Simple changes for healthier foods and drinks

Workplaces & Tertiary education Sport & recreation Food industry
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With consumers becoming more aware of the importance of healthy eating, and people eating out more frequently, the demand for healthy food and drink options in cafes, kiosks and canteens is steadily increasing.

Offering healthier options in your outlet can be easy. We’ve listed some simple changes below that will have a big impact on the healthiness of the food and drinks offered. Try some of them today!

Reduce portion sizes

  • Offer half-size or mini-size serves of meals, snacks and drinks.
  • If offering hot chips, halve the amount served.
  • Avoid ‘upsizing’ deals.

Add fruit & vegetables

Make salad or mixed vegetables the default side dish (rather than hot chips) for main meals.

Include fruit, vegetable or salad items in the cost of every meal and snack. Avoid charging extra.

Use less saturated fat

Avoid deep frying. Schnitzels, falafels, chips, wedges can all be oven baked.

Replace butter with margarine for cooking and in sandwiches.

Offer low fat mayonnaise as an alternative to margarine in sandwiches.

Use reduced fat dairy products instead of full fat dairy:

    • Use reduced fat cheese in cooking and in sandwiches.
    • Make reduced fat milk the default milk type for hot and cold drinks.

Reduce the amount of oil used in cooking. Use non-stick cookware or spray oil (such as canola or olive oil).

Reduce the salt

Avoid adding salt when cooking. Flavour foods with herbs and spices instead.

Use reduced salt versions of sauces, stocks and gravy.

Use lean roast meats, or tuna in spring water instead of highly processed meats (such as salami, ham, pastrami).

Offer wholemeal and wholegrain options

Make wholemeal or wholegrain bread your default bread type for sandwiches, rolls and wraps.

If baking, replace half of the flour with wholemeal flour, bran or oats to increase the fibre content.

Limit sugar sweetened drinks

Make self-serve tap water available with meals.

Offer a selection of diet drinks.

Offer half soda water half fruit juice options.

Provide smaller serving sizes of soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy and sport drinks.

Promote healthier items

Ensure healthier items are placed in visible areas, such as placing a fruit bowl next to the cash register.

Promote your healthier options on menus, display boards and labels, and avoid promoting the less healthy items, such as deep fried foods or sugary drinks.

Include healthier items in ‘meal deals’, such as offering water with meals instead of soft drink, or offering raisin toast with coffee, not muffins.

To receive this document in an accessible format phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nutritionaustralia.org.au

Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this document show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation. Copyright © State of Victoria 2016

Woman with two rings on her right hand using a laptop

For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nutritionaustralia.org.au

Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this document show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation. Copyright © State of Victoria 2016

Written and reviewed by dietitians and nutritionists at Nutrition Australia, with support from the Victorian Government.

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