What is a healthy eating habit?

2.3 How much should I eat?

You will notice in section 2.2, that the picture also shows the amount of each group that we should eat each day in total e.g., eat more vegetables than fruit, more grain than meat or fish.

To build a healthy habit, let’s think a bit more about the amount of which foods we eat.

We need to eat more of:

• Vegetables and fruit, particularly green, orange and red vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, capsicum and sweet potatoes, and leafy vegetables like spinach, and legumes/ beans like lentils.
• Grain (cereal) foods, particularly wholegrain cereals like wholemeal breads, wholegrain/high fibre breakfast cereals, oats, wholegrain rice and pasta.
• Reduced fat milk, yoghurt and cheese varieties.
• Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans.
• Water instead of soft drinks, cordials, energy drinks, sports drinks and sweetened fruit juice drinks and/or alcoholic drinks.

We need to eat less of:

• Meat pies, sausage rolls and fried hot chips
• Potato crisps, savoury snacks, biscuits and crackers
• Processed meats like salami, bacon and sausages
• Cakes, muffins, sweet biscuits and muesli bars
• Confectionary (sweets or candy) and chocolate
• Ice cream and desserts
• Cream and butter
• Jam and honey
• Soft drinks, cordial, energy drinks and sports drinks
• Wine, beer and spirits

Next time you have a meal there is a very easy measurement you can do just using your hand.

• Protein per serving
  Women 1 palm
  Men 2 palms
• Vegetables per serving
  Women 1 rounded fist
  Men 2 rounded fists 
• Carbohydrates per serving
  Women 1 cupped hand
  Men 2 cupped hands
• Fat per serving
  Women 1 thumb
  Men 2 thumbs

⇒ Think again about the last meal you ate.  Which foods would you eat more or less of in the future, or were the servings about right?