# Eating for a healthy weight

Food you look forward to, planned ahead. What the NHS says about building a plate, and why the week works better decided before you are hungry.

> The NHS suggests filling half your plate with vegetables, including some protein in each meal, and keeping starchy food to no more than a third of what you eat each day. Plan the week ahead, shop from one list and choose food you enjoy. Talk to your GP before any very strict diet.

## Building the plate

NHS Better Health suggests filling half your plate with vegetables and including at least two portions of vegetables with your main meal. It says most vegetables are high in fibre and vitamins and low in calories.

It also suggests including some protein in each meal, such as beans, pulses, fish, eggs or lean meat, and keeping starchy food like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta to no more than a third of what you eat each day. Using smaller plates and bowls at mealtimes is another of its suggestions.

## Deciding before you are hungry

Most food decisions are made at the worst moment, tired and hungry at the end of a day. Planning a week of dinners on a calm evening, and shopping from one list, moves the decision to a better time. It also means the food in the house is the food you planned.

Food you look forward to matters. A plan made of meals you dread does not last a week. Generous, protein forward dinners, fakeaways cooked at home and a few favourites on repeat are a plan you can keep.

## No banned foods, no guilt

Nomeriu has no points, no banned foods and no guilt words. Every recipe shows calories and protein per serving so you can see what is in a meal, and weight tracking is optional.

Nomeriu is not medical advice. Before any very strict diet, talk to your GP, who can talk through a plan that is right for you.

## Questions

### How much of my plate should be vegetables?

NHS Better Health suggests filling half your plate with vegetables, with at least two portions alongside your main meal.

### Should every meal have protein?

NHS Better Health suggests including some protein in each meal, such as beans, pulses, fish, eggs or lean meat.

### Does Nomeriu set a calorie target?

No. Nomeriu shows calories and protein per serving on every recipe. For a plan of your own, talk to your GP.

Sources

- [NHS Better Health: Healthy eating when trying to lose weight](https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/healthy-eating-when-trying-to-lose-weight/) (Checked 23 October 2026. Half a plate of vegetables, protein in each meal, starchy food and smaller plates.)
- [HSE: How to eat well](https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/healthy-eating/how-to-eat-well/) (The Irish Food Pyramid, half a plate of fruit and vegetables, and planning meals in advance.)

See what Nomeriu plans for this kind of week: [feel full](https://nomeriu.com/for/feel-full).

Open Plan in the app: https://nomeriu.com/app/plan

Source: https://nomeriu.com/guides/eating-for-a-healthy-weight
Last updated: 2026-10-23