Making wholesome and nutritious food choices for most of your meals and snacks can have a profound effect on your weight and health. All too often we are bombarded with confusing and complex messages about diets and nutrition products, from the internet, friends and even fitness coaches.
So the secret is to keep it simple, you don’t need a lot of exotic ingredients or off the wall diets. Fill your fridge with vegetables, lean meat, eggs and lower fat dairy, and your cupboards with wholesome carbs and tinned fish, tomatoes, nuts, seeds etc. Frozen vegetables are just as good, and often better nutritionally than fresh.
What does a healthy meal for weight loss look like? Try this:
- 1/2 plate: salad/vegetables/fruit
- 1/4 plate protein: chicken, pork, beef, fish, beans, lentils
- 1/4 plate starchy food: potatoes, rice, pasta, quinoa, cous cous, wholemeal bread
- use oils and oily dressings sparingly
Most people have far too much starchy food eg. big plate pasta, and not enough veg.
How does this translate to real life? Here are some examples…..
Breakfast:
- Berry Banana Breakfast Bake
- Granola with milk
- handful porridge oats, water, milk, berries/raisins
Homemade muesli
- 1 wholemeal toast, little bit of butter, 2 boiled/poached/dry fried eggs
- Natural yoghurt & fruit, 1 toast
- Homemade muesli
- Summer oats
- Shake: milk, spoon of yoghurt, banana/berries, honey
- 2 Weetabix, milk, banana
Meals:
- 4 no effort meals
- Spaghetti bolognaise: 1/4 plate spaghetti, add extra veg to bolognaise (grated carrot, extra tin tomatoes). Serve with side salad or Deidre’s coleslaw
- Meatballs in tomato sauce with extra veg & pasta
- Rice, salmon, carrots & broccoli
- Wholemeal pitta, tuna mixed with natural yoghurt/light mayo, chopped pepper, spring onion & lettuce
- 1 wholemeal toast, little bit of butter, 2 boiled/poached/dry fried eggs
- bowl of salad leaves, grated carrot, peas, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, chopped up chicken or flaked salmon
wholemeal bread, tuna with light mayo & yoghurt, carrot, spring onion, pepper
- Super food salad with some chicken/fish
- Lentil & tomato soup
Snacks (hunger often confused with thirst, so first have a glass water/cup of tea or coffee):
- Apple & handful almonds
- Rice cake with peanut butter/quark & small dollop of pesto
- Homemade flapjack
- Yoghurt & strawberries
- Humous and carrot sticks
- Glass of milk and banana/raisins
- Skinny latte & apple
Tips:
- stick to 1 portion of meals, if still hungry fill up up more veg/fruit
- avoid creamy sauces, choose tomato sauces/vegetable based ones
- be aware that oils (yes, even olive oil) has 100kcal per tablespoon. Use but don’t over do it. If eating out, ask for dressing on the side.
- Be aware that sugary drinks (including pure fruit juice) can add significant calories to your diet. Go for water, tea, coffee, herbal teas, diluted cordial, or diet drinks instead.
- Drink a large glass of water before a meal
- Don’t put pot of food on table, serve up in kitchen to avoid picking at extras
- By all means have ice cream, but not everyday and just a few scoops, not half the tub. Same goes for biscuits, crisps, chocolate, wine, beer etc. Not everyday and control the amounts.
- Be aware that ‘light’, ‘lite’ or reduced fat doesn’t mean low in fat, just that it is 25% lower than full fat version.
- Use natural yoghurt instead of mayonnaise, or mix half yoghurt with half reduced fat mayo
- If you are at work with limited access to appropriate food choices, bring your own food from home.
- more tips
I hope some of these ideas may be of use to you. If it all seems a bit too much, just pick one or two ideas each week. Gradual changes that become habit are more likely to be of long term benefit than making massive changes that can be overwhelming.
Mark Twain: Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.
sarahdietitian.com 