta with tuna, lettuce, tomato and carrot + 2 mandarins + yoghurt + unsweetened pure fruit juice
Salad box with cooked rice, lettuce, tomato, cheese cubes, celery sticks, carrot sticks + dried fruit + water to drink
White roll with mashed hard boiled egg, lettuce and cucumber + handful of grapes + sugar free squash/milk to drink.
Wholemeal bap with lean grilled bacon, tomato and sweetcorn + peach + milk to drink
Crackers with cheese slices, sliced peppers, grated carrot +apple and orange segments + water to drink
Cooked rice with cooked peas, carrot and chicken pieces + dried fruit + unsweetened fruit juice
Hummus sandwich + Banana + unsweetened fruit juice

Drinks

It is important that children take in enough fluids during the day. Almost 2/3 of the body is made of water.
If children do not drink enough water, they may become dehydrated, thirsty, tired and weak.
Drinks should always be included for lunch and break-time. Water and milk are the best choices and milk is also a valuable source of calcium, which is important for healthy bones and teeth.
Unsweetened fruit juice/ diluted sugar free squashes are also suitable drinks if taken with meals. Children should be encouraged to drink fluids with meals and not to fill up on drinks before meals.

Taken from ‘Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Primary Schools’ Department of Health and Children 2003

For more information download 'healthy lunchbox guide'

Want some healthy recipes?
Check out www.irishheart.ie

Thinking about making changes?
Check out www.healthysteps.ie