The following are some tips on Food and Nutrition:

General

• To build strong and healthy bones, one is encouraged to eat food high in calcium. Food that is rich in calcium includes:
- low fat cheese
- yogurt or milk
- sardines with edible bones, ikan bilis
- bean curd
- green leafy vegetables (eg kailan, caixin, spinach, kangkong)
- high calcium soya bean milk

• Fruits and vegetables contain lots of fibre. Did you know that lots of fibre in one’s diet can help to:

- control weight - lower cholesterol - prevent constipation - lower risk of heart diseases and certain cancers

Healthy Eating

• Eating home-cooked food will help ensure that one eats healthy meals that have less fat. Some of the low fat cooking methods are:
- boiling
- grilling
- baking
- steaming
- stir-fry with little oil

• One can still achieve healthy eating when dining out. When dining out, always:
- ask for less fat
- ask for less sugar
- ask for more vegetables
- ask for less gravy/sauce
- ask for animal skin to be removed
- go for soup-based dishes
- limit deep fried food to not more than 2 times a week
- choose dishes cooked without coconut milk or coconut cream
- choose plain rice over chicken rice, nasi briyani and nasi lemak

• Eating too much fat (especially animal fats) and food high in cholesterol can lead to heart attack, stroke and other diseases. Some of the tips to reducing fat and cholesterol are to:
- trim away all visible fat from meat
- replace meat with beancurd, nuts, peas or dahl
- switch to low fat cheese and skimmed milk
- use corn or soya oil for cooking
- boil, steam, grill, bake or stew food
- eat less organ meat, prawns, crabs and eggs

What is the "2+2 Formula"?

• It is recommended that one eats at least 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables everyday and this is called the 2+2 formula.

1. Examples of 1 serving of fruits are: - 1 small apple - 1 medium sized banana - 10 grapes - 1 wedge of papaya - 1 mug of pure fruit juice (250mg) 2. Examples of 1 serving of vegetables are: - ¾ mug of cooked vegetables - 150gm of raw leafy vegetables - 100gm of raw non-leafy vegetables

Amount of Salt

• Excess salt in one’s diet can lead to high blood pressure and increases his or her risk for certain cancers. To reduce salt in your diet:
- add less salt when cooking
- when cooking, taste your food before adding salt
- take less food high in salt like ham, bacon, chilli and tomato sauces
- use fresh herbs and spices for seasoning

• Our body requires less than 2,000 mg of sodium in a day. Did you know that one teaspoon of salt already contains 2,000 mg of sodium? On the other hand, one teaspoon of light soya sauce contains 365 mg of sodium.

For Homemakers

• A housewife can include more fruits and vegetables into her family’s diet by:

- buying enough fruits and vegetables to provide the 2+2 formula everyday - cooking different types of fruits and vegetables. Choose a variety of colours as they are rich in different nutrients and phytochemicals - cutting fruits and vegetables ready in sticks for easy consumption - injecting creativity to the meals (eg adding fruits and vegetables to sandwiches, making fruits and vegetables smoothie)

• Some children don’t like to eat fruits and vegetables. Here’s how to get them started:
- apply the 2+2 formula from an early age
- parents could set a good example by eating more fruits and vegetables
- let children pick out the fruits and vegetables at supermarkets and prepare them for eating
- try serving vegetables in different ways – boil, steam or stir-fry

Source: Health Promotion Board