What Should I Cut Back On My Diet?

Cut back on junk foods, takeaways, and foods or drinks high in sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats

Fill your plate with tasty and healthy foods from the main food groups, and cut back on less healthy foods and drinks.

Cutting back on sugar

Sugar adds extra calories to food that we don’t need. Because it doesn’t fill us up, it’s easy to have too much of it, and that can make us put on weight. It also has a small effect on raising cholesterol levels and blood pressure. While the natural sugars already present in foods such as plain milk and fruit aren’t a problem, there can be a lot of extra sugar added to foods and drinks.

Cutting back on salt

Most of us eat far too much salt – in fact, one and a half times the recommended maximum intake. So try taking a lighter hand to the salt shaker, or better still, ditch the salt altogether. Even more importantly, check food labels for the salt content (salt is listed as sodium on labels), and go for lower sodium options.

Cutting back on saturated and trans fats

Saturated fat is found in higher amounts in foods containing animal fats. The healthy fats are unsaturated fats found in higher amounts in plant foods like: nuts, seeds, plant oils, and avocado, as well as in oily fish. Eating these in place of animal fats contributes to a heart healthy way of eating, that improves cholesterol levels and reduces your risk of heart disease.

Eating less manufactured trans fats means eating less processed foods. Trans fats are found most commonly in foods containing partially hydrogenated oils and in some bakery and pastry products, popcorn, potato crisps, takeaway foods, and breakfast bars.

Source: www.heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/healthy-eating/eating-for-a-healthy-heart