Healthy menu ideas

It can be tricky knowing where to begin when starting a healthy eating plan. You might get some ideas by seeing what a healthy diet for a day can look like.

It might also keep you motivated to see that it's not too hard to start making some changes.

Healthy eating doesn't mean having to eat boring, tasteless food. It can mean new foods, new cooking methods, new flavours and new tastes - you may wonder why you haven't done it before.

We've based the examples below on a diet that follows the Eatwell guidance. This is from Public Health England and endorsed by the NHS.

One of the best ways to make changes to your healthy eating is by making small changes first. Then gradually add more and more changes until you have a full day of exciting new healthy foods.

See Following the Eatwell Guide at home for more ideas for how to make sensible, gradual changes to what you eat.

Ideas for a day of healthy eating

Day 1 example

• Breakfast: Porridge made with skimmed milk; handful of raisins, glass of pure, unsweetened apple juice.
• Morning snack: Banana and a cup of fruit tea
• Lunch: Grilled chicken and salad wrap (including lettuce, half an avocado, cucumber), with low-fat yoghurt dressing. 2 plums.
• Afternoon snack: Hummus dip and vegetables
• Evening meal: Low fat beef-mince meatballs, wholemeal spaghetti and a homemade sauce. Go to the Slimming World website for a recipe for homemade 'red' sauce.

Day 2 example

• Breakfast: 2 slices of wholemeal toast with sunflower spread, and low salt peanut butter; glass of pure, unsweetened orange juice.
• Morning snack: Homemade low-fat berry muffin; cup of tea with skimmed milk
• Lunch: Slice of homemade vegetarian pizza (mushroom, tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn) with a salad with low-fat dressing. 2 satsumas.
• Afternoon snack: Handful of unsalted almonds and dried apricots
• Evening meal: Roast dinner with lean chicken, roasted new baby potatoes with spray olive oil, low-salt gravy, steamed broccoli, cabbage, peas and carrots.