This document discusses lifestyle changes to improve health, including reducing sugar, salt, and fat intake and increasing fruits/vegetables, fiber, and water. It recommends cutting back on sugary snacks and processed foods high in salt and fat. Eating more fresh produce, whole grains, beans, and drinking water provides benefits like weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, better blood sugar control, and reduced disease risk. Making a meal plan, buying in season, and using leftovers can help eat nutritious meals while keeping costs low.

1. Lifestyle
Changes
Why do you need to reduce sugar in the diet?
Too much sugar in the diet makes you over-
weight or obese, as sugary foods tend to be
high in calories.
How to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet?
 Cut down on sugar snacks such as pies and
cakes and have a piece of fruit instead
 Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
 Avoid canned foods, soups and vegetable
juice drinks. These are one of the highest
sources of hidden salt.
 Cut out the salty snacks. Don't reach for the
chips, the salted nuts. They're loaded with
salt. Try unsalted nuts instead - they're rich
in flavor and many have additional health
benefits.
 Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, pack-
aged mixes
 When available, buy low- or reduced-
sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods.
Why do you need to cut down on fat in the di-
et?
Too much fat can raise bad cholesterol which
can increase the risk of heart of disease. Foods
such as sausages, butter, cheese, pasties (patty),
coconut oil are some of the sources of choles-
terol.
What are lifestyle changes?
Lifestyle changes are adjustments whether it is
about your diet or your physical activity that
are made in order to create change in an indi-
vidual’s health behaviour over a long period of
time.
How can adjusting lifestyle changes improve
health?
Making lifestyle changes are easy and simple
steps to follow to promote a balanced and
healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle changes can lead to
 Weight loss
 Lower blood sugar
 Lowers cholesterol which reduces risk of
heart disease
First step in making lifestyle changes is to RE-
DUCE SALT, SUGAR AND FAT INTAKE.
Why do you need to reduce salt in the diet?
Too much salt is connected to high blood pres-
sure (hypertension) and is more likely to in-
crease your chance of developing heart disease
or stroke. To reduce salt in the diet
 Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned "with no
salt added" vegetables.
 Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, ra-
ther than canned or processed types.
 Replace salt with herbs, spices, and salt-
Plan
 Make a shopping list for the month
 Plan meals for the rest of the week
 Include meals that will “stretch” expen-
sive items (last long)
Purchase
 Buy groceries when you are not hungry
and when you are not too rushed
 Buy store brands if cheaper
 Purchase items in bulk which usually
cost less (milk, meat, bread) as it saves
time and money
 Choose fruits and vegetables that are in
season (taste better and cheaper)
Plan
 Try having meatless meals by using
beans and peas
 Incorporate leftovers into subsequent
meals (Leftovers to be used in another
meal). (Ensure to avoid food wasting).
 Prepare one pot meals e.g. Tuna, Vege-
table Pasta
 Have a backyard gardening
 Add vegetables to meat e.g. curry
chicken with carrot and string beans
Prepared by Nicole Farquharson
Dietetic Student
Northern Caribbean University

2. How can you reduce fat in the diet?
You can reduce/cut down fat in the diet by
 Decrease or eliminate animal products
that are high in fat. This includes red
meat, poultry and some dairy products,
such as whole milk, cream and butter. If
you do eat meat, choose the leanest cuts
of meat, poultry and fish available.
 Increase the amount of fresh vegetables
and fruit in your diet. Eat them raw
whenever possible.
 Change your method of cooking. Broil,
bake, steam or poach rather than fry.
What happen when you reduce salt, sugar
and fat in the diet?
Lowers your blood pressure
Lowers your blood sugar
Raises good cholesterol (decreases your risk
of heart disease)
The next step in making lifestyle chang-
es is INCREASE YOUR FRUIT AND
VEGETABLE INTAKE
When you eat a diet high in fruits and
vegetables, there is less risk of heart dis-
ease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabe-
tes and cancer.
What are the benefits of increasing your
fruit and vegetable intake?
 It helps to control your blood sugar
 Fruits and vegetables ensure that you
feel full without eating too much be-
cause it contains a lot of water which
provides few calories.
 Controls weight
Regulates bowel movement (allows you to
visit the bathroom on a regular basis).
The next step in making lifestyle changes is
to INCREASE FIBER.
There are two types of fiber: one that dis-
solves in water and one that does not dis-
solve in water.
The one that dissolves in water makes you
feel full and helps to control weight and
control blood sugar. Sources include oat-
meal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, nuts,
flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, cucumbers,
celery, and carrots.
The one that does not dissolve in water
helps to “sweep” the colon free by remov-
ing toxins. Sources of insoluble fi-
ber: whole wheat, whole grains, nuts,
brown rice, bulgur, broccoli, cabbage, on-
ions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green
beans, dark leafy vegetables (Callaloo and
When you increase fibre in the diet what
happens?
 Helps prevent constipation (cannot pass
faeces)
 Fiber increases the feeling of being full
(same as fruits and vegetables)
 Promotes weight loss
 Decrease blood cholesterol
 Brings your blood sugar down
The next step in making lifestyles changes is
DRINK WATER. Why is water important?
 Carries nutrients throughout the body
 It is the body’s cleansing agent
 Acts as a lubricant and a cushion for
joints (less pain)
 Reduces stress (relieves stress)
What are the benefits of drinking water?
 Helps maintain body temperature
 Prevents dehydration (You can go for
days without food but cannot live a day
without water)
 Make waste products soluble for excre-
tion (Pass Faeces)
 Helps regulate blood pressure
The next step in making lifestyle changes is
to EAT A BALANCED MEAL. Eat a bal-
anced diet from the six food groups:
Staples (bread, pasta, rice, cereal, flour,
cornmeal, macaroni, spaghetti, banana,
plaintain, breadfruit, yam, irish potato,
sweet potato, coco, cassava, dasheen)
Source: Carbohydrate
Fruits (mango, guava, orange, pineapple,
cherry, paw paw) Source: Vitamin
Green leafy vegetables (Callaloo, pak choi,
cabbage, string beans, pumpkin, carrot)
Source: Vitamins and Minerals
Food from Animals (lean meat, fish, poul-
try, eggs, cheese, soy bean, chick peas, low
fat/skimmed milk) Source: Protein
Fats and Oils (Avocado pear and ackee)
Source: Fat
Legumes (peas, beans & nuts) Protein,
Carbs, Minerals
How do you eat a nutritious meal while
keeping the shopping bill very low? The
good news is that a cheap meal doesn’t
mean that it isn’t healthy. Eating a healthy
and balanced diet doesn’t mean you always
need to buy the most expensive foods. By
making a few small changes to your daily
lifestyles we can eat healthy, while saving
money and reducing food waste at the same
time.