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Why eat healthily?<h2 class="sectHeading">Make healthier eating choices</h2><p>Eating nutritious, healthy food can help prevent lifestyle diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, build up our immune system and help support treatment for illnesses like <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Personal-health/Sexual-health/Hiv-and-aids">HIV</a> and <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Personal-health/Contagious-and-chronic-diseases/TB">TB</a>. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive – if you don’t have a lot of money, consider growing your own food.</p><p> <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Greener-living/Green-gardening-and-eating/Start-a-food-garden">Learn how to start a food garden at home</a> or <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Local%20and%20communities/Community-building-and-upliftment/Start-a-food-revolution/Start-a-community-food-garden">in your community</a>.</p><h4>The basics of a healthy diet</h4><ul><li><a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Forms%2c%20notices%2c%20tariffs%20and%20lists/Salt_Awareness_Notice.pdf" target="_blank">Cut down your salt intake</a> </li><li>Go fresh and natural – vegetables and fruit are packed with the kinds of vitamins and minerals our bodies love.</li><li>Get enough fibre – it fills us up and helps our body to digest our food and absorb the right nutrients.</li><li>Choose complex carbohydrates like wholewheat bread and pasta, brown rice, beans, vegetables and fruit over simple “white” carbs like white bread or white rice. This helps our blood sugar remain stable and keeps us feeling full for longer.</li><li>Reduce meat and enjoy healthy sources of protein e.g. beans, lentils and nuts.</li><li>Eat in moderation – as in, not too much. This becomes easier when our plates are filled with nutrient- and fibre-rich foods.</li><li>Eat slowly and chew food properly. This simple trick gives our bodies enough time to become full so we don’t overeat.</li><li>Drink plenty of clean, safe water – our bodies need to be hydrated to do their jobs properly.</li><li>Eat a variety of healthy foods to get the nutrients your bodies needs. This helps to make meals more interesting and tasty.</li><li>You can also consult our handy poster; it shows what foods we should all aim to eat or avoid. <br>Download <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%20and%20educational%20material/basic%20principle%20-%20eat%20natural%20foods.pdf" target="_blank">Basic Principle: Eat Natural Foods</a>.</li></ul><p>View our <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%20and%20educational%20material/Live%20Well%20Poster.pdf" target="_blank">healthy food recipes</a> for tips on how to eat well.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">Get to know your food better</h2><p>Learn how to avoid foods that are not good for your body and learn where all the best food sources come from. Filling our stomach is not the same as giving our body the nutrients it needs. All food gives us ‘energy’ – but not all foods offer us nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre do.</p><h4>Remember:</h4><ul><li>Highly processed foods, fried foods, convenience foods and ‘junk foods’ are usually high in calories, but low in nutrients. They often have plenty of added sugar, salt and saturated fats as well as colourants, preservatives, stabilisers and flavour enhancers which can also harm our health</li><li>Although many unhealthy foods are cheap, they can be more expensive in the long run because we could get ill.</li><li>Fast foods can also be addictive – we think we want more of these foods even though they don’t give us the nutrients we need.</li><li>Nutritious food leaves you feeling comfortably full and energised – and you will experience fewer of those cravings that are so difficult to resist.<br></li><li>We can ‘train’ our taste buds to prefer healthy foods.</li><li>Fresh, natural food is a delight for the senses! It’s beautiful to look at and delicious to eat.</li></ul><h4>The dangers of processed foods</h4><ul><li>The closer food is to its natural state, the more nutritious it is.</li><li>Industrially processed foods have often been stripped of their nutrients as the factories produce them in bulk.</li><li>The less processed your food is, the more environmentally friendly it is.</li><li>Many processed foods (e.g. breakfast cereals, tinned vegetables and beans, bread, savoury snacks like crisps, meat products like bacon, ready-made meals and soft drinks) have added sugar and salt – which means we end up eating far more sugar and salt than we realise.</li><li>Processed foods often contain additives, like colourants, preservatives, stabilisers and flavour enhancers. We don't yet know how bad these are for us, but we know that they are not good for us.</li><li>Natural food can be cheaper. Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually more affordable than canned or frozen foods.</li><li>Natural fats (e.g. butter, avocado, nuts, seeds) provide fat-soluble vitamins needed to build cell walls. Oils that have undergone industrial processing often turn into ‘hydrogenated’ fats, which can contribute to unhealthy cells as well as heart disease and obesity.</li></ul><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>Processed oil is very dangerous to our health. See the <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%20and%20educational%20material/dangers%20of%20processed%20oils.pdf" target="_blank">Dangers of Processed Oils poster</a> for more information.</p></div></div><h2 class="sectHeading">Smart eating guides for students and teachers</h2><p>We have created a guide which highlights how food production impacts our climate. Designed for students and teachers, we have both an <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Smart%20Eating_1_Educators_Guide_2010-06.pdf" target="_blank">educator’s guide</a> and a <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%20and%20educational%20material/Smart%20Eating_2_Learners_Booklet_2010-06.pdf" target="_blank">learner’s booklet</a> which includes a tuck shop audit sheet so you can check how healthy and environmentally friendly your school’s food is.</p><p>You may also want to read our <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Smart_Cooking_and_Home_Safety_Guide%20.pdf" target="_blank">Smart Cooking and Home Safety Guide</a></p><h4>Great for using in homes, schools and communities, the guides teach:</h4><ul><li>how much energy goes into food production;</li><li>how livestock production (meat and dairy) affects greenhouse gas emissions, water shortages, soil erosion, reduced biodiversity and public health issues;</li><li>how we can reduce “food miles”;</li><li>why we need to curb our food waste, and how to do this;</li><li>the relationship between health food and climate-friendly food;</li><li>energy-saving tips for cooking and storing food at home; and</li><li>how to ask the government to make better rules and policies about food.</li></ul>GP0|#6ae3418d-41f3-4dae-a348-eb1e9fddfaec;L0|#06ae3418d-41f3-4dae-a348-eb1e9fddfaec|Why eat healthily?;GTSet|#ef3a64a2-d764-44bc-9d69-3a63d3fadea1;GPP|#630f1ce3-4d76-4447-85fb-0afef5f00698;GPP|#39d66b11-2134-4df5-8360-0bc5e66e8f4f;GPP|#245ec7aa-a528-4cd3-bcac-597c292db711;GP0|#ce05497d-2b16-42d1-8e6b-c7b5df8650ba;L0|#0ce05497d-2b16-42d1-8e6b-c7b5df8650ba|Why eat healthily?;GPP|#ad6fe10c-0568-48ce-aae2-b58e1ca7d8a5;GPP|#4a553a67-2cba-4911-9745-a724e38b645a;GPP|#af370586-9ba3-404a-9d6e-02066ca42752;GP0|#2faefdde-62d7-4d05-87c8-330ebad350dd;L0|#02faefdde-62d7-4d05-87c8-330ebad350dd|Why eat healthily?;GPP|#fe19bc42-9232-4590-8313-a4e3dae57d27;GPP|#090e430c-3809-42d5-a80b-caea93b2beaf;GP0|#3bfb2181-dc88-44f0-9b4e-d3694d27a301;L0|#03bfb2181-dc88-44f0-9b4e-d3694d27a301|Why eat healthily?;GPP|#2d6a7734-d454-42c6-944c-d71f4d3dbc09;GPP|#063a6668-d6cb-4c45-adaf-f559697b85fdFeeding your body with healthy, nutritious food is an important step you can take towards looking after your health.0

