Winter is wrapping up and many of us are beginning to regret giving in to the cravings for those hearty comfort foods and carbohydrates. After hiding ourselves under our coats for the last couple of months, it’s time to peel off that layer and reveal ourselves again.
Use the following food tips to to get you back on track.
- Ditch the white flour carbohydrates which will increase your appetite, tell your body to lay down fat and make you feel tired. Instead choose more nutrient dense, higher fibre choices like oats, brown rice, quinoa, millet and wholemeal, wholegrain breads.
- Always serve your meals with a side of fresh steamed greens like broccoli, zucchini, green beans
- Eat some fat!! Winter is very drying on our skin so this will ensure our skin looks as fabulous as our body in the winter. But keep it healthy by eating a small handful of nuts, LSA or chia seeds on your cereal, pumpkin & sunflower seeds as snacks or with yoghurt, fish a couple of times a week and avocado.
- Spice it up. Include spices in your cooking for calorie-free flavour to your meals and a boost to your metabolism. Chilli is particularly good at increasing your metabolism, whilst ginger is a wonderful warming herb that aids in digestion and fat metabolism.
- Take advantage of soup season. Soups are a great healthy alternative for hearty comfort eating. My favourite is what I call the ‘crisper soup’, or in other words what I have leftover at the end of the week goes in a pot with stock, beans & lentils to make the tastiest soup full of vitamins, minerals, protein and antioxidants – a complete meal in a bowl..
- Don’t forget the slow cooker. These are fantastic for creating healthy comfort eating, just ensure you choose lean cuts of meat and pile in the vegetables.
- Experiment with beans and legumes. They are a wonderful source of fibre and protein to help make you feel fuller for longer and much lower in fat than animal protein. When cooking with beans ensure you soak them properly and place a strip of seaweed in the cooking process which breaks down the outer layer to make them more digestible and less gas forming. Specifically try aduki beans as they rid the body of excess fluid, burn fat and help balance the metabolism.
