Healthy eating - enjoy a variety of food

Guidelines for Healthy Eating

The first group of guidelines provide general messages to promote a healthy lifestyle:

Enjoy a variety of foods.
Be active!
Drink lots of clean, safe water.

The next group of guidelines help to plan good mixed meals:

Make starchy foods part of most meals.
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day.
Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya regularly.
Fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs could be eaten daily.
Have milk, maas and yoghurt every day.
Use fat sparingly; choose vegetable oils rather than hard fats.

The following guidelines give messages about the use of foods that are commonly used but can be harmful when too much is used.

Use salt and foods high in salt sparingly.
Use sugar and food and drinks high in sugar sparingly.

Enjoy a variety of foods

The enjoyment of food is one of life’s pleasures. Eating is about more than satisfying hunger, it is also a part of family life, social events and celebrations.

Having a variety makes meals more interesting and helps to ensure that an eating plan supplies all nutrients.

Mixed meals are usually eaten three times a day (breakfast, lunch and supper). Eating regular mixed meals, of a similar size, is part of a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy eating plans include a variety of foods from each food group, over time.
Variety also means including foods from two or more food groups at each meal; these are called mixed meals.
Variety also means preparing foods in different ways.