Chose the right healthy foods during the shop this week
Shopping for your food helps to decide on your diet intentions for the rest of the week, these tips will help to ensure you stay on the healthy track.
Eating well is important for our overall health, so with the help of Fiona Hunter, expert nutritionist, we have the top tips to make healthy choices in the supermarket.
And it seems that we do need a helping hand.
New research by Centrum reveals that the majority of us struggle to really understand what’s nutritionally best for ourselves and our partners. Since we may not be getting what we need from our diets, new Centrum Men and Women, multivitamins tailored to each gender, are good ways to help provide nutritional support.
1) Do your homework - before you even set foot in the supermarket write a shopping list, but before you do that write a menu plan for the week ahead. This will help you balance your diet and think beyond taste and price, which new research from Centrum multivitamins shows are overwhelmingly our deciding factors when choosing food (87% and 65%)
2) Don’t forget old favourites - like carrots and apples. They are good value for money and the source of several vitamins and minerals. Although more fashionable fruit and vegetables like blueberries and pak choi are often called ‘superfoods’ the truth is that all fruit and vegetables are superfoods
3) Go for variety – this is the key to a healthy diet particularly when it comes to fruit and vegetables. Also consider that sometimes men and women require different levels of vitamins and minerals and ensuring variety can help both genders meet their needs. Different coloured fruit and vegetables contain different vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that all help to keep you healthy in different ways
4) Try something different - most of us are very unadventurous when it comes to fish. There are over 21,000 species of fish and shellfish in the world and around 100 different varieties available to us in the UK
5) Make the most of your freezer – fish freezes well so it’s worth keeping some in your freezer. Products like fish fingers and fish cakes are healthy and convenient and a great way to encourage kids to eat more fish
6) In the can - canned fish are a good store-cupboard staple but swap tuna for salmon. Although fresh tuna is a useful source of healthy omega-3 fats, canned tuna isn’t. Canned pilchards, mackerel and sardines are also rich in omega-3 fats
7) Keep it lean – choose lean cuts of meat and keep portions modest, between 100-140g is more than enough for one person. Bear in mind that mince can contain up to 28% fat so always go for extra lean. It’s more expensive but you can use less and can bulk out meat dishes like spaghetti Bolognese by adding vegetables or beans
8) Go beyond – don’t forget to think about the nutritional needs of your partner as well as your own. Men and women have specific nutritional requirements so don’t just buy your partner’s favourite ice-cream or sweets. Red meat is an important source of iron, especially for women, while pasta, rice and bread are useful sources for B Vitamins, which men need more of. And if you’re struggling to get what you need from your diet then Centrum Men and Women, tailored multivitamins for each gender, are good ways to help provide the right nutritional support for both of you
9) Get juicy - a glass of fruit juice in the morning is an easy way to tick off one of your 5-a-day servings plus the Vitamin C from the juice will help your body absorb iron from breakfast cereal. All varieties of unsweetened juice will count as one serving
10) All about fibre - most of us would benefit from more fibre in our diet and eating a fibre rich cereal for breakfast is a good way to boost your intake. Choose a cereal that provides at least 3g of fibre per serving
Femalefirst Taryn Davies