Healthy Eating

Healthy eating can be complicated and it is often hard to know what is healthy and what is unhealthy. There are so many guidelines and recommendations that even the experts get confused sometimes. Because of this we're keeping it as simple as possible, and we will provide you with the key points and information.

Here are some broad guidelines on which the ManUp healthy eating challenge is based:¹⁰

• Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables
• Eat wholegrain breads and cereals, also try to eat wholemeal pasta and brown rice
• Eat moderate amounts of meat, fish and poultry
• Eat moderate amounts of dairy products (milk, yoghurts, cheese), try to eat low fat dairy products
• Drink plenty of water
• Consume a limited amount of alcohol

We have done the hard work and made this into 10 simple ManUp healthy eating goals, they are all part of one big healthy eating challenge. If you can do these then you know that you're eating the right foods to look after yourself. You can check your progress against the healthy eating goals at the end of each day. This allows you to see where you've done well and where you still need to improve. Just like physical activity, its best to start slowly, because you want to make sure that you can stick it out for the long haul. Being a man means seeing things through until the end and we want to help you get there with healthy eating.

 

Here are the ManUp healthy eating goals:

• Today I had two fruits

It is recommended to eat 2 serves of fruit a day, every day.¹¹ All fruit is different so what is a serve? One serve of fruit equals 1 large fruit (e.g. apple, banana), or 2 smaller fruits (e.g. kiwi, plum), or a handful of grapes or strawberries, or a half glass of fruit juice.

• Today I had five vegetables

It is recommended to eat 5 serves of vegetables a day, every day. Peas and pumpkins are both veggies, so what counts? A serve of veggies is 1 cup of salad, half a cup of cooked veggies or one medium potato. Half a cup is a good handful of veggies. Don't worry, it might seem complicated at first but it won't take you long to work out.

• Today I had fish

It is recommended to eat fish or seafood twice per week.¹¹ Guys, unfortunately 'fish & chips' won't help to achieve this goal, unless the fish is grilled (but not fried, battered or crumbed) and you skip the chips.

• Today I had wholemeal bread

It is recommended to eat wholemeal bread instead of white bread.¹¹ Wholemeal bread is full of fibre, which is good for you and you'll also get the benefit of eating wholegrains. Try to eat at least 2 slices of wholemeal bread each day, and stay away from the white stuff.

• Today I had low fat dairy products

Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, and ice-cream) are full of fat, but luckily there are plenty of low fat options available. Try not to have more than 3 serves of low fat dairy each day. One serve equals one cup of milk, one tub of yogurt or 30g of cheese.

• Today I had a soft drink free day

We all like soft-drinks, but they are loaded with tons of sugar that you really don't need. There are some sugar free alternatives though (diet soft drinks) that are still pretty tasty. Even better than diet drinks is water, its hard to have too much H₂0. Basically you need to try and realise that the less soft drink you have, the healthier you will be.

• Today I had an alcohol free day

Having a beer now and then is nothing to be worried about, however alcoholic drinks add lots of energy to your diet, and drinking too much damages your liver.¹² To minimise heckling from your mates, get them to do the ManUp challenges too. The more days that you have without drinking any alcohol the better it is for you and your body.  

• Today I had a red meat free day

Some people will tell you that eating red meat is healthy and others will say the opposite! Actually, they're both kind of right because the answer is right in the middle. Red meat is good for you as long as you don't eat too much of it.¹¹ You should have at least 3 red meat free days a week. When you do have red meat, choose lean cuts with no fat on the edges or cut it off before cooking.

• Today I had a snack free day

This healthy eating goal specifically refers to 'unhealthy' snacks. It is good to have some fruit, veggies or low-fat cookies as a snack, but try to stay away from energy dense alternatives that have chocolate or lots of fat and sugar in them. They will just make you fat. Every day without unhealthy snacks is a battle won, and a step towards being healthier!  

• Today I had a fast food free day

Food prepared at home is nearly always more healthy than fast food, which is mostly deep fried junk that is expensive too. Home made food is healthier, cheaper and tastier so why not make something yourself. There's nothing more Australian than firing up the BBQ and grilling a lean steak to have with your salad and wholegrain bread.