Healthy eating hints

Five ways to liven up salads…

1

Peppers, radishes, mushrooms, carrots, sweetcorn, mangetout, kidney beans and spring onions can add different tastes and nutrients.

2

Use different types of lettuces in your salads – The darker the leaf, the more nutrients it contains.

3

Add other leaves to your salad. Rocket, spinach, watercress, endive and radicchio will all add taste, vitamins and minerals.

4

Fresh herbs can give salads a flavour boost.

5

Stock up on reduced-fat salad dressings so you can vary the tastes.

Add just half a red pepper to a salad…

You’ll get your daily vitamin C allowance. This vitamin keeps skin and bones strong and helps to heal wounds. It may also reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer

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Just one carrot a day…

One carrot provides all the beta-carotene you need. This nutrient is a powerful antioxidant and so helps to prevent harmful free radicals from damaging cells.  Beta-carotene is also used to make vitamin A in the body, which is essential for reproduction, growth, healthy skin, hair and eyes, and vision in dim light.

Cut the fat and calorie content of your cooking…

Invest in a spray oil canister and filling it with good-quality olive oil. Ten squirts of oil from a spray provides just 10 calories, whereas a tablespoon of olive oil contains 100 calories.  Use to spray over roasting vegetables and potato wedges, when you make a stir-fry or to quickly spritz over fish or chicken pieces before grilling.

Stay healthy, ditch the salt…

Most recipes, processed foods and ready meals include salt; on average, most of us consume around 9g of salt a day – this is 50 per cent more than the recommended adult maximum of 6g a day.  Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, a health problem that affects around a third of adults and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Instead flavour foods with fresh herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and wine.

Don’t sprinkle raw bran over breakfast cereals to boost your fibre intake…

Unprocessed bran is packed with naturally occurring compounds called phytates, which stop the body absorbing certain minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Instead, opt for higher-fibre wholegrain cereals.

Get the zinc you need…

A stir-fry made with turkey and cashew nuts will provide adults with most of the zinc they need. This immune-boosting mineral also helps wounds to heal and is important for fertility.

Throw out your deep-fat fryer or chip pan…

It’s the easiest way to make sure you don’t use it. Invest in a non-stick frying or griddle pan.

Jacket potatoes are the perfect fast food…

Simply serve with salad and a low-fat topping such as lean ham and reduced-calorie coleslaw, or tuna with sweetcorn and a little reduced-fat mayo.

Tasty sunflower seeds are packed with nutrients…

A small handful provides more than twice the vitamin E most people need each day. This vitamin helps wounds to heal and prevents scarring.

Rice cakes aren’t the ideal weight-loss food you might think!…

They’re low in fat and calories but have a high GI. This means they cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, which quickly drops, leaving you hungry.

Avoid hydrogenated fats…

Hydrogenated fats create harmful trans fats, which research shows are as bad for heart health as saturated fats. Hydrogenated fats or oils are made when pure vegetable oils are processed to create fats with a better flavour and longer shelf life. To avoid, check food labels.