Healthy eating tips ...

Dear IL Friends,


A healthy diet should include a good variety of nutritious foods. These include breads, pastas, fruits and vegetables. Eating breakfast is also an important part of a healthy diet.

Healthy diets contain a variety of foods
In general, we should all eat:

• A wide variety of nutritious foods
• Plenty of breads and cereals (particularly wholegrain), vegetables, legumes (such as chickpeas) and fruit
• Low salt foods, and use salt sparingly
• Small amounts of foods which contain added sugars.

Physical activity
A good balance between exercise and food intake is important, as this helps to maintain a healthy body weight. About 30 minutes of physical activity, such as walking, is recommended every day.

Keep fat to a minimum
Adult diets should be low in fat, especially saturated fat. Saturated fat, which is the predominant fat in animal products, is more easily deposited as fat tissue than unsaturated fats. Saturated fat can also be converted into cholesterol and cause blood cholesterol levels to rise.

Small amounts of polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats may have some health benefits when they are part of a healthy diet. Polyunsaturated fats are generally thought to lower blood cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, are thought to have an anti-clotting effect on blood and may lower blood pressure.

Eat less high kilojoule foods
The total amount of energy-dense (high kilojoule) foods you eat may be as important as the total amount of fat in your diet. To reduce the energy density of your diet, you need to increase the amount of plant foods you eat. This will provide essential nutrients, help to make you feel ‘full’ and also reduce the amount of fat in your diet.

Eat foods rich in calcium and iron
It is important for all Australians to eat foods which contain iron and calcium. In particular:

• Calcium – is important for infants, women and girls.
• Iron – is important for women, girls, vegetarians and athletes.

Drink alcohol in moderation
A healthy diet can include a moderate amount of alcohol (men should drink less than two standard drinks per day and women less than one standard drink per day). Alcohol should not be given to children.

Healthy diets for babies and children
Follow these guidelines to help encourage a healthy diet for your infant or child:

• Babies – encourage your baby to breastfeed for the first year of life. In most cases, breastfeeding should be the only source of food in the first six months. If you use formula, be careful not to overfeed or underfeed your baby.
• Sugar – children should eat only a small amount of foods that contain sugar.
• Low fat diets – these are not appropriate for infants and young children under two years of age. A diet low in fat, especially saturated fat, may be considered for older children.
• Drinks – infants and children should be encouraged to choose water as their preferred drink.

Don’t let children skip breakfast
Children who skip breakfast generally have below average nutrition. Their diets contain less:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Dietary fibre
• Vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin.

Skipping breakfast becomes more common as children get older. Some schools have introduced breakfast programs because they were concerned about children who skip breakfast. Children did better in school once the program was introduced.

Tips for easy breakfasts
Here are some easy-to-prepare, healthy breakfast ideas:

• Fresh fruit with wholegrain breakfast cereal and reduced fat milk. Toast with a thin spread of margarine (polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated).
• Toast with cheese and tomato. Hot or cold reduced fat milk.
• Rolled oats with sultanas and reduced fat milk. Toast with a thin spread of margarine (polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated). Orange juice.
• Baked beans on toast. Orange juice.

Things to remember

• Calcium and iron are important nutrients in our diets.
• Infants and young children should not be placed on low fat diets.
• Encourage infants and children to choose water as their preferred drink.
• Children will have better nutrition and do better at school if they eat breakfast.

Hope these are useful for all of us ... Regards, Suni ...

Very useful tips you are posting
Keep posting.

Thanks Kavana, Sure I will keep posting on more Friend ... Regards, Suni ...

Hi Sunitha,

Absolutely agree with all the points that you've given.

The tendency to skip breakfast is becoming more prevalent in kids & adults.
It may be because of the rush in the morning hours, kids are tensed about their school & adults, their commute and office work too !

Even though it is quite a struggle in the morning, to make the kids choose their breakfast, I make it a point that they don't miss it.

Also, it is ideal to have small amounts of healthy snacks in between, which prevents over eating during lunch & dinner time.

Thanks for your tips Sunitha...looking forward to more !

Cheeers
Krithika

Thanks for your FB Krithika ... Yes, as you say, even I don't make the habit of skipping the breakfast for my kids too ... Mostly, my daughter makes fuss to eat in morning and I got to divert her giving the healthy BF... :-p ... Regards, Suni ...

Thanks for ur useful info on breakfast importance... Sure now a days many adults and kids are skipping their breakfast... I will surely try ur ideas for breakfast.

bye

you are posting very useful info..

Keep posting .. Thank you.


Cheers !!
RB

Thank you Marikeerthi and Rbo ... Will keep posting on more too ... Thanks friends, for your FBs... Regards, Suni ...

yes suni ur postings are very useful i also saw ur posting for juice recipes, very good job and keep posting

Thank you for your FB Jacintha ... Sure, I will keep posting on more too ... Regards, Suni ...