Practical Ways to Meet the Scottish Dietary Goals

Portion control is another key aspect of a healthy diet which can help to reduce calories in your diet. It helps you avoid overeating and keeps your energy levels balanced. One technique is to use smaller plates, which can make your portions look bigger. You can also try measuring your food with cups or spoons to ensure you're eating the right amount.

Incorporating more fruits into your diet is a simple way to improve your health. Try adding a piece of fruit to your breakfast or having it as a snack. You can also mix fruits into your salads or yogurt for a tasty treat. Fruit can also be used as a natural sweetener in cakes.

Swap chicken or meat for an oily fish such as salmon once per week to help meet the dietary goal of eat more oil fish. Oily fish is great for brain health as it contains omega 3

Fibre is needed for a healthy digestive system. To eat more fibre choose wholegrain or wholemeal bread instead of white bread, wholewheat pasta instead of white pasta and wholegrain rice instead of white rice. All of these contain more fibre than the white versions. Also eat fruit and vegetables especially the skins as these are high in fibre,

Reducing sugar intake is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet. Too much sugar can lead to health problems like obesity and tooth decay. Start by cutting back on sugary snacks and desserts. You can also choose foods with less added sugar by reading food labels carefully. Opt for natural sweeteners like honey or fruit when you need a sweet fix. Do not add sugar to hot drinks or cereal.

To help reduce salt in our diets we should ensure we read food labels and aim for foods lower in sodium or salt. Some foods have traffic light labelling which make it easier to identify which foods are high or low in salt. Do not add salt to foods, swap for herbs and seasonings such as chill powder etc. You can also choose low sodium substitutes such as low sodium soy sauce or low sodium salt or unsalted butter.

To eat less fat in your diet think about cutting fats off your meat such as steak and bacon or choose less red meats. Red meats are higher in fat than meats like chicken. You can also swap butter for margarine to reduce saturated fats. You can also look for reduced fat products such as reduced fat cream, reduced fat cheese and low calorie spread.