• Home
  • Health library
  • Healthy diet

Healthy diet

Following a healthy diet is important for general health and wellbeing. A healthy diet involves eating a variety of foods and getting the right balance of starchy carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, protein, dairy or dairy alternatives, and fluids (6 to 8 glasses of water a day are recommended).

Clarissa Lenherr header image
Expert advice: Do I really need a sugar detox?
Person in striped T-shirt eating bowl of cherries
What are the health benefits of cherries?
Two glasses of spirulina drink
What is spirulina and does it have any health benefits?
Milk thistle flowers and seeds on wooden table
What is milk thistle – and does it have any health benefits?
Figs in a bowl with 1 cut open to show fig benefits
What are the health benefits of figs?
heart healthy foods to eat arranged in heart shape on pink background
6 heart-friendly foods to eat more of
Glass pot of yoghurt topped with cereal, blueberries and strawberries
6 foods that boost your immune system
2 glasses of oat milk next to bowel of oats on board
What is oat milk – and is it good for you?
Clarissa Lenherr header image
Expert advice: What's the real benefit of drinking lemon water?
Two glasses of green juice recommended by the SirtFood Diet
What is the SirtFood Diet – and is it safe?
Cut open coconuts and a bottle of MCT oil on a white background with palm leaves
What is MCT oil – and does it have any health benefits?
Honey running from a wooden dipper
Does manuka honey have any health benefits?
Sesame tempeh skewers on a chopping board with spicy peanut sauce.
What is tempeh and what are its health benefits?
3 mason jars full of quinoa and salad
Quinoa: what is it and what are the health benefits?
Healthy breakfast ideas homemade breakfast bars
10 healthy breakfast ideas
Should you be using protein powder?
Should you be using protein powder?
Whey protein powder sports bodybuilding supplement.
How to use protein powder
brooke-lark-HlNcigvUi4Q-unsplash
What is intuitive eating and how does it work?
iStock-1223933342 (1)
How long do probiotics take to work? Your probiotics questions answered
Do goji berries have any health benefits?
Do goji berries have any health benefits?
iStock-1212150633 (1)
Vitamin C foods: what to eat
Milk in a mason jar
Vitamin B12 foods: what to eat
kelly-neil-omEpnvmwWz0-unsplash
Vitamin A foods: what to eat
edgar-castrejon-zVNCNzQg30s-unsplash
7 healthy dinner ideas for 2
Credit: FotoMaximum
What are the health benefits of avocado?
Credit: NelliSyr
7 healthy sweet potato recipes
Credit: sveta_zarzamora
6 benefits of cutting out sugar
block of butter - eating fats
Is eating fat bad for you?
A cup of pink Himalayan salt
8 foods you're eating that aren't as healthy as you think
Hot dogs with ketchup and fries
Are you eating more sugar than you realise?
Healthy breakfast cereals
Healthy breakfast cereals
Do goji berries deserve their A-list status?
Do goji berries deserve their A-list status?
How to get more fibre into your diet
How to get more fibre into your diet
Healthy eating for teens
Healthy eating for teens
Fat: the facts
Fat: the facts
Green tea: the elixir of life or just hype?
Green tea: the elixir of life or just hype?
The healthy way to eat eggs
The healthy way to eat eggs
Food and drinks for sport
Food and drinks for sport
What is a Mediterranean diet?
What is a Mediterranean diet?
Pomegranate: superfood or fad?
Pomegranate: superfood or fad?
Water, drinks and your health
Water, drinks and your health
How to cut down on sugar in your diet
How to cut down on sugar in your diet
The truth about sweeteners
The truth about sweeteners
Oily fish: mighty omega-3 or codswallop?
Oily fish: mighty omega-3 or codswallop?
Eight tips for healthy eating
Eight tips for healthy eating
Beans and pulses in your diet
Beans and pulses in your diet
Eating processed foods
Eating processed foods
Meat in your diet
Meat in your diet
Milk and dairy in your diet
Milk and dairy in your diet
Can eating too much black liquorice be bad for you?
Can eating too much black liquorice be bad for you?
Healthy eating out
Healthy eating out
What does 100 calories look like?
What does 100 calories look like?
Eating a balanced diet
Eating a balanced diet
Is garlic an everyday superfood?
Is garlic an everyday superfood?
What is the glycaemic index (GI)?
What is the glycaemic index (GI)?
Wheatgrass: detox tonic or just juice?
Wheatgrass: detox tonic or just juice?
Food labelling terms
Food labelling terms
How to eat less saturated fat
How to eat less saturated fat
Starchy foods and carbohydrates
Starchy foods and carbohydrates
What should my daily intake of calories be?
What should my daily intake of calories be?
Fish and shellfish
Fish and shellfish
Underweight children aged 6-12
Underweight children aged 6-12
How does sugar in our diet affect our health?
How does sugar in our diet affect our health?
Cut down on your calories
Cut down on your calories
Healthier lunchboxes
Healthier lunchboxes
What are superfoods?
What are superfoods?
Tips for a lower-salt diet
Tips for a lower-salt diet
People sitting around a festive table eating food (credit - gpointstudio)
Eaten too much over the holidays? Here's what to do next
Stuffed turkey breast with pomegranate and rosemary on cutting board (credit - Vitalina)
Is turkey healthy?
Man serving a portion of salad to someone at lunch
5 A Day portion sizes

