We have covered a lot in the sections above regarding food, nutrition and balanced eating. In this section we show you how to put it into practice with a handy food checklist and a sample meal plan.
Sample meal plan
Breakfast
- Bowl of sultana and bran flakes with half a cup of reduced fat milk
- Slice of raisin toast with a scrape of margarine
- 1 kiwifruit
Provides: 1 1/2 serves of breads/cereals, 1/2 serve of fruit, 1/2 serve of dairy.
Morning tea
Banana milkshake (1 banana blended with 1 cup reduced fat milk)
Provides: 1 serve of dairy, 1 serve of fruit.
Lunch
Tuna and four bean salad:
- Small can of tuna in spring water (drained)
- 1/2 cup of four bean mix
- 1 1/2 cups of salad vegetables (beetroot, tomato, cucumber, cherry tomatoes)
- Small wholemeal bread roll
Provides: 2 1/2 serves of vegetables, 1/2 serve of breads/cereals, 1/2 serve of meat.
Afternoon tea
4 whole wheat biscuits with ricotta cheese, tomato and cracked pepper
Provides: 1 serve of breads/cereals, 1 serve of dairy, ½ serve of vegetables.
Dinner
Chicken and vegetable stir fry:
- 100g of skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup of cooked 99% fat free noodles
- 1 1/2 cups of stir fry vegetables (onion, bok choy, snow peas, green and red capsicum)
- Oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
Provides: 1 serve of breads/cereals, 1 serve of meat, 3 serves of vegetables, 1 serve of extra food.
Supper
Cup of fresh fruit salad with 1/2 tub diet fruit yogurt
Provides: 1 serve of fruit, 1/2 serve of dairy.
Remember to keep up your fluid intake. Drink around 2 litres of water or sparkling mineral water every day.
Shape-up checklist
To maintain a balanced diet you should eat a wide variety of foods from the core food groups. The table below shows the recommended daily amount of food from each food group for an average woman aged 19-60 years.
|
Food group |
Recommended number of serves per day |
Examples of "one serve" |
|
Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles |
4 - 6 |
2 slices of wholemeal toast
1 1/3 cups of bran flakes
1 cup 99% fat free 2 minute noodles
1 cup of cooked spaghetti
1 cup of cooked rice
2 tortillas
6 whole wheat biscuits |
|
Vegetables and legumes |
4 - 7 |
1/2 cup of cooked vegetables (e.g. chopped bok choy, broccoli florets) 1 cup of salad vegetables (e.g. cucumber, tomato, lettuce, capsicum)
1/2 cup of soya beans |
|
Fruit |
2 - 3 |
1 medium piece of fruit (e.g. pear, mango, apple, orange)
1 cup of canned/diced fruit (e.g. apricot halves, diced pineapple)
2 tablespoons of sultanas
1/2 cup (125mL) apple juice |
|
Dairy & dairy substitutes |
3 |
1 cup of skim or reduced fat milk
200g tub of diet fruit yogurt
2 slices (40g) of reduced fat cheese
2 tablespoons of cottage cheese
1 cup of skim iced coffee
1 cup of calcium enriched, low fat soy drink |
|
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts |
1 - 1½ |
120g of steamed fish fillet or canned tuna
100g of grilled skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of lean cooked beef mince
100g of lean roast lamb
1/2 cup of red kidney beans
1/3 cup of almonds |
|
Extra Foods |
0 - 2 1/2 |
1 1/2 scoops of low fat ice cream or fruit sorbet
1/2 bar of chocolate
1 glass (200mL) of wine
1 tablespoon of margarine or oil |