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It was interesting to read Amanda Ursell's piece in the Times recently (‘Let's Hear it for the Bad Guys’) which was a slightly unorthodox approach to get us to rethink how we look at certain foods including ice cream, white bread and kebabs.

Of course, the central point is that we would all benefit from enjoying a balanced and varied diet with everything in moderation. The fact that Amanda can write a whole column telling us it is okay to actually eat meat and butter shows how easy it is to forget this.

I wanted to respond with some other foods that are often maligned, ignored or both and should be enjoyed by more people, in my humble opinion. To paraphrase George Orwell's Animal Farm, you might say all foods are equal, but that some are more equal than others...

Carbs  

Given a bad press by several high profile weight loss diets, some people give carbohydrates a comprehensive body swerve.  This really is a mistake – gram for gram they actually contain less than half the calories of fat.  A balanced diet should have around a third of our calories coming from starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice.  They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet, including starch, fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Avocado and nuts 

Both contain monounsaturated fat, which has a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels.  Both are a healthy choice, if eaten in moderation. Half an avocado also counts as one of the five portions of  fruit and vegetables we should be eating each day.

Oily fish

Our average consumption of oily fish such as salmon, trout and herrings, is around a third of a portion a week – the recommendation is at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.  Apart from providing essential vitamins and minerals and being an excellent source of protein, oily fish is a good source of long chain omega 3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help protect against coronary heart disease.  Some people may have environmental concerns regarding certain types of fish but there are many sustainable sources.

and a bacon sandwich 

Apologies to Napoleon, Snowball and their other curly-tailed comrades, but regular readers will already know that I have a penchant for the odd bacon buttie as an occasional treat on a weekend.  Again, despite some rabid headlines recently, there is nothing wrong with some lean bacon every now and again as part of a balanced diet. 

I'm not advocating existing only on these foods (or even eating them all in one meal!).  My point is that sometimes there is a lot of confusion about a healthy diet, despite the principles being quite simple. It is the overall make-up of our diet that is important and there is scope to enjoy a massive range of foods in moderation.