Food is one of those unavoidable necessities in life. People often battle with their diet and struggle to find a healthy balance between healthy and unhealthy foods. We can often tie this issue with the individual associating healthy food with unenjoyable or bland meals, and the opposite for unhealthy foods. This mentality is all too common and is purely down to a lack of experimentation. With enough experimentation healthy foods should be just as tasty, if not more, than those unhealthy ones. With the following tips I’m going to help you change your attitude to a more positive one which will have you looking and feeling better whilst enjoying your food more than ever.
1) Herbs and Spices
This may be an obvious one for some, but only a small amount of herbs and spices can vastly change a meal to make it far more flavoursome. Not only will they make your food taste better but they add plenty of nutrients and are also associated with improving heart health, they combat inflammation and boost inflammation, just to name a few. This doesn’t just apply to savoury foods, spices like cinnamon can be added to smoothies or porridge to give it an extra kick.
2) Healthy Fats
Don’t be put off by the word fat. There are plenty of good fats in food which are an essential part of a healthy diet. Fats play many roles including allowing your body to absorb certain nutrients better including Vitamins A, E, D and K. They also boost energy and hormone balance, help aid digestion and improve skin health. Healthy fats can be sourced in tons of foods, and more conveniently oils. Cooking your veg in coconut oil will not only have your veg tasting better but will allow you to absorb those vitamins better. Other examples of popular sources of healthy fats are avocados, smoked salmon, nuts and hard boiled eggs.
3) Increase Fibre
Use brown alternatives for bread, pasta and rice. This will increase the fibre content in your diet which is important for digestion along with making you feel fuller for longer, and often you won’t even notice the difference in taste. Using a combination of wholemeal flour and plain flour in your baking instead of solely plain flour will make your baking a lot more healthy. Try to add some oats to your smoothies or deserts to give an extra energy and fibre boost.
4) Reduce Salt
Salt is one of the most commonly overused substances in our meals. A huge number of individuals are putting their heart under unnecessary pressure due to such a highly salt-saturated diet purely out of habit. Most of those who are guilty of this probably don't even realise they're doing it, so over the next few days, try to be more conscious of how much salt you're consuming, and try substituting a few of the following for it.
i) Chilli flakes. These are just as easy to add to your meals as salt, however are a much more healthy option, one benefit being that they help boost your immunity.
ii) Garlic. This can be found in powder form as well as fresh. Try adding garlic to your meals to boost the flavour as well as your ability to combat carcinogens.
iii) Infused Oils. Another good substitute for salt. The list of infused oil types is endless. You are guaranteed to find one that suites your taste.
5) Getting your 5-a-Day is easier than you think
Some would be surprised how easy it is to get your 5 portions of fruit and veg in a day. A portion of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or veg is 80 grams which is a lot smaller than you think. Having a banana on your cereal in the morning paired with a class of fruit juice means you've already cover more than a third of your necessary daily intake. Make sure to limit only one portion to juice however as they are more than often very high in sugar. Make sure to constantly change up what fruit and veg you eat on a daily basis so you never get bored of the same things.
Finally, to conclude, not everything is about our physical health, eating meals with your family or friends has been proven to boost our mental health and undeniably makes our food experiences much more enjoyable. Try to allow for at least two or three meals per week that are shared with family or friends on a weekly basis and use it as an opportunity to show off new recipes and spread the word of your healthy new eating habits!
Some of the information discussed in this blog was found in the below articles:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-healthy-herbs-and-spices#section3
-https://www.cleanplates.com/eat/tips-eat/5-things-make-meals-healthier/