The Food Standards Agency’s Guide to Help You Keep Those Good Intentions All Year Round…
Another year and another chance to make some well intentioned promises to yourself…”I will eat my five portions of fruit and veg a day”, “I will not skip breakfast”, “I will shed those extra pounds”…sound familiar?
We’ve all been guilty of not managing to stick to our New Year’s resolutions so it’s time to call in a bit of help. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has rounded up a Top 10 of popular New Year resolutions that people make about food each year, offering some great advice and tips on how you can start the New Year as you mean to go on…
Top 10 New Year’s Food Resolutions1. Time to hit the scales… “I will go on a diet”
After over-indulging at Christmas many people start the New Year with the good intention of losing a few pounds. They often undertake very strict diets because they want to lose lots of weight quickly. Diets that severely limit the amount of food, or types of food, you can eat can be hard to stick to. Crash diets aren’t good for your health and often don’t work in the longer term. The best way to reach a healthy weight and maintain it is to adapt your lifestyle gradually to reduce the amount you eat, eat a wider variety of foods and improve your overall diet and be more active.
Some easy ways to improve your diet include:
- Base your meals on starchy foods, such as bread, pasta and potatoes and choose wholegrain varieties wherever you can
- Eat lots more fruit and vegetables - these are generally low in fat, help to fill you up and make very healthy snacks if you get hungry between meals
- Cut down on high-fat foods, especially those with saturated fat, such as pies, sausages, butter, cheese, dishes with creamy sauces, cakes, biscuits and doughnuts
- Choose skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurts, rather than full-fat versions
- Choose lean cuts of meat and avoid eating the fat. Also avoid eating the skin on chicken, because although the meat is low in fat, the skin contains much more
2. Note to self, “Must eat more fruit and veg”
We all know that we’re supposed to feast on at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, however most people in the UK don’t eat nearly enough. On average, adults consume less than 3 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Having at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day has lots of health benefits, including reducing your chances of developing heart disease and some types of cancer. Try to make eating lots of fruit and veg a daily habit and try to:
- Add some sliced banana, apple, dried fruit or raisins to your breakfast cereal
- Drink a glass of fruit juice at breakfast time
- Keep some fruit handy for a mid-morning or afternoon snack
- Add tomato, peppers, carrots or lettuce to sandwiches
- Add vegetables to curries, soups, casseroles and pasta sauces
- Serve an extra vegetable or side salad with a meal
- Make a bowl of fruit salad for dessert
Remember that fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruit and veg, ALL count towards your daily portions, but juice only counts as one portion a day, however much you drink. This is because you don’t get the same nutritional benefits from juice as you get from the whole fruit and veg.
3. “Out goes all fatty products from my diet”
An urban food myth! You shouldn’t try to avoid all fat because everyone needs some fat in their diet to be healthy. But the type of fat you eat is important. Most people eat too much of the wrong types of fat and that can increase your chances of developing heart disease.
As part of a healthy diet try to reduce the amount of foods you eat which contain saturated fats and replace them with unsaturated fats. Eating too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Biscuits, cakes, pastries, meat pies, sausages, hard cheese, butter and foods containing lard, coconut or palm oil can be high in saturated fats. Having unsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats can help to lower cholesterol. Foods that are rich in unsaturated fats include oily fish, avocados, nuts and sunflower, rapeseed and olive oils.
Fatty foods tend to be very densely packed with calories, so it’s easy to eat too much of them, which increases your chances of becoming overweight. Get into the habit of checking out the fat content on food labels before you buy them, some foods are low in fat, even though they aren’t marketed as low-fat products. And other foods that are labelled ‘reduced fat’ might still be quite high in fat so keep your eyes peeled on the labels!
4. Only a pinch of salt… “I will stop adding salt to my food”
Everyday on average 26 million people eat more than the daily recommended maximum of 6g of salt. It’s definitely a good idea to stop using salt at the table or adding it whilst cooking because having too much can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and strokes. Although not adding salt to food will help you cut down, about three-quarters of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, so remember to check the label when you’re shopping too.
Compare the nutritional information on different products to help you choose lower-salt options. Most foods are labelled with the amount of sodium they contain per 100g, rather than salt.
So how much is too much salt? If a food contains 1.25g salt or more per 100g then it’s high in salt. It’s better to choose foods that contain just a little salt - 0.25g or less per 100g. Adults should try to eat no more than 6g salt each day. Other ways to cut down salt include:
* Look for food with ‘no added salt’ labels
* Make your own stock and gravy instead of using cubes or granules
* Add fresh herbs instead of salt to pasta, meat and vegetable dishes
* Experiment with other flavourings such as garlic, ginger chilli or lime
* Marinade meat and fish in advance to give them more flavour
5. Bye-bye sweet tooth… “I will cut out sugar”
Cutting out all sugar is very difficult and more or less impossible to stick to. There are naturally occurring sugars in lots of foods, including fruit and veg, and you don’t need to avoid these. However, it’s a good idea to try to cut down on foods and drinks that contain lots of added sugar, such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, jams and fizzy drinks.
