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Which foods make up a healthy food?

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The foods that make up a healthy diet are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, pulses, nuts, fish and seafood, eggs, dairy products, and white meat. These can be seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices.

These foods are rich in nutrients that are very beneficial to the body, including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fibre, and unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and omega 3.

Food consumption frequency

Vegetables. At least two portions of vegetables per day, with one of them being raw.

Fruit. Three pieces of fruit a day, preferably with the skin.

Cereals. Daily in the form of bread, pasta, rice, etc., are better if they are wholemeal.

Olive oil. Daily both for cooking and for dressing and it should be extra virgin.

Pulses and nuts. To eat them at least three times a week each.

Fish and seafood. At least three servings a week, one of which should be oily fish.

Eggs. Three or four eggs a week.

Dairy products. Two or three times a day in the form of a glass of milk, yogurts, curd, kefir, cheeses ...

Red meat (beef, pork, lamb, foal, beef ...). Its consumption is limited to once a week.

White meat (chicken, turkey and rabbit). Three or four times a week.

Avoid processed meats, sausages, snacks, pastries and cakes, sweetened drinks such as soft drinks and commercial juices, ready meals, and fats like butter, cream, margarine, etc.

Proportions of food: a healthy dish

A graphic way of understanding the amounts that should be in your main meals -lunch and dinner- to make up a balanced diet, is the “healthy dish”.

This is divided into three parts: half of the plate should be made up of vegetables, a quarter of the plate are foods rich in carbohydrates (cereals and derivatives, pulses, or tubers like potatoes) and the last quarter is based on protein-rich foods (fish, eggs, meat, seafood or pulses). It is advisable to accompany this dish with a piece of fruit for dessert, virgin olive oil for dressing, and water to drink.