Some Key Principles:
Protect yourself by eating less fats, especially saturated fats (found mainly in animal products), e.g. full fat dairy products and the white fat on meat. Diets high in fat can lead to hardened, narrowed arteries. When the heart has to work harder to get the blood round the body because of this, you are at risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Protect yourself by eating more fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are high in antioxidant vitamins, which help maintain the immune system, so you stay healthy. Fruit and vegetables are comparatively low in calories - you can eat large amounts, without worrying about their effect on your weight. So increasing your intake helps you maintain a healthy weight, too.
Protect yourself by ensuring your diet is high in fibre - found in the cell walls of fruit, vegetables, and grains, and present in 'wholegrain' versions of bread, pasta and rice. Fibre helps your digestive system work well, and eating foods with it in means you are more likely to avoid constipation and piles. Fibre fills you up - it actually swells in the stomach, and allows you to feel fuller, sooner, so it can help you to avoid overeating.
Protect yourself by cutting down on salt - eating too much salt (sodium) has been linked to higher than average blood pressure, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease or stroke. We all need to eat some salt, but most of us are eating too much. Salt is present naturally in foods and is also used as a flavouring and/or preservative. Avoid adding salt to your food at the table, and cut down on salt in cooking wherever possible. Most of our salt intake comes from processed foods, so cooking foods from fresh as much as you can will also help.
Protect yourself by drinking plenty of fluids - make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout the day as well to prevent dehydration, keep you alert and aid digestion. Aim for 8-10 glasses of fluids in total each day. Choose from drinks such as water, sugar-free diluting juice, diluted natural fruit juice, semi-skimmed/skimmed milk, and weak tea. If you manage all this - you will be well on the road to living a healthier lifestyle!