Healthy Eating
How can I reduce weight?
Follow the general guidelines in this leaflet. Choose less foods from the top shelf of the Food Pyramid. Choose lower-fat foods from the other shelves. Watch the size of your portions. Choose at least four portions from the fruit and vegetable shelf and six servings from the bottom shelf. Aim for a gradual weight loss of one to two pounds a week.Make small changes that you can keep up for life, not just for a few weeks. Physical activity keeps your heart healthy.
Any activity is better than none at all, particularly if you are not very active. So startsmall and add on extra minutes, or that extra session when you feel ready. Walking is an excellent and easy activity once you have a comfortable pair of shoes and a safe route. Look out for the Irish Heart Foundation's Sli na Slainte signs throughout the country. We recommend that you be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Rather than one continuous session, you can build up 30 minutes of activity over two to three shorter sessions. For best results, do something you enjoy. If you are trying to lose weight it is better to be physically active at a moderate level for a continuous and longer period rather than short bursts at a vigorous or fast pace.
Low-fat cooking for a healthy heart
- Oven-bake, grill, poach, stir-fry or dry-fry food with a low-fat spray instead of frying.
- If you are using oil, measure out the oil with a spoon, rather than pouring the oil. Use no more then 1-2 table spoons for a family. Buy the leanest mince that you can and drain off the fat, while cooking. For your main meal, a portion of chicken and lean meat should be no more than four ounces (100 grams) and about six ounces (150 grams) for fish.
- Add plenty of vegetables to stews, casseroles, curries, sweet and sour, stir-fry and other dishes. Use tomato based sauces instead of creamy sauces.
- Use low fat-milk and low-fat cheese.
- Use light mayonnaise in coleslaw and salad dressings.
The top shelf of the Food Pyramid (very small amounts)
- Spreads - Choose a low-fat polyunsaturated or monounsaturated spread and spread it thinly. A rough guide is no more than one ounce of low-fat spread a day (roughly two to three pats).If you don't like spread, use no more than 1 / 2 ounce of butter a day.
- Oil - Choose a pure polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oil and use it in small amounts.Oils are 100% fat and they are very high in calories.
- Crisps, savoury snacks, biscuits, cakes, sweetsand chocolate - These foods are high in saturated fat. Too much saturated fat in the diet increases cholesterol levels. Many savoury snacks are also high in salt, which may cause high blood pressure. They should not replace meals but you can enjoy them as an occasional treat.
- Alcohol - Small amounts of alcohol may provide some protection against heart disease. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase blood pressure and may damage the liver and heart. If you do drink, spread your drinking over the week, keep some days alcohol-free anddo not drink more than the recommended upper limits: for men 21 standard drinks a week. For women 14 standard drinks a week. 1 standard drink (10 grams of alcohol) = one half pint of beer, stout or lager = one small glass of wine = one glass of spirits (whiskey, vodka or gin) Remember that alcohol is a drug and may be arisk for other health problems. (See WIT Alcohol Policy
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Tips for each shelf of the Food Pyramid
(2 servings a day, 3 during pregnancy) These foods are a good source of protein and iron (for healthy blood) - red meat is the richest source of iron. Choose four ounces(100 grams) of lean red meat, i.e. two servings three to four times a week. Have oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, trout, herring or salmon at least twice a week. They help thin the blood and prevent clotting.
( 3 servings a day for children and adults and 5 for teenagers or for pregnant or breast-feeding mothers). These foods are good sources of calcium and vitamin D for strong bones and protein, the building block for all parts of the body. If you are overweight or have high cholesterol,choose low-fat varieties (they have the sameamount of calcium as full fat varieties).
( 4 or more servings a day )Fruit and vegetables are almost fat-free, packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. Overcooking vegetables destroys vitamins. Try steaming, microwaving or boiling vegetables in a littlewater with the saucepan lid on.Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh. Try the many ways of enjoying fruit - fresh, dried,stewed, tinned in its own juice or as fruit-juice.
These foods are high in energy, but low in fat.It's what you put on bread or the sauce youuse with pasta or rice that makes them high in fat. Choose wholegrain and wholemeal varieties of bread, rolls and breakfast cereals.Try leaving the skin on potatoes.
Using the Food Pyramid to plan your healthy food choices
The key to healthy eating is to eat a wide variety offoods.Using the Food Pyramid as a guide will help make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals and goodness you need from your food. Choose most foods from the bottom two shelves, smaller amounts from the next two shelves and a very small amount from the top shelf.
Does your diet add up?
Do the foods you eat every day add up to theFood Pyramid way? Just write down everything you had to eat or drink yesterday. Then add up the number of servings for each shelf and compare them with the plate servings on the Pyramid. How did you do? What changes could you make?
This information was courtesy of The Irish Heart Foundation Website
