The top shelf of the Food Pyramid (very small amounts)

Spreads - Choose a low-fat polyunsaturated or monounsaturated spread and spread it thinly. A rough guide is no more than one ounce of low-fat spread a day (roughly two to three pats). If you don’t like spread, use no more than
ounce of butter a day.


Oil -Choose a pure polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oil and use it in small amounts. Oils are 100% fat and they are very high in calories.
Crisps, savoury snacks, biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate - These foods are high in saturat- ed fat. Too much saturated fat in the diet increases cholesterol levels. Many savoury snacks are also high in salt, which may cause high blood pressure. They should not replace meals but you can enjoy them as an occasional treat.


Alcohol - Small amounts of alcohol may provide some protection against heart disease. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase blood pressure and may damage the liver and heart.
If you do drink, spread your drinking over the week, keep some days alcohol-free and do not drink more than the recommended upper limits: for men 21 standard drinks a week. For women 14 standard drinks a week.
1 standard drink (10 grams of alcohol) = one half pint of beer, stout or lager = one small glass of wine = one glass of spirits (whiskey, vodka or gin)
Remember that alcohol is a drug and may be a risk for other health problems.

The Food Pyramid way

Healthy eating is essential for good health. What you eat can either protect you or
increase your chances of getting diseases like heart disease.
This leaflet will give you tips for a healthy and enjoyable eating plan which is also good for your heart.

Each plate is one serving - except for the top shelf
The number of servings you need each day (for adults and children) is given for each of the four main shelves. Choose whatever food plates you like to make up your total number from each shelf.
Eat only small amounts from the top shelf.

Good eating for a happy heart

Low-fat cooking for a healthy heart

•Oven-bake, grill, poach, stir-fry or dry-fry food with a low-fat spray instead of frying.
• If you are using oil, measure out the oil with a spoon, rather than pouring the oil. Use no more then 1-2 table spoons for a family.
• Buy the leanest mince that you can and drain off the fat, while cooking.
• For your main meal, a portion of chicken and lean meat should be no more than four ounces (100 grams) and about six ounces (150 grams) for fish.
Add plenty of vegetables to stews, casseroles, curries, sweet and sour, stir-fry and other dishes.
• Use tomato based sauces instead of creamy sauces.
• Use low fat-milk and low-fat cheese.
• Use light mayonnaise in coleslaw and salad dressings.

Main Foods and Helper Foods

In most parts of the world, people eat one main low-cost food with almost every meal. Depending on where you live, the main food may be rice, maize, millet, wheat, cassava, potato, sorghum, breadfruit, or banana. This main food usually provides most of the body’s daily food needs.
But the main food alone is not enough to keep a person healthy. Certain helper foods are needed.

These foods add nutrition to a meal and provide protein, energy, and vitamins. Growing children, people who are sick, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and older people especially need these helper foods to stay healthy. There are many kinds of helper foods. The different types are presented below, with examples for each group.

HIGH-ENERGY HELPER FOODS

High-energy helper foods can be added to main foods to supply extra energy. This group includes:

• Fats such as vegetable oils, butter, ghee, and lard.

• Foods rich in fats, such as coconut, olives, and fatty meat.

• Nuts such as groundnuts (peanuts), almonds, walnuts, and cashews.

• Oil seeds such as pumpkin, melon, sesame, or sunfl ower seeds.

• Sugars such as sugar, honey, molasses, sugar cane, and jaggery.

BODY-BUILDER FOODS

Body-builder foods are also known as proteins and can help give strength. This group includes:

• Legumes, including beans, peas, and lentils.

• Nuts, including groundnuts (peanuts), almonds, walnuts, and cashews.

• Oil seeds, including sesame and sunfl ower seeds.

• Animal products, including milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, fi sh, chicken, meat, small animals such as mice, and insects.

PROTECTIVE FOODS

Protective foods supply important vitamins and minerals that help to protect the body. This group includes:

• Vegetables such as dark green leafy plants, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, and peppers.

• Fruits such as mangoes, oranges, papayas, and bananas.

Good Nutrition

Good nutrition is an important part of everyone’s health. Eating nutritious food can help people stay healthy and prevent some common problems that arise from poor nutrition such as weakness, diarrhea, and headaches. Good nutrition can help a person with a terminal illness keep her strength and have a longer, more comfortable life.

In families with little money, land, or food, decisions are sometimes made to limit the amount of nutritious food given to someone who is very ill so that more is available for others who are healthy. It is important to explain to families that sick people need to continue to eat as much nutritious food as possible to keep up their strength. There is hardly ever a good reason to limit or reduce the amount of healthy food eaten by a person with a terminal illness. These decisions can be very diffi cult for a family, and you will need to approach the situation with your own knowledge of these issues and each family’s circumstances.

Helping a sick person eat:

People who are very sick should eat small meals many times a day to help them get the nutrition they need. For people who are very sick, grinding or mashing their food may make it easier for them to swallow and digest.
Eating right helps the body fi ght sickness. Good nutrition can help sick people feel better and healthy people stay healthy.


credits to EngenderHelath and PATH