The Eatwell Guide and musculoskeletal health

The Eatwell Guide was published by Public Health England in March 2016 and provides advice on the amount and types of foods and drinks to provide most people with a healthy well-balanced diet. It replaced the Eatwell Plate, an earlier version of healthy eating advice in the UK.

The Eatwell Guide applies to most people, regardless of their size, dietary preferences or ethnicity. It doesn’t apply to children under two because they have different nutritional needs, and children between two and five years old should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family. People with special dietary requirements or medical needs should check how to use the Eatwell Guide with their doctor or a registered dietician.

The Eatwell Guide reinforces a healthy eating message for a balanced and healthy diet:

• Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, choosing wholegrain versions where possible.
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives such as soya drinks, choosing lower fat and lower sugar options.
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins, including two portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily.
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat these in small amounts.
• Drink six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day.
• If eating foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar then have these less often, and in small amounts.

Can you identify which of the food groups in the Eatwell Guide contain foods that are needed for healthy muscles and bones?