GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH EATING (P.1)

Friday, 31 July 2015

GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH EATING (P.1)

A healthy lifestyle helps toprevent and control chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

The following tips will help you and your family to eat healthily:

1. Enjoy a variety of foods. Eating different types of food gives your body all the nutrients it needs. The more colourful your plate of food, the wider the variety.

2. Eat dried beans, split peas, lentils or soya at least twice a week. They are a good source of protein, low in fat and high in fibre. You can replace meat in some meals with these foods.

3. Make highfibre starchy foods part of most meals.These foods can help you feel fuller for longer and lower your risk of de -veloping obesity, heart disease and cancer. Good examples are brown or wholewheat bread, coarse maize (mealie) meal, oats and brown rice.

4. Try to eat 5 vegetables and fruit every day. Remem ber to eat vegetables and fruit from the different colour groups (red, green, yellow and orange). The vitamins, minerals and fibre in these foods help to pro tect you against chronic diseases.

5. Chicken, fish, meat or eggs can be eaten every day.Choose lean or lower fat options with less bad (saturated) fats. Bad fats can increase your cholesterol and block your blood vessels, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack. Try to include tinned or fresh fish as part of your diet at least twice a week. Good examples are pilchards, snoek, sardines or tuna.