Eight Tips for Eating Well
A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of typos of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy (淀粉类) foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some dairy foods.
1. Base your meals on starchy foods
Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.
Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fiber, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Most of us should eat more starchy foods —try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.
Wholegrain foods contain more fiber and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods. We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetable
Most people know we should be eating more fruit and vegetable. But most of us still aren't eating enough.
Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetable every day. It might be easier than you think. Try adding up your portions during the meals throughout the day. You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, but remember potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and vegetable.
3. Eat more fish
Most of us should be eating more fish —including a portion of oily fish each week. It's an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.
Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned —but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.
What are oily fish?
Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.
How much oily fish?
Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.
Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try and choose as wide a variety as possible.
4. Cut down on saturated (饱和的) fat and sugar
Fats
To stay healthy we need some fat in our diets. What is important is the kind of fat we are eating. There are two main types of fat:
- saturated fat —having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol (胆固醇) in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
- unsaturated fat—having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterol
Try to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils, oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.
Foods high in saturated fat are: meat pies, sausages, meat with visible white fat, hard cheese, butter and lard, pastry, cakes and biscuits, cream, soured cream and creme fraiche, coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil.
For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or a reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. And when you are having meat, try to choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.
Sugar
Most people are eating too much sugar. We should all be
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