LUNCHBOX

According to Juliette Kellow, a state-registered dietician and the associate editor of Slimming magazine, Christine's lunch would have given her 480 calories of which 66 per cent came from carbohydrates and 21 per cent from fat - with just 4 per cent of that from saturates.

"On the whole this is a really great lunch and follows most of the healthy eating recommendations," says Juliette. "In particular the meal is packed with carbohydrate, especially the starchy type of carbohydrate which provides the body with a slow, steady supply of energy. For good health most people should have at least half their calories from this nutrient. Two-thirds of the calories came from carbohydrate in this meal and this is nicely balanced with a low fat intake."

The lunch also contains good amounts of fibre from the baked beans but also from the banana and softgrain bread. "Like most pulses baked beans are a particularly rich source of soluble fibre, the type of fibre which is thought to help reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood," Juliette says.

"Because this meal contains foods from each of the four main groups it's packed with nutrients. In particular, intakes of iron are good with the beans and bread providing most of this nutrient. Eating foods rich in Vitamin C helps the body make the best use of the iron in plant foods such as beans and bread, so having a vitamin C-rich food such as a small glass of unsweetened orange juice with this meal would be a good idea."

Glenda Cooper