Week 2 of SOTW we heard from accredited practising dietitian Andy Ho-Peng. Andy talked us through what a healthy diet looks like and how to make good choices by reading food labels.
Andy outlined the five food groups:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Lean meat, poultry and alternatives
- Dairy and alternatives
- Grain foods
We discussed the foods that fall into each category and the nutritional benefits of eating foods from each group.
To read more about the five food groups and the Australian Guidelines for Healthy Eating visit the Eat for Health website here.
The Power Plate returned and we talked about building our lunch and dinner around the plate:
50% of our plate = VEGETABLES
25% of our plate = lean MEAT or alternatives
25% of our plate = GRAINs for carbohydrates
Andy also talked us through how to read a food label. Andy talked about natural whole foods without labels as being healthy and should make up most of our diet, but when we do need to eat packaged food we can make the best choice by reading the food label.
Ingredients list: all ingredients are listed in order of how much of the ingredient is in the food. If you see sugar in the first five ingredients think twice!
Nutrition information panel: Andy encouraged us to compare products using the per 100g or per 100mL column. Compare total energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, sodium and fibre.
LiveLighter provides a handy wallet card – check out the resources below. Print and laminate the wallet card to bring it with you food shopping next time.
Resources:
