The four main food groups are:

• Starchy foods
• Dairy foods
• Meat, poultry, fish or alternatives such as TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• Vegetables and fruit

For a balanced diet, you should eat something from the four main food groups each day.

Fact file: Starchy Food

These are basic carbohydrate foods. They also provide some protein, minerals and vitamins. Starchy carbohydrates should be the main part of most meals because they are filling, are reasonably low in calories and contain many essential nutrients. Starchy foods only become fattening when you add something to them, for example putting butter on bread or cooking potatoes in fat to make chips.

Whole-grain starchy foods are rich in fibre. Fibre rich foods such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and whole-grain pasta, give you more vitamins and minerals than other starchy foods.

Starchy foods include:

• bread, bread rolls, chapattis, crispbreads, scones etc.
• breakfast cereals
• noodles and pasta
• bananas
• potatoes
• rice (white and brown)

Fact file: Dairy Foods

Some of these foods are high in fat, but you can buy alternatives with a low fat content. They provide you with protein, fats, calcium and A/B vitamins.

Dairy foods include:

• all types of cheese
• fromage frais
• milk
• yoghurt

Fact file: Meat, Poultry, and Fish

This is a large food group, providing many of the nutrients that you need, especially protein.

Foods include:

• beans and lentils, including baked beans
• cheese
• eggs
• fish
• fish foods such as fish fingers
• meat, eg beef, pork, lamb and bacon
• meat products, eg sausages, beefburgers, pies
• nuts
• liver, kidney and other offal
• poultry, eg chicken, turkey
• meat alternatives, eg TVP (textured vegetable protein)

The British Meat Organisation
web site http://www.britishmeat.org.uk/
provides some useful information about the nutritional value of meat.

Fact file: Vegetables and Fruit

These are good sources of many minerals and vitamins but if vegetables are overcooked they will lose a lot of their vitamins. Fruits and vegetables are also a good source of fibre and sugar.

Foods include:

• green vegetables, eg sprouts, cabbage, leeks, spinach
• root vegetables, eg carrots, parsnips, turnips
• other vegetables, eg potatoes, peppers
• salad vegetables, eg cucumber, lettuce, tomato
• all fruits

5+ a Day
web site http://www.greenzone.co.nz/html/5+aday_home.html
is a programme from New Zealand that encourages you to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Fact file: Occasional Foods

These are the sorts of foods that you often eat as fillers but really they should only be eaten occasionally. They give you extra fat, sugar or salt that your body doesn't need if you are eating a variety of foods from the four main groups. They shouldn't be eaten instead of a meal or in addition to a meal. Keep them for a treat.

Occasional foods include:

• cakes and biscuits
• sweets
• chocolate
• crisps and savoury snacks
• sauces and pickles
• jam
• soft drinks and alcohol

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