Menu
Unilever Food Solutions » Home
  • Home
  • Inspiration
    • Chef Inspiration
    • Fighting COVID-19 together
    • Food Safety and Hygiene
    • Food-service & Hospitality Marketing
    • #FairKitchens
    • Elderly Care This is Home
    • Pubs and Restaurants
    • Plant Based Eating
    • Inspiration From Our Brands
    • Ice Cream
    • Independent and Contract Caterers
    • Food Trends And Inspiration
    • From Chefs for Chefs
    • Allergens, Food Safety and Hygiene
    • Hellmann's
    • Knorr® Professional
    • Sustainability
    • World Cuisines
    • The Vegetarian Butcher
  • Brands
  • Recipes
  • Products
    • All Products
    • Bouillons
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Kitchen Equipment
    • Lifebuoy
    • Marmite
    • Mayonnaise, dressings and condiments
    • Meat replacement
    • Pasta and accompaniments
    • Professional Cleaning
    • Sauces, gravy and pastes
    • Snacks, Pizza and Mini drinks
    • Soups
    • Tea
  • Chef Rewards
  • Promotions
  • About Us
  • My account
    • Login
    • My account
    • Recipe Book
    • Log out
  • Contact us
products
recipes
  • {query} in products
  • {query} in recipes
  • {query} in other
all
    • Forgot your password?.

      Thank you

      You have been successfully logged in.

    • Create account
    • Contact us
    • My account
    • Contact us
    • Log out
  1. Home
  2. Professional Chef Ideas and Inspiration
  3. Fighting COVID-19 together
  4. Nutrition Advice
  5. Healthier Practices
  1. Nutrition Advice
  • Facebook-Link opens in a new window - article - Healthier Practices
  • Twitter-Link opens in a new window - article - Healthier Practices
  • Linkedin-Link opens in a new window - article - Healthier Practices
  • Pinterest-Link opens in a new window - article - Healthier Practices
  • Google Plus-Link opens in a new window - article - Healthier Practices
  • New Fighting COVID-19 together

Healthier Practices

Get some practical tips on how to adjust your menu and dishes to make them healthier and more appealing to diners

There are many ways to make your menu healthier. Here, we’ll discuss some common practices to help you create healthier, tasty meals for your diners.

Understanding food labels

Food labels give information about the product, including its nutritional content. Knowing how to properly read food labels and communicating the nutritional content to your diners can help them make healthier choices. This can be done in a number of ways:

  • Have nutrition information read to share with diners when asked.
  • Use nutritional information to create balanced, varied and healthier meals.
  • Identify potential food allergens and highlight to diners.

 

Characteristics of healthy meals

Learn the characteristics of healthy meals and how to use them to create a better menu for your restaurant. Tips for creating a balanced menu:

  • Offer meals made up of protein foods (meat, fish, meat alternatives), carbohydrate foods (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread) and vegetables or salad Provide diners with lots of choice
  • Give diners the option to swap carbohydrate foods cooked in fat (chips) for those cooked without fat (boiled potatoes, rice)
  • Offer diners wholegrain alternatives of rice, pasta and bread because they are higher in fibre
  • Serve dressings and sauces on the side so diners can choose how much they want to eat
  • Don’t add salt during the cooking process
  • Trim the fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry before cooking to reduce the amount of fat in the dish


Healthier cooking methods

Now that we know the characteristics of healthy meals, let’s take a look at the healthier cooking methods you can adopt to prepare them:

  • Steam – No oil required and it helps preserve nutrients.
  • Boil – No oil required, this adding no extra calories to the food.
  • Poach – A no-fat method to cook naturally tender ingredients like eggs, fish and vegetables.
  • Sauté or stir fry – Good alternatives to deep frying. Nutrients and the natural colour of ingredients are retained, making food more visually appealing.
  • Grill – Low-fat way to prepare meat that allows fat from the ingredients to drip away during the cooking process. Take care not to over-char meats, as charring has been linked in increased cancer risks.

 


Healthier seasoning alternatives

Here’s a list of healthier seasoning alternatives that you can use during the cooking process:

  • Aromatic ingredients (onions, garlic, ginger, etc.) – Helps add flavour without using too much salt.
  • Toasted spices, nuts and seeds – Adds aroma and flavour to a dish.
  • Citrus and flavoured vinegar – Bright, sharp flavour that helps reduce the need for salt.

 

Healthy dish portioning

Healthy eating is more than the vitamins and minerals you provide in your dishes – it’s also about serving a balanced plate to your diners. Here are a few tips on how to portion components on a dish to promote a balanced diet:

  • Ensure the plate has a balance of  carbohydrate foods (preferably wholegrain versions), protein foods (lean meat, fish and vegetarian options such as beans, pulses, lentils, eggs and meat alternatives) and vegetables or  salad
  • As an approximate guide, a plate should be ¼ carbohydrate foods, ¼ protein foods and ½ vegetables or salad
  • Serve small amounts of sauces and dressings on the side

If you would like more information on healthy catering tips to help support your customers, then please click here https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/healthy-catering-tips-for-food-businesses

Related Articles

    • New
    • Fighting COVID-19 together
    How to keep your pub hygienic during the Covid-19 shutdown
    • New
    • Food Safety and Hygiene
    Reassure diners with these food safety practices
    • New
    • Nutrition Advice
    Types of Nutrients

Never stop learning with UFS Academy

  • Learn from other chefs
  • 2 minute videos
  • No ads
  • Master new skills!
Create account
Already have an account? Log in here
  • Home
  • Inspiration
  • Brands
  • Recipes
  • Products
  • Chef Rewards
  • Promotions
  • About Us
  • Newsletter sign-up
  • Select your country
  • Please Recycle
  • Legal terms
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Notice
  • Sitemap
Register for our Newsletter to keep up to date!

By signing up now you will receive recipes, industry trends, free samples and more.

Find us on
  • Facebook Facebook
Unilever Food Solutions » Home

© 2021 Unilever Food Solutions | All rights reserved

Unilever Food Solutions » Home

Install this webapp on your iPhone Install this webapp on your iPad Install this webapp on your Android device Install this webapp on your Windows device

Tap the share icon below and choose Add to Home Screen. Tap the share icon and choose Add to Home Screen. Tap the menu icon and choose Add to Home screen. Tap the menu icon and choose pint to start.

x

Log in to create your own personal recipe book.

Join over 1 million chefs already getting inspired by UFS Create account Already have an account? Login