How healthy is your diet?

For cancer prevention, experts recommend that we base our diet around nutritious plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, and pulses such as beans.

Why are these plant-based foods so important?

One reason is that they tend to be lower in ‘energy density’, meaning that they provide fewer calories but help to keep us feeling fuller for longer due to their fibre and water content. They also provide a wide range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that our bodies need, as well as several phytochemicals - naturally occurring compounds in plants that have potentially health promoting effects.

How healthy is your diet? Try our quiz

How important are plant foods in your diet? Let's find out.

Please choose the answer that most closely represents what you actually do, or what you would be most likely to do, in each situation.

Breakfast is usually:

1. A muffin and an orange juice
2. A bowl of porridge or cereal with fresh or dried fruit
3. Fried egg, bacon and sausages

Thinking about the amount of meat in your diet, do you:

1. Have a medium-sized portion of red or processed meat a few times week
2. Usually fill two thirds or more of your plate with plant foods and one third or less with lean meat
3. Always include a large portion of red or processed meat with your meals

Meals and snacks:

1. If you think about the meals and snacks you've eaten over the past week, your choices of plant foods (vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and pulses) have included:
2. 10 - 20 different kinds
3. More than 20 different types of these foods
4. Less than 10 different kinds

You eat takeaways or fast foods:

1. A few times a week
2. Occasionally as a treat
3. Almost every day

The number of portions of vegetables and fruits you have in a typical day is:

1. Between two and four
2. Five or more
3. One or less