 

 

Basic Priniciples: Eat Natural Food Poster378729GP0|#591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6;L0|#0591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6|Poster;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2016-09-25T22:00:00Z
Live Well: Healthy Recipes Poster2557052GP0|#591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6;L0|#0591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6|Poster;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2019-04-04T22:00:00Z
Salt Awareness Notice192226GP0|#c3444de2-1204-414d-a436-593b4be81c13;L0|#0c3444de2-1204-414d-a436-593b4be81c13|Notice;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2024-03-11T22:00:00Z
Smart Eating Handbook: Green Audit Toolkit, Food and Climate Change Audit Sheet Chart143152GP0|#60ca7aa1-d15a-4fa6-8c24-2f6dec246fae;L0|#060ca7aa1-d15a-4fa6-8c24-2f6dec246fae|Chart;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2010-05-31T22:00:00Z
Smart Eating: Dangers Of Processed Oil Poster68117GP0|#591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6;L0|#0591e1d8b-7507-4dd3-8a9a-59b5cdd318c6|Poster;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2016-09-25T22:00:00Z
Smart Eating: Food and Climate Change Booklet1129761GP0|#5702b03d-251a-4a3f-8243-b5b3f7bb764a;L0|#05702b03d-251a-4a3f-8243-b5b3f7bb764a|Booklet;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2010-05-31T22:00:00Z
Smart Living Handbook: Smart Cooking and Home Safety Guide3539691GP0|#dcc8214b-489e-4c99-a7e9-6bc8bda6e154;L0|#0dcc8214b-489e-4c99-a7e9-6bc8bda6e154|Handbook;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e;GP0|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33|Guideline2019-10-29T22:00:00Z

 

 

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