Dec
Let’s Move Towards Healthy Eating
When we plan our meals in advance, eating healthily becomes much easier. This planning can be about the type and timing of meals, or it can involve deciding what food ingredients we need and which ones are more suitable for preparation! To save time and help with nutritious meal choices, here are some tips for you:
We eat what is in front of us! So, we should make the situation more favorable for our eyes. Instead of hiding fatty, spicy, sugary, and fast food items, it’s better to have healthy foods more in reach. For example, having a container of fruit salad prepared for snacks in the refrigerator is much better than stashing a bag of chips in a distant cupboard!
When chopped vegetables are readily available, the likelihood of using them increases. The result? Preparing a healthy meal or snack! You might argue that vegetables spoil, but there are various ways to keep them fresh. For instance, storing them in a glass container with water can help them stay fresh longer.
Take a glass container, add your favorite nut butter, along with seeds like sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and more. Store it in the refrigerator. This tasty mixture goes well with your toast and solves a significant portion of snack-related problems!
Nut butters themselves are packed with nutrients, but by adding seeds and nuts to them, we can make them even more nutritious!
Smoothie ingredients can be stored in sealed containers in the freezer. Whenever you crave a smoothie, simply take out one of the containers and mix it with milk or plant-based milk! This way, we can use fruits that we fear might go bad without worrying about their expiration date a few days away!
They say an apple a day keeps doctors away! Well, that should be said about berries! A single apple contains 60 units of antioxidants, while a cup of berries contains 650 units! Of course, apples are nutritious and delicious, but berries might be even more enjoyable for some of us. We can freeze berries during their season and consume them along with oatmeal or in smoothies.
Spices and herbs are also rich in antioxidants! Imagine leaving a bowl of whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and broccoli for a meal. This meal contains 142 units of antioxidants. Now, if you add just a teaspoon of oregano, this number goes up to 260 units! Not to mention that the taste and aroma of spices and herbs can replace the consumption of salt, sugar, and fats!
Aromatic plants can be preserved by mixing equal parts water and oil in an ice cube tray and freezing it. When needed, take a few cubes and add them to your dishes. These cubes are usable for one to two months!
Both cooked and raw vegetables have their own benefits. Whether we consume vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, and more in raw vegetables or cooked ones, we are winners!
Human beings naturally crave snacks! By having a list of healthy snacks and treats, we can satisfy this craving without neglecting it. For example, dates filled with nut butter, apple slices with plant-based yogurt, a mix of nuts and dried fruits, and…
Sometimes, we are invited somewhere, and we have no idea what the food will be! In such cases, we can bring our share to the gathering! For example, a bowl of delicious soup, a plate of crackers with dip, fruits, and vegetables, and…
Having a plan may sometimes be challenging! But surely having one is better than not having it, and occasionally following it is better than never following it! Do you agree?