SA food guildline

• The South African Guidelines for Healthy Eating and Food Guide provides advice to South Africans 5 years and older about healthy food choices for healthy living
• Following this advice can help you and your family to have healthy eating plans
• Eating in this way helps your body to stay healthy; helps you to do everyday tasks, helps you to think and learn, and makes you feel better overall
• A healthy eating plan provides your body with energy to function and helps prevent short and long-term illnesses
• Food Guide


  Gives information about the amount and kinds of foods that you need to eat to get the nutrients needed for good health
• Using the information in the Food Guide helps you not to get too much of some nutrients; such as energy, saturated fat and salt (sodium)
• Most choices of foods should be the most nutritious choices from the food group
• Most of these choices will be low in saturated fats, low in added sugar and added sodium; and will provide essential nutrients
• Energy needs for different groups of people

  • Boys/Men 5-9 years: 6500 kJ
  • Boys/Men 10-13 years: 8500 kJ
  • Boys/Men 14-18 years: 10500 kJ
  • Adult Men: 10500 kJ
  • Sedentary and older adult Men: 8500 kJ
  • Girls/Women 5-9 years: 6500 kJ
  • Girls/Women 10-13 years: 8500 kJ
  • Girls/Women 14-18 years: 8500 to 10500 kJ
  • Adult Women: 8500 kJ
  • Sedentary and older adult Women: 6500 kJ
• Food intake pattern A

  • Energy level 6500 kJ
  • Energy level 8500 kJ
  • Energy level 10500 kJ
• Food intake pattern B

  • Energy level 6500 kJ
  • Energy level 8500 kJ
  • Energy level 10500 kJ
• Healthy eating plan


  • Eat the right amount for your needs
  • Choose a food intake pattern that suits the food you have available to you and that you can afford
  • Enjoy a variety of foods from each food group within a day, from week to week and during the year when different foods are available
  • Use foods from most of the food groups, most days of the week
  • Most of the eating plan will consist of foods from plants; some foods from animals may be included
  • Water is an important part of healthy eating; make plans to have water available during the day
• Variety of foods


  Eating is about more than satisfying hunger, it is also a part of family life, social events and celebrations. Having a variety makes meals more interesting and helps to ensure that an eating plan supplies all nutrients
• Mixed meals


  1. Eating regular mixed meals, of a similar size, is part of a healthy lifestyle

  2. Healthy eating plans include a variety of foods from each food group, over time

  3. Variety also means including foods from two or more food groups at each meal

  4. Variety also means preparing foods in different ways
• Water


  Water is essential for life. Water is lost through the kidneys, the bowels, the skin and the lungs. Most of these losses occur without us knowing about it. Water that is lost must be replaced by liquids from food and drinks
• Drinking water


  1. Drink clean, safe water every day as recommended

  2. Some water may be taken as tea or coffee; if sugar is added, use it sparingly

  3. Keep a water bottle close by during the day; you will drink more water when it is easily available

  4. Drink extra water in hot weather and when you are very active

  5. Limit the number of drinks you have that are high in sugars, this includes fruit juice, sports drinks, energy drinks and cold drinks
• Starchy foods


  Starchy foods are the main source of dietary energy, they also contribute micronutrients and dietary fibre when eaten in minimally processed forms (unrefined products).These foods cost less than many other foods, when used as part of most meals they help to satisfy the appetite, without costing too much
• Using starchy foods


  1. Fortified maize and bread are good choices of starchy foods, especially for people whose diet has a minimal variety; these people will benefit from the extra vitamins and minerals added to fortified foods

  2. Add foods from other food groups to the starchy food to make good mixed meals

  3. Use minimally processed starchy foods

  4. Include whole grains as part of your starchy foods

  5. Choose starchy foods that do not have added fat, sugar or salt

  6. Replace a large serving of starch with a smaller serving and include vegetables in the meal
• Starchy food units


  • Bread, brown/white: 1 slice
  • Porridge, soft: 1/2 cup
  • Maize meal, dry powder: 3 heaped tablespoons
  • Potato: 1 medium
  • Rice/pasta/samp/whole grains, cooked: 1/2 cup
  • Breakfast cereal: Varies
  • Cut corn, mealie: 1/2 cup
  • Popcorn, popped, no salt or fat: 2 cups
• Vegetables and fruit


  Vegetables and fruit are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, fibre and they contain water. Including these foods in meals helps to fill you up without adding too much extra food energy. There are many health benefits of an eating plan that contains recommended amounts of these foods
• Eating vegetables and fruit

  1. Eat vegetables in at least one or two mixed meals a day. Fruit can be eaten with meals, or as a snack between meals

  2. Vegetables should be eaten every day, and not only on weekends

  3. Everyone should have one unit of vegetable or fruit a day that provides beta carotene (which becomes vitamin A in the body)

  4. Prepare vegetables and fruit with little (if any) added fat, sugar and salt. Vegetables with beta carotene should be lightly boiled and served in a meal that has fat, or else have a little oil added

  5. Make soup from fresh vegetables instead of using packet soup; this will be nutritious and low in salt

  6. Vegetable and fruit juice are not recommended as a regular replacement for fresh vegetables and fruit. They do not have much fibre, are high in sugar and vegetable juice may have added salt
• Vegetable and fruit units

  • Fresh/frozen vegetables: 1/2 cup cooked
  • Raw leafy vegetables: 1 cup raw
  • All fresh fruit: 1 piece medium sized fruit e.g. apple, banana, 2 pieces of small fruit e.g. apricots, plums, 1/2 piece large fruit e.g. grapefruit, 1/2 cup chopped fruit, 1/2 cup fruit juice, 2 tablespoons raisins
• Dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya

  Adding dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya to a meal increases the nutrient content of the meal. Eating foods from this group decrease the risk of a wide variety of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and different types of cancer. Eating these foods even helps to combat overweight and they help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels
• Using dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya


  1. Every week plan to include meals that use dry beans or soya instead of meat or chicken

  2. Use dry beans, lentils, split peas and soya as an ingredient in mixed dishes, such as samp and beans, rice and lentils, beans in vegetable sauce with pasta

  3. Dry beans or soya can be included with meat or chicken dishes
• Cup cooked


  • cup raw
  • piece medium sized fruit e.g. apple, banana
  • pieces of small fruit e.g. apricots, plums
  • piece large fruit e.g. grapefruit
  • cup chopped fruit
  • cup fruit juice
  • tablespoons raisins
• Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya regularly
• Adding dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya to a meal


  • Increases the nutrient content of the meal
  • Eating these foods decreases the risk of a wide variety of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and different types of cancer
  • Eating these foods helps to combat overweight and they help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels
• Plan to include meals that use dry beans or soya instead of meat or chicken

  Every week
• Use dry beans, lentils, split peas and soya as an ingredient in mixed dishes


  Such as samp and beans, rice and lentils, beans in vegetable sauce with pasta
• Include dry beans or soya with meat or chicken dishes


  This will improve the overall nutritional value of the dish (less fat, more fibre) and reduce the cost of each serving
• Cook dry beans in a wonder box


  To save electricity
• Foods


  • Dry beans, cooked
  • Lentils, split peas, cooked
  • Soya mince, dry
• Fish, chicken, lean meat, or eggs could be eaten daily
• These foods


  • Cost more than foods in the other food groups
  • Should not be used often when the family has a limited budget for food
  • The guideline explains that foods from this group could be eaten daily – not that they should be eaten daily
  • Only one option from the list could be included each day
• Cheese


  • Should not be the food type chosen most often
  • It is high in fat and salt
• Organ products from animals, such as liver and kidneys


  • Are also part of this food group
• Fish with fatty flesh (pilchards, sardines, mackerel, and salmon)


  • Provide omega 3 fatty acids, a nutrient this is found in very few food sources
• Many of these foods

  • Have a high content of fat, most of which is saturated fat
  • Saturated fat has a negative influence on health
• Foods


  • Fish, white
  • Fish, high fat flesh
  • Chicken, no skin
  • Meat, lean
  • Eggs, hens
  • Liver, chicken
  • Cheese, yellow
• Drink milk, maas or yoghurt every day