The Eatwell Guide vs Perfect Diet Pyramid

Back in the 80’s I proposed my perfect diet pyramid, with six portions of fruit and veg, 4 servings of wholegrains and 3 servings of protein, mainly from fish, eggs and beans, quinoa, tofu and other vegetarian sources of protein, plus a little bit of essential fats from nut and seed oils, including olive oil.

Now, 30 years later, at last the Government’s Public health England (PHE) have published their new ‘Eatwell Guide’ shown below. It’s remarkably similar. Compared to the previous one that has misled people for decades, the sugary snacks and drinks are out, as are refined carbs, and the dairy portion has both reduced and gives options for dairy-free alternatives. How enlightened!

Followers of my low GL diet will know, for weight loss, I recommend a smaller portion of carbs (a quarter of a plate), thus half the plate for vegetables and the remaining quarter for protein-rich foods. That’s for weight loss, not for maintenance. In the Eatwell plate that means moving the line between green and yellow clockwise to line up with the pink. So, we are, at last, on the same page! Meanwhile, the low carb high fatists (LCHF) will object at the exclusion of fatty foods. Certainly, the Eatwell Guide lacks any mention of essential fats from nuts and seeds and oily fish. This is an omission. I guess it’s going to take a little longer for fat phobia to abate, However, most saturated fat is ‘empty’ calories, like sugar and refined foods, you get little in the way of nutrients but lots of calories. I like to eat ‘full’ calorie foods, packed with nutrients from whole foods, nuts, seeds and pulses. Watch my film and read my Special Report – What is a Well balanced Diet?