Healthy eating - 10 easy tips for living well

30/01/2023

10. Plate up
For a healthy, balanced diet, fill half your plate with vegetables, then 25 per cent protein and 25 per cent carbs.

30/01/2023

9. Choose canned fish for calcium
Canned fish, such as pilchards and sardines, are a great storecupboard ingredient and, if you eat their bones, they're an excellent source of calcium – just one average-sized serving will provide over 50 per cent of the recommended daily amount.

30/01/2023

8. Harness the power of purple
Purple fruit and vegetables – think blackberries and blueberries – get that distinctive colour from a group of phytochemicals called anthocyanins that offer many health benefits, including better brain function. When fresh berries aren’t in season, look for packs of frozen berries that are cheaper and just as good for you. Use them to make smoothies or fruit purée to stir into yogurt.

30/01/2023

7. Blocked nose?
Try spicing up your cooking – chillies, ginger and wasabi can help relieve nasal congestion.

Small changes to the food you eat can make a big difference.

30/01/2023

6. Shop little and often
Fresh fruit and veg start to lose their freshness and vitamins from the moment they are picked, and the longer they are stored the greater the loss, so buy little and often.

23/01/2023

5. Swap canned tuna for canned salmon
While fresh tuna is rich in omega-3 oils, most of these healthy fats are removed when the fish is canned. When salmon is canned, however, the omega-3s are retained, which means you get the benefit.

23/01/2023

4. Think before you drink
Calories in drinks can add up fast, and the body doesn’t register them in the same way as it does those in food. In a study carried out at Purdue University in Indiana, when people were given an extra 450cals a day in the form of jelly beans, they compensated by eating less at meal times. But when the same people were given an extra 450cals in the form of drinks, there was no such reduction.

23/01/2023

3. Shake the salt habit
Adding flavour with chilli, garlic and lemon instead of salt will help you to cut back on the amount of salt in your diet (no more than 6g per day).

23/01/2023

2. Tan your mushrooms not your skin
Leaving mushrooms in sunlight for 30 minutes before you cook them will boost their levels of vitamin D.

23/01/2023

1. Colour yourself healthy
Picture a rainbow and aim to eat at least one serving of fruit or vegetables from each of the colour bands every day. Naturally occurring phytochemicals give fruit and veg their colour, so by opting to "eat the rainbow", you’ll get a variety of different phytochemicals that help to protect against health problems such as cancer, heart disease, poor eyesight, urinary tract infections and even wrinkles.