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Whether you are cooking meals for one, for you and a partner, or for an entire family, the tips below will help you form the foundations to healthy and nutritionally balanced meals, every time.
Ensure there is a routine to meal times. This will help avoid long gaps without food. Allow yourself to have a snack in between meals but choose these wisely. Good snack choices include an item of fruit and some nuts, a yoghurt and perhaps a sprinkling of seeds, vegetable crudités and a dip (such as hummus or guacamole), peanut butter on toast. These snacks all release their energy slowly and will help avoid subsequent hunger pangs.
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Compose meals so that 25% is protein, 25% is carbohydrate, and 50% is vegetables or salad. This composition will help to ensure the steady release of energy, and will help keep you feeling fuller for longer. Protein is essential for the building blocks of many structures in the body. Carbohydrates are required for energy, and vegetables or salad items all provide a wide range of nutrients that are needed for the body to function including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients.
Choose low fat sources of protein. Good choices include poultry such as chicken or turkey, fish, beans, quinoa, or lentils, as a few examples. These products are all low in saturated fat and cholesterol, whilst many contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are necessary for health. Fat is required in the diet to assist with the absorption and transport of certain nutrients around the body. Protein with meals will help to slow the absorption of carbohydrates to help keep energy levels stable until your next meal.