Healthy Eating for Adults
Post by on Monday, October 4, 2021
Good nutrition is important at every stage of life. Today we are surrounded by food choices like never before! Eating well and being active can help you:
1. Keep bones and muscles healthy
2. Build a healthy immune system
3. Prevent chronic disease
4. Manage health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
Let me tell you about using your plate as a guide:
1. Fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables. Try raw, cooked, steamed, stewed vegetables. Fruits and vegetables should be colourful, seasonal and locally available to provide maximum variety of nutrients.
2. One qurater of plate should be filled with grains like rice, roti, oats etc
3. One quarter of the plate should be filled with proteins including eggs, lean meats, peas and lentils, chicken, yoghurt and milk.
What to avoid:
1. Skip bakery, cookies, chips and salty snacks.
2. Sweetened tea or coffee
3. Saturated fats like butter, high fat yoghurt, cheese, icecream, lard, ghee, coconut oil and deep-fried foods.
What nutrients are important as we age:
1. Calcium : important for healthy bones, muscles and nerves and helps prevent osteoporosis.
2. Vitamin D
3. Vitamin B12: helps your nervous system work, helps make red blood cells and prevents anemia . Adults over 50 need to eat vitamin B12 fortified foods or take a daily supplement.
Tips for healthy eating:
1. Reduce the overall calorie intake.
2. Select a lot of colorful vegetables and fruits.
3. Switch off your TV, mobile and other devices while eating.
4. Switch from frying to baking or grilling.
5. Have healthy snacks like carrots, fresh fruit, cucumbers, low fat yoghurt.
And last but not the least be active both mentally and physically.
Dr Rehana Kausar
Consultant Maternal and Child Health
