EATING FOR GOOD HEALTH You are what you eat may be a popular saying, but it is very true. What you eat determines how you look, how you feel, how healthy you are and how long you may live. Eating the right foods at the right time in the right amounts can make an enormous difference to your health. Wrong food choices can cause health risks like overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. What are healthy food choices? Use the South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines (SAFBDG) to assist in making healthy food choices: Enjoy a variety of foods. Be active. Make starchy foods the basis of most meals. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday. Eat dry beans, peas, lentils and soy regularly. Chicken, fish, meat, milk and eggs can be eaten every day. Eat fat sparingly. Eat salt sparingly. Use food and drinks containing sugar sparingly. Drink lots of clean, safe water. Drink alcohol sensibly.
16 MARCH 2007 NO: 08/07 How much should one eat? The energy one takes in must be in balance with the energy one uses during the day. This varies from person to person. Use the Food Pyramid as a guideline of how much to eat more of and what to eat less of, to find the balance between energy in and energy out. Practising the advice given by: Making healthy food choices, Eating the desired amounts, Living an active lifestyle, Can result in optimal health benefits for you.
16 MARCH 2007 NO: 08/07 Now is the time to change, to eat for good health! ENJOY A VARIETY OF FOODS Variety in the diet helps to ensure that all nutrients needed by the body are supplied over a period of time. Sufficient nutrient intake promotes health. This refers to variety within a group of similar foods e.g. a starch variety of bread, pap, pasta, rice, potato, mealie rice, mealies and cereals to enjoy alternatively. It also refers to the inclusion of different groups of food as the Food Pyramid illustrates. All types of food are allowed in a healthy diet. It is the frequency of inclusion that should differ e.g. include fruits and vegetables more often than fats, oils and sweets. ENJOY HEALTHY FOOD ALTERNATIVES FOR BETTER HEALTH FOR GOOD HEALTH EAT PLENTY OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruits and vegetables are high in several nutrients. These nutrients are mainly responsible for protecting the body against diseases. Fruits and vegetables are known as protective foods and are affordable immunity boosters. Hints for saving money: Plant your own vegetable garden. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. Eat more vegetables if fruits are expensive. Fruit and vegetables spoil easily, only buy enough for one week. Share with family or neighbours and buy in bulk. Pumpkin, carrots and cabbage are good value for money. Use vegetable leaves and skins with onions and potatoes in stews. Prepare soup from vegetables add left overs or wilted vegetables. The misconception exists that fruit and vegetables are expensive. Compare prices of fruits and vegetables with other food prices and see how affordable it is (prices as at 20 February 2007). Fruit/Vegetable Other food item 1kg Carrots @ R 6,00/kg 1kg Mince meat @ R 32,00/kg 1kg Tomato @ R 7,00/kg 1kg Maize meal @ R 3,20/kg 1kg Cabbage @ R 3,00/kg 1kg Chocolate @ R 50,00/kg 1kg Bananas @ R 4,00/kg 1kg Jelly sweets @ R 30,00/kg 1kg Apples @ R 9,00/kg 1kg Rice @ R 6,00/kg 1l Fruit Juice @ R 6,00/l 1l Coke @ R 6,00/l For good health have 5 or more servings of fruit and/or vegetables per day for good health EAT DRY BEANS, PEAS, LENTILS AND SOY REGULARLY Dry beans, peas, lentils and soy increase variety in the diet. Use these foods instead of meat, fish, chicken, eggs and milk as an affordable
protein alternative. Dry beans, peas, lentils and soy increase fibre intake. These foods promote health by contributing to protein intake, vitamin B and E intake. Try this recipe: BEAN FILLED OMELET Filling: 250 ml Cooked brown beans or 1 x 410g Tin of sugar beans 1 Onion, chopped 250g Mushrooms, sliced (optimal) 5 ml Rosemary 5 ml Parsley Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste Omelets: 4 Eggs 60 ml Water Pinch of salt Spray a non - stick cooking spray in the saucepan and sauté the onion and mushroom until transparent and soft or cook them in a little water until soft. Add the beans and season with rosemary, parsley, salt and black pepper. Make the omelet by mixing the ingredients together. For two thick omelets divide the mixture in two. If thinner omelets are preferred, the batter can be divided into four. Pour the batter into a heated frying pan, which has been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray and fry the omelet until the egg has set. Spoon some of the filling onto one half of the omelet and fold the other side over. Serve hot for breakfast or with a mixed salad for a light meal.