A-Z Health Topics | Te hāpori (Ngā kaupapa hauora) Nutrition

Nutrition

Toi Te Ora Public Health works to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in our region by providing opportunities to assist people to make healthier choices.

To keep us healthy, we need to eat well and be active.

Eat well by including a variety of healthy foods from each of the four major food groups.

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit.
Eat plenty of healthy grain foods such as wholegrain bread, and wholegrain cereals (e.g., oats, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and noodles).
Include some milk and milk products in your diet, preferably reduced- or low-fat options. If choosing plant-based alternatives (e.g., oat, soy, rice milk) choose options with added calcium.
Include some lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or plant-based alternatives (e.g., legumes, nuts, and seeds).

Additionally:

Prepare foods or choose pre-prepared foods, drinks and snacks;
- with minimal added fat, especially saturated fat;
- that are low in salt; if you use salt, choose iodised salt;
- with little added sugar; limit your intake of high-sugar foods.
Drink plenty of liquids each day, especially water.
If choosing to drink alcohol, limit intake.
Think about food safety when you purchase, prepare, cook and store food.
Maintain a healthy body weight by eating well and doing daily physical activity.

Where do sugary foods, fizzy drinks, fatty and salty foods fit in?

These should not be eaten very often as too much of these types of foods can lead to you becoming overweight and unwell. This is really important for children too. Save these foods for special occasions!

Refer to the links below for additional information:

Helpful websites: