Society

The Rx Of Healthy Eating

Vegetables and fibre are in, processed foods are out

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The Rx Of Healthy Eating
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  •  Choose predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables, fruits, pulses and minimally processed starchy staple foods.
  •  Avoid being underweight or overweight and limit weight gain during adulthood to less than 5 kg.
  •  If occupational activity is low or moderate, take an hour’s brisk walk or similar exercise daily, and also exercise vigorously for a total of at least an hour a week.
  •  Eat 400-800 grams or five or more servings a day of a variety of vegetables and fruits, all year round.
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  •  Eat 600-800 grams, or more than seven servings a day of a variety of cereals, pulses, roots, tubers and plantains. Cereal-dominant diets must include a consumption of carb-rich pulses and grams—about 1,000 gm/day. Prefer minimally processed foods. Limit consumption of refined sugar.
  •  Alcohol consumption is not recommended. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to less than two drinks a day for men and one for women. Pregnant women, children and adolescents should not drink alcohol.
  •  If eaten at all, limit intake of red meat to less than 80 grams daily. It is preferable to choose fish, poultry or meat from non-domesticated animals instead of red meat.
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  •  Limit consumption of fatty foods, particularly those of animal origin. Choose modest amounts of appropriate vegetable oils. Avoid hydrogenated oils like dalda as they might provoke heart diseases.
  •  Limit consumption of salted foods and use of cooking and table salt. Use herbs and spices to season foods.
  •  Do not eat food which, as a result of prolonged storage at ambient temperatures, is susceptible to contamination with mycotoxins.
  •  Use refrigeration and other appropriate methods to preserve perishable food as soon as purchased.
  •  When levels of additives, contaminants and other residues are properly regulated, their presence in food and drink is not known to be harmful. However, unregulated or improper use can be a health hazard, and this applies particularly in developing countries.
  •  Do not eat charred food—it could be carcinogenic. For meat and fish eaters, avoid burning meat juices. Consume the following only occasionally: meat and fish grilled (broiled) in direct flame; cured and smoked meats.
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