Make sure that you eat some foods from each of these groups:
Starch and Fibre
For example:
-Bread
-Breakfast cereals, oats
-Pasta, noddles
-Rice
-Potatoes, sweet potatoes
-Dishes made from maize, millet and cornmeal
-Plantains, geen bananas
-Beans and lentils
Eat foods from this group as the main part of a meal. Chose high fibre (wholemeal) versions wherever possible.
Fruit and Vegetables
For example:
-Vegetables
-Salad
-Beans and lentils
-Fresh or dried fruit, or fruit juice
Try to eat at least five portions from this list each day. Frozen and tinned vegetables are just as good for you as fresh ones. Their nutritional content is exactly the same.
Milk and dairy products
For example:
-Milk
-Cheese
-Yoghurt
-Fromage frais
There are low fat varieties of all these products available.
Meat, fish and alternatives
For example:
-Meat such as beef, pork, bacon, lamb
-Meat products such as sausages, pies, burgers
-Poultry such as chicken, turkey
-Fish, either fresh, frozen or canned. Fish products such as fishfingers or fishcakes
-Offal such as liver, kidney
-Eggs
-Beans, lentils, pulses
-Nuts and nut products such as peanut butter
-Textured vegetable protein, soya, quorn and bean curd
Foods containing fat
For example:
-Butter
-Margarine
-Low fat spreads
-Cooking oil
-Mayonnaise and salad dressings
Try to chose unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils such as soya, sunflower, nut and olive oil). This is because saturated fats (mainly animal fats) can increasre cholesterol in the blood which causes heart disease. Keep your intake of any fats as low as possible.
Foods containing sugar
For example:
-Buscuits and cakes
-Ice-cream
-Chocolate and sweets
-Sugar
-Sweetened drinks
These should be eaten only as a treat.
1. Try to buy low fat versions of your normal everyday foods such as cheese, yogurt, margarine etc.
2. Use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk rather than full fat. Whole milk contains 22 grams of fat per pint, semi-skimmed has 9 grams per pint and skimmed has only 0.6 grams.
3. Buy leaner cuts of meat wherever possible. Chicken and turkey are low in fat as long as the skin is removed as most of the fat is found in the skin. Mince contains a lot of fat so buy the leaner varieties.
4. Eat fish more often, ideally at least twice a week.
5. Grill, steam, boil or microwave food rather than frying. If you do fry use as little oil as possible. Use an oil that is high in unsaturates such as sunflower oil.
6. Thin cut and crinkle cut chips contain much more fat than thick,straight cut ones. If you fry chips make sure the fat is hot before you start, drain the chips well when they are cooked at blot any excess oil with kitchen paper. Try eating oven chips.
7. Soft drinks contain a huge amount of sugar so try buying low calorie versions, or unsweetened fruit juice.
8. Try halving the amount of sugar you use in recipes. It will work for most things except jam, meringues and ice-cream.
9. Try to nibble on fresh fruit or vegetables instead of sweet snacks.
10. Chose wholemeal or high fibre breads, cereals, flour etc.