Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is about eating a balanced healthy diet, and avoiding junk foods which contains little or no nutritional value. In order to eat a balanced diet, you need to eat enough from the following four food groups.

Food Group 1 - Bread, Cereals, Rice, Pasta, Potatoes

Eat many of these foods since they are rich in carbohydrates which are our main source of energy. Nearly half of the calories of the diet should come from these foods. You should eat at least 6 servings of these foods per day. A serving is one slice of Bread, three medium sized potatoes, 30grams breakfast cereal or 100 grams of cooked rice or pasta. So include these foods with every meal of the day.

Try wholemeal bread, pasta and rice to increase your fibre intake. Go easy on high fat spreads like margarine and butter. Instead, try tomato sauces that have less calories then cream sauces.


Food Group 2 - Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and Vegetables are low in calories and fats, and high in fibre and anti oxidant vitamins and minerals that protect the arteries and veins. Eating loads of fruits and vegetables helps to improve the Vitamin C intake in the diet and may help reduce cancer risk. Also fruits and vegetables taste good and are the original fast and easy food.

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. A serving of fruit is one whole fruit or half a cup of chopped or cooked fruit or a glass of fruit juice. A serving of vegetables is one cup of raw leafy vegetables or half a cup of cooked or raw vegetables.


Food Group 3 - Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts.

These foods provide proteins which are the building blocks of life. Try and eat protein foods twice daily during your meals. Choose 100g of lean red meat, poultry, rabbit or fish, or 100g of cooked dry beans.

Limit your intake of red meat. Dry beans and peas are also high in proteins and low in fat. Try to eat fish at least twice a week as it is important for your physical and intellectual development.


Food Group 4 - Milk, Yoghurt and Cheese

Foods from this group contain calcium which is very important for healthy bones and teeth. Do not miss out on these foods because you think that they are fattening or that they do not taste good. Go for a glass of skimmed milk for breakfast or before you go to bed. Try different varieties of low fat yoghurts, as well as low fat cheeses.

It is recommended that a person takes about 3 servings of dairy products daily. This would mean one glass of skimmed milk, one carton of yoghurt and a portion of low fat cheese.