50 GREAT EATING TIPS AND TRICKS

Read, remember, and – most important – FOLLOW these tips, and watch your diet get
healthier, day by day.




3 BREAKFAST HINTS


1.
Always eat breakfast to keep your energy levels up during the morning, and wipe
out the 10am snack-attack.

2.
Switch to no-added sugar cereals, and make them more flavoursome with fruit –
sliced bananas, a few grapes, chopped dried apricot.

3.
Putting a protein shot into your breakfast is a great idea, and helps stave off hunger
for longer. A couple of spoons of yogurt on your cereal, some no salt/no sugar
baked beans on wholemeal toast, a boiled egg – simple, and good.


4 HINTS FOR HEALTHY DRINKS

You’ve heard it before, but are you doing it? Drink 1.5 – 2 litres (2.5 US pints) of
water, each and every day.

5.
There’s no need to buy costly mineral waters. The stuff out of the tap becomes much
more palatable when chilled, so keep a big jug or bottle in the fridge. Add ice and
lemon for a very refreshing drink.

6.
Alcohol in moderation can certainly be part of a healthy diet, but it’s easy to get into
the habit of the early-evening swig. Make a new habit – before you reach for the
wine, have a glass of chilled water. If water doesn’t fit the bill, try chilled tomato or
vegetable juice, with ice and lemon.

7.
Cut down on caffeine, which gives an addictive buzz. Switch gradually to low-or no-
caffeine alternatives, such as coffee substitutes made from chicory or barley, or
herbal, fruit or redbush teas. Hot water on its own, or with a slice of lemon is an
excellent hot drink.


5 FOOD SHOPPING HINTS


8.
Shop local, shop little, shop often. Buy food at its freshest, choosing unpackaged
fruit and veg for preference. If packaged, check use-by dates to find what’s freshest in
the store, and use the produce immediately.

9.
Find out when there’s a farmers’ market nearby, and mark it on the calendar. Stock
up on organic meats and poultry which can be frozen. Sample different organic
produce.

10. Choose humanely produced meat and poultry every single time. Don’t support the
miserable farming practices that so many animals endure – and do your health a
favor at the same time.

11. Organic foods can work out expensive, so look for balance. Use your organic
budget on the foods you eat most often – apples, potatoes, green veg, peppers,
meat, poultry. And add one organic store cupboard item to your shopping trolley or
cart every time you shop, so you build up a stock of organic condiments etc.

12. Cut down, down, down, on the processed foods you purchase, and choose more,
more, more of the fresh and simple foods you can quickly cook from scratch.


7 HEALTHY COOKING HINTS


13. Trash your deep fryer. And let your frying pan gather dust in the cupboard. Fried
food gobbles up fat, so save those crispy, finger-licking items for an occasional treat.

14. On the rare occasions when you do shallow-fry, use spray fat, dry-fry in a non-stick
pan, or use a healthy oil like olive, sunflower or corn.

15. Cooking on the hob? Poach, stew, stir-fry or steam.

16. Cooking in the oven? Bake, or roast, covered, after you remove excess fat from
meat.

17. Another alternative? Grill (broil), placing food on a rack so the fat drains off. Or use a
griddle pan, which also allows fat to escape.

18. Go easy on barbecued foods. Those blackened bits aren’t good for you.

19. Cook up big batches of healthy dishes when you’re in the mood, or if there’s a glut of
seasonal produce. Freeze in portion sizes.



6 HINTS ON CUTTING DOWN FAT


20. We’re back to reading labels – shun the saturated fats: coconut, palm oil (very
widely used), and animal fats such as butter and cream.

21. Keep a sharp eye out for trans fats, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated
vegetable oil. Present in a huge variety of manufactured foods, these are fats which
have been chemically altered for processing, and which lay down a sediment in the
arteries which can lead to heart disease and strokes.

22. Get used to trimming visible fat from meat and poultry. Always go for lean cuts. If
you can’t bear to lose the chicken skin, at least cut away the fat deposits underneath,
often hidden in folds of skin at one end of a chicken piece.

23. Eat less fat-filled meat products like sausages, frankfurters and salamis.

24. Cut down on cakes, biscuits and pastries. Manufactured ones contain unhealthy
fats. Make your own with healthier alternatives – but limit yourself to one piece of
cake or pie in a day, and don’t eat them every day.

25. Switch to skimmed milk. If you don’t like it on cereals, keep some semi-skimmed in
the fridge as well.


3 HINTS ON SUGAR AND CHOCOLATE


26. Reduce sugar and sweetened foods in your diet. When you fancy a sweet
something, have fresh or dried fruit, or a wholewheat scone.

27. Even savory junk foods contain sugar – crisps, cheesy biscuits, soups. Check
those labels, and better still cut these out of your diet altogether.

28. Yes, you can eat chocolate – but make it dark, make it organic, make it high in
cocoa solids. And make it special – rather than gulping down a cheap choc bar that is
full of fats and sugars, which precious little chocolate, savor a few squares of the
real thing and think of it as a treat.


2 HINTS ON SALT


29. Processed foods are stacked full of salt, another good reason for eradicating them
from your diet.

30. Add less or no salt when cooking – in time you will get used to the flavor and not
miss the saltiness. Don’t put salt on the table either. Use herbs and spices to add
savor to bland foods.


5 HEALTHY EATING TIPS


31. Make healthy eating changes gradually. You may be altering deep-seated habits,
and that takes time. Tackle one area at a time, removing unhealthy items and
substituting those that are better for you in stages.

32. The occasional unhealthy food isn’t going to do any harm. Eating should be
pleasurable, after all. Look out for healthier versions – such as organic cream, instead
of factory-farmed cream – and enjoy in moderation. .

33. Listen to your stomach, and learn to recognize the signs that you’ve eaten enough.
It can take up to half an hour for the signals from the gut to reach the brain and give
you that ‘I’m full’ feeling – but you know, long before that, that you’ve really had
enough. That’s the moment to stop, even if you leave some food on your plate. .

34. Eat mindfully. Enjoy the taste and texture of your food, and think about what you’re
putting into your body. .

35. Shoveling food down as you watch TV, reduces it to fuel and raises the likelihood that
you’ll over-indulge. Sit down to eat, with other people whenever possible, and share
the pleasures of a meal together. . .


3 HINTS ON PORTIONS AND SERVINGS .


36. Get tough on portion sizes. A serving of cooked meat should be about the size of a
deck of cards, no bigger. .

37. Inspect plates as you serve. Think in quarters – one quarter of the plate should
contain protein like meat or fish, another quarter starch like potatoes or rice. The
other half? You’ve guessed it – vegetables. Serve 2-3 different varieties, and serve
lots. .


38. Not sure where you’re going wrong in your diet? Keep a simple food diary for a
week, noting the drinks, snacks and meals you have. Then tot up the amount of
sweet stuff, processed foods, fried/fast/junk foods, and compare to the amount of fruit
and vegetables, lean meat, fish, poultry and wholegrain foods you’ve consumed. You
know which should come out on top, and now you can see where to make
adjustments. . .


5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR DIET .


39. Switch from white foods, to brown. We’re talking bread/pasta/rice/couscous and
other grains here. Always go for the wholegrain variety. If it takes getting used to, do
it gradually, or start by making a mix – half white pasta/half wholemeal