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How to enjoy eating healthily

Most of us understand that a healthy balanced diet, along with good sleeping habits, regular exercise and keeping hydrated is the basis to achieving and maintaining optimum health.  But how many of us think that eating healthily is just plain boring? 

Here we look at ways which will allow us to enjoy healthy food without finding it restrictive, complicated or boring.

Ceitanna Cooper, registered associate nutritionist at AXA PPP healthcare tells us “eating healthily should not mean dull, boring food.  The key to sticking at it is to keep things interesting.  It is certainly possible to make tasty and healthy foods which are fun to prepare too.”

Home cooking from scratch is so much better for our bodies and it doesn’t have to mean slaving away in the kitchen all evening.  If you are prepared and a little creative then it is possible to keep your diet fun and interesting as well as healthy.

Ceitanna’s top tips to a healthy and interesting diet

Try something new each week

Although there’s nothing wrong with sticking with a favourite staple, a new recipe a week will give a boost to your weekly shop, especially if you feel you are stuck in a rut.

But if you‘re not feeling so adventurous why not try looking up a new recipe with that ingredient you know and love.  You may surprise yourself and even gain more confidence in the kitchen along the way.

Make your own takeaway

If you regularly have a takeaway on a Friday night, how about recreating your own instead?  Your own, home cooked version will be healthier and may even be cheaper too.

It’s all in the planning

Take the time to plan meals for the week, especially if you know you’re going to be busy.  It’ll save you time in the long run as well as minimising the urge to buy convenience foods.

Online shopping takes less time than traipsing around a supermarket and you can easily get ideas from their recipe inspiration pages, just pop the ingredients into your basket and that’s one meal planned already!

Keep food interesting

Experiment; try things you haven’t had before.  Challenge yourself to find one new food a week and then find a recipe that includes it.  Variety is what keeps things interesting.

Try batch cooking

How about having a ready prepared base which you can adapt to lots of different dishes?  Try batch cooking mince (either meat or protein substitute) with a simple tomato sauce, garlic and herbs which you can freeze in separate portions, ready to adapt to your favourite recipe – such as pasta, or add beans and spices for a chilli or add béchamel sauce for a lasagne.

Add flavour

Adding flavour doesn’t mean extra salt or a pre-prepared sugary sauce out of a jar.  Just a few ingredients such as herbs, spices, chillies and garlic will enhance your meals and take them to the next level!  Try making each dish as colourful as possible with a selection of different fruit and vegetables too, that way you’ll be getting more vitamins and minerals as well as making your food look appetising!

Cook differently

Try mixing up the way you cook to keep it interesting.  Boiling, grilling, steaming, and poaching your food will all result in different textures and flavours.

Disclaimer
All content on Silversurfers.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated at all as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Silversurfers will not be responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content on www.silversurfers.com and we are also not liable for the content of any external websites or links from or to Silversurfers to any other websites. Please always consult your own doctor if you’re in any way concerned about any aspect of your health.
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Melina - Assistant Editor

Hi I'm Melina, a mother of 3 teenage children and with a particular interest in all things health related. I run a busy household and smallholding alongside my work with Silversurfers, which currently includes dogs, fish, hens, ducks and pigs!

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