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Dietary Guidelines
1. Enjoy a wide variety of foods every day.
2. Have 4 - 5 serves of breads and cereals (wholegrain preferably),
vegetables and fruits per day. These provide fibre, energy, minerals and vitamins.
3. Watch quantities of fat in the diet, especially saturated fat, eg butter, fatty meats, pastry, cakes, biscuits and take-away food.
4. Maintain a healthy weight by balancing regular activity with a sensible food intake.
5. Limit alcohol to 1 - 2 standard drinks for women and 3 - 4 per day for men. Have some alcohol free days.
6. Moderate the amount of sugar and foods containing added sugar according to
desired weight.
7. Use salt sparingly and limit salty foods especially if blood pressure
is high.
8. Eat foods containing calcium, eg milk, cheese and yoghurt to maintain strong teeth and bones. This is particularly important for women.
9. Ensure that iron containing foods are eaten regularly, especially for women. eg red meat, chicken, liver, spinach, broccoli, branflakes and Milo.
Now use our checklist to determine if you have good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle.
1. Do you eat 3 meals a day?
2. Do you have high fibre cereals and whole meal bread daily?
3. Do you eat 3 serves of calcium rich foods daily?
(e.g. 1 glass milk,1 slice cheese, 200g yoghurt)
4. Are you a desirable weight?
5. Do you have at least 2 fruit and 5 serves of vegetables daily?
6. Do you eat fish 3 times a week, eg: white fish, tuna, salmon, sardines?
7. Are you careful of how much salt is added to cooking and at the table?
8. Do you drink at least 1 litre of water a day?
9. Are you physically active most days of the week, eg 30 minute walk?
10. Do you limit your alcohol to one or two standard drinks a day and have some alcohol free days?
Check your score by counting the number of questions you answered YES to.
10 :: Excellent - continue with your well balanced diet.
7 - 10 :: Good - work on the areas your answered NO to.
Less than 7 :: Need to improve your diet and lifestyle and would benefit from seeing a Dietitian.
Added to site on : Monday, 5 April 2010