Healthy Eating Tips Module

This module commences by assessing the nutritional adequacy of your diet using the tools developed by HEC nutrition experts. The tools include the
on-line (and downloadable) food variety score and the downloadable HEC healthy eating pyramid.

This practical module will answer many popular, but important questions about healthy eating like:

• Are vegetarian diets healthier than omnivorous (meat containing) diets?
  
• What is a healthy omnivorous diet?
  
• How much red and white meat can I eat and what should I buy?
  
• How much dried beans/lentils/nuts are equivalent in nutrients to 100g meat and how often can/should meat alternatives be eaten by vegetarians and omnivores?
  
• How much dairy foods should I eat and what should I buy; is the energy density important?
  
• How much bread/cereal/pasta/rice can I eat; can eating too much of these be undesirable; what bread or breakfast cereal should I buy; is the GI important?
  
• If I stop adding salt to my food at the table/cooking will I be on a low salt diet?
  
• Can people with diabetes have some sugar in tea and coffee?; can I drink as
  much fruit juice as I like?
• Sugar - how much can I eat?
• Common misconceptions on food & healthy eating
  

  Dietary fat and cholesterol is covered in the module "Healthy eating tips - fat and cholesterol"

This module is therefore essential reading for anyone who is interested in their health and well-being, and especially for people working in the weight loss industry, the food industry or for people working as carers. The module is assessed with on-line true/false questions and multiple choice questions.

Content

• Objectives
• Vegetarian versus Omnivorous (meat containing) diets
  
• A Healthy Omnivorous diet
  
• Nutritional Adequacy of your diet
• Red meat - eating and shopping tips
  
• White meat - eating tips
• Meat alternatives - how much and how often
  
• What should I have for dinner?
  
• How much and what type of milk & milk products can I eat?
  
• Know your milks, yoghurts and cheeses
• Energy density & Glycaemic index
• How much cereals & cereal products can I eat?
• Know your breads and breakfast cereals
• If I do not add salt to food in cooking or at the table will my diet be low in salt?
• Snack foods
• Sugar
• Common misconceptions on food and healthy eating

Objectives

To understand what constitutes a healthy omnivorous and vegetarian diet
Present a guide to better food choices when shopping for meat, fish, dairy products, breads/cereals, snack foods.
To introduce the concept of glycaemic index and energy density
To understand the major sources of salt in your diet
To highlight some common misconceptions about food

Last Updated: May, 2002.