Everyday nutrition in the UK
A practical guide to eating well around work and family. Use the NHS Eatwell Guide to build meals from familiar ingredients, then adapt the ideas to your appetite, budget and routine.
Use the Eatwell Guide across the week
The Eatwell Guide shows the mix of food groups that make up a balanced diet. Look at what you eat over a day or a week.
At your main meals, start with a starchy food such as potatoes, wholemeal bread, brown rice or wholewheat pasta. Add some vegetables and a source of protein such as beans, eggs, fish, tofu or lean meat. Include milk, yoghurt or suitable dairy alternatives across the day. The Eatwell Guide includes unsweetened, calcium-fortified alternatives.
Try a jacket potato with cottage cheese and broccoli, or wholewheat pasta with tomato, lentils and spinach. If there’s a meal you already cook most weeks, it’s a good place to start.
Pack a lunch that fits your working day
Plan around the break you actually get. If you have access to a fridge and a microwave, soup with wholemeal toast is one option. If you need something you can eat cold, try a wholemeal wrap with hummus, grated carrot and peppers, with a piece of fruit on the side. Check how you’ll keep chilled foods cold until lunch.
Keep a spare option where you’ll use it, such as oatcakes and an unopened tin of soup at work if there’s somewhere to heat it. Keep a drink nearby as well. The NHS gives six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day as a general guide, and water, unsweetened tea and coffee also count.
Choose one change for the week ahead
Pick a meal you have regularly and make one change you can repeat. Add frozen peas to your pasta, take a pear with your packed lunch or keep wholemeal bread in the freezer for a quick meal. Once that feels easy, look at the next part of your week where a bit of planning would help.
Sources
Everyday nutrition questions
Do I need to balance every meal? +
The NHS suggests looking at the balance across a day or a week. If lunch is mostly a sandwich, you can include more vegetables at dinner or have fruit at another point in the day.
Can I use frozen and tinned vegetables in everyday meals? +
Yes. Keep frozen peas or mixed vegetables for soups and sides, and add tinned tomatoes to pasta sauce. For tinned vegetables, look for options in water with no added salt or sugar.
How can I make a quick lunch more balanced? +
Pair a starchy food with protein and some veg. A wholemeal pitta with egg and salad or a jacket potato with beans and a side of vegetables are two ways to do that.
What if I need a diet for a health condition? +
Use the guidance you’ve been given for your condition. A GP or registered dietitian can help you adapt general healthy eating advice to your needs.