The ten rules:

• Get down to and maintain your desirable body weight.
• Reduce your total fat intake, particularly your intake of saturated fats
• Ensure adequate intake of mono- and certain poly-unsaturated fats
• Reduce your intake of foods high in cholesterol
• Increase your fibre intake
• Use sugar and foods high in simple carbohydrates in moderation
• Use less salt
• Eat a variety of foods
• Drink alcohol only in moderation and regularly rather than in binges
• Drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day

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Healthy food choices include:

Fats, oils and nuts

• Sunflower, canola, olive and soya oils
• Soft margarines
• Non-stick vegetable sprays
• Almonds, pecan, hazelnuts and peanuts in moderation

Meat, fish and poultry

• Lean cuts only
• Portion sizes to 90 to 120g a day – about the size of your palm
• Eat chicken without the skin
• Eat fish at least twice a week
• Shellfish is fine except prawns, shrimps and caviar
• Tinned fish should be in water or brine

Lentils and dry beans

• All types of lentils, peas and beans
• Baked beans and other tinned beans

Eggs

• Use a maximum of three egg yolks a week and cut down on other foods containing cholesterol if you do eat egg yolk

Milk and milk products

• Low-fat and skim milk
• Low-fat and fat-free yoghurt
• Low-fat and fat-free cottage cheese
• Low-fat buttermilk

Breads and cereals

• Brown bread and wholewheat bread
• Oats, oat bran and maize meal
• High-fibre (low fat) breakfast cereals
• Low-fat wholewheat crackers
• Rice and pasta

Fruit and vegetables

• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day
• Choose fresh fruits instead of fruit juices
• Use avocado and olives in moderation

Beverages

• Tea and coffee without sugar, diet cold drinks, sugar-free squash
• Use sweetened cold drinks in moderation
• Use fruit juice in moderation
• If you drink alcohol, no more than two drinks a day (1 drink = 340ml beer or 120ml wine or 25ml spirits). Avoid if you have high blood pressure or are overweight

Desserts

• Choose fresh fruit, jelly, skim-milk custard, fat-free or low-fat yoghurt, fruit ices, fruit yoghurt

Avoid the following foods:

Fats and oils:

• Butter
• Hard brick margarine, brick cooking fat, lard
• All fried food
• Coconut and biscuits containing coconut
• Mayonnaise

• Fatty beef, pork and mutton
• Processed meats such as salami and polony
• Organ meats such as offal, liver and kidneys
• Tinned meat and pies
• Take-aways such as fried chicken and hamburgers
• Deep fried foods

• Full cream milk
• Condensed milk
• Cream, artificial cream, coffee and tea creamers
• Full-fat ice cream and yoghurt
• Full fat cheeses

• White bread and rolls
• Refined breakfast cereals
• Salted, high-fat savoury snacks
• Biscuits, cakes, puddings, chocolates, fudge etc
• Crisps, corn crisps, other savoury snacks

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