FACTOR FITNESS - So you can enjoy sports safely

Fruit and vegetables should make up a large proportion of your diet. They provide a variety of vitamins and minerals and add colour, flavour and texture to meals. They are also high in fibre, which is good for your digestion.

What counts?

1. Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and veg
2. 100% fruit or vegetable juice
3. Pure fruit smoothies
4. Baked beans and lentils (beans and pulses)

How much?

You should try to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Each item on the list below is one portion:

• 1 large orange, apple or banana
• 1 large slice of melon
• 2 apricots, kiwi fruits, clementines or satsumas
• 1 teacupful of grapes, cherries or strawberries
• 1 desert bowl sized fresh salad
• 2 tablespoons of vegetables
• One tablespoon of dried fruit
• A glass (roughly 100ml) of fruit or vegetable juice
• A small tin (roughly 200g) of fruit
• A side salad
• A serving (roughly 100g) of vegetables - e.g., frozen or mushy peas, boiled carrots or stir-fried broccoli
• The vegetables served in a portion of vegetable curry, lasagne, stir-fry or casserole

What's in it for me?

Fruit and vegetables contain lots of nutrients, but the most important are:

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These foods are known as the 'starchy carbohydrates'. They provide the body with energy and are an extremely important part of your diet, especially if you do sport.

What counts?

• Bread
• Potatoes (including low-fat oven chips)
• Yams
• Breakfast cereals
• Pasta, rice, oats
• Noodles,
• Maize
• Millet
• Cornmeal

How much?

Most people do not eat enough of this food group. Foods from this group should make up one third of your food intake. Try and have a portion of these foods with every meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening; in fact, they contain less than half the calories of fat. If you are concerned about your weight, wholegrain varieties are a really good choice.

Tips to help you increase the amount of starchy foods and fibre you are eating:

• Try wholemeal bread instead of white for your sandwiches
• Have rice and pasta with less sauce
• If you're having bangers and mash – have more mash, one less sausage and add vegetables
• Try porridge for breakfast 

What's in it for me?

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Dairy foods provide a rich source of calcium, which the body needs for strong bones and teeth. Calcium is continuously lost from your bones so it is important to replenish your calcium stores every day.

What counts?

• Milk
• Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Fromage frais
• Calcium fortified soya alternatives to milk

This group doesn't include butter, eggs and cream because these fall into other food groups

How much?

Try to eat 2-3 servings a day. Each item in the list below is one portion:

• A 200ml glass of milk
• A small pot (150g) of yoghurt
• 30g cheese (matchbox size)

What's in it for me?

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These foods are rich in protein, which is essential for growth and repair.

What counts?

Meat

• Red meat (beef, lamb, pork)
• Poultry (chicken, turkey)
• Meat products (bacon, salami, sausages, beefburgers, pate)

Fish

• White fish (cod, plaice, sole)
• Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, herring)
• Fish products (fish fingers, fish cakes)
• Frozen or canned fish such as sardines or tuna

Alternatives

• Nuts
• Tofu
• Mycoprotein
• Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Beans such as kidney beans and canned baked beans
• Pulses such as lentils

How much?

Try to eat moderate amounts of these foods because many of them also contain high levels of fat.  Try to eat lower fat versions whenever you can. The government recommends that we eat two portions of fish a week – one of which should be oily fish.

What's in it for me?

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These foods are a concentrated source of energy and often contain few other nutrients. It is important that we have a small amount of fat in our diets, but eat foods containing fat sparingly because they are high in energy.

Sugar adds flavour and sweetness to foods. But if you have too much sugar-containing food and drink, you may be at risk of tooth decay.

No foods are bad for you if you balance your diet and eat each food in the correct quantity.

Which foods contain fat?

• Margarine
• Butter
• Cooking oils
• Oil-based salad dressings
• Mayonnaise
• Cream
• Fried foods including chips
• Chocolate
• Crisps
• Biscuits
• Pastries
• Cake
• Puddings
• Ice cream
• Rich sauces and gravies

Which foods contain sugar?

• Soft drinks (not diet drinks)
• Sweets
• Jam and sugar
• Cakes
• Puddings
• Biscuits
• Pastries
• Ice cream

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