Winter holds many temptations when it comes to food and drink, but this year there’s triple trouble thanks to a combination of lockdown restrictions, Christmas and the celebration of finally turning a calendar corner into 2021.
If ever there was a year for comfort eating and treating ourselves (and perhaps ignoring the consequences), it’s this one.
But consuming excessive amounts of high-calorie foods and drinks can not only affect us physically, it can encourage long-term bad habits and leave us feeling sluggish, irritated and low.
However, nutritionist Jenny Tschiesche, founder of lunchboxdoctor.com, urges people not to succumb to fad diets in a bid to eradicate unhealthy habits. “Crash dieting [can] come at an opportunity cost. You can easily miss out on nutrient-giving foods that are required to keep you fit and well, which combine vegetables, proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy oils.”
So whether you’re hoping to avoid a fallout with the scales in January or you just want to keep happy and healthy over the coming weeks and months, give some of these simple tips a try.
Don’t skip breakfast
It sounds like something your parents might say, but a healthy breakfast can help set you up for the rest of the day. People who have a filling, healthy breakfast (or brunch for those who burn the midnight oil and get up later) are less likely to reach for snacks during the day.
“The ideal breakfast should contain some protein and wholegrains, combined with a variety of colours from fruit or veg,” says Tschiesche. “A balanced breakfast or brunch means you’re more likely to make better, more balanced choices for lunch and your evening meal and are less likely to snack on quick-fix food between meals.”
Porridge with fruit, wholegrain toast with poached eggs or Greek yoghurt with fruit and seeds are all a great start to the day.
Plan meals with an app
Deciding what to eat can be stressful. Whether you’ve got to cater for a picky partner, a tricky toddler or teen, or maybe you get overwhelmed when trying to decide what to have yourself, healthy eating can fall by the wayside when grabbing something fast offers an easy fix. Taking half an hour at the weekend to plan your meals for the coming week not only eases daily decision fatigue, but can be a great way to ensure you’re having a varied, balanced diet and don’t get stuck in weekday meal groundhog day.
One You is a free app provided by the NHS with more than 150 delicious and healthy recipes. Full of inspiring, calorie-counted meal ideas, the app takes the hassle out of having to think about what to eat. It also has a handy shopping list function to make buying the things you need easier. And you don’t have to worry whether the meals are good for you, because the NHS takes care of that.
Watch your diets
Following a strict diet can be difficult and disheartening, and there are plenty of fad diets out there that promise quick fixes, but have questionable long-term results. As the British Dietetic Association says: “There’s no wonder-diet you can follow without some associated nutritional or health risk.”
For many of us, the easiest way to reach a healthier weight is to simply eat sensibly, in moderation, and increase our exercise. It’s about balance. So rather than cutting out the treats we love completely, make small changes, such as choosing lower-calorie options, and drinks that are lower in sugar and alcohol. The Eatwell Guide from the NHS shows that we can eat an array of colourful and tasty foods each day from all food groups, proving that with balance nothing needs to be completely out of bounds.
Treat yourself to a fakeaway
Takeaways are great in moderation, but getting into the habit of having them too often can be bad for our health and wallets, so recreating cheaper, healthier versions at home can save you cash and calories. Using a tortilla wrap and topping with tomato puree, grated cheese and chopped peppers – then cooking for 4-6 minutes – makes a mean, lean pizza. Grilled cubes of chicken breast marinated in yoghurt and curry paste, popped in a pitta with salad and mint is a quick and healthy way to recreate some of the flavours of an Indian takeaway. Or bread and bake your own white fish fillet, and serve with a side of oven-cooked sweet potato wedges, for a fish and chip supper alternative. Google “healthy takeaway recipes” for a whole load of other, easy ideas – and then when you do shell out for a takeaway, it will feel all the more special.
Have healthy snacks at the ready
Having healthy snacks to hand all day means you won’t get caught out hungry and be tempted to grab biscuits, crisps or sweets when your blood sugar levels dip.
Keep the fruit bowl topped up and plan healthier snacks and take them with you when you’re out and about. DIY snacks can be healthier and often cheaper than packaged ones – try toasted pitta with tuna, mayo and yoghurt dip, or simple boiled eggs. These are much more likely to satiate your appetite until your next proper meal.
Embrace meat-free Mondays
It doesn’t have to be a Monday, any day will do. But generally speaking, when people choose to have a day of meat-free meals they tend to consume more vegetables, which means more fibre, vitamins, minerals and ... well more of the good stuff, basically.
“If we look at some of the healthiest populations in the world, based on longevity, their diets tend to contain a large number of naturally plant-based foods,” says Tschiesche. If you really can’t go a day without meat, integrating more naturally plant-based foods into your diet would mean more fibre, more nutrients and a more healthy you.
Mind your vitamin D
It’s that time of year again when we can’t make enough vitamin D from sunshine. In warmer months, the sun is one of the best sources of this nutrient, but at this time of year, consider taking a vitamin D supplement every day between October and early March to keep your bones and muscles healthy. This is especially important as many of us have been indoors more than usual this spring and summer. Vitamin D supplements are available from most pharmacies, supermarkets and many other retailers. Just 10 micrograms a day is all you need.
Allow for some carbs
From piping hot roast potatoes, to turkey and stuffing sandwiches, Christmas is loaded up with carborific treats. With the proliferation of low- and even no-carb diets in recent years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that avoiding starchy foods is the first step to a better diet. But that is not the case when it comes to carbs. Rather, as with so many things in life, it’s all about moderation. A healthy diet includes its share of fibre- and energy-rich carbohydrates, provided that they don’t absolutely dominate your plate – especially those cooked in butter or fat. So don’t deny yourself a bit of indulgence at the end of this incredibly tough year (it’s Christmas, after all). Just remember that all you have to do is resist the temptation to go overboard.
This advertiser content was paid for by the UK government. All together (Keep well this winter) is a government-backed initiative tasked with informing the UK about the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information, visit gov.uk/coronavirus
