Nutrition

Our advice covers everything from getting the right amount of healthy food and cutting down on fat, salt and sugar to hydration and staying active.

Read our advice on Vitamin D intake during isolation

We’re here to help the people of Scotland eat well with a healthy, balanced diet. We give advice which helps everyone make good food choices in and out of the home. We also help make sure the food we eat is safe and as it’s described on the label or menu.  

A healthy, balanced diet consists of lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates plus some dairy, meat, fish, pulses and other kinds of protein. Use the Eatwell Guide to help you stay at a healthy weight, which will lower your risk of getting ill. It also has important advice about staying hydrated.

In this section

The five food groups

A balanced diet is made up of the five food groups.

Salt

Two thirds of us eat too much salt. Around 75% of salt we eat comes from everyday foods like bread, breakfast cereal and ready meals.

Fats

Too much fat, especially saturated fat, can increase the risk of heart disease.

Sugar

Most of us need to cut down on the sugar we consume, it's low in nutritional value and shouldn't be part of a healthy diet.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that our body needs to work properly.

Additives and E numbers

Retained EU law, applicable in Scotland, requires food additives to be assessed for safety before they can be used in food.

Healthy Eating Tutorial

Welcome to our online healthy eating tutorial.

Processed and ultra-processed foods

Five facts about processed and ultra-processed foods and a healthy balanced diet