We all know to eat two fruit and five vegetables a day, but as simple as it sounds, many people struggle to fit them into their daily diets. Here’s a few simple tips on how to eat more that’s good for you.
Vegetables
Have vegetable soup for lunch or dinner. There is no limit to the amount of vegetables you can put in here!
Add salad to your sandwiches. Instead of just a ham and cheese sandwich, go for a ham and salad sandwich. There’s more vegetables and it will fill you for longer.
Prepare carrot and celery sticks in the morning to eat during the day. Knowing that you have freshly cut vegetables on hand to eat will encourage you to eat them instead of heading for the chocolate.
Get creative with your meals. If the recipe says to add peas and corn, add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables containing peas, corn, onion and celery.
Pre-cut vegetables such as carrots and celery sticks into serving-size portions and refrigerate. This makes vegetables an easy access food and as convenient as other foods, so you will eat more of them.
Eat vegetables as a grilled kebab. They can be seasoned and alternated with chunks of meat.
When entertaining, serve vegetable sticks such as carrot and celery with salsa or a low fat dip for a quick, easy and healthy snack that everyone will enjoy.
Incorporate vegetables into your breakfast. Add mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes to omelettes.
If you have the space, grow a vegetable garden. It is not only a physical activity, but will provide you with year round healthy options.
Fruit
Eat a piece of fruit for breakfast. Most people feel healthiest in the morning, so why not start the day the right way? Another excellent way to incorporate more fruit into breakfast is to have it on whole grain cereal.
Buy fruit that you can leave on your desk at work. Seeing it will encourage you to eat it,
Have a salad for lunch and add kiwi fruit, grapes and orange slices. This will also help your vegetable intake.
Keep your fruit where you can see it, either in a fruit bowl or the top shelf of the fridge. You’ll be more likely to eat it.
Make a real fruit smoothie with fresh fruit, low fat milk and low fat yoghurt
Make desserts healthy by adding fruit! Focus on making fruit based desserts such as apple crumble, peach crumble, bake an apple or poach seasonal fruit such as pears and stone fruit. Add fruit to cakes and muffins.
Serve fresh fruit such as pineapple, watermelon and rockmelon on a skewer with yoghurt. Delicious!
Carbohydrates
Swap sugar filled cereal for whole grains at breakfast. Try eating hot or cold oats or a cereal which lists whole grain first on the ingredients list.
Use whole grain breads for sandwiches instead of white.
Ditch the potatoes during meal time. Try brown rice, whole wheat pasta or another whole grain.
Eat more beans. They are an excellent source of low-gi carbohydrates as well as a good source of protein.
Fish (or omega 3)
Keep tins of tuna in the fridge handy to have on sandwiches.
Order grilled fish when eating out with salad.
Use a canola spread high in omega 3 in place of butter or margarine.
Dairy
Aim to drink one glass of low fat or skim milk per day.
Prepare cheese and crackers as a snack for during the day. (Remember, 1 serve of cheese is only 30-40g per day)
Eat more yoghurts. Purchasing ones that contain fruit will help towards your fruit count, but should not replace eating fresh fruit. (Make sure to check for the sugar content)
Ditching the Fat
Choose your oil carefully. Olive, canola and other plant-based oils are full of heart healthy unsaturated fats.
Be sure to chose products that are trans free. Stay away from fried foods, biscuits and pastries.
Use margarine or canola spread as an alternative to butter.
Purchase lean meat and low-fat milk. It’s a simple change that will make the world of difference.
