During the festive season or when you are on holiday, doesn’t mean you need to deprive yourself of enjoying good food to remain healthy while everyone indulges. Rather have a different focus and be creative in your thinking.
Here are a few practical tips from Heleen Meyer:
- Make sure that what you dish up, remains balanced. Even if you spoil yourself from time to time, opt for enough salads and veggies, rather than too many starchy dishes or fatty foods.
- Don’t skip meals and have breakfast to keep your metabolism going. Or if you are on holiday, eat twice a day and make sure that your breakfast/brunch is nutritious enough to keep you full till supper time. Otherwise, the craving to nibble the whole time just becomes too tempting.
- Eat lots of fresh, seasonal foods – it has lots of nutritional value and is more flavourful when in season. When you fill your plate with these, there’s less space for the less healthy options.
- Include pulses like lentils and beans to fill you up with healthy options, rather than more starch or fatty foods. It’s great in salads and summer dishes and a good source of protein.
- Keep your plate colourful and appealing, even if you eat away from home or at a restaurant so that you enjoy a variety of foods. Yes, you can order a portion of chips but add something fresh too and rather not order the sized-up portions.
- Avoid fatty and deep-fried foods, as these are often low in nutritional value and high in unhealthy fats and salt. Rather enjoy healthy oils from nuts, and seeds as snacks or added to salads and side dishes. Have oily fish and eggs at least once a week.
- Don’t be tempted to stand and nibble (mindlessly) at a cocktail party, rather use a plate to enjoy a few bites at a time. This helps to be conscious of what and how much you are indeed eating.
- Use a smaller plate at the table and try not to dish up too many servings. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite.
- Avoid sugary cold drinks and alcoholic drinks. Did you know that a cocktail (and those mixers) can typically be excessively high in sugar? Rather opt for a glass of dry white wine with lots of ice, than another cocktail.
- Remember to drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol, to keep you hydrated. Also, take into account that alcohol is a big contributor to your energy (kilojoule) intake.
- Add ice to your drinks to enjoy a fuller glass, with less energy/kilojoules.
- When it comes to cooking, make sure that you have accompaniments like a homemade salad dressing or marinade, roasted sunflower seeds, or homemade dukkah (don’t’ miss next week’s post) or even a big jar of caramelised onions on hand. These can quickly change the flavour profile of something, e.g., over roasted vegetables, salad, or the onions on a sandwich and is much healthier than shop-bought solutions.
- Basic flavourings and seasonings like a good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, mixed herbs, fresh lemon, ground cumin, and paprika are already a great starting point for tasty marinades, salad dressings, or as accompaniments.
Find recipes for these on Heleen’s website: https://heleenmeyer.co.za/
Image: Adel Ferreira