On the 17th of March, Public Health England (PHE) launched the new Eatwell guide, updating the out dated previous plate model. We are following suite of other countries that have done this recently such as Australia. It has been updated to reflect the latest guidance and help us meet our nutritional requirements. Notice how the high fat and sugary foods have now been moved out of the plate as they are not an essential part of a healthy balanced diet and we are being encouraged to eat more high fibre foods in line with the SACN’s new fibre guidelines.
The plate aims to represent the foods in the proportions we should be eating them in our diet. As before we are encouraged to eat our 5 a day (vegetables and fruit) for fibre and vitamins and minerals (and they are low in calories!). We should be using more wholegrain, higher fibre versions of the starchy foods – food for our cardiovascular and bowel health. PHE report that we are only consuming around 19g of fibre per day, which is 2/3rds less than the recommended 30g per day, so check out our fibre post on how to increase in your diet.
Dairy foods have thier own section as it is important to get a good source of calcium in our diet for strong bones. If choosing milk alternatives, ensure it has added calcium in so you are not missing out.
The protein section is worded carefully; starting with beans and pulses, then fish and eggs and lastly meat – probably to reflect that we shouldn’t eat to much red meat (after the IARC report on red meat) and encouraging us to eat more beans and pulses as they are lower in fat and higher in fibre.
The very smallest section is our fats for cooking and spreading – smallest section as they are very dense in calories, focusing on unsaturated fats – olive, sunflower, rapeseed, vegetable oils.
Its good to see we are encouraged to drink plenty to keep us hydrated, choosing low calorie / sugar drinks.
NHS choice gives a good overview of how the plate works and how to fit it into your diet.
The plate is a great improvement on the last one and will be a handy tool in the dietetic tool box for educating on healthy eating!
Too many carbs and not good for diabetics. Totally ignoring recent research.
Hi, yes there is some newer research suggesting lower carb diets may be better for people with diabetes. This info is general healthy eating for the population, not specific disease. The resent SACN carbohydrate guidance suggests our diet should be 50% carbohydrate as dietary energy and at this current level there is no association with the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Yes eating more carbs than this can lead to an excess energy intake and can lead to obesity.