A nutritious diet can be enjoyable, give you more energy and shelter you from ill health. What's the best diet to follow? And what's the easiest way to indulge?
The NHS promotes the Mediterranean diet as the staple diet to follow. But what is it?
It's generally full of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish and unsaturated fats.
People are encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
And a 150ml glass of unsweetened, 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice or smoothie also counts as one of your five day.
But having more than one of these in a day will not add to the "5 A Day".
Even though potatoes do not count as one of your portions, sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do.
To see how this would work in a typical day, the following would apply:
For breakfast, muesli cereal can be topped with one heaped tablespoon of raisins, currants or sultanas - the first portion of the day already completed.
Enjoy this with a fresh glass of 100 percent, unsweetened orange juice and you've got two portions out of the way before lunchtime.
Feeling peckish? Once slice of a juicy melon does just the job or swap this for a banana, pear, orange or apple.
Now you've had three portions of your "5 A Day" - how easy is that?
More here:
How to live longer: Delicious and nutritious - the best diet for your health - Express
