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Some foods just don’t contribute to a healthy, nutritious eating plan. If you’re
aiming for a healthy diet, these are a few foods that you should limit:
Alcohol
Sodium
Caffeine
Saturated fats
Drink alcohol in moderation:
| • | Moderate drinking means no more than
14 standard drinks a week if you’re a
man and nine standard drinks a week if you’re a woman. Remember that coolers
and higher alcohol beers have more alcohol than one standard drink.
| | • | Drinking more than two
drinks a day risks your health and safety. It’s best to wait at least an
hour between drinks and to have something to eat while you wait.
| | • | On the plus side, drinking a
small amount of alcohol may increase your good cholesterol levels.
| | • | On the negative side,
alcohol may limit the ability of your cells to repair defective genes,
making you more vulnerable to cancer.
| | • | Get more information on
low-risk drinking guidelines
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Sodium
Sodium is an essential nutrient, but you only need 1/20 of a teaspoon of salt to
meet your body’s daily requirements.
| • | Most Canadians consume close to two
teaspoons of salt every day, far exceeding the dietary recommendations for
good health.
| | • | Take the salt shaker off the
table. Instead of salt, try seasoning your food with herbs, spices and
flavoring agents – you’ll get a real taste boost and you won’t miss the salt
at all!
| | • | Buy unsalted food, such as
unsalted crackers and nuts. Look for foods labeled “low salt” or “salt
reduced.”
| | • | Buy more fresh foods when
you shop – processed foods are much higher in salt than fresh foods.
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Caffeine
Caffeine interferes with your body’s ability to absorb calcium and is known to
cause sleep disturbances.
| • | Keep your caffeine down to 300 mg per
day – the equivalent of three regular cups of coffee.
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Saturated and trans fat
You need some fat in your diet to provide energy to your body and to act as
protective insulation for your organs – but too many unhealthy fats can cause
illness and disease.
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Saturated fats
are found in animal foods, such as meat, eggs and dairy products.
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Trans fats
are another type of unhealthy fat found in most fast foods, baked goods and
processed foods (e.g. muffins, cookies, doughnuts, French fries etc).
| | • | A diet high in saturated and
trans fats can raise your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart
disease.
| | • | Saturated fats should make
up no more than 10% of your daily calories and trans fats should make up no
more than 1%.
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Here are some quick and easy ways to reduce the fat in your diet:
| • | Instead of butter, top baked potatoes
with low-fat sour cream, non-fat cottage cheese or salsa.
| | • | Replace regular salad
dressings with reduced-fat or nonfat varieties. When you’re eating out, ask
for salad dressings on the side.
| | • | For extra flavouring without
the fat, spread your sandwiches with mustard, calorie-reduced mayonnaise or
jam.
| | • | Instead of oil, use
applesauce in your quick-bread recipes.
| | • | Substitute some of these
low-fat treats for doughnuts, chips and high-fat muffins:
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| o | ginger snaps
| | o | pretzels
| | o | fig bars
| | o | air-popped popcorn
| | o | vanilla wafers
| | o | puddings made with skim
milk
| | o | angel food cake
| | o | non-fat frozen yogurt
topped with fruit
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Did you know that 75% of the salt we eat comes from processed food, not the salt
shaker?
Remember that the daily recommended allowance of 2,400 ml of salt (approx. 1
tsp.) includes both the salt you add at the table and the salt you eat in
processed foods.
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Learn how to adapt your recipes to reduce the amount of salt, sugar and fat by
visiting Shape up your recipes.
And don’t forget to go to visit
Healthy Diet 101 for more tips on healthy eating.
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