Your body needs a variety of nutrients to function properly. No single type of food can provide all of them: we need a range of different amounts of foods to stay healthy.

It's not hard to create a healthy diet that's tasty and interesting and can help keep your heart healthy. If you do eat healthily, this can help you:

• Reduce your levels of bad cholesterol
• Control your blood pressure
• Achieve a healthy weight and shape

The Eatwell plate for a healthy diet

The Eatwell plate represents the five different food groups in the proportions you should eat them, for a healthy, balanced diet.

The basic rules are:

• Eat a variety of foods from each group, including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
• Base meals on starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. Choose wholegrain varieties when possible.
• Eat smaller amounts of meat or other protein, choosing lower-fat versions when possible.
• Eat two portions of fish each week, one of which should be oily.
• Swap high-fat dairy foods, like full-fat milk and cheese, for lower-fat versions.
• Eat small amounts of fatty and sugary foods.
• Cut down on 'bad' saturated fats and replace with 'good' monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
• Eat less salt.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.