Healthy eating habits/Healthy Dinners for One

Below you will find information on how to cook healthy dinners and budgeting tips for people who live alone.

Why eat healthy?
There are many reasons to eat healthy food including:
 * Happiness and enjoyment
 * Preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers
 * Maintaining a healthy weight

There are 5 food groups we should eat to maintain good health:
 * 1) Vegetables & Legumes/Beans
 * 2) Fruit
 * 3) Grains and Cereals
 * 4) Meat and Alternatives, such as Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans
 * 5) Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives

What to eat for dinner
Fruit and dairy (and alternatives) are healthy foods but not usually eaten at dinner; to find more information on the recommendations for fruit and dairy and alternatives please click here for serving sizes and here for how many serves to eat each day.

VEGETABLES and LEGUMES/BEANS
Some options are tomatoes, green beans, sweet potato, corn, potatoes, beetroot, celery, carrots, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, borlotti beans and many more.


 * Only 6.8% of Australians eat enough vegetables and legumes/beans!


 * Dinner is the perfect meal to eat more!

What is a serve of Vegetables/Legumes/Beans?
Each photo below is an example of 1 serve. Click photos for detail.

How many serves?


 * Adults - 5 serves each day


 * At dinner try to eat 3 serves or fill half your plate.

GRAINS and CEREALS
Some options at dinner include bread, rice, quinoa, pasta, cous cous, barley, polenta...


 * Pick wholegrain, wholemeal and seeded varieties

What is a serve of Grains and Cereals?
Each photo below is an example of 1 serve - click photos for detail.

How many serves?

Most adults need 6 serves each day, as you age you need less, for more information click here.

At dinner eat 1 or 2 serves.

MEAT and ALTERNATIVES
Some options at dinner include, lean red meat, poultry, fish, lentils, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds.

What is a serve of Meat and Alternatives?
Each photo below is an example of 1 serve - click photos for detail.

How many serves?

Men
 * 19 – 50 years: 3 serves each day


 * 51 years and over: 2.5 serves each day

Women
 * 19 – 50 years: 2.5 serves each day
 * 51 years and over: 2 serves each day

At dinner try to eat 1 -2 serves.

Cooking Tips
Time-saving cooking methods
 * Pressure cooking
 * Slow cooking e.g. soups, stews, casseroles.
 * Microwave cooking
 * Stir Fry

Cook extra
 * Meals - you could cook a recipe that serves 4 and keep in the fridge or freezer in meal-size portions.
 * Vegetables - cook double, and store in the fridge and for your next meal
 * Grain - pasta, rice or quinoa can be kept in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or eat cold in salads.

Try new recipes and Simply Great recipes for one.
 * Find cheap cook books from Op shops.
 * Borrow cook books from your local library.
 * Swap favourite recipes with friends.
 * The internet has great recipes such as,Taste website cooking for one,Jamie Oliver meals for one

Saving Money
Living alone can be expensive, below are some money-saving tips:

Buy in bulk Some foods are cheaper sold in bulk, such as:
 * Potatoes
 * Onions
 * Pasta
 * Rice
 * Herbs & Spices
 * Meat – freeze in portions

Canned foods

Very cheap and last a long time in the cupboard:
 * Beans
 * Lentils
 * Tuna Sardines
 * Tomato
 * Corn

Freezing
 * Vegetables
 * Berries
 * Meat and fish
 * Bread - stays fresh
 * Meals

Eat seasonally
 * Vegetables and fruit are often cheaper in season.
 * Local markets and green grocers are usually cheaper than supermarkets.

Swap the meat!
 * Meat is very nutritious but usually more expensive than eggs, beans and lentils. Some recipes you could try:
 * Eggs - scrambled, boiled, omelette, frittata
 * Lentils - soup, stew, salad
 * Beans - Mexican dishes, salads, soups

Write a list
 * Plan your meals, and write a list before you go shopping so you don’t buy extra things you don’t need.

More Information

 * Cookbook:Pressure Cooking
 * Australian Dietary Guidelines
 * Information about Australian dietitians
 * The Better Health Channel