The healthy dietary guidelines outlined on this page are
for adults and children over the age of 5 years. A healthy
eating plan is a way of eating which the whole family can
enjoy. It is important to have regular meals throughout the
day. There are no bad food choices, all foods are good.
However, there are unhealthy eating habits such as eating too
many high fat foods or skipping meals.
Enjoy a variety of foods |
Eleven important points to know: |
It is important to eat as many different kinds
of foods as possible. This is because foods
do different things in the body e.g. provide
energy, keep your body strong and help
the body to work properly
Make starchy foods the basis of your meals
The best starchy foods to choose are those high in fibre as
they are digested slowly and can stop some of the fat from your
diet being absorbed. Try to choose high fibre starchy foods
more often for example bran cereals, porridge brown or
wholegrain bread, rice, dry or baked beans, samp and beans,
potatoes, roti made with brown or wholegrain flour, phutu,
lentils.
Vegetables and fruit with skin are also high in fibre foods
- Include starchy food with each meal
- Starches by themselves do not make you gain weight,
especially those rich in fibre
- It is the fat that you add to these foods that make them
fattening for example chips.
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- Eat regular meals which contain different kinds of foods
- Make starchy foods the basis of your meals
- Eat fat sparingly
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit
- Eat dry or tinned beans, peas, lentils and soya
regularly
- Chicken, fish, low fat dairy foods, lean meat or eggs
may be eaten daily
- Be active and stay at or reach a healthy weight
- Drink as much clean water as you can (6-8 glasses per
day)
- Snacks eaten during the day should be high in fibre and
low in fat
- If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly.
Sweet foods
Sweet foods are often high in fat as well. The best choices
of sweetened foods are those which also have lots of fibre in
such as bran muffins, wholewheat rusks and wholewheat crackers.
If you are going to eat sweet foods, try to eat less often and
in smaller amounts. Choose foods like jelly sweets, winegums or
marshmallows which are fat free, rather than chocolate or cake |
Use less fats and salt sparingly
Too many high fat foods can result in weight gain and can
also increase your risk of chronic diseases of lifestyle such as
heart disease. Fats are in your food as:
- Fats you can see: cooking oil dripping, ghee,
butter, margarine, holsum, fat on meat and skin on chicken
- Fats you cannot see: Full cream milk, coffee
creamer, full cream yoghurt, ice-cream, potato crisps, nuts,
pastries, cakes, sausages, burgers, polony salad dressing
etc
Having too much salt in the diet is linked with high blood
pressure. Salt is commonly used to add flavour to foods and can
come in the form of table salt, soup and gravy powders, stock
cubes and seasoning. Many people use too much to these when
they are cooking and or at the table.
- Some foods are also high in salt such as biltong,
popcorn and pickled fish. These foods can still be part of
a healthy eating plan if they are eaten in small amounts and
not too often.
- Some tinned foods may also be high in salt, check the
product label for its salt content (low salt products
contain <120mg sodium/100g product). Ensure food which is
tinned in salt water (brine) is either drained or rinsed.
- To use less salt but keep a great taste, use herbs,
curry powder, ginger, garlic, onions, pepper and tomatoes
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Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day
- All types of vegetables and fruit are good for your skin
and
can be eaten as part of a healthy eating plan
- Try to eat a variety of vegetables and fruit everyday
- Try not to braise or add margarine or oil to your
vegetables when cooking or serving them
- Frozen vegetables are as good as fresh vegetables
- Over cooking vegetables destroys the vitamins. Cook
vegetables in a little water for a short time
- If you normally make a stew, curry or other dishes
containing vegetables that you cook for more than 10 minutes
try to eat some uncooked vegetables in the form of salads as
as side dish to complement your meal
- You may want to try and grow your own vegetables and
fruit.
Eat beans, peas, lentils and soya regularly
Eat dried beans, peas, lentils and soya regularly (at least
once a week). These foods are high in protein and fibre and low
in fat. Replace or extend meat dishes with beans, peas, lentils
and soya. Cut down on the cooking time needed for dry beans,
lentils and peas by soaking them in water overnight.
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Chicken, fish, low fat milk/maas
dairy products, lean meat or eggs may be eaten everyday
- Lean meat, skinless chicken, fresh or tinned fish, eggs,
low fat milk or maas may be eaten every day
- Try to choose chicken and fish more often than red meat
- Cut off all the fat you can see on the meat and take the
skin off the chicken before cooking
- Eat fish at least once a week, either tinned in tomatoes
or water, or fresh/frozen plan fish if available. Try not
to have fried fish or fish tinned in oil too often
- Use skimmed, fat free or low fat milk, maas, plain or
fruit yoghurt or low fat cheese.
- Try to choose cheese which contains 10-15 g or less of
fat per 100g product.
What can I drink?
Hot and cold drinks : Clean water is the healthiest drink.
Try to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Cold drinks
by be drunk by the whole family in moderation. Fresh fruit
juices are a healthy choice. However they contain a lot of
natural sugar. A good way to drink them is by diluting it with
with water. Use fresh, long life or powdered low fat milk in
your tea or coffee as these are better choices than coffee
creamers or whiteners
Alcohol
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation as outlined below.
Try not to drink more than the following amounts per day
- 2 small cans or 1 pint ordinary beer, larger or cider
or
- 2 glasses of dry wine or
- 2 glasses of sherry or
- 2 spirit tots (cane, whisky, vodka etc.)
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A guide to healthy snacks
If you feel hungry between meals, try to choose snacks which
are high in fibre. The following are some examples:
Best snack choices
A fresh fruit
A small bowl of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk
A slice of brown or wholegrain bread
Some high fibre biscuits
A bran muffin
A small tub of low fat yoghurt
Poorer choices
Meat pies, sausage rolls, fried samoosas
Crisps and chips
Cream & chocolate biscuits, chocolate bars & ice-creams
Sweet pastries, cream cakes & sweetmeats
Tips for healthy cooking
- Choose methods of cooking like baking, steaming,
microwaving, grilling and stewing instead of frying
food
- Use less oil for cooking by measuring our the oil needed
for a stew or curry. Use 1 teaspoon of oil per person in
the family.
- Use tub margarine instead of brick margarine. Spread
less margarine on your bread
- When making sandwiches try using a low fat mayonnaise or
salad dressing instead of margarine
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