Nutrition at Leeds Hospital

What is nutrition?

Nutrition covers how the body takes in and uses food to support growth, health and everyday function. It involves breaking food down into nutrients; the substances the body needs to work properly.

Good nutrition can lower the risk of disease and support both physical healing and mental health. Researchers are also exploring how the food we eat may influence mood and mental wellbeing more broadly.

What does nutrition cover?

Nutrients generally fall into a few main groups:

• Macronutrients, needed in larger amounts, which provide energy: carbohydrates, protein as well as fat
• Micronutrients, needed in smaller amounts but just as essential: vitamins and minerals
• Water, which carries nutrients and oxygen around the body and plays a part in almost every bodily process.

How much of each a person needs varies with age, sex, activity level and factors like pregnancy. Getting the wrong balance, whether too much, too little, or too little variety, can play a part in problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, alongside being underweight, overweight or obese.

Why does good nutrition matter?

Eating a varied, balanced diet gives the body the full range of nutrients it needs to function well. This can help maintain a healthy weight, lower the risk of long-term conditions, and support energy levels, immune function and general wellbeing.

What are the main food groups?

The NHS Eatwell Guide splits food into five main groups, and suggests roughly how much of each should make up a balanced diet, looked at over a day or a week rather than in every single meal:

• Fruit and vegetables: aim for 5 or more portions daily, forming a bit over a third of what you eat overall
• Starchy foods: such as potatoes, bread, rice or pasta, ideally higher-fibre or wholegrain varieties, forming another substantial third-or-so of your diet
• Protein foods: including beans, pulses, fish, eggs or meat, aiming for fish twice weekly at minimum, with one of those portions being an oily variety
• Dairy and dairy alternatives: such as milk, cheese or yoghurt, or fortified soya-based options – go for lower fat and lower sugar products where possible
• Oils and spreads: choose unsaturated types such as vegetable or olive oil, and using them sparingly.

Anything heavy in fat, salt or sugar sits outside these five groups entirely. They're not needed as part of a healthy diet, so are best kept to smaller amounts and eaten less often.

How can I build healthier eating habits day to day?

• Aim for 5 or more varied helpings of fruit and vegetables each day – fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, though juices and smoothies should be limited to a combined 150ml a day
• Base meals around higher-fibre starchy foods, and watch the fats added when cooking or serving them
• Work fish into your week at least twice, with one of those helpings coming from an oily variety such as salmon or mackerel
• Swap saturated fats, found in things like fatty meat, butter or pastries, for unsaturated ones like vegetable oils and avocados
• Keep an eye on added sugar found heavily in fizzy drinks, sweets or many packaged snacks
• Keep salt to roughly 6g daily at most, about a teaspoon's worth, bearing in mind much of this is already baked into shop-bought food rather than added at the table
• Stay active alongside eating well, and aim for a healthy weight rather than focusing on diet alone
• Drink regularly through the day, around 6 to 8 glasses of fluid, with water, lower-fat milk and lower-sugar drinks being the better choices.

These changes tend to work best built up gradually rather than all at once, and anyone with a specific health condition, or who is pregnant, should speak with their GP or a registered dietitian for advice tailored to them.

What are the risks of poor nutrition?

A diet that’s poorly balanced, whether from eating too much, too little, or not enough variety, is linked to a range of health risks, including:

• being overweight, obese, or underweight, each of which carries its own health risks
• conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke
• deficiencies in specific vitamins or minerals, which can affect areas such as bone health, immunity or energy levels
• tooth decay, particularly linked to sugary food and drink.

Speak to a GP or registered dietitian if you're concerned about your diet or nutrient intake, particularly if you have an existing health condition.