WHAT CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE
This short course aims to help you to consider small, simple changes to the way you make food. These changes can make a big impact on the health of your customers.
Further training
Free Level 2 Nutrition training is available for those businesses who want to do a formal qualification. This will develop your knowledge further and give you additional skills to adapt your menu to offer healthier choices for your customers. One free level 2 training place is available per business. For more information contact
emhiggins@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Many people eat out regularly, so rely on takeaways, restaurants and cafés to buy, prepare, cook and serve their food.
On average, people eat too many calories, too much saturated fat, salt and sugar and not enough fruit and vegetables, fibre or oily fish.
Using a lot of salt, sugar and fat in food and serving large portions can cause health problems; particularly for those people who eat out regularly.
Excess weight caused by eating too much food that is high in calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar can lead to serious health conditions such as:
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Too much sugar in food and drinks causes tooth decay
WHAT SHOULD WE ALL BE DOING?
We should be eating the right amount of calories for how active we are. If we eat or drink more than our bodies need, we will store the excess energy as fat.
It is recommended that men have no more than 2500 calories/day and women no more than 2000 calories/day. Aim for 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner, leaving capacity for a couple of healthy snacks and drinks. But we are all different, so this is just a guide.
We should eat a wide range of foods to get the nutrients we need, this is the best way to achieve a balanced diet. We should try and be as active as possible.
WHAT IS A BALANCED DIET?
Carbohydrates
We need carbohydrates (pasta, potatoes, bread, rice, cereals, cous cous etc.)
Carbohydrates should make up just over a third of the food we eat. Every main meal should contain a portion of carbohydrate.
Wholegrain carbohydrates provide dietary fibre which are much better for us and help us to feel full for longer.
Fruit and vegetables
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced all count), we should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
A portion is 80g. A portion of dried fruit is 30g (and should be consumed at mealtimes only to reduce the impact of the sugar on our teeth).
Fish
Eat more fish, at least 2 portions/week including a portion of oily fish every week (salmon, trout, herring, sardines, mackerel and pilchards). Fish provides a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Fat
Cut down on saturated fat, we should be reducing the fat we eat, particularly saturated fat (butter, lard, palm oil, cream, fatty meat, ghee).
Men should have no more than 30g of saturated fat per day and women no more than 20g.
Unsaturated fats are healthier and include fat from oily fish, olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil. Always use these fats for cooking. All fat contains a large amount of calories so limit intake of all fats.
Sugar
On average we all eat too much sugar. Sugar provides no nutrients, just calories. Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain and tooth decay.
Sugar is found in fizzy drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, confectionery, desserts and alcoholic drinks.
Check the labels, more than 22.5g sugar/100g is high in sugar. 5g or less/100g is low in sugar. Adults should eat no more than 30g of sugar/day.
Salt
We all eat too much salt. Salt can raise blood pressure which increases the risk of stroke or developing heart disease.
We should eat no more than 6g of salt/day, children should have even less. It is challenging to achieve this as much of the food we buy (cereals, bread, sauces, soups etc.) has salt added by the manufacturer and accounts for around 75% of the salt we eat.
Do not add salt and look for lower salt products, more than 1.5g/100g of salt is high in salt.
Drink
Most of us don’t drink enough, we should have at least 6 to 8 glasses every day. All non-alcoholic drinks count, but water, low fat milk and low sugar drinks, tea and coffee are healthier choices.
Sugary soft and fizzy drinks are high in calories and can cause tooth decay.
Fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies are also high in sugar, drink no more than 150ml/day.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Making small changes to the food that you serve can make a big impact on the health of your customers:
Salt
Don’t add salt when cooking, reduce it over time, your customers won’t notice.
Don’t offer salt to customers, let them add their own if they choose.
Offer low sodium salt.
Look out for reduced salt products e.g. bread, bacon, soy sauce,sauces.
Limit the use of high salt ingredients.
Sugar
Offer no or low sugar drinks including water, displayed at eye level to encourage customers to choose these items.
Reduce the amount of sugar you put into foods.
Offer natural or sugar free yoghurts and other sugar free alternatives.
Fat
If you make salads and sandwiches:
Swap full fat mayonnaise and salad dressings for reduced fat versions. Offer customers the choice of having no dressing.
Use healthier spreads, only butter one side of the bread in a sandwich. Offer customers the choice of having no spread.
Offer low fat fillings for sandwiches, wraps and salads.
Offer grilled or baked options.
Trim excess fat and skin from meat and poultry.
Try meat free alternatives such as Quorn.
Offer low fat milk and yoghurt.
If you fry food:
Polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils must be used when cooking food (sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil must be used in place of lard, butter, ghee or palm oil). Many oils described as vegetable oil contain soya (which is an allergen that must be declared and some are made from genetically modified ingredients, which also must be declared on the menu).
Thin cut chips absorb more fat than thicker cut chips; use fat chips.
Use the correct frying temperature (175°C – 190°C); always shake and bang fried food and blot it on absorbent paper.
If you use cream, coconut cream or milk in sauces:
Use single cream or try reduced fat crème fraiche or yoghurt.
Try reduced fat coconut milk and cream.
Portion sizes
It is recommended that a small portion of chips is 100g, a medium portion is 165g and a large portion is 240g.
Offer small portions, i.e. half or a third smaller than the standard.
Offer the option of half rice, half curry in a single take away container or half stir fry and half rice or noodles.
Offer pizza by the slice.
Offer half a sandwich if requested.
Think about your menu how you can give more choice to customers in terms of portion sizes.
The website MenuCal provided by Food Standards Scotland provides free online training on nutrition which can help you calculate the calories on your menu.
Offering choice on portion sizes can reduce food waste and save you money. Check out the Love Food Hate Waste website for further ideas.
Think about the packaging that you use; it affects portion sizes and
the environment.
