Simple changes for healthier foods and drinks
[Text displayed on screen] Healthier Food Swaps
Making healthier food and drink options available begins in the kitchen.
So as food service staff, how can you assist?
Simple changes to menus can improve the nutrition of recipes and improve their classification.
You can shift AMBER or RED options on your menu towards GREEN with some simple swaps.
The suggestions in this video are designed to be simple and practical, to not increase costs or time.
Your support with sourcing, providing and cooking with healthier products makes positive changes to the menu.
So let’s talk about some things you can do.
An easy swap is to start using reduced salt options for things like sauces, stocks, and tomato paste.
Select lean and skinless varieties of meat and poultry. Ensure you trim any visible fat of meat.
Using lean meats such as chicken breast – in place of processed meats such as ham in sandwiches, wraps, rolls and salads is another way to improve the classification of a recipe.
Opt for low and reduced fat dairy like milk, yogurt and cheese.
In a sandwich you may consider using a GREEN option like a vegetable-based dip like hummus
or tzatziki in place of mayonnaise or butter.
Choosing oven baked options instead of deep fried options for things like schnitzels, falafel, or crumbed fish ensures a healthier cooking option.
Ensuring recipes have added fruit or vegetables makes them more likely to be GREEN or AMBER too.
Removing alcohol and swapping regular fat cream or coconut milk for reduced fat options will remove RED items from recipes.
Using herbs and spices instead of salt or salty seasonings is another way of reducing salt in recipes and improving the classification. For example, preparing your own spice mix instead of using curry powder ensures you use significantly less salt.
These are all suggestions to help you provide healthy and interesting options to staff and visitors at your organisation.
Using FoodChecker will assist you in assessing your recipes and menus and provide suggestions for
different products you can use.
The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is also available to support you with making and maintaining
these changes.
You can contact them for personalised and tailored support.
[Phone number displayed on screen] 1300 22 52 88
[Text displayed on screen] The Health Eating Advisory Service is delivered by National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government. Copyright © State of Victoria, 2024
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:
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- 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
For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nnf.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 National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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The Healthy Eating Advisory Service acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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