food

Yes, particularly if you’re over 40 and have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure, or both.

Eating more than 57g (2 ounces) of black liquorice a day for at least 2 weeks could lead to potentially serious health problems, such as an increase in blood pressure and an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

For most people, liquorice found in foods is safe to eat and safe when consumed in large amounts in medicines for short periods of time.

General health advice about black liquorice

No matter how old you are, you should avoid eating large amounts of black liquorice over a short space of time.

If you have been eating a lot of black liquorice and have heart palpitations, muscle weakness or other health-related problems, stop eating it immediately and seek medical advice.

Black liquorice can interact with some medications, herbs and dietary supplements.

Get advice from a GP or pharmacist if you have questions about possible interactions with a medication or supplement you’re taking.

Yes, you can get food poisoning from eating reheated rice. It’s not the reheating that causes the problem, but the way the rice has been stored before it’s reheated.

How does reheated rice cause food poisoning?

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. The spores can survive when rice is cooked. If rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores can grow into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins could make the rice unsafe to eat.

Symptoms of food poisoning

If you eat rice that contains Bacillus cereus bacteria, you may be sick and experience vomiting or diarrhoea about 1 to 5 hours afterwards. Symptoms are relatively mild and usually last about 24 hours.

Tips on serving rice safely

• Ideally, serve rice as soon as it has been cooked.
• If that isn’t possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within 1 hour).
• Keep rice in the fridge for no more than 1 day until reheating.
• When you reheat any rice, always check the dish is steaming hot all the way through.
• Do not reheat rice more than once

Most people don’t need to take vitamin supplements and are able to get all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin C, that your body needs in small amounts to work properly. Many people choose to take supplements, but taking too much or taking them for too long could be harmful. The Department of Health recommends certain supplements for some groups of people who are at risk of deficiency. These are described below.

Folic acid supplements in pregnancy

All women thinking of having a baby should have a folic acid supplement, as should any pregnant woman up to week 12 of her pregnancy. Folic acid can help to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Vitamin D supplements

Some groups of the population are at greater risk of not getting enough vitamin D, and the Department of Health recommends these people take daily vitamin D supplements. These groups are:

• all babies from birth to 1 year of age (including breastfed babies, and formula-fed babies who have less than 500ml a day of infant formula)
• all children aged 1 to 4 years old
• people who are not often exposed to the sun – for example, people who are frail or housebound, are in an institution such as a care home, or usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors

For the rest of the population, everyone over the age of 5 years (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) is advised to consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D. But most people aged 5 years and above will probably get enough vitamin D from sunlight in the summer (late March/early April to the end of September), so you might choose not to take a vitamin D supplement during these months.

Supplements containing vitamins A, C and D

All children aged 6 months to 5 years should take a supplement containing vitamins A, C and D. This is a precaution because growing children may not get enough of these vitamins, especially those not eating a varied diet – for example, fussy eaters. Your GP may also recommend supplements if you need them for a medical condition. For example, you may be prescribed iron supplements to treat iron deficiency anaemia.

Fizzy (effervescent) tablets: salt advice

Effervescent vitamin supplements or effervescent painkillers can contain up to 1g of salt per tablet. Consider changing to a non-effervescent tablet, particularly if you have been advised to watch or reduce your salt intake.

Whether you consult a registered dietitian or a registered nutritionist will depend on the kind of advice you want.

A dietitian is a qualified health professional, who as well as providing general health advice, can also work with people with special dietary needs due to health conditions such as coeliac disease.

A nutritionist should be able to provide information about food and healthy eating, but not about special diets for medical conditions.

Nutritionists

The title of nutritionists isn’t protected by law, meaning that anyone can advertise their services as a nutritionist. So it’s important to find a nutritionist who is appropriately qualified and registered by a trustworthy professional body.

There are many medical reasons for being underweight. Before trying to put on weight, you need to know that it’s safe to do so.

The best way is to make sure you’re supervised by someone appropriately qualified.