Latest articles

Woman holding half an orange
Bacterial vaginosis: what is it and how do you deal with it?

Your need-to-know guide to bacterial vaginosis, including symptoms, causes and treatment options.

Sleep problems in children: what really works
Sleep problems in children: what really works

If your child struggles to sleep it can be hard to know what’s normal and what’s not – and it can affect family life. Solving your child’s sleep probl...

Wax strips
Hair removal: which method is best for you?

Want to remove body or facial hair? Learn the pros and cons of each option, from plucking and trimming to hair removal creams, epilating and waxing.

Doctor checking for thyroid problems
Thyroid problems: types, signs you have one and how to cope

Thyroid disease is when your thyroid gland stops working properly. Learn about the symptoms of thyroid problems, and how to deal with them.

Ingrown hairs: symptoms, causes and how to get rid of them
Ingrown hairs: symptoms, causes and how to get rid of them

Learn about the symptoms of ingrown hairs, what causes them, and how to get rid of them and stop them coming back.

Woman shaving her face
Excessive hair in women (hirsutism): how to deal with it

Hirsutism means excessive hair growth in women. Learn what causes it, and find out about your hirsutism treatment options.

Hay fever: spot the symptoms and find the best treatment
Hay fever: spot the symptoms and find the best treatment

Ease your hay fever symptoms with our guide, including medical treatment and self-help tips whether you’re indoors or out and about.

16 tips to make your smear test more comfortable
16 tips to make your smear test more comfortable

Feeling nervous, worried or anxious about your smear test? These 16 tips can help make your next cervical screening more comfortable.

FGM: what it is, health risks and how to get support
FGM: what it is, health risks and how to get support

Female genital mutilation (FGM) causes serious health issues for girls and women. Learn the facts, and how to get help if you need it.

Woman sneezing
Antihistamines: which one is right for you?

Could an antihistamine help your allergy? There are many types, from tablets to nasal sprays, so which is right for you? We look at what’s available a...

View all
Trust Marker

Our company

  • About
  • Safety
  • Our team
  • Advisory board
  • Medical team
  • Editorial team
  • Careers

Our products

  • Download app
  • Health library
  • Symptom checker
  • Symptoms A-Z
  • Business services

Community

  • Blog
  • Press
  • Covid-19 data
  • Contact
  • Healthily API

Legal

  • Terms of service
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Cookie settings
  • Using Healthily safely
  • Certificates
  • Editorial policy and principles
  • Accessibility
  • Explainability Statement

Healthily is committed to producing high-quality, evidence-based, functional consumer health and care information. To support this, we apply the principles and quality statements of The Information Standard fully to ensure that our process for producing information follows best practice.

© 2017 - 2022 Your.MD Ltd. UK