Hi, I’m Mark Olive, from the television series The Outback Café.
I work with food for a living, so I know healthy eating is the key to a healthy life. It makes you feel better, and helps to protect you and your family from disease.
But you don’t need to be a chef like me to eat right. Healthy food is easy to prepare and it also tastes great!
Check out the links below to find out more about healthy eating, and ways to improve your own and your family’s diet.
What is healthy eating?
Healthy eating means eating a whole variety of different fresh foods.
You’ll need:
Plenty of fruit – oranges, apples, bananas, pineapple, mandarins, pawpaw, melons, berries – Australia has lots of different fruits. You pick your favourites!
Plenty of vegetables and legumes – tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, beetroot, broccoli, peas, beans, lentils and local bush tucker like bush tomatoes, yams, warrigal greens, bunya nuts – the list goes on and on.
Cereals – foods like breads, rice, pasta and noodles – preferably wholegrain
Some meat and eggs – lean meat (which has less fat), fish, poultry such as chicken (take the skin off!), eggs, nuts and meat alternatives such as beans and lentils. Traditional meats such as kangaroo, goanna, and emu are also really good to eat as they are lower in saturated fats than other meats.
Some dairy foods – milk, yoghurt and cheese (choose low fat varieties).
Lots of fresh water – try to drink water instead of sugary fruit juices or soft drinks.
Healthy eating also means cutting down on less healthy foods too.
You should:
- Cut down on foods that are fatty (pictures of fatty foods – butter)
- Cut down on foods that contain a lot of salt (pictures of potato chips)
- Cut down on food and drinks that are sugary (pictures of lollies, cakes, soft drink)
- Cut down on alcohol
Well Done – Healthy cooking tips
It’s not just what you eat; it’s how you eat it. You can make a big difference to you and your family’s health by replacing unhealthy ways of cooking with healthy ones. Here are some examples:
Use non-stick cookware so you don’t need to use cooking oil. If you do use oil use a spray or good oils like olive oil.
Instead of frying food, try baking, grilling, boiling, steaming, microwaving, or poaching ie: eggs.
To keep valuable nutrients, microwave or steam your vegies instead of boiling them.
Cook in liquids like stock, lemon juice, fruit or vegetable juice, vinegar or water instead of oil.
Buy low fat dairy products and lean meats (or trim off the fat before cooking).
Remove the skin from chicken before cooking.
Added Goodness – get more fruit and veg into your family’s diet (link opens copy)
Want to get more fruit and vegies into your family’s diet? Try these ideas:
Add a can of chopped tomatoes to your stews, casseroles or lean mince dishes.
Chop some capsicum or grate some zucchini and add it to bolognaise sauce.
Chop bananas or stew apples to top breakfast cereal or oats.
Serve canned fruit (in natural juice) and sugar-free jelly for dessert, or make a fruit salad.
Have chopped vegies like carrot and celery fingers ready and waiting for the kids when they get home from school, or when you feel the need for a snack.
Take Out Time – healthy takeaway options
Sometimes we’re too busy to cook, and it’s easier to grab some takeaway. There are healthy options here too!
Barbecue chook – remove the skin, and choose the breast meat. Avoid stuffing and gravy.
Chinese food – choose steamed rice instead of fried rice, and select mixed vegetable dishes or lean beef or seafood stir fry.
Hamburgers – this can be a healthy choice if it’s made with lean grilled meat. Ask for no butter or marg, and get extra salad instead of egg, bacon or cheese.
Italian – choose pasta with tomato-based sauces, and pizza with lots of vegetables and low fat toppings such as lean meat or chicken. Remember to ask them to go easy on the cheese!
Lebanese – get your doner kebab with extra salad but skip the fatty sauces and cheese.
Salad bar – these can look healthy but still hide sneaky fat. Avoid salads dressed with mayonnaise – they’re high in fat.
Fish – choose grilled fish instead of deep fried.
Mark’s Tips
Still want crunchy potatoes? Instead of roasting or frying them in fat, cook them first in the microwave, then crisp them under the grill for a minute or two (keeping the skin on is better for you).
Eat more fish, which is high in protein, low in fat and loaded with omega 3 fatty acids – which are great to help prevent all kinds of diseases and health problems.
Baked beans are quick, easy, healthy and yum – serve for breakfast on wholemeal toast.
Want a healthy snack? Corn on the cob is high in fibre and low in fat, and tastes great! Just don’t add margarine or butter.
It’s not always easy to get hold of fresh fruit and vegies. But the good news is healthy fruit and vegetables can be FRESH, CANNED or FROZEN. So even when you can’t get fresh foods, you can still enjoy healthy eating! (Remember to choose canned fruit in natural juice.)
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