Plan your meals around this group: Bread and rolls of all kinds. Rice, pasta, noodles. Breakfast cereals, porridge. Cereals e.g. bulgar wheat, millet. Potatoes. Sweet potatoes, yams, cassava, plantain. Typical servings include: A bowl of cereal, bread in a sandwich, bread with a meal, a portion of potato or plantain, a portion of rice or pasta. The bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice group of foods are an excellent source of energy protein and fibre. Bread and cereals are rich in B vitamins. Bread provides some calcium and iron. Breakfast cereals can be a good source of vitamins and minerals e.g. iron, B vitamins and folate, (sugar coated varieties are not recommended). Check labels for added vitamins. Wholemeal or wholegrain bread and cereals, wholemeal pasta, brown rice and potatoes with the skin on are all good sources of fibre. Other sources of fibre are fruits and vegetables, pulses and nuts.

CHOLESTEROL is a fat-like substance needed by all body cells. It is the material from which many hormones are made and from which we make vitamin D. A lot of people have too much cholesterol in their blood, either because it is an inherited trait or because their diet is TOO rich in fat. Because we make several times more cholesterol in our bodies than we get from our diet, only people with very high blood cholesterol levels need to be concerned about cutting down on high-cholesterol foods such as eggs and shellfish. Many people may benefit from eating less fat.