Guidance on
the provision of healthier food choices.
Why change your menu?
You have probably noticed how much interest there has been in healthy
eating in recent years. Two official reports - from NACNE (the National
Advisory Committee on Nutritional Education) and from COMA (the Committee
on Medical Aspects of Food Policy) - have highlighted the need for
changes in diet.
Many people have
followed the advice to eat less fat and to replace it with starchy
foods, particularly those containing plenty of fibre. Retailers and
food manufacturers have responded to public demand by putting an increasing
number of healthy alternatives on sale for those who prefer them.
You can satisfy
your customers and help your sales by offering health food choices
in your establishment. Some changes needed for a healthier menu can
be made comparatively unnoticed behind the scenes, others will be
more obvious. But to make the best impact it is important that all
changes should be presented in a positive light.
Provision of
healthier food choices
In Gibraltar many people eat a diet which is not beneficial to their
health. It often contains too much fat or sugar, too much salt, or
too little fruit or vegetables or starchy foods. With so many foods
to choose from it is difficult to get the right balance of good health.
What is a healthy
diet?
A healthy diet is low in fat, low in sugar with plenty of starchy
foods (particularly high fibre) and fruit and vegetables.
Why eat more
starchy foods and fruit and vegetables?
Starchy foods provide energy and vitamins and minerals. Starchy foods
include bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals. By filling up on
starchy foods we have less room for fatty and sugary foods. However
the caterer must be aware that it is very easy to make these starchy
foods unhealthier by adding fat to them. For example, pasta with a
creamy sauce. Fruit and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals and
are an excellent source of fibre. A minimum of five portions of fruit
and vegetables per day is recommended for good health. As few people
achieve this goal the caterer can play a key role in promoting fruit
and vegetables
How can the
caterer promote a healthy diet?
a) Offering healthy choices directly to the customer.
b) Preparing and cooking dishes in a healthier way
c) Serving additions separately
Any steps that
a caterer takes to offer healthier choices will be given credit in
the award.
How can I practically
adopt these guidelines into the working of my business?
Clearly not every customer is going to want to choose healthy options.
However it is important that we see that you are giving your customers
the choice. If possible these choices should be displayed either on
the menu or told verbally to your customers.
Practical Suggestions for cooking healthy food
Decrease Fat To
reduce the fat in cooking
- Choose lean
cuts of meat and trim of the visible fat and skin before cooking.
- Grill, poach,
roast, microwave or bake rather than fry foods where possible.
- Drain off excess
fat in cooking or from fish tinned in oil.
- When stir-frying,
keep added fat to a minimum.
- Offer reduced
fat options
- Offer skimmed
or semi-skimmed milk
- Offer low fat
spreads as well as butter
- Offer low fat
yoghurts
- Offer low fat
cheese varieties Edam, Camembert
- Give customers
the option with additions
- Provide butter
or low fat spreads separately with potatoes/ vegetables
- Provide cream/natural
yoghurt separately with desserts
- Offer salad
dressing alongside salads
- Serve gravies/sauces
separately
Increase starchy
foods
- Increase the
carbohydrate content of meals
- Adjust the
proportion of the main dish to include more rice/pasta/potatoes
e.g. Spaghetti Bolognese with more pasta less Bolognese.
- Use thicker
bread for making sandwiches
Increase the choice
- Offer a wide
range of starchy foods. Including pasta, noodles, rice, oats, cous
cous, breakfast cereals, breads, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Give customers
the option
- Offer free
bread with main meals (wholemeal if possible)
- Scones made
from wholemeal flour/ flapjacks
Increase Fruit
and Vegetables In Cooking
- Increase proportion
of vegetables in main dishes e.g. stews/casseroles
- Incorporate
vegetables into main courses e.g. pizza with peppers, omelette with
mushrooms
- Make fruit
based desserts e.g. fruit crumble, apple pie, fresh fruit salad
Increase the choice
- Offer a range
of undressed salads as a side dish
- Offer a range
of cooked vegetables with main course
- Include a range
of salad ingredients to add to sandwiches
Give customers
the option
- Have fresh
fruit on display
- Offer pure
fruit/vegetable juices
Reduce sugary
foods in cooking
- Adjust recipes
perhaps using fruit or dried fruit as alternative to sugar
- Use less sugar
to decorate puddings and pastries
- Use fruit canned
in natural juice instead of syrup.
Increase the choice
- Offer low sugar
cakes, cereal bars as well as chocolate
- Offer fruitcakes
and plain cakes instead of iced cakes.
Give customers
the option
- Offer artificial
sweetener as well as sugar
- Offer a range
low sugar and diet fizzy drinks
