A well-balanced diet provides all of the:
- energy you need to keep active throughout the day
- nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy and help to prevent diet-related illness, such as some cancers
Keeping active and eating a healthy balanced diet can also help you to maintain a healthy weight.
Deficiencies in some key nutrients – such as vitamin A, B, C and E, and zinc, iron and selenium – can weaken parts of your immune system.
More about vitamins, minerals and nutrients
Type 2 diabetes
Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet that’s low in saturated fat and high in fibre found in whole grains can help to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
More about type 2 diabetes
Heart health
A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy can help to reduce your risk of heart disease by maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
High blood pressure and cholesterol can be a symptom of too much salt and saturated fats in your diet.
Eating a portion of oily fish – such as salmon and trout – each week can also help to lower your risk of developing heart disease. The high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish are good for heart health.
