How to Make Your Diet a Little Bit Healthier: A Dietitian's Tips

1. Eat real foods

The cornerstone of a healthy diet pattern should be to replace processed foods with real foods whenever possible. That’s probably the easiest and most effective thing you could do. Processed foods either remove the really good nutrients or have a lot of added sugar, salt, or additives, which are not so good for your health. For example, in refined flour or rice, the processing would’ve taken out all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Conversely, other processed foods, such as processed meats, would have added salt as a preservative. Juice, for example, would have added sugar in it, and preserved foods have a lot of added salt, which is not good for our hearts and our blood pressure. Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it can make a huge difference to the way you think, look, and feel. 

2. Don't deny yourself

You don’t have to completely eliminate foods you love or give anything up all at once – that usually leads to cheating or giving up on your diet plan. But, if you try to make small, manageable steps by, for example cutting down your portion sizes, adding a salad to your diet, or swapping a snack with a tub of yogurt or a piece of fruit, it will make a big difference over time. 

3. Be a smart diner

When you eat out, choose a dish or cooking method that limits your intake of oil and salt. Some good options are grilled chicken, steamed fish, quick stir-fries, cold salads with dressing, clear soups, or non-fried tofu dishes. Also, watch out for deep-fried foods or foods cooked in a large amount of oil, like boiled beef (水煮牛肉) and chuanr (串儿). Many Chinese home-style dishes like fried eggplant (红烧茄子), green beans (干煸四季豆), and potatoes with green peppers and eggplant (地三鲜) are very oily because of the way they're cooked. These are some of my favorite dishes as well, and I’m not saying I won’t be eating them again, but what I will do is balance the rest of my diet throughout the day, or throughout the week. That’s the main thing. 

Repeat after me ... 

The main things to remember are to eat a healthier, balanced diet, control your portion sizes, and eat unprocessed whole foods as much as possible. Write these steps down, and start putting them into action today!

Jackie Gao is a Chinese-born, Australian-trained dietitian and nutritionist. She can help give you tailored diet advice if you're struggling with your diet. To make an appointment with her, please call the BJU Service Center at 4008-919191.

• Who is this Jackie chick and how can she help me with my diet? Read our Q&A with her and find out.

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