Food Pyramid
- Achieve energy balance and a healthy weight
- Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts
- Eat less sugar
- Make sure salt is iodized, use limited amount of salt in the diet
Eat Healthy Portion Sizes
Salt restriction
- less than 5 g (about 1 teaspoon) of salt per day
- All salt used should be iodized
Tips to reduce salt
- Choose fresh poultry, fish and lean meat rather than canned and processed
- Read food labels on the canned and frozen food (Sodium = Salt). Choose the food with lower salt content.
- Do you know: which of the below food label contain the lower salt content? Answer can be found at the bottom of this page
- Rinse canned food such as tuna to remove salt
- Avoid canned food as much as possible
- Use a pinch of salt only in curry, avoid pitting salt in Chapatti flour.
- Cook rice and pasta without salt
Sugar restriction
- Avoid all kinds of soft drinks, almost all of them contain very high amount of sugar
- Pre-packaged fruit juices must be avoided since they contain almost the same amount of sugar as soft drinks. Eating fresh fruits is always the best. If you prefer fruit juice, amount should be limited to 1 cup per day.
- Read the food labels on canned and frozen food. Choose the food with lower sugar content.
- Do not add sugar to your tea or coffee
- Eat limited candies and sweets
- Eat limited products such as cookies and cakes contain very high amount of added sugar
Names for added sugar on food labels
|
Dextrose |
Glucose |
|
Lactose |
Maltose |
|
Sucrose |
Fructose |
|
Honey |
Malt sugar |
|
Brown sugar |
Raw sugar |
Fat Restriction
- Fat restriction: Limit the amount of saturated fat and trans fat.
- Saturated fat:
- Saturated fat increases the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the risk of heart diseases.
- Fried and baked foods contain high levels of saturated fat.
- Examples of foods with saturated fats are fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, beef, lard and cream, butter and cheese.
- Trans fat:
- Trans fat increases the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase the risk of heart diseases and stroke.
- Examples of foods that contain trans-fat are cookies, muffins and cakes.
- Main source for trans-fat in processed food is “partially hydrogenated oils”.
- Trans fat is sometimes mentioned on the food label (ingredient section) such as “partially hydrogenated oils”.
Answer: The 2 food labels contain the same salt content!
Make yourself the Eatwell plate
Fruits and vegetables:
- Make your plate colorful with tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli along with other vegetables for your meal
- Add fruit to meal as part of main dish
- Eat more protein rich food:
- Meat, Chicken, seafood, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered to be rich in protein
- Use Whole grain wheat:
- Eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread.
- Use whole grain wheat flour to make chapatti & Paratha.
- Whole grain oats, whole-grain corn, whole-grain brown rice, and whole grain pasta are some of the examples.
- Use Fat free or low fat dairy products:
- Low fat or no fat milk
- Low fat or no fat yogurt
- Low fat or no fat cheese
- Always look for food label to check for salt, added sugar, trans-fats and saturated fats.
- Always avoid trans-fat and saturated fats: foods that contain these bad fats are biscuits, cakes, coconut oil and all types of fried food.
- Eat more fish:
- Fish (salmon, tuna, trout etc.) is a good source of protein.
- Eat fish at least twice a week
- Seafood has protein, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids (heart-healthy fat)
- Omega-3 fatty acid decreases risk of heart diseases
Meat/Protein
Vegetables and fruits
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cauliflower
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Baby spinach
- Romaine
- Lettuce
- Salad mixes
- Apples
- Pears
- Kiwis
- Oranges
- Grapefruit
- Lemons
- Peaches
- Plums
- Nectarines
- Bananas
- Mangoes
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Watermelon
- Honeydew
- Cantaloupe
- Apricots
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
Beans
- Chickpeas
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
100% whole wheat
- Whole wheat flour (Atta)
- Whole wheat bread (brown bread)
- Whole grain brown rice, pasta
- Whole grain brown bread
Dairy
- Skim or low-fat milk or soymilk
- Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
- Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
Tips for dining out
- Order salad: Start with a salad packed with loads of vegetables. Use minimal salad dressing and avoid fatty dressing.
- Choose steamed, grilled, or boiled dishes
- Order whole grain wheat bread for sandwiches, chappati or paratha
- Choose whole grain rice and pasta
- Eat fruits as side dish or dessert
- Drink water or choose unsweetened tea or other drinks with no added sugar
- Finally, eat less, share dish with your friends and family
Healthy meal plan
Breakfast choices
- Wholegrain or brown bread slices with tea or milk.
- A bowl of oatmeal boiled with a cup of skimmed milk, topped with some fruits of your choice such as banana, apple or berries.
- A whole wheat (chakki atta) Chapatti
- A boiled egg and a slice of brown bread.
Snack choices
- An orange
- Sliced Carrots
- An apple
- Handful of almonds or plain nuts without added salt
Lunch choices
- palm-sized chapattis, vegetable curry or Daal, and a bowl of salad.
- Chicken Tikka with one Roti and a bowl of salad
- Brown rice with vegetable curry or Daal, and a bowl of salad.
Dinner choices
- Chappati, vegetable curry, Daal and a bowl of salad
- Brown rice with Daal and a bowl of salad.
- Chicken tikka with chapatti and salad
Good Eating habits
Eat Healthy Unprocessed Food
Switch to Healthy Whole Grains
Change to Healthy Cooking Methods
Consume less salt and sugar
Understand Healthy Eating-Out Options
Healthy Eating at Social Events
Plan Your Healthy Shopping
Water: Drink plenty of water
Bad Eating habits
- Skipping meals (especially skipping breakfast)
- Eating unhealthy snacks
- Use of excessive salt and sugar
- Drinking too much soda drinks
- Not reading food labels
- Excessive eating out
- Late night eating
Healthy diet at glance
Eat healthy food
Cook fresh vegetables, lean meat
Switch to whole grains
Buy 100% whole wheat flour (Atta), bread and rice.
Change to healthy cooking methods
- Grill or barbecue meat, fish and vegetables.
- Use just a little olive oil
- Use herbs, spices and ground pepper instead of salt.
- Avoid things like deep-frying
Healthy eating-out options
- Order salad: Start with a salad packed with loads of vegetables
- Choose steamed, grilled, or boiled dishes
- Request whole grain wheat bread for sandwiches, chappati or paratha
- Eat fruits as side dish or dessert
Healthy eating at social events (weddings, birthday parties)
- Choose the healthiest option, for example a grilled piece of fish or lean meat.
- Load up on salad and vegetables.
- For dessert look for different sorts of fruits.
Plan health grocery shopping
- Create a shopping list based on healthy grocery list
Always choose water
- Ditch sugar-packed soft drinks. Instead drink plenty of water.
Healthy diet recipe in the green (New)
