Eating well is important for all of us.  In the short-term, it can help us to feel good, look our best and stay at a healthy weight.  And in the long-term, a healthy diet can reduce our risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.  You’ll find plenty of interest in this section - from planning a week’s worth of healthy meals to shopping on a budget!

To make sure that your whole family eats well it is important that they have a balanced diet!  In a nutshell a balanced diet means eating the right amount of foods from the main food groups, including:

• plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and cereals – going for the wholegrain varieties whenever you can  
• plenty of fruit and vegetables
• some milk, cheese and yoghurt
• some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein, and
• just a small amount of foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugars

If you eat a varied and balanced diet, then there is normally no need to take any food supplements – you’ll get everything you need from your food.  The one exception to this is folic acid.  All women of child-bearing age who could become pregnant should take a supplement of 400µg (micrograms) folic acid each day.  If a woman does become pregnant, she should continue to take the supplement during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.