‘Eat more healthily’ is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the UK but, according to Bupa, nearly half (43%) of Brits will have given up on their endeavours before the end of the month.
So, for those of you who are looking to change your eating habits for good in 2018, we spoke to Nicola Selwood – nutritionist at Waitrose – to hear about the changes she’ll be making this January, and the ways in which they’ll help you achieve that long-term goal.
1. Use the blender more
“I love making soup from scratch and want to try out more recipes and ideas in 2018. I love butternut squash soup and I always add in turmeric and a little garam masala for flavour. Turmeric is one of those trending ingredients and I try to fit it into dishes wherever I can. My favourite tip for making soup healthier is using blended sweetcorn to make the dish creamier; you can get a creamy taste and texture and it also counts as an extra one of your 5-a-day! It’s also a great vegan alternative to cream. I also want to add more vegetables to my smoothies; they are a great way to cut down the sugar content without hugely impacting the flavour.”
2. Find more fibre
“I’m always looking for ways to get more fibre into my family’s diet. When I swapped to wholewheat spaghetti, it was met with moans of disapproval. Now I use half wholewheat and half regular spaghetti. The family are none the wiser and I’ve nearly doubled their fibre intake! In fact, I go wholegrain wherever I can. Pancakes and waffles using half plain and half wholemeal flour taste just as good and I always mix wholegrain rice with white rice. For 2018 I want to try and get my family eating more fibre by swapping rice to quinoa as it has a higher fibre content than brown rice.”
3. Make my food count
“Did you know that by having a small glass of orange juice with your breakfast cereal will help you absorb more of the iron in your cereal? Juices received some bad press last year with the focus on sugar, but it’s not all bad. I have 100ml of orange juice watered down with 200ml of water and that still gives me 28% of my recommended intake of vitamin C with less than 8g of sugar. I’d like to find some more clever hacks this this in 2018.”
4. Steer clear of fad diets
“With so many fad diets out there to try with promises of quick and lasting results it’s hard not to be sucked in, but fad diets often advise you to avoid certain foods or food groups, which could cause you to miss out on essential nutrients. This year, I will look to cut down on my portion sizes and continue to eat a healthy balanced diet. It might be a bit of a boring message but everything in moderation really is the way to triumph over fad diets.”