It's always useful to know a bit more about the different types of food groups and vitamins so you have the full picture. Here's some info to start you off.

Food Groups

You can’t get all your nutrients (i.e what your body needs to be healthy) from one type of food, so you need to eat a good balance of food from each of the following food groups:

Carbohydrates - pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, cereals, corn, oats, noodles and millet. Wholegrain pasta, rice and bread are particularly good.

Fruit & Vegetables - the recommended daily target of fruit and vegetable is 5 portions. A portion can be a handful of grapes, 1 banana, glass of OJ (150ml), 3 tablespoons of vegetables. You can't just drink 750ml of fruit juice (150ml x 5) as this still only counts as 1 portion!

Protein - meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans, soya and nuts. Lower fat options are better.

Dairy - cheese, milk and yoghurt. Choose low fat options such as semi-skimmed milk or lower fat cheese.

Fat & Sugar - but only a small amount, so put that Mars bar down! You need some fat in your diet, but you should avoid too much saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable and fish oils. Eating too many foods with too much fat and sugar may cause you to gain weight and sugar can damage your teeth.

The eatwell plate is an easy tool to help you get a healthy balance in what you eat. It shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group. Download the plate and a guide telling how to use it from the related documents section of this page.

Vitamins and Minerals

We hear a lot about vitamins and minerals and how they are good for us, but all the different types can get confusing. We've taken a look to help you out:

Vitamin A - helps strengthen the skin and boosts your immune system (which helps fight bugs), and helps you see in the dark! It can be found in green vegetables, liver, cheese, eggs, oily fish (such as mackerel), milk.

Vitamin B6 - allows the body to use and store energy from the protein and carbohydrates found in the foods we eat. It is found in pork, chicken, turkey, cod, bread, whole cereals (such as oatmeal, wheatgerm and rice), eggs, vegetables, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes.

Vitamin B12 - helps make red blood cells and keeps the nervous system healthy. It also helps release energy from the food we eat and is needed to process folic acid. It is found in virtually all meat products and certain algae such as seaweed (bonus if you like sushi!)

Vitamin C - helps protect cells and keeps them healthy, and it also helps the body absorb iron from food. It is found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Good sources include peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, oranges and kiwi fruit. Also means you won't get scurvy!

Vitamin D - helps keep bones and teeth healthy. It is found in a small number of foods and we get most of this vitamin from sunlight as our skin absorbs it. Good food sources are eggs and oily fish. You can also sometimes find it in breakfast cereals, so read the label if you want to double-check.

Vitamin E - helps fight disease and we get this vitamin from soya, corn and olive oil as well as nuts, seeds, and wheatgerm (found in cereals and cereal products).

Vitamin K - is needed to make your blood clot and stop bleeding when you cut yourself.

Calcium - helps build strong teeth and bones and is found in milk, yoghurt, cheese, green leafy vegetables, bread and nuts.

Iron - helps make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. It’s found in meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit (such as apricots), whole grains (such as brown rice), some breakfast cereals (you'll need to read the label), soybean flour and most dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach).

More...

Take Life On- Lots of information on healthy eating and exercise, including a few tasty recipes.

Weight wise- Information on healthy eating and dieting safely from the British Dietetic Association.