Both adults and children in the UK eat too much sugar. And more of it comes from fizzy drinks than any other type of food or drink. So cutting down on sugary drinks, such as cola and lemonade, is a good way to reduce your intake of sugar. Other ways to cut down on sugar include:
- If you take sugar in hot drinks, gradually reduce the amount until you can cut it out altogether
- Instead of always spreading jam on your toast, try a low-fat spread, sliced banana, peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese
- Try having a currant bun or malt loaf instead of cakes or biscuits
- Choose tins of fruit in juice rather than syrup.
- Choose wholegrain breakfast cereals rather than those coated with sugar or honey
6. Fish, glorious fish…”I will eat more fish”
Most of us don’t eat enough fish. We should be eating more as both white fish (such as haddock, plaice, halibut and sole) and oily fish (such as sardines, salmon, trout, pilchards and mackerel) are excellent sources of protein, vitamins and minerals and they are also low in fat.
You should aim to eat at least two servings of fish a week, including one serving of oily fish. Oily fish is rich in a type of fatty acid called Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and is a good source of vitamins A and D. These fatty acids can help prevent coronary heart disease.
White fish contain some Omega 3, but at much lower levels than oily fish. Although fresh tuna is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, when tuna is canned the levels of these fats are reduced to a much lower level. So, although tinned tuna can be a healthy choice, it doesn’t count as oily fish.
Fish such as whitebait, canned sardines, pilchards and salmon - where you also eat the bones - are a good source of calcium and phosphorous, which help make our bones stronger.
7. Breaking the fast… “I will stop skipping breakfast”
Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them to lose weight. But missing meals doesn’t help you lose weight and isn’t good for you because you can miss out on essential nutrients. Research shows that eating breakfast can actually help you maintain a healthy body weight, which is probably because when you don’t have breakfast you’re more likely to get hungry before lunch and then grab a fatty or sugary snack such biscuits, doughnuts or pastries!
A good breakfast will really set you up for the day and provides the energy you need as well as giving you some of the vitamins and minerals you need for good health.
Having some starchy food such as bread or breakfast cereal helps to give you energy. Try to choose wholegrain versions, because these contain more fibre and nutrients, and give a more sustained energy boost. Not all breakfast cereals are healthy choices though, because some contain as much fat and sugar as biscuits, plus lots of salt, so be sure to check the label first!
8. Where did I put that bottle of vitamins…”I will take my vitamin supplements regularly”
Most people don’t need to take vitamin supplements, because they can get all the nutrients they need from a healthy balanced diet. And popping pills can’t give you the same benefits as eating well. Evidence suggests that fruit and vegetables are good for you, not just because of the individual vitamins and minerals they contain, but because of the combination of different nutrients and fibre you get when you eat them.
However, pregnant women and those trying for a baby should take 400mcg of folic acid daily until the 12th week of pregnancy. In addition to this, they should also eat folate (natural form of folic acid) rich foods such as green vegetables, brown rice and fortified breakfast cereals. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also take a daily 10mcg supplement of Vitamin D.
9. Saving the pennies…”I’ll save some cash by taking a packed lunch to work”
This resolution requires some organisation! But it can be much cheaper than going to the sandwich shop every day and healthier too, because you have more control over what goes into your lunch.
Many people think sandwiches are boring, but they don’t need to be:
- Try using different types of bread - squashy granary rolls, brown bread with added nuts or seeds, rye bread, bagels, tortilla wraps or wholemeal pitta bread
- Healthier sandwich fillings include lean meats such as ham, beef and turkey, chicken without the skin, canned sardines or salmon, hard-boiled egg, Edam, mozzarella and low-fat cream cheese
- Add some salad to help you eat more fruit and veg and make the sandwich more tasty
- And remember to be sparing with butter, mayonnaise and dressings because these are high in fat
10. Get steppin’… “I will exercise more”
Being physically active, alongside a balanced diet, is one of the best ways to help you lose weight and keep it off. Lots of people start of the year by slogging it out in the gym for the first two weeks of January, only to then spend the rest of the year on the sofa! You’re more likely to stick to an activity if you enjoy it, so try going for a swim, a brisk walk or a bike ride, or joining an exercise or dance class, taking up a new sport or another physical hobby.
And remember, exercise doesn’t only have to be in the gym - try walking up the stairs at work, or make the walk home from the station brisk, get off at an earlier bus stop or leave the car at home when you nip to the shop. Try to be conscious of the amount of exercise your doing everyday and remind yourself that a little bit of gentle exercise everyday is better than none at all - so get moving!
For further advice on exercise, log on to the Department of Health’s website, http://www.dh.gov.uk or cut and paste the following link.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/Modernisation/ChoosingHealth/SmallChangeBigDifference/SmallChangeBigDifferenceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4134044&chk=QCN5Oh
If these New Year’s resolutions get you thinking, check out the Agency’s websites at http://www.food.gov.uk, http://www.eatwell.gov.uk, http://www.salt.gov.uk and pick up some great ideas and tips to make 2007 your healthiest New Year ever!
