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Nutrition, Diet Specialists |
What is a healthy diet?
Healthy eating means eating a balanced diet. You can eat all foods, it's just you should eat more of some foods than others. Try to eat a variety of different foods. Consult with a Nutritionist Dietician for more details.
- You should eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. A serving is about half a cup.
- Try to eat six servings of whole meal breads/chapati. Eating a high-fiber diet can reduce intestinal problems such as stomach pains and constipation.
- Eat two servings of low fat diary products a day (e.g. low fat yogurt/skim milk) and just one serving of meat, nuts or eggs a day.
- Keep high fat and sweet treats to a minimum.
- Also, try to use a variety of different cooking methods for preparing meals. Avoid frying foods all the time.
- Avoid strict low-fat diets because they can actually make it easier to put weight back on if the diet is abandoned. They can reduce your energy expenditure, making it easier to gain weight when normal eating is resumed.
- Avoid saturated fats which raise cholesterol levels such as fatty meats, dairy products, and pastries.
- Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are better than saturated fats (meat and dairy products) but they can still make you put on weight. These include margarine, cooking oils, avocados and nuts.
- Healthy eating can reduce the chance of developing certain diseases like diabetes, heart disease and possibly some cancers.
- You may need to eat more if you are a teenager, pregnant or an active sports person.
- Drink at least six glasses of water a day. Limit intake of alcohol.
Tips for changing your diet
- Cut down on fatty foods by choosing lean meat and remove skin from chicken. Make fish the main meal twice a week.
- Eat when hungry, not when bored. And eat only what you need to feel full. If you eat at a slower pace you avoid over eating.
- Eat smaller amounts if you want to lose weight, and exercise more.
- Do not skip breakfast and establish a good eating routine.
- Make one healthy change a week to your diet.
- Try to avoid always eating fried foods. Use baking, steaming, grilling and stir-frying. Use a non-stick fry pan and do not use oil, or just use a tiny amount.
- Cut down on salt by using herbs to spice foods instead. Use only a little salt in cooking.
- Choose tomato based sauces over creamy ones, and ask for grilled not fried foods.
- Try to snack on healthy food between meals such as a piece of fruit, raw vegetables, or a sandwich.
- Read the information labels on packaging. Ingredients should be listed in order of quantity starting with the largest amount first. Low or no cholesterol on a label gives little information about fat content. Look for "low saturated fat" or "polyunsaturated fat" or "unsaturated fat" products, rather than "low cholesterol" products.
- Ideally, choose products with less than one gram of fat per serving.
- Choose low-fat milk, except for under five-year-olds.
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