Meet your Dietitian!

Fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C and fibre. Vitamin C helps to keep your immune system working well, and also helps your body to absorb iron.

However, fruit is quite high in sugar. And this is where it gets confusing – the sugar in whole fruit is not counted as ‘free sugar’ but in juices and smoothies it is. ‘Free sugar’ is also known as ‘added sugar’ and is the sugar that is added to processed foods such as sweets, cakes, fizzy drinks and chocolate. It is recommended that our consumption of ‘free sugar’ is reduced as excess intake can increase risk of overweight and type 2 diabetes.

For this reason, the best way to take your fruit is to eat it. As once it is juiced, much of the fibre content is removed. The fibre will help to slow the pace at which the sugar enters the system and keep you fuller for longer.

It is important to mindful of portions of fruit, and remember that 1 piece = 1 portion, in the case of berries and grapes it is the amount that fits into one cupped hand.

1 portion of fruit juice = 150ml, and it is not recommended to have more than once a day. Try adding water to make it go further!

Not everyone needs to take a vitamin, in fact the only one that it is advised we all take is Vitamin D – as this is absorbed from sunlight and we simply don’t get enough of that in the autumn and winter months (especially in Manchester!)

Apart from those stated in the table below, you should be able to get all the nutrients you need from a varied diet.

What is a varied diet?

• Plenty of fruits and vegetables – frozen, tinned or fresh are fine. Aim for a variety of these and at least 5 a day.
• Some starchy carbohydrates in appropriate portions – rice, bread, pasta, potatoes. Wholemeal choices are the most nutritious, although some 50/50 loaves are fortified with calcium, iron and Vitamin D.
• Some milk and dairy products, or alternatives that are fortified with calcium.
• Two portions per day of protein foods – beans, pulses, meat, fish, chicken and eggs. Try to replace meat with pulses once or twice per week.
• Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines or pilchards once a week is a great source of vitamins and healthy fats that are good for your heart
• Not too many foods high in fat, salt and sugar – such as takeaways, processed foods and snacks.

The table below indicates who is recommended to take a vitamin and how much:

Table taken from British Dietetic Association website

• A pharmacy, supermarket or your local chemist is a reputable place to get a supplement from – avoid buying from an unknown company on the internet.
• Make sure you need the supplement – have you spoken to a doctor or dietitian?
• Could you alter your diet to boost your nutrient intake first?
• Be careful with supplements that claim to delay ageing, help you to lose weight or boost your metabolism – there is often little scientific evidence back up these claims.

The rising cost of food has put strain on many families in Manchester. These tips should help you to keep the cost of your weekly shop down, while helping you to continue eating well.

• Make a meal plan at the beginning of the week – then use this to make a shopping list to make sure no food is wasted.
• Use your leftovers – either freeze or store leftovers in the fridge, factor in when you will eat them to your meal plan. This can help you to avoid convenience foods on a busy day!
• Try to eat more vegetarian meals – tinned pulses and beans still contain protein and are much cheaper than meat.
• If using meat, try adding beans or pulses to make the meal go further. This will reduce the price, keep the protein content high and add fibre.
• If buying meat in bulk, freeze some portions that won’t be used to make sure they aren’t wasted.
• Try using frozen or tinned vegetables to reduce costs – they are still full of vitamins and fibre.

Beans and pulses = chickpeas / kidney beans / butterbeans / lentils / even baked beans!

Fat is an important part of a healthy balanced diet.  It is a very useful source of energy, helps to absorb fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) and contains essential fatty acids that help to keep the brain healthy.

The main types of fat are:

• Saturated fat – this is mainly found in animal products: cheese, butter, ghee, lard, the fat you can see on meat. Coconut and palm oil are also saturated fats.
• Unsaturated fat – this is found in plant sources such as nuts, seeds, avocados and olives. It can be further classified into monounsaturated (sunflower / soya / corn and se same oils) and polyunsaturated (olive / rapeseed oils).

Another type of fat is trans fats, these are mainly found in processed foods such as biscuits, pastries, cakes and takeaway foods. The government has introduced laws meaning food manufacturers must keep their trans fat usage to a minimum, so the amount in the UK diet is now fairly low.

Essential fatty acids

These are a type of polyunsaturated fat known as Omega 3 and Omega 6. Omega 3 is mainly found in oily fish (mackerel, pilchards, sardines) and walnuts, linseeds or flaxseeds. It is recommended that we consume 2 portions of fish per week, and that 1 of those portions is from oily fish.

Omega 6 is found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils and spreads.

Fat and heart health

High intake of saturated fats is linked to an increase in blood cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. By reducing the amount of saturated fats you consume and replacing with unsaturated versions in smaller amounts, you can improve your blood cholesterol profile and heart disease risk.

But how much?

It is recommended that dietary fat makes up around one third of your daily energy, and that the majority of your fat consumed is from unsaturated sources.

This table shows the recommended intake of fat for men and women in the UK: