Whilst eating healthily may be a bore, Radar have compiled a list of handy and quick tips to help you make delicious and nutritional meals.
Maintaining a healthy diet is incredibly important both for your physical and mental health. Whilst unhealthy food options can often seem quicker and tastier, having a healthy diet doesn’t need to be a burden that adds stress onto your plate. To help you manage a balanced lifestyle we’ve come up with our top tips for nutritious and enjoyable meals.
Switch meat for beans
When you are making items such as chilis, fajitas and even stews, switch over the meat for beans and vegetables. Whilst the NHS recommends that you don’t eat more than 70g of meat per day in order to reduce chances of bowel cancer, it can equally be beneficial to have meat-free days. It’s also useful to remember to have a variety of beans as different kinds of beans have different health benefits; for example whilst black beans support heart health, baked beans improve gut health.
Moderation
Having a healthy diet doesn’t mean that you have to cut out all treats, instead it means that you should be having them occasionally as opposed to everyday. We enjoy having a sweet treat on a Friday as a way to celebrate what we have accomplished over the week and it allows us to have something to look forward to on the days we are fed up with studying!
Sugar-free options
Having too much sugar can be detrimental to your health and can lead to increased weight gain, as well as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The best way to avoid having too much sugar is to look for options that are either sugar-free or only have a small amount of sugar, this can be found on the packaging of food items. Whilst confectionery items do, of course, contain a lot of sugar so do items such as yoghurts so be mindful and check the contents before you buy.
Hearty wholegrain
It’s a lot better to choose wholegrain items such as brown rice and brown bread as they contain a lot more nutrients and can help reduce chances of obtaining heart diseases. Simple swaps as to what kind of bread you use and opting for rice over chips, perhaps, can make a great difference and soon you will be able to feel the health benefits in yourself.
Shopping lists
You don’t need to go on this transformation on your own, there are loads of great resources out there. Personally, we recommend BBC Goodfood (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/all-healthy) and the NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/) as being our go-to guides for deliciously nutritious meals. Once you’ve selected the recipes you want to use, write out the ingredients you need in order to be prepared for your next shopping trip.
Overall, there are a variety of different ways to make your diet healthier, whilst still being able to have delicious meals and the odd treat every once in a while. It may seem difficult at first but there are so many benefits and soon you will be voluntarily opting for the healthier option!