While we know healthy delicious food when we see it, using whole ingredients we recognise, it can be a challenge to replicate this on a day to day ongoing basis when we may not have much time or brainpower to apply to it.
We need to find practical ways to MAKE IT EASY to make the most of our food – more of that later.
Being a nutritionist, people often think I’m going to have some sort of perfect diet. The truth is that there is no perfect diet – because we’re all different. But one thing we do know is that what we eat has a profound impact on how we feel, and on our health long-term – whether that means having more energy, better digestion, keeping a healthy weight, or reducing the risk of chronic disease. So while keeping us healthy is one hugely important aspect, I firmly believe enjoying good food should be should be one of life’s pleasures for everyone, so it’s really important to eat food you love (and that will vary from person to person (I confess I won’t be eating tempeh any time soon, even though I know it’s good for me! And I’m sure it has plenty of fans).
Talking about things we love to eat, we probably do all have a guilty secret or two (salty snacks or chocolate, anyone?)
But rather than individual foods being good or bad gamechangers, it’s the context of our OVERALL DIET that matters more, it’s how we eat most of the time that counts. So to MAKE THE MOST OF OUR FOOD in a PRACTICAL way, we don’t have to change our diet wholesale – this is not something I would expect most people to do, or that is realistic. We can, however, give the same foods a healthier spin.
Hands up who feels confused – or even a little anxious – around food?
Every newspaper or social media post tells us to eat the latest superfood so we won’t get some horrible disease, and it’s easy to feel other people are doing better than we are…and conflicting information adds to confusion. However it doesn’t need to be complicated – it comes down to a few SIMPLE GUIDELINES to get more from our meals.
1) START FROM WHERE YOU ARE – no matter what your diet looks like at the moment, getting the most from your food means simple tweaks, made consistently, over time.
2) ADD IN –forget cutting out, no food is off the table, it’s easier to think instead in terms of ADDING IN good things, over time there will just be less room for the rest. You will develop a habit or mindset of looking at your plate and adding that extra element to bump up nutrition…and taste. For instance:
–Salads add a variety of leaves to your lettuce (maybe some spinach or fresh herbs), add crunchy veg such as edamame beans, raw sugar snap peas, radishes, shaved fennel, grated carrot. I like to use any leftover cooked veg such as broccoli or green beans, also throw in some cheese, nuts and seeds or fruit (figs, persimmon, oranges, English pears and apples are all seasonal at the moment) and pomegranate seeds and blueberries add some lovely colour, as well as being loaded with antioxidants and vitamins.
–Sauces and soups add frozen spinach, lentils (fibre, protein and iron), swirl of kefir or yoghurt (probiotics, protein, calcium), herbs and spices are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory powerhouses, and add flavour of course.
–Topper for soups and salads add ground flaxseed, toasted seed sprinkle, halloumi croutons, crumbled feta, dollop of pesto, squeeze of lemon – all easy ways to elevate texture, taste and nutritional value. I like to keep a jar of toasted seeds and a jar of nuts in the fridge ready to throw on just about anything.
–Vegetables love a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan, chilli, sesame or nigella seeds, or even a knob of herb butter (you’ll be doing yourself a favour, as a little fat helps absorb vitamins in the veggies). Fermented veg in sauerkraut work well stirred into steamed veg or coleslaw adding nutritional value plus a little extra crunch and tang – and if you haven’t tried sauerkraut yet, adding a spoonful to your veg is a great way to introduce it.
–Porridge and yoghurt, add fresh or stewed fruit, nuts and seeds, nut butter, chia, flax (for omega 3 fats and fibre). I also sometimes add kefir or Greek yoghurt and stir that through for an extra creamy version with more protein.
-think about fibre – eat skins on apples, potatoes, roast squash, kiwi! (yes, those fuzzy skins are where many of the nutrients are to be found). Add beans to pasta, eat whole fruit not juice, and cooling and reheating pasta and grains makes the starch ‘resistant’ and behave more like fibre.
3) DIVERSITY – hands up who has the same breakfast every day? We all get into a routine of eating the same foods, but it’s easy to make small tweaks – even within the same type of food each has its own polyphenols (plant compounds) contributing to health so try different types of apples, onions, leafy greens etc.
Key to good health is the gut, you could say GUT HEALTH IS HEALTH, and the best way to achieve this is to eat a wide range of foods. It’s not as hard as it sounds, just start small – try one new vegetable every week, or just a different variety of the same one (eg red onions instead of white. Back to breakfast, try different fruit or muesli or nuts with your yoghurt – or try some banana oatmeal bread (recipe on my website!)
4) MAKE IT EASY – have a store-cupboard tidy. Put things you want to use on display in easy reach on the counter or at the front of cupboards, and banish the chocolate and crisps out of sight ! Then stock up on tins/pouches of beans and lentils, tinned fish, herbs and spices, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, olive oil, cottage cheese, cider vinegar, jars of miso, tahini, mustard etc. – all things you will use on repeat. A word about FREEZER VEG – keep stocked up on spinach, edamame, green beans, sweetcorn, peas…you always have options to make your meals deliver more nutrition for you if you are short on time or haven’t got to the shops. They can be richer in vitamins than fresh, and can be easily added to soups, salads, curries and casseroles.
5) SMART SWAPS – ties into earlier point about diversity – again you don’t have to make radical changes, just use alternatives from time to time. For instance:
Breakfast: swap shop cereal for overnight oats or porridge, try a chia pudding, swap toast and marmalade for rye/sourdough toast with a savoury top of eggs, beans, avocado and feta.
Lunch: swap mayo in your egg/chicken/tuna sandwich for cottage cheese, pesto or hummus, swap shop dressing for olive oil and vinegar, swap your sandwich for omelette, soup, or make a lunch bowl of your favourite veg, grains, protein and fibre. If you make extra this will do for next day too, bumped up with some different swaps.
Nibbles: swap crisps or crackers for nuts/olives/popcorn (plain!), oatcakes or crunchy veg sticks with hummus/guacamole
Staples: swap white rice for wholegrain/black/red, swap pasta for beans/lentils or wholegrains such as quinoa, swap potatoes for sweet potato, celeriac, parsnip, beetroot or squash (all work well either roasted or mashed), swap your usual sliced loaf for rye/sourdough
Sweet things: swap sweet dessert for dark chocolate and raspberries, or a favourite of mine is Greek yoghurt with swirl of lemon curd and blueberries, or stewed apple/poached plums with toasted oats, dates filled with nut butter or ricotta, or whizz up a delicious sorbet by blitzing frozen berries with yoghurt, and swap biscuits or cake for homemade versions (see recipes on my website.)
7) BGBGS – stands for beans, greens, berries, grains, seeds/nuts. I’ve borrowed this acronym which I find a very useful reminder for making those add-ins that help us get more from our food. You may not be adding all of them every day, but aim to add one or two. You’ll be upping your vitamins, minerals, fibre, plant protein and healthy fats – plus colour, variety, taste and texture.
If this feels like a lot to remember, think about point 1 start from where you are. Just begin with one meal on one day and go from there. Simple tweaks, made consistently, over time – all add up to easy, practical ways to get the most from your meals.
Caroline Barton is a Nutritional Therapist located in Beaconsfield, Bucks. For more info about Caroline, her work and how she can support you, visit www.seedwellness.co.uk/carolinebarton
