{ HEALTHY EATING FOR WELLNESS 2 }

One of the keys to healthy eating is following a Choose More Often approach. It doesn't mean giving up your favourite foods. It means taking steps to choose more often foods that are low in fat and high in fibre. For example, if you enjoy eating steak, choose a low-fat cut, trim off the excess fat, and grill rather than fry. Pizza? To try a low-fat version that is rich in fibre, topped with fresh vegetables, and tomato sauce. Desserts? In many recipes you can reduce the fat, and substitute vegetable oils or margarine for butter. To increase fibre, use whole-wheat flour in place of white flour.

Here's what to Choose More Often

*Low-fat meat, poultry, fish
*Low-fat dairy products
*Dry beans and peas
*Whole grain products
*Fruits and vegetables
*Fats and oils high in unsaturates

Carbohydrates are high-octane fuel, they provide energy for movement and help raise internal body metabolism. They're also satisfying, but the key is not to add high-fat toppings to your car also some evidence that vegetables in the cabbage family may help protect against cancer of the colon. These vegetables are also good sources of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. To assure an adequate diet, and this is essential for healthy eating, choose a variety of foods daily. Here are some tips for following the Choose More Often approach in three important areas:

1. Grocery Shopping:

Focus on variety. Choose a wide selection of low-fat foods rich in fibre including selections of vegetables, fruits, whole-grain breads and cereals, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, lean meat, dry beans and peas. The goal is to reduce fat to 30 percent or less of calories, so when choosing foods that do contain fat, try to choose ones that contain primarily unsaturated fats.

Read food labels. To help you find foods that are low in fat and cholesterol and high in fibre, get into the label-reading habit. Many nutritional labels on packaged foods show the amount of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids and the amount of cholesterol and fibre they contain.
Check the type of fat on the ingredients list. Is it animal fat, coconut or palm kernel oil high in saturated fat? Or, is it corn or soybean oil high in polyunsaturated fat?

Choose a product with the lowest proportion of saturated fat. The label also tells you something else about a product. Ingredients are listed in order of amount from most to least by weight. So, when you buy a breakfast cereal, for example, choose one that has a whole grain listed first (such as whole wheat or oatmeal).

Pay attention to sodium. Many processed, canned, and frozen foods are high in sodium. Cured or processed meats, cheeses, and condiments (soy sauce, mustard, tartar sauce) are also high in sodium. Check for salt, onion or garlic salt, and any ingredient with "sodium" on the label. If the sodium content is given on the nutritional label, compare products and choose the ones with lower levels.

2. Food Preparation:

Use small amounts of fat and fatty foods. There are lots of ways to use less fat. For example, when you sauté or stir-fry, use only ½ teaspoon of fat per serving. When you use; margarine, mayonnaise, or salad dressing, use half as much as usual. Then decrease portion sizes of other high fat foods; rich desserts, untrimmed and fatty types of meat, poultry with skin, and fried foods, especially crumbed foods.

Substitute unsaturated fat and oils for saturated fat in food preparation. Saturated fat may be reduced even more if you want to experiment with recipes. Poultry or fish without skin are good choices because they are often lower in fat than many foods.

Use low-fat alternatives. Substitute 1 percent, skim, or reconstituted non-fat dry milk for whole milk. Use low-fat yoghurt, buttermilk, or evaporated skim milk in place of cream or sour cream. Try reduced-calorie mayonnaise and salad dressing in place of regular. Use low-fat cooking methods. Bake, steam, grill, microwave, or boil foods. Increase fibre.

Choose whole grain breads and cereals. Substitute whole grain flour for white flour. Eat vegetables and fruits more often and have generous servings. Whenever possible, eat the edible fibre-rich skin as well as the rest of the vegetable or fruit. Use herbs, spices, and other flavourings.

For a different way to add flavour to meals, try; lemon juice, basil, chives, mixed spice, onion, and garlic.

3. Eating Out:

Choose the restaurant carefully.

Are there low fat as well as high-fibre selections on the menu?
Is there a salad bar?
How are the meat, chicken, and fish dishes cooked?
Can you have menu items grilled or baked without added fat instead of fried?

These are important things to know before you enter a restaurant, fast food or otherwise. Seafood restaurants usually offer grilled, baked, or poached fish, and you can often request butter and sauces on the side. Many steak houses offer well-trimmed steaks and have salad bars. Try ethnic cuisines. Many Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes include plenty of steamed vegetables and a high proportion of vegetables to meat. Steamed rice, steamed noodle dishes, and vegetarian dishes are good choices too. Ask that the chef cook your food without soy sauce or salt to decrease sodium. Some Latin American restaurants feature a variety of fish and chicken dishes that are low in fat.