GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH EATING (P.2)

Healthy eating is one of the most important things you can do for a healthier life.Remember that you also need toexercise regularlyand avoid smoking.
The following tips will help you and your family to eat healthily

6. Have low-fat milk, maas or yoghurt every day. Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium. This can help protect your bones and help prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. Good options are low-fat or fat-free dairy products and reduced-fat cheeses.

7. Eat less salt and avoid foods high in salt. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of stroke, heart attack and cancer. Some salt in your diet comes from salt added at the table or during cooking, but more than half of the salt that you eat comes from pro - cessed foods. Examples are stock cubes, soup powders, salty snacks like chips and processed meats like polony. Ideally, you shouldn�t have more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day from all sources. Gradually cut down on adding salt to your food and soon you won�t notice the difference.

8. Eat less fat and use the right type of fats or oils. Eating too much fat and fried food can make you gain weight and raise your cholesterol. Limit the amount of fatty red meat, butter, hard margarine, cream, lard and ghee that you use. Rather use good (unsaturated) fats like vegetable oils and soft tub margarine in small amounts. Nuts, seeds, peanut butter and avocados are also sources of good fats.

9. Eat less sugar and avoid food or drinks high in sugar. Too much sugar can also make you gain weight, which increases your risk of chronic diseases. Sugar in your diet comes from sugar added to hot drinks, cereals and cooking. High amounts of sugar are also found in cakes, biscuits, doughnuts, sweets, chocolates and sweetened cold drinks.

10. Drink plenty of clean, safe water every day. You need about 6-8 glasses of water a day. Most of this should come from tap water, but can include drinks like tea, coffee or diluted fruit juice as well.

11. If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Women should not have more than 1 drink a day and men not more than 2 drinks a day. One drink is equal to a can of beer (340 ml) or a small glass of wine (120 ml) or a tot of spirits (25 ml). Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not drink any alcohol at all, as it is very dangerous for the baby.