Blueberries, the top 4 reasons you need these in your diet.
July 25, 2016Hydrotherapy workout
July 27, 2016
Your memory might be a little hazy on those foods groups you learned about in school, you might even have a fuzzy image of a pyramid pop up in your mind, but this is probably not going to help you too much.
That’s why we are going back to basics and reviewing the food groups, and what to shop for in each, so that your trolley ends up full of the right stuff, and the glossy new food products and fad diet items can be bypassed without a second glance.
As with all foods, there are healthy options and less healthy options. No food is “bad” or not allowed, it’s all about making mindful choices. If you choose to indulge sometimes as part of a balanced diet that’s perfectly ok!
The foods below are just a guide for foods you should try to choose the majority of the time, so that when it’s time for a treat you can enjoy it knowing it all balances out.
Breads, cereals, and grains
Healthy:
Grainy and wholemeal breads, wraps, english muffins, and rolls
Wholegrain or wholemeal crackers
Basmati or brown riceDurum (wholemeal) pasta
Rolled oats, high fibre (>6g/100g) and low sugar (<15g/100g) cereals such as All Bran, Guardian, Shredded Wheat, or natural low fat muesli
Soba (buckwheat) noodles, whole semolina noodles, quinoa noodles, kelp noodles
Other wholegrains for cooking, baking, and home made muesli mixes- rye, oats, spelt, barley, corn, wholewheat
Air popped popcorn
Less healthy:
White bread
White rice
White pasta
Two minute noodles
Sugary cereals
White wraps
Flavoured quick oats
White crackers or rice crackers
Buttery salted popcorn
Sweet biscuits
Cakes
Pastries
Fruit and vegetables
Healthy:
– In moderate amounts:
Potato
Sweet potato
Corn
Peas
Pumpkin
Parsnip
Lentils
Beetroot
Avocado
Whole fruit
– In plentiful amounts
Mushrooms
Spinach and other green leafy veggies
Carrots
Capsicum
Onion
Lettuce
Celery
Shallots
Leeks
Garlic
Cucumber
Zucchini
Sprouts
Tomato
Any other non-starchy vegetables
Less healthy:
Fried veggies like chips or potato gems
Some oven bake frozen veggies (added fat/sodium)
Some canned vegetables have added sodium
Canned fruit in syrup or with added sugar
Fruit juice
Fruit desserts, sorbet, or frozen yoghurts
Meat and meat alternatives
Healthy:
Fresh lean meat
Lean poultry without skin
Fish – grilled, oven baked, steamed
Eggs- boiled, scrambled, dry fried, baked
Tofu
Lentils
Unsalted nuts (just 10-12 nuts at a time though)
Less healthy:
Cheaper cuts of fatty meat
Skin on poultry, fried or deep fried (especially if crumbed)
Processed meat like sausages, salami, bacon rashers, devon, burgers,
Salted or sugar coated nuts
Dairy:
Healthy:
Low fat milk
Low fat and sugar yoghurt
Non fat plain greek yoghurt
Low fat and unsweetened soy and nut milks
Ricotta cheese
Cottage cheese
Light custard
Less healthy:
Fruity flavoured yoghurts, especially the full fat varieties
Cream
Ice cream
Sour cream
Full fat creamed cheese
Butter
Full fat cheese
Condensed milk
Although this guide doesn’t include everything, it’s can be a great tool to help get you on track with stocking your pantry and fridge with healthy ingredients so eating healthy is a breeze.
