User's comments:
This is my Sunday lunch:
200g of fillet steak with about 4 tablespoons of mushroom-cheese sauce
Half a medium-sized avo
1 medium-sized baked potato with approximately 2 tablespoons of real butter
Quarter of a medium-sized papino (small paw paw)
Expert's comments:
Looking at the content of your Sunday lunch, I wish to make the following comments:
Fat intake:
You need to check the fat content of your meal as the total amount of fat eaten at the meal is excessive. Butter and mushroom/cheese sauces are generally high in fat, particularly saturated fat which is detrimental to your health. You should always try to limit the amount of gravies and sauces. I would suggest no more than 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of sauce in future.
Congratulations on choosing to eat avocado. Avocado pears are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats (the healthy type). They are also rich in fibre, lutein, folate, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin B6. Bear in mind that it is still a source of fat (although a healthier choice) and any fat in excess can be fattening, so I would suggest no more than a quarter avocado a day (unless, of course, it is your only source of fat in the day which is usually unlikely).
Low-fat food preparation:
It is unclear how you cooked the steak but ideally, you should grill or braai it with very little added oil or fat. Other low-fat cooking methods include boiling, steaming, baking in the oven, poaching and stir-frying. Avoid frying your food whenever possible. If you do need to fry food, use very little oil (canola or olive oil) or try to prepare with no oil at all.
Eat low fat:
Your aim should be to eat low fat overall, i.e. have meals which are lower in total fat. You can read food labels to assess fat content. A product is low fat if it contains < 3g fat/100g and fat free has < 0.5g fat/100g.
Practically, choose foods that contain fat between 3 – 10% and try to keep to about 10 – 13g fat/meal. This can be achieved by adding only one fat to a meal and following the above-mentioned cooking methods.
As a guide, one fat serving contains 5g of fat and is equal to the following portions:
(5ml = 1 teaspoon = 5g)
2 level teaspoons (2 walnuts)
2 teaspoons (1 small handful or 10 peanuts)
5 almonds
1 teaspoon (whole/chopped)
5 cashews
4 pecan halves
Sesame or sunflower seed (dried, hulled)
1 level Tablespoon
Ice cream:
Sorbet / low fat frozen yoghurt
Soft serve
½ cup
1 heaped Tablespoon (¼ cup)
Chocolates:
1 Small chocolate coated bar (Tex, Kit Kat, Caravan, Crunchie, Peppermint crisp)
1 bite-size Bar-One
Solid milk chocolate (Slab)
½ matchbox
½ matchbox
3 blocks, ½ matchbox
Shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons
Cream:
Pouring/ whipping cream
Sour cream
1 Tablespoon
2 Tablespoons
Vegetables:
Congratulations on eating fruit as a dessert. Your meal is unfortunately lacking in vegetables. Remember the 5-a-day rule for including fruit and vegetables into your daily meal plan. They can be fresh, canned or frozen and eaten raw or cooked. Try to include a good variety – the more colour on your plate, the more likely you are to obtain an optimal mix of vitamins and minerals.
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