A good diet is a key factor in good health and a happy approach to life.
At pure+natural we believe in good healthy food...and we love it!
Good food is tasty and nutritious. As we say
In setting yourself a good diet there are some basic words and things you should first understand. Here is a list of key words and their meanings.
| Carbohydrates | Carbohydrates provide the body with its main source of energy. There are "simple carbohydrates" - or sugars including glucose - and "complex" ones - found in whole food like grains and vegetables and greens. Excess glucose is stored ready for use in the body - but when the body's reserves are full they are turned to and stored as fat. |
| Cholesterol | Cholesterol is believed to affect the incidence of heart disease. Eating too much fat or oil, particularly certain saturated fats can raise blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol can come from your own body (made primarily by the liver) and dietary cholesterol from the foods you eat. |
| Fat | Fat is how the body stores energy most efficiently. Fats are necessary for metabolic functions including the maintenance of healthy skin and hair. Too much fat is damaging to the body and your health. There are different types of fats - see below - some are worse than others. |
| Fat reasonable limit | According to the Heart Foundation a reasonable total daily intact limit is 90g of fat for the average man and 68g for the average woman. Try to limit your fat intake to no more than 30% of your diet - see the fat table below and the healthy eating pyramid. |
| Fats - mono-unsaturated | Found in some foods including avocados, olives and peanuts and their oils. They increase cholesterol levels and are high in kilojoules. |
| Fats - polyunsaturated | Found mainly in vegetable foods and oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn, soy bean and grape seeds. These can largely replace saturated fats. |
| Fats - saturated | Found mainly in animal foods such as dairy foods, egg yolks, meat and offal, but also in some vegetables like palm oil and coconut oils. |
| Macro-nutrients | Are necessary in large doses for the effective use of vitamins and minerals. Macro-nutrients include oxygen, water, protein, carbo-hydrates and fat. |
| Micro-nutrients | Are necessary in very small doses for the effective use of vitamins and minerals. |
| Minerals | Minerals are inorganic (or non-carbon) natural substances . There are major minerals (where the body requires more than 100mg/day like calcium and potassium and phosphorous) and minor minerals (like iron zinc and manganese). They are essential to the body's functions. |
| Niacin | Also known as vitamin B3. It is essential for the release of energy from food, normal growth, blood cell formation and protects against cancer. A good source is poultry, fish, beans, peas, yeast, whole grain products and beef. |
| Oxygen | Oxygen is necessary for the burning of energy in our body's cells. |
| Protein | Proteins is important in the body's growth and repair, our muscles and organs, antibodies and some hormones are made up of protein. |
| Recommended dietary intake (RDI) | RDI are used as a basis for daily dietary planning. They are a set of standard food intake guidelines established by food nutritionists and scientists. See below table. |
| Vitamins | Vitamins are necessary in small amounts for sustaining life. Vitamins are organic (contain carbon and come from living or once living things) and are found in food. |
| Water | Water makes up over 60% of our body weight and is essential in our bodies biochemical reactions and carrying of chemicals within the body. |
| Sodium | Often just thought of as salt, although salt is made up of sodium and chloride. So salt is only one source of sodium. Sodium is also found in baking sodium and baking powder, milk, meats and some vegetables. Sodium is essential in nearly every body function including water balance and muscle contraction. High sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. Whilst salt is essential, you should not have too much. A recommended daily intake is 2,400 mg. |
The average healthy man should consume no more than 80 to 90 grams of fat per day, and an average healthy woman 60 to 80 grams per day.
Much of this fat should be vegetable fats - particularly polyunsaturated fats.
The following table sets out the level of fat content in each 100gm of food - listed in order of lowest fat content to highest fat. The table is an estimate only of fat based on averages. For each type of food the table shows what that food is as a percentage of what the average person's reasonable maximum daily intake of fat should be to maintain good health.
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% of average recommended |
||
| Food | Fat (g) | Man | Woman |
| Milk - skim | - | - | - |
| Yoghurt - skim | - | - | - |
| Egg white | - | - | - |
| Fruit | - | - | - |
| Salad - fresh | - | - | - |
| Vegetables | - | - | - |
| Vegemite | - | - | - |
| Rice - white | 0.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Fish - Whiting | 0.5 | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Rice - brown | 0.6 | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Cheese - low fat cottage | 1.0 | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Lentil | 1.1 | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| Fish - average | 1.8 | 2.0% | 2.6% |
| Bread - wholemeal | 2.0 | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Turkey | 2.2 | 2.4% | 3.2% |
| Chicken breast | 2.3 | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Rump steak | 3.0 | 3.3% | 4.4% |
| Tuna - canned in brine | 3.0 | 3.3% | 4.4% |
| Lamb - fillet | 3.6 | 4.0% | 5.3% |
| Milk - full cream | 4.0 | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| Yoghurt - full cream | 4.0 | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| Scotch fillet steak | 4.4 | 4.9% | 6.5% |
| Breadcrumbs | 4.4 | 4.9% | 6.5% |
| Coleslaw - light dressing | 4.5 | 5.0% | 6.6% |
| Ham | 5.0 | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Potatoe - roast | 5.0 | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Soy beans | 5.0 | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Tofu | 5.0 | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Chick peas | 5.7 | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Biscuits - crispbread | 6.0 | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Lamb chop | 6.6 | 7.3% | 9.7% |
| Cheese - ricotta | 8.5 | 9.4% | 12.5% |
| Muesli - natural | 9.0 | 10.0% | 13.2% |
| Fried rice | 9.0 | 10.0% | 13.2% |
| Hamburger - small | 10.0 | 11.1% | 14.7% |
| Egg whole | 11.0 | 12.2% | 16.2% |
| Mayonnaise - light | 13.0 | 14.4% | 19.1% |
| Sausage roll | 14.0 | 15.6% | 20.6% |
| Meat pie | 14.0 | 15.6% | 20.6% |
| French fries | 15.0 | 16.7% | 22.1% |
| Pizza | 15.0 | 16.7% | 22.1% |
| Biscuits - savoury | 16.0 | 17.8% | 23.5% |
| Fish - deep fried | 16.0 | 17.8% | 23.5% |
| Avocado | 22.0 | 24.4% | 32.4% |
| Chicken - take away | 22.0 | 24.4% | 32.4% |
| Tuna - canned in oil | 22.0 | 24.4% | 32.4% |
| Sausages - grilled pork | 24.0 | 26.7% | 35.3% |
| Chocolate | 31.0 | 34.4% | 45.6% |
| Cheese - cheddar and tasty | 33.0 | 36.7% | 48.5% |
| Potato crisps | 34.0 | 37.8% | 50.0% |
| Full cream (per 100ml) | 35.0 | 38.9% | 51.5% |
| Pork | 35.0 | 38.9% | 51.5% |
| Salad dressing - Italian/French | 37.0 | 41.1% | 54.4% |
| Salami | 38.0 | 42.2% | 55.9% |
| Mayonnaise - regular | 49.0 | 54.4% | 72.1% |
| Pine nuts | 51.0 | 56.7% | 75.0% |
| Almond nuts | 54.0 | 60.0% | 79.4% |
| Peanut butter | 55.0 | 61.1% | 80.9% |
| Pecan nuts | 71.0 | 78.9% | 104.4% |
| Margarine - polyunsaturated | 81.0 | 90.0% | 119.1% |
| Butter | 82.0 | 91.1% | 120.6% |
| Dripping - lard (cooking fat) | 100.0 | 111.1% | 147.1% |
| Olive oil | 100.0 | 111.1% | 147.1% |
Nutrition Table
