Healthy eating means having a small, regular meals that contain a great variety of foods. Choosing the best foods to eat is sometimes hard. Food provides all the nutrients that our bodies need in order to work and grow.A Balanced DietProteins build and repair the body. Found in:

• lean meat
• eggs
• flying fish
• snapper
• mackerel
• red bream

Carbohydrates provide energy. Found in

• yam
• green banana
• sweet potatoe
• dasheen
• plantain
• coco
• brown rice
• wholemeal pasta

Vitamins and Minerals are needed for good health. Found in fruits and vegetables. Only small amounts of vitamins and minerals are needed each day. Too much can be bad and too liitle can cause diseases. A balanced diet contains enough of these nutrients for a healthy life. The twelve vitamins of the B group and vitamins E and k keep us healthy. They also help growth, the nervous system, blood formation and skin.

Vitamin C helps to heal cuts and prevent infection.

Vitamin D keeps the bones, teeth and muscles strong.

Iron helps red blood cells to carry oxygen so that we are not anaemic.

• Citrus fruits like oranges and their juices are rich in vitamin C.
• Milk, cheese and some cereals provide calcium.
• Dark green vegetables like spinach, callaloo and okra contain vitamin A,and C calciuim and iron.
• Red meat and egg yolk provide iron.

Foods high in vitamins, minerals and some fibre

• spinach
• callaloo
• cabbage
• christophene
• advocado
• okra
• mango
• coconut
• pineapple
• lime
• fruit juices

Fibre is needed to keep the digestive system healthy. Fibre-rich foods reduce the chances of conditions like constipation, appendicitis and cancer of the intestines. Fibre is also good because it makes people feel full but it does not make them fat. Good sources of fibre are:

• split peas
• black eyed peas
• corn meal
• red lentils
• wholemeal bread
• butter beans

Water is needed to keep the body cells healthy and efficient.

Fats store energy for warmth and insulation. Dairy foods, meats like pork, coconut and palm oil contain alot of saturated fat.Saturated fat is more harmful to us than the polyunsaturated fat. Too much fatty food causes people to put on weight. Obesity(being very overweight) causes blocked arteries and heart disease. Too many sugary foods cause obesity and tooth decay. Too much salt causes high blood pressure and heat disease.

Hard fats found in animal and dairy foods. Eating a lot of saturated fat may be one of the factors leading to blocked arteries and heart disease.

Type of fat needed by the body. Found in nuts,seeds and oils. Margarines are made from them, corn oil and sunflower margarine