Eat for your future

How to eat in your late teens and 20s
A healthy diet for young adults need not be boring, you can still eat crisps and chocolate, but keep them for treats. Each day make sure you eat around two to three portions a day of protein. This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, pulses such as peas, beans, lentils or nuts. Make sure that you also have three portions of either milk, cheese or yoghurt to bump up your calcium levels. Aim also to eat four portions a day of either bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes. Try also to fit in five portions a day of fruit and vegetables.

A typical day's eating

Breakfast

• A bowl of muesli or nut-based cereal with chopped papaya and semi- skimmed milk.
• 2 slices of wholemeal toast with reduced-fat spread and marmalade
• Glass of orange juice

Packed lunch

• Pasta salad made with wholemeal pasta, feta cheese, olives and cucumber
• Pot of reduced- fat yogurt
• Banana

Dinner

• Chilli con carne with boiled rice
• Corn on the cob and boiled runner beans
• Baked apple with raisins

Snacks

• Fresh or dried fruit, wholemeal scones, breakfast cereal - choose according to appetite.