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Healthy Eating Tips
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Here are some tips for eating healthy at home, work, and elsewhere to
help you get started. Try some of these ideas.
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1.
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Start your day off right!
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Eat breakfast! Breakfast is an important meal and having a good
breakfast just help give you the right start to your day.
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Have a piece of toast with peanut butter, unsweetened cereal
with low-fat milk, or a steamed bun with lean meat/vegetables.
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Try livening up your cereal with some fruit like sliced banana
or diced apple.
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If you are in a big rush, take a piece of fruit to munch on
during your commute (OK, OK– not on the MRT!)
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2.
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Eat a variety of foods
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Our body requires over 40 nutrients for good health. No one food or
food group can provide you with all the nutrients, so have a variety
of food to ensure that you are getting what your body needs. Use the
Healthy Diet Pyramid as a guide for what to eat and how much of each
type of food.
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3.
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Eat more fruits & vegetables
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Wouldn’t it be easier to eat something if it was right in front
of you? The next time you go grocery shopping, make sure you stock up
on fruits & vegetables. Then keep bowls of fruit on the kitchen
table or counter. Reach for a piece between or after meals.
Don’t forget to cook up those vegetables you had bought too!
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4.
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Eat less fat & foods high in fat
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What can we say about fried foods? They taste great, but are
not great for you. They’re high in fat. Here is a few
suggestions that will save your heart.
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Deep-fry less often. Try grilling/barbequeing, baking, steaming
or boiling your foods more often.
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Use oils sparingly in cooking or when flavouring foods. Choose
less saturated oils, try olive and canola oils which are high in
monounsaturated fats.
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Watch those fast foods. Many of them are high in fat. Check them
out in the Fast Food Guide.
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If you use butter and margarine, use them sparingly. Even
better, switch to reduced-fat margarine or use a little
jam/jelly on your bread, bagels, and other baked goods.
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Use low-fat dairy products such as non-fat or Hi-Lo milk,
reduced fat cheese, low-fat yogurt, or light ice
cream. You’ll still get the nutrients and taste but half
the fat.
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If you like to eat meat, you can help reduce fat by choosing the
leanest cuts. If you are preparing it at home, trim all visible
fat and drain the grease that cooks out of the meat. Also take
the skin off chicken and substitute meat with bean curd, lentils
or dal a couple of times each week.
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5.
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Watch those snacks
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Why do we eat snacks? They taste great, they’re easy, and they
satisfy our sweet and salt cravings. And, let’s face it, crunchy
food is fun. However, some snack foods are high in fat & salt. See
Snack Attack table to find out how
much fat & salt is in your favourite snack food! Check out the
suggestions for some healthier alternatives.
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6.
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Eat everything in moderation.
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There is no "good" or "bad" food. As the American Dietetic Association
suggest – All Foods Can Fit – as long as you have them in
moderation. Too much of any food is bad; if you only eat vegetables
and nothing else, that would be a problem too. And just because
something is fat free or low fat does not mean you can eat as much as
you want. Many low-fat or nonfat foods are also high in calories. Eat
everything in moderation. Reduce, don't eliminate foods that are high
in fat, sugar or salt.
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7.
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Maintain a healthy body weight and feel good
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Being overweight increases your risk for a wide range of diseases
including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Excess body fat
results when you eat more calories than you are using up. If you are
very active, you can eat more. However, if your lifestyle is
sedentary, you need to:
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cut back on the amount of food eaten;
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choose lower calorie items; and
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increase your activity.
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Calories come from all food - protein, fat, carbohydrate or alcohol -
but fat have the most calories, followed by alcohol, then protein and
carbohydrate. To maintain weight, cut back on calories and be more
active.
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8.
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Drink plenty of fluids
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Adults need to drink at least 1.5 litres or 6 cups of fluid a day! You
need more if it is very hot or you are physically active. Plain tap
water is obviously a good source of fluid but variety can be both
pleasant and healthy. Choose also from unsweetened juices, lightly
sweetened drinks, tea, broth, milk, etc. Coffee is not a good source
of fluid as it acts as a diuretic (draws water from your body).
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9.
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Get on the move
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As we have seen, too many calories and not enough activity can result
in weight gain. Moderate physical activity helps burn off those extra
calories. It is also good for the heart and circulatory system and for
general health and well-being. So, make physical activity part of your
daily routine. Use the stairs instead of the lift/elevator (up and
down!). Park your car a little further. Go for a walk in your lunch
break. You don't have to be an athlete to get on the move!
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10.
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Start now! - and make small changes
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Making gradual changes in your lifestyle are much easier than taking a
big jump all at once. To start on the road to healthy eating, pick one
tip and work on it for a couple of weeks. When you feel comfortable
with that, move on to the next one.
If you want to know how your current diet is, write down the foods
and drinks you eat at meals and as snacks for the next three days. Use
the Rate Your Diet form to identify
areas that you are low in or eating too much of. Use that as a guide
to focus on problem areas. Check your diet again in 3 months & see
if your diet has improved.
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