Ensuring Safe and Nutritious Food Dietetics Day 2018 Ensuring Safe and Nutritious Food

Make Healthy Choices Vegetarian diets that include cereals, legumes, soy, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, whole grains and vegetables can easily meet your protein, vitamin and mineral requirements Read labels carefully Choose foods wisely. Thick soups with white sauce, cream, starch, etc. are rich in calories. This is also true for salads with rich dressings like mayonnaise. Drinking tea after a meal interferes with absorption of nutrients such as iron, calcium and proteins in the body. Use only clean water for drinking and cooking food.

Purchasing food If food is spoiled or looks doubtful, it is best to throw it away immediately. Never taste such doubtful food. Eating even a small amount of spoiled food can cause harm. Always check the dates of manufacture and expiry or ‘Best Before’ date for freshness Be sure to consume foods before the ‘Best Before’ date or before the ‘Expiry Date’ has lapsed.

Preparing food Make sure that the food is cleaned properly, cooked such that it retains its nutritional and health benefits, and does not get contaminated. It is best to cut salads and vegetables into large pieces just before they are cooked/ served to prevent loss of vitamins like vitamin C. Rice should be washed with minimum amount of water to conserve B vitamins. Canned food in metal cans should not be heated or cooked directly in the cans. It should be immediately transferred to another container once the can has been opened. Do not heat food in disposable ware. Do not reuse disposable ware.

Eat Nutritious Food Eat a balanced diet containing different types of foods (from all food groups) in such quantities and proportions that the need for all the nutrients are adequately met. Choose healthy, traditional home made food instead of processed, ready to eat convenience foods. Processed foods are generally refined, calorie dense and the majority of them are rich in fat or in salt/sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an intake about 5 g or 1 tsp salt daily.

Maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation in the kitchen Wash hands with soap and clean water for 20 seconds and dry them before and after handling food Wear clean and preferably cotton clothes while cooking Wash chopping boards, dishes, utensils, knives and counter-tops with hot soapy water after each round of food preparation Ensure kitchen is free from cockroaches and other pests Discard garbage regularly