~Simple Healthy Eating~ - RexMag's Naughty Files Adult Discussion Board

scotgirl · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006, 12:56 PM

What is healthy eating?

There’s no need to be confused about food and health any longer. For the last 20 or 30 years, nutritionists, dieticians and doctors have provided the same diet information and recommended the same basic food and health principles to guide everyone towards healthier eating. Research into health and diet continues to confirm what we already know - ignore fad diets and follow these pointers to reduce your risk of illness and manage your weight:
Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Check out our faqs on what constitutes a portion.
Change the way you cook food - try grilling instead of frying, and steam instead of boiling. Why not check out our top tips on preparing healthy meals, or our faq what are the healthiest ways to cook food?
Reduce the amount of fat and sugar in your diet. Remember to check food labels for the amount of fat and sugar in foods. To keep yourself right, check out how much is alot?
Increase the amount of starchy foods (pasta, rice and potatoes).

The benefits

Ever heard the phrase ’You are what you eat’? Well, diet information tells us there’s a lot of truth in it. What you put into your body affects your physical health, as well as how you feel. Make sure you enjoy what you eat, and this will stand you in good stead for sticking to your healthy eating plan. And that doesn’t mean cabbage soup and lettuce rolls! Check out what we mean by healthy eating. In fact, healthy eating just means choosing a balance of foods - a balance that’s been shown to reduce your risk of many health problems, and will allow you to enjoy a longer, healthier life.
Protect yourself by cutting down on fats, especially saturated fats (found mainly in animal products), e.g. full fat dairy products and the white fat on meat.
Diets high in fat can lead to hardened, narrowed arteries. When the heart has to work harder to get the blood round the body because of this, you’re at risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Protect yourself by eating more fruit and vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables are high in antioxidant vitamins, which help maintain the immune system, so you stay healthy. Fruit and vegetables are comparatively low in calories - you can eat large amounts, without worrying about their effect on your weight. So increasing your intake helps you maintain a healthy weight, too.

Protect yourself by ensuring your diet is high in fibre -found in the cell walls of fruit, vegetables, and grains, and present in ’wholegrain’ versions of bread, pasta and rice. Fibre helps your digestive system work well, and eating foods with it in means you are more likely to avoid constipation and piles. Fibre fills you up - it actually swells in the stomach, and allows you to feel fuller, sooner, so it can help you to avoid overeating.

Protect yourself by cutting down on salt - eating too much salt (sodium) has been linked to higher than average blood pressure, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease or stroke. We all need to eat some salt, but most of us are eating too much. Salt is present naturally in foods and is also used as a flavouring and/or preservative. Avoid adding salt to your food at the table, and cut down on salt in cooking wherever possible. Most of our salt intake comes from processed foods, so cooking foods from fresh as much as you can will also help.

Healthier diet advice: fluids
Also make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout the day as well. Aim for 8-10 mugfuls of fluids in total each day. Choose from drinks such as water, sugar-free diluting juice, diluted natural fruit juice, semi-skimmed/skimmed milk, weak tea. If you manage all this - you’ll be well on the road to living a healthier lifestyle!

Just remember to add some physical activity into your daily routine, and you’ll certainly be feeling the benefits! healthy eating

scotgirl · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006, 12:58 PM

Breakfast meal ideas

Have something to drink with your breakfast: tea, coffee, water or fruit juice.

Bowl of cereal with added raisins, or chopped fresh fruit and milk (semi-skimmed or skimmed)
PLUS toast with marmalade, using a low-fat spread
Fresh or tinned grapefruit (in fruit juice, not sugar syrup)
PLUS bowl of cereal with milk (semi-skimmed or skimmed)
PLUS bread with reduced-sugar jam.
Fruit juice or piece of fruit
PLUS baked beans on toast
A little reduced-fat cheese and tomato on toast
PLUS banana
Boiled egg with toast
PLUS mixed chopped fruit with low-fat plain or fruit yoghurt
PLUS bread or toast with jam
Fruit juice or piece of fruit
PLUS bowl of porridge

Lunchboxes

These lunchboxes provide you with a different lunch for each day of the week. Although you will be able to buy many ready-made lunchbox items in the shops, when you make them at home you will often find they are cheaper, contain less salt, fat and sugar, and can last longer than their bought equivalents.

By having a different type of lunchbox each day you are more likely to have a wider range of important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals than sticking to the same sandwiches day in, day out. If you don’t fancy all the suggestions, just add one or two new items to your existing lunchbox to liven up your lunch and your diet.

If you are making lunchboxes for all the family, work out a plan for the week so that everyone has a good mix of fruits, vegetables, breads, soup and drinks.

Light meal ideas

Include a hot or cold drink with your meal.

Vegetable soup (made with pulses such as lentils) and bread
PLUS fruit scone
PLUS piece of fruit
PLUS glass of semi-skimmed milk
Lean ham or sardine and tomato sandwiches (thickly cut bread - any type)
PLUS low-fat fruit yoghurt
PLUS piece of fruit
Pitta bread filled with tuna and salad and sweetcorn
PLUS carrot and raisin salad
PLUS fruit loaf
PLUS piece of fruit
Baked potato in its jacket, served with diced lean ham or smoked mackerel and pepper
PLUS celery and apple salad with a honey and lemon dressing
PLUS tinned fruit in fruit juice (not sugar syrup)
PLUS plain muffin
PLUS glass of semi-skimmed milk

Main meal ideas

Include a hot or cold drink with your meal.

Baked potato served with two vegetables and chicken portion in barbecue sauce
PLUS bread pudding
Spaghetti bolognaise (that’s a large helping of spaghetti and a small one of sauce). Bolognaise is also good made with turkey mince or Quorn TM mince. Serve with a mixed salad
PLUS crusty bread
PLUS fruit salad
Grilled fish and new boiled potatoes, peas and sweetcorn
PLUS banana and custard made with semi-skimmed milk
Vegetable and chickpea curry with a chappati (made without fat) or rice
PLUS low-fat fruit yoghurt
Lamb and vegetable stew served with mashed potato and two vegetables
PLUS baked apple

Don’t spread your toast, bread or sandwiches with butter or margarine - try low-fat spreads, or else try without any spread at all.
Check tinned fruit labels - some fruits are in sugar syrup. Natural fruit juice is better.
Take a light meal with you to work - better than a snack from the vending machine and a whole lot cheaper, too!
For snacks, choose fruit, low-fat yoghurts, breadsticks, toast or a bowl of cereal.
Drink plenty of fluids between meals, but avoid sugary drinks