Check if you’re a healthy weight for your height using the BMI healthy weight calculator.

If you’re underweight, your GP can check for any health conditions that may have caused you to lose weight, such as:

• an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
• type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• coeliac disease, a condition that prevents your body absorbing food properly
• eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa
• body dysmorphic disorder

Once the cause of your weight loss has been found, your GP can give you advice about making changes to your diet, sometimes with the help of a dietitian.

The type of food you’ll need to eat to put on weight will depend on what’s causing you to be underweight.

As part of a healthy, balanced diet, you should consume fewer foods and drinks that are high in sugars. Sugary foods and drinks can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals.

Many foods that contain added sugars also contain lots of calories but often have few other nutrients. Eating these foods frequently can contribute to becoming overweight.

What is sugar?

All sugars are carbohydrates found naturally in most foods. Their main nutritional value is in providing energy. However, sugar is also added to lots of foods, such as sweets, chocolate, cakes, and some fizzy and juice drinks.

In the ingredients list, sugar added to food may be called:

• glucose
• sucrose
• maltose
• corn syrup
• honey
• hydrolysed starch
• invert sugar
• fructose
• molasses

How much sugar?

Added sugars shouldn’t make up more than 5% of the energy (calorie intake) you get from food and drink each day. This is about 30g of sugar a day for those aged 11 and over.

Fruit juice and honey can also count as added sugars, as they’re sometimes added to foods to make them sweeter.

Fruit juice is still a healthy choice (one 150ml serving counts towards your 5 A Day). However, the sugars can damage your teeth, so it’s best to drink it with a meal and no more than one serving a day.

This is because sugars are released during the juicing process. Sugars in whole pieces of fruit are less likely to cause tooth decay because they are contained within the food.

You shouldn’t cut down on fruit. It’s an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Check food labels

Read the nutritional information on food labels to see how much sugar the food contains. Remember that sugar has many different names.

The nearer to the beginning of the ingredient list the sugar is, the more sugar the product contains.

Look for the “carbohydrates (of which sugars)” figure in the nutrition label to see how much sugar the product contains for every 100g:

• more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g is high
• 5g of total sugars or less per 100g is low

If the amount of sugars per 100g is between these figures, it’s a medium amount of sugars.

Cutting down on sugar

These tips may help you cut down on sugar:

• instead of sugary, fizzy drinks and juice drinks, go for water or unsweetened fruit juice – remember to dilute fruit juices for children to further reduce the sugar
• if you take sugar in hot drinks or add it to cereal, gradually reduce the amount until you can cut it out altogether
• check nutrition labels to help you pick the foods with less added sugar, or go for the low-sugar version
• choose tins of fruit in juice – rather than in syrup
• choose wholegrain breakfast cereals – but not those coated with sugar or honey

The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.

High GI foods

Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose have a high GI rating. High GI foods include:

• sugar and sugary foods
• sugary soft drinks
• white bread
• potatoes
• white rice

Low and medium GI foods

Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time. They include:

• some fruit and vegetables
• pulses
• wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats

Are low GI foods healthier?

Some low GI foods, such as wholegrain foods, fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils, are foods we should eat as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

However, using the glycaemic index to decide whether foods or combinations of foods are healthy can be misleading.

Foods with a high GI are not necessarily unhealthy and not all foods with a low GI are healthy. For example, watermelon and parsnips are high GI foods, while chocolate cake has a lower GI value.

Also, foods that contain or are cooked with fat and protein slow down the absorption of carbohydrate, lowering their GI. For example, crisps have a lower GI than potatoes cooked without fat. However, crisps are high in fat and should be eaten in moderation.

If you only eat foods with a low GI, your diet may be unbalanced and high in fat.

Can low GI foods help me lose weight?

Low GI foods, which cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly, may help you feel fuller for longer. This could help control your appetite and may be useful if you’re trying to lose weight.

However, as mentioned above, not all foods with a low GI are healthy. Therefore, relying on GI alone is not a reliable way to decide whether foods or combinations of foods are healthy.

Can the glycaemic index help people with diabetes?

If you have diabetes, it’s useful to understand the glycaemic index, because eating foods with low GI ratings can help control blood glucose.

However, other factors must also be taken into account. Research has shown that the amount of carbohydrate you eat, rather than its GI rating, has the biggest influence on blood glucose levels after meals.

It’s also important to eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat, sugar and salt, and high in fruit and vegetables. If you’ve been advised to make changes to your diet, or you need advice, a diabetes dietitian can help you work out a diet plan. Speak to your GP about being referred to a dietitian.

Within a healthy, balanced diet, a man needs around 10,500kJ (2,500kcal) a day to maintain his weight. For a woman, that figure is around 8,400kJ (2,000kcal) a day.

These values can vary depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things.

What are calories?

Calories are a measure of how much energy food or drink contains. The amount of energy you need will depend on:

• your age – for example, growing children and teenagers may need more energy
• your lifestyle – for example, how active you are
• your size – your height and weight can affect how quickly you use energy

Other factors can also affect how much energy you burn. For example:

• some hormones (chemicals produced by the body) – such as thyroid hormones
• some medications – such as glucocorticoids, a type of steroid used to treat inflammation
• being unwell

Calories and kilocalories

The term calorie is commonly used as shorthand for kilocalorie. You will find this written as kcal on food packets. Kilojoules (kJ) are the equivalent of kilocalories within the International System of Units, and you’ll see both kJ and kcal on nutrition labels – 4.2kJ is equivalent to approximately 1kcal.

Maintaining a healthy weight

To maintain a healthy weight, you need to balance the amount of calories you consume through food and drink with the amount of calories you burn through physical activity.

To lose weight in a healthy way, you need to use more energy than you consume by eating a healthy, balanced diet with fewer calories while increasing your physical activity.

For more information on weight loss, download the NHS weight loss plan, our free 12-week diet and exercise plan.

Gaining weight

You should get advice from your GP if you’re underweight (your body mass index is less than 18.5).

Making changes to your diet can help reduce your risk of having another heart attack.

Other lifestyle changes, such as drinking less alcohol, taking regular exercise, giving up smoking (if you smoke) and maintaining a healthy weight can also help.

Read more about making other lifestyle changes after having a heart attack.

Mediterranean diet

There’s evidence to show that eating a Mediterranean-style diet can reduce your risk of having another heart attack.

To make your diet more Mediterranean you can:

• eat more fruit, salad and vegetables
• eat more wholegrains, nuts and seeds
• eat more fish
• eat less meat
• choose products made from vegetable and plant oils, such as olive oil, rather than dairy products, such as butter and cheese

Oily fish

You should eat at least 2 portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish.

Oily fish is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease.

Examples of oily fish include:

• herring
• sardines
• mackerel
• salmon
• trout

One portion is about 140g, which is equivalent to a small tin of oily fish or a small fillet of fresh fish.

Read more about oily fish.

Healthier ways to cook

Don’t fry or roast food in fat. Instead, prepare and cook your food using healthy methods such as:

• steaming
• poaching
• baking
• stir-frying
• making a casserole
• using the microwave

Buttery, cheesy or creamy sauces tend to be high in fat. Instead, try adding flavour to your sauces using spices, herbs and lemon juice.

Foods to avoid

Avoid foods that are high in:

• saturated fat (this is the current guidance, although further studies on saturated fat are needed)
• salt
• sugar

Foods containing high amounts of fat, salt or sugar include:

• fried foods
• sweets and confectionery
• takeaways
• processed foods
• pre-packaged foods

Read more about healthy eating.

Supplements to avoid

Don’t take beta-carotene supplements (beta-carotene is a type of vitamin A). Research has shown that taking these supplements may increase your risk of having another heart attack.

Also, taking vitamin C, vitamin E or folic acid supplements won’t help prevent another heart attack. There’s no evidence to suggest that taking any of these supplements will have any benefit.