Eating right in 2014

Jody-Anne Lawrence,  Lifestyle Reporter

As the new year rolls in, everyone is ready to discard all their unhealthy eating habits of December; if not to lose some weight, they would like to eat right.

Many people start a crash diet and others try to just avoid the unhealthy sugars on their own. However, there are a few persons who do not need to diet but want a healthy lifestyle. What would be the right thing to eat?

Nutritionist Frances Mahfood from the Heart Foundation believes that this process is relative to each individual.

"We all have different energy needs, depending on age, gender, and activity levels. But a typical day should include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, five to eight ounces lean proteins, approximately six servings of heart-healthy starches (staples), three to five servings healthy fats and two to three servings of dairy," Mahfood explained.

She also gave a breakdown of what an average healthy daily food routine should look like.

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast: 1 to 2 servings of starch (1/2 cup to 1 cup oats or 2 slices bread)

2 to 3 ounces of protein (sardines or egg)

1 serving of fruit (orange)

(include vegetables if you can)

Snack: 1 ripe banana or low-fat yogurt

Lunch: 1 to 2 servings of starch (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice or 2 slices sweet potato)

2 to 3 ounces protein (baked chicken thigh or 1 cup stewed black beans)

1 cup vegetables (raw or cooked carrots and string beans or big, colourful salad)

1 tbsp salad dressing or 1 slice pear

Snack: 1 glass coconut water and a handful of nuts

Dinner: 1 to 2 servings of starch (1 baked potato or 2 slices roast breadfruit)

2 to 3 ounces protein (steam fish, or baked pork chop)

1 cup vegetables (steamed callaloo or cabbage, or big green salad with tomatoes)

1 to 2 tsp healthy fat (for example, oil or avocado pear)

Dessert: 1 cup of fresh seasonal fruit

Getting started on your healthy lifestyle should not be too hard this new year.

 

Eating right in

2014