IT’S important to eat a variety of foods to make a balanced diet. It’s as simple as eating more fruits, vegetables, starchy, fiber-rich foods and fresh products.
Most nutrition experts agree that mealtimes should be a pleasure, rather than a penance. This means that it’s fine to eat small amounts of our favorite food from time to time which belongs to the fatty, sugary, salty and processed food group.
Bread, other cereals and potatoes
Go for high-fiber varieties where they are available, such as whole-grain cereals, whole-meal bread and brown rice. These group of foods provides carbs, fiber, B vitamins and small amounts of calcium and iron. They should fill roughly a third of your plate at mealtimes.
Eat these at each meal. They also make for good snacks. Typical serving sizes are two slices of bread in a sandwich or with a meal, a tennis ball-sized serving of pasta, potato, rice, noodles or couscous, a bowl of porridge and a handful of breakfast cereal.
Fruits and Vegetables
Food in this group include all fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned and dried products, and unsweetened fruit juice. Choose canned fruit juice, rather than syrup and go for vegetable canned in water without added salt or sugar. This set of food provides fiber and a range of vitamins and minerals. They should fill roughly a third of your plate at mealtimes.
Eat five different servings every day. Typical serving sizes consist of a piece of fruit, such as apple, banana, pear, mango, watermelon; two small fruits, like guava, chico, lanzones, rambutan; a bowl of fruit salad, canned or stewed fruit; a small glass of unsweetened fruit juice; a cereal bowl of salad; and 3 tablespoon of vegetables.
Milk and dairy
For your milk, cheese and yogurt requirement, choose low-fat varieties, such as semiskimmed milk, reduced-fat cheese and fat-free yoghurt. These contain protein, calcium and a range of vitamins and minerals. They should fill no more than a sixth of your plate at mealtimes.
Eat two or three servings a day. Typical serving consists of 200 ml of milk, a small pot of yoghurt and a small matchbox-sized piece of cheese.
Meat, fish and alternatives
Food in this group include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds. Choose low-fat varieties where available, such as extra-lean minced beef and skinless chicken, and don’t add extra fat or salt. These foods provide protein and a range of vitamins and minerals, especially iron. They should fill no more than a sixth of your plate at mealtimes.
Eat two servings a day. Typical serving sizes: a piece of meat, chicken or fish the size of a deck of cards, one to two eggs, 3 heaped tablespoons of beans and a small handful of nuts or seeds.
Fatty and sugary food
Food in this group are oils, spreading fats, cream, mayonnaise, oily salad dressings, cakes, biscuits, puddings, crisps, savory snacks, sugar, preserves, confectionery and sugary soft drinks. These foods contain fat, sugar and salt, and should only be eaten occasionally.
Eat only small amounts of these. Typical serving consists of a small packet of sweets or a small bar of chocolate, a small slice of cake, a couple of small biscuits, 1-level tablespoon mayo, salad dressing or olive oil, and a small packet of crisps.
More tips to help you eat healthily
Stick to the same proportions of the different foods on your plate but choose lower-calorie food from each section. If you want to be really strict, replace any fatty and sugary foods on your plate for extra fruit and veggies.
Eat more fish
All fish is a good source of protein and many different vitamins and minerals. Plus, oil-rich fish are also a good source of omega-3 fats, which help to keep our heart healthy. In particular, omega-3 fats make the blood less sticky and so can help prevent blood clots. They also keep the heart beating rhythmically, and lower levels of triglycerides, a type of fat that is found in the blood, high level of which are linked to heart disease and diabetes.
Eat fewer saturated fats and transfats
Aside as cutting down on the total amount of fat that we eat, it’s also important to make sure we are eating the rightfats. Food that are rich in saturates or transfat increase the amount of cholesterol in blood, which, in turn, increases our risk of heart disease. In contrast, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats help lower blood-cholesterol levels and, so, reduce the risk of heart disease. Food that are rich in saturates include fatty meat and meat products, butter, lard, cream, pastry, biscuits and full-fat dairy products.
Watch for hidden sugars
Many sugary products, such as sweets, cakes, biscuits and soft or fizzy drinks, contain few nutrients but are high in calories. As a result, they are sometimes described as providing “empty” calories. If you are not sure whether a product contains a lot of sugar, check the label. Look out for ingredients, like sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, invert sugar, corn syrup and honey, too—they’re all types of sugar. According to the US Food Standards Agency, 10grams of sugars or more per 100 gm is a lot of sugar, while 2 gm sugars or less per 100 gm is a little sugar.
Have no more than 6 gm of salt a day
Too much salt increases the risk of high blood pressure, which, in turn, is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. While most of us no longer add salt to cooking or meals, around three quarters of the salt in our diet comes from processed foods, such as noodles, sauces, bread, savory snacks, pies, pizza and ready meals. The US food agency suggests that foods, with 1.25 gm of salt or 0.5 gm of sodium per 100 gm or more are to be high in salt. Those containing 0.25 gm salt or 0.1 gm sodium per 100 gm or less are low in salt.
Drink plenty of water
Drink around six to eight glasses (1.2 liters) of water, or other fluids, every day to prevent dehydration. Aside from helping the body get rid of waste products and toxins in the urine, water transports nutrients and oxygen around the body in the blood; it acts as a lubricant for our joints and eyes; it helps us swallow; it cushions and protects our nerves; and it helps control our body temperature.
Research also shows that drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated can do everything, from helping with weight control and beating tiredness to boosting concentration and fighting wrinkles. Water is also one of the best choices for keeping teeth healthy and free from decay.
Stick to sensible limits for alcohol. Health experts recommend women to drink no more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day, and men no more than 3 to 4 units daily, where 1 unit equals half a pint of standard-strength beer, lager or cider, or a single measure of spirits. A glass of wine is about 2 units and a bottle of alcopop about 1.5 to 2 units. As well as damaging your liver, alcohol is high in calories, so regularly drinking large amounts of booze can contribute to unwanted weight gain. In contrast, drinking less alcohol can often help people lose weight.
Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast
Research shows that, when we miss a meal, most of us overcompensate by eating more later in the day, and, so, end up having even more calories. When we skip meals, our blood-sugar levels drop dramatically, and this usually leaves us feeling low in energy, tired, hungry, irritable and suffering with carb cravings.
Skipping meals also means we end up skipping vital vitamins and minerals, which we tend not to replace during the day. This makes us harder to meet our daily needs for these nutrients, particularly calcium and iron, with the result that we may end up deficient in them. This, in turn, means we are more likely to suffer with health problems, such as anemia, due to lack of iron, or osteoporosis in later life due to poor calcium intake when we are younger.
(Article condensed from Dietician by Juliette Kellow, BSc RD)