Food Groups and portions that you can choose from for meals
[table]
Food Groups ~~ ~~ Meals, Vegetables & Fruit ~~ ~~ Look for orange and dark green vegetables and fruit, Grain Products ~~ ~~ Look for 100% whole grain, Milk & Alternatives ~~ ~~ Look for lower-fat milk or yogurt (20% milk fat or less), Meat & Alternatives ~~ ~~ Look for lean meats (10% fat or less),Oils & Fats ~~ ~~ Amounts of unsaturated oils or soft margarine
Breakfast ~~ Choose 3-4 food groups, “Fresh fruit such as banana, orange, apple, kiwi, grapes”, Cereal, Cheese (20% milk fat or less), Eggs, Non-Hydrogenated soft margarine
Lunch ~~ Choose 4 food groups, Frozen fruit such as blueberries, Bagel or bun, “Milk – Skim, 1% milk”,Peanut or Nut Butter,Salad dressing as a dip
Dinner ~~ Choose 4 food groups, 100% fruit juice, Rolls, Cottage cheese (low fat), “Fish; tuna, salmon, sardines, cod, halibut”,”Soybean, canola, olive oils”
Snacks ~~ Choose 2 food groups, Dried fruit such as raisins, Muffins, Fortified soy beverage – plain or flavoured, “Low-fat sliced meat (chicken, turkey, ham)”,””
“”, “Vegetables such as baby carrots, broccoli, red pepper, tomatoes”, Pizza Crust, “Yogurt (low fat): container, tub, or drink”, Chili, “”
“”, Salad, Crackers, “”, “Beans – canned or dried such as chickpeas, kidney beans”, “”
“”, Applesauce, Pita bread, “”,Lentil Soup, “”
“”, Vegetable cocktail, Bread Sticks, “”, Hummus, “”
“”, Jarred pasta sauce,Rice – brown or wild, “”, Almonds or Walnuts, “”
“”, “Vegetables such as sweet potato, romaine lettuce, baked potato,broccoli”, Pasta, “”, “Meats; beef, veal, wild game”, “”
“”, “”, Tortilla, “”,””, “”
“”, “”, Bannock/Bread, “”, “”, “”
[/table]
Healthy Snack Ideas
- Tuna with low fat mayonnaise with either crackers or celery sticks
- Carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, and green beans served with guacamole dip
- Peanut butter and banana on wholegrain bread
- Multi-grain crackers topped with small serving of cheddar cheese, green grapes on the side
- Small apple thinly slice, with peanut butter and raisins on top
- A small cup vegetable soup
- Low fat muffins with small container of yogurt
- Low fat milk or chocolate milk and water instead of juice or pop
- Pita pockets stuffed with turkey, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce
- Small kiwi with unsalted almonds
- Yogurt topped with frozen berries topped with cinnamon
Try to think of some ideas for your own healthy snacks!
How to make snacks healthier:
- Have healthy snacks available such as sliced vegetable and fruit, whole wheat crackers and breads and lower-fat cheese (< 20% milk fat)
- Make your own trail mix. Include unsalted nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals.
- Keep 100% fruit juice on hand. Go over the different juices, punches, crystals and discuss what the healthier choice is. Display sugar packs to demonstrate amount of sugar in certain beverages.
- Make a healthy snack by making sure you choose two of the four Food Groups. For example,
- GRAIN: one serving (35 grams) of baked tortilla chips or 1 piece of toast
- FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: carrot sticks or celery and salsa. 1 serving = 1 cup.
- MEAT AND ALTERNATIVES: 2 tablespoons of hummus or peanut butter, 1 egg
- MILK AND ALTERNATIVES: 1 ½ ounces of cheese, ¾ cup yogurt, or 1 cup of skim milk
Healthy Eating recommendations:
- Get 7-8 servings of fruits/vegetables by eating fresh or frozen F&V. Canned vegetables should be rinsed under water prior to eating to minimize salt consumption. Try to eat one dark green and one orange vegetable every day. But fruit frozen or canned in its own juice or water – not syrup.
- Emphasize getting F&V servings from foods not juices. If juice is being consumed, make sure it is only ½ cup of 100% juice per day.
- Grain products should be whole grain (such as brown and wild rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread).
- Bannock/bread should be made with whole grain flour.
- Drink lower fat milk and milk alternatives – choose milk lower than 1%. Children under the age of 2 should drink homogenized milk, but adults should be consuming 1% or skim.
- Cheese should be lower than 20% milk fat (MF/BF on the label). Some examples of lower fat cheeses are brie and mozzarella, low fat cheddar.
- Eat fish twice a week (such as salmon, tuna or sardines).
Fish During Pregnancy
- 5 ounces/week of fish is safe to consume during pregnancy. Discuss other options for increasing essential fatty acids in your diet (such as omega 3 enriched eggs). In order to increase calcium, crush the bones with the fish and eat together.
- Include beans and lentils (all from the meat alternatives section) more often in your diet.
- If frying meats, be sure to drain off the fat after cooking. This will lower saturated fat intake, which is the fat that sits in your arteries and causes heart attack, atherosclerosis, stroke, etc.
- Use unsaturated oils such as canola, olive, and soybean as well as non-hydrogenated margarines (liquid at room temp).
- Include only a small amount – 30 to 45 ml/2 to 3 tbsp EACH DAY
- Tips for planning balanced, healthy meals with FN Food guide:
- Breakfast: choose 3-4 Food Groups
- Lunch: choose 4 food groups
- Dinner: choose 4 food groups
- Snack: choose 2 food groups
