Meat & Meat Alternatives

August 28, 2008 at 10:10 pm | In Foods, Health, Health Information, Health Promotion, Nutrition, Risk Factors | Leave a Comment
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The fourth group of foods  is ‘Meat & Meat Alternatives.’ Of all the four food groups, we need fewer servings of this one.

The good news for vegetarians is that this group includes non animal products such as lentils, tofu, nuts and beans.

Examples of foods in this group: Poultry, lean meat, eggs, legumes, lentils, fish, nuts, peanut and peanut butter, tofu and chick peas.

Daily requirements :( No more is necessary).

  • Children age 2-13 require 1-2 servings
  • Teenagers require 2-3 servings
  • Adults age 19-50  require 2-3
  • Adults age 51+ require 2-3

Examples of a serving:

  • 75 g lean meat
  • 75g of poultry
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup cooked legumes
  • 3/4 cup tofu
  • 2 +1/2 oz of fish

Meat and meat alternatives provide iron, zinc, magnesium, Vitamin-B, protein, fat and Omega-3. The Omega-3 fats present in fish reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Get 2 servings of fish a week into your diet for a healthy eating pattern.

Eat legumes and beans often, they are excellent alternatives and nutritious enough.

A Guide To Food Servings

 

Milk & Milk Alternatives

August 25, 2008 at 8:54 pm | In Foods, Health, Health Information, Health Promotion, Healthy eating, Nutrition, Risk Factors | Leave a Comment
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‘Milk and Milk alternatives’ is the third group of foods I want to talk about.  These products are milk, fortified soy beverage, cheese, yogurt, kefir.

We need less servings of this group than we do of ‘Vegetables’ or ’Grains.’ 

Examples of a serving:

  • 175g yogurt
  • 250 mls skim, 1% or 2% milk
  • 250ml fortified soy beverage
  • 30g cheese

Daily Requirements:

  • Children 2-13 years  require 2-4 servings
  • Teenagers require 3-4 servings
  • Adults age 19-50 require 2 servings
  • Adults age 51+ require 3 servings

Canned, powdered, evaporated and condensed all count

2 cups daily will provide adequate vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B, zinc, protein, magnesium.  Look for milk that is low in fat for maximum nutrition.

An excellent milk alternative is fortified soy beverage. When buying soy beverage check the label to ensure its fortified.

Grain Products For Health

August 19, 2008 at 10:47 pm | In Foods, Health, Health Information, Health Promotion, Healthy eating, Nutrition, Risk Factors | Leave a Comment
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The second group of foods I want  to talk about is ‘Grain Products’ It is second in importance to vegetables and fruit because we need less servings per day.  Grains are an excellent source of fibre. They are  also low in fat. 

Grain products provide carbohydrates, iron, fibre, Vitamin B. magnesium and zinc.

Healthy eating includes whole grain- Make  1/2 of your daliy servings of  grain  products whole grain to get the maximun nutrients .

Examples of whole grains: Brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, oatmeal, wild rice, whole oats, whole rye. whole wheat

A teenager requires 6-7 servings of grain products per day.

An adult age 19-50 requires 6-8 servings

Examples of a serving of grain products:

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1/2 bagel
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup cooked pasta
  • 30g of cereal

Tips

  • Make at least 1/2 of these servings whole grains.
  • Choose whole wheat flour and whole wheat pizza crust often.
  •  If using white flour, look for enriched flour.
  •  Check the ingredients of white flour for added vitamins and minerals.
  • Read the nutritional value on packaging and choose cereals that are higher in fibre. 

 You may want to look at  how to bake whole wheat bread.

Vegetables & Fruit For Health

August 17, 2008 at 1:48 am | In Foods, Health, Health Information, Health Promotion, Healthy eating, Nutrition, Risk Factors | Leave a Comment
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I have already mentioned the four food groups from which we choose our foods.

The first  group I want to talk about is ’Vegetables and Fruit.’ We need more servings from this group than any other.

An Adult 19-50 requires 7-10 servings daily for a healthy eating pattern. A male more than a female.

 Examples of a serving:

  1. 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
  2. 1 apple
  3. 1/2 cup cooked leafy vegetables
  4. 125 ml fruit juice (100%)

Remember when preparing your meals to include  the vegetables used in soups, stirfries and risottos.

Cannned, frozen and fresh vegetables and fruit are all good choices.  When buying frozen or canned, check the nutritional label and choose ones with the lowest fat, sugar and salt.

Dark green and orange vegetables are high in folates and vitamin ‘A’,  One serving of each daily is recommended. Orange vegetables are rich in carotenoids such as betacarotene

 Mix them for a wholesome meal.

Examples of dark green vegetables; broccoli, lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts

Examples of orange vegetables: squash, sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin.

Examples of orange fruit: Apricots, cantaloupes, mangos and papaya

You can add fun by joining a fruit club

Nutrition-What is Healthy?

August 15, 2008 at 3:45 am | In Foods, Health, Health Information, Health Promotion, Healthy eating, Nutrition, Risk Factors | 2 Comments
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Nutrition is important for a  healthy lifestyle, to prevent diseases, to promote speedier recovery from illnesses and to boost our immune system.  Good eating habits need not be expensive, nor healthy meals difficulty to prepare.  Quite often; however, nutritious meals are associated with a large grocery bill and lots of time to prepare.  Healthy eating is not about having plenty to eat either, but about eating the right amount of the right foods.

For those who enjoy preparing meals, fast food may already been removed from your meal plans.  Nutritious food products are not necessarily expensive. 

For those with a busy lifestyle, there is help available, there are tools and resources so you can eat nutritous meals. 
I have written a number of  articles on nutrition,  so I will be blogging on nutrition , and will be sharing excerpts from some of these articles with you.

For the purpose of healthy eating the food we prepare to eat is broken down into four groups. They are listed in order of importance to your meal plan. That is you need  more servings of vegetables than you need of grains, and so on.

  • Vegetables & Fruit
  • Grain Products
  • Milk & Milk Alternatives
  • Meat & Meat Alternatives

The criteria used by Canada Food Guide  for grouping these products are:

  • Foods originating from the same agricultural base. 
  •  How foods have traditionally been classified.
  • How people used foods

The information that I will be sharing with you is current.  I will  be updating if necessary.

The nutrition information will be useful to both vegetarians and those on a weight a loss diet. I mentioned these two groups because their eating habits have been assosiated with choice.  You can find more about this topic.

Fruits & Vegetables

Grain Products

Milk & Milk Alternatives

Meat & Meat Alternatives

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