Eating well: the basics

You can balance food groups over a day or even a week, as the NHS Eatwell Guide describes. Each meal doesn’t have to include everything. A sandwich, curry or pasta dish can contain several food groups at once.

Start with food you enjoy and can get. Use the guide for ideas about what to include. Food doesn’t need to be called good or bad.

Build meals from familiar foods

The Eatwell Guide includes fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein foods, dairy or alternatives, and small amounts of unsaturated oils. Starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta give you energy. Wholegrain versions, and potatoes with their skins on, add fibre.

Beans, peas and lentils give you protein and fibre. Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables count as well as fresh. WHO advises choosing ones without added sugar or too much salt.

Start with a meal you already make. You could add beans to a stew or serve frozen vegetables with it. Wholegrain bread with soup is another option. Choose what fits your kitchen and budget.

UK and US food guides differ

This US advice changed recently. If you’re looking for MyPlate advice, the guide has changed. HHS now presents the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 with a food pyramid. It puts the focus on protein, vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and recommends full-fat dairy without added sugars.

That advice on dairy is different from the NHS Eatwell Guide, which recommends lower-fat and lower-sugar dairy. Follow the advice for where you live, and talk to a registered dietitian about your own needs. This is a real difference between national recommendations.

Fibre without a complicated plan

The NHS says adults should aim for 30g of fibre a day. Fibre helps digestion and can prevent constipation. Oats, wholegrain bread, pulses and vegetables are all ways to get it. The NHS recommends getting fibre from a mix of foods.

WHO puts its fibre advice differently. It advises people older than 10 years to aim for at least 25 grams a day of fibre that comes naturally in food. The NHS target for adults is 30g a day. The advice differs, so check which guidance you’re using.

Make space for iron and calcium

Foods rich in iron include meat, pulses, dark green leafy vegetables, and bread or cereals with added iron. Heavy periods and pregnancy are common causes of anaemia from low iron. If you’re worried, ask for a medical check as well as changing what you eat. A GP can arrange a blood test and look for the cause.

Calcium helps keep bones strong. Milk, yoghurt and cheese are sources, as are tinned sardines or salmon with the bones in. Some plant drinks and tofu have calcium added. Check the label, rather than assuming every dairy alternative has it.

Calcium needs more attention after menopause, when the body takes in and keeps less of it. If you avoid dairy because of an allergy, an intolerance or choice, ask about other sources of calcium that suit you. NIH lists plant drinks with added calcium, some vegetables and tinned fish with bones among the options. Talk to a clinician or pharmacist about supplements.

Vitamin D helps your body take in calcium. Calcium supplements can also affect how some medicines work, so a pharmacist or doctor can help you decide what’s right. Tell them about both prescribed products and ones you’ve bought yourself.

Ask for help with what is getting in the way

Call 999 now (UK) or 911 (US), or your local emergency number, if you have palpitations (a pounding or fluttering heartbeat) right now that don’t go away, or palpitations with chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint or fainting. Don’t drive yourself.

Get help today from your GP or NHS 111 (UK), or your doctor or an urgent care service (US or elsewhere), if those symptoms have stopped.

Book a GP appointment (UK) or see your doctor (US or elsewhere) for palpitations that keep coming back when you’re otherwise well, or tiredness that won’t go away and makes you worried about anaemia from low iron. Tell them about heavy periods too. Ask them about iron treatment before you choose a supplement.

If you have a medical condition or special dietary needs, ask a registered dietitian how to adapt food advice. Explain any practical limits, such as what you can afford or cook, and ask for examples using foods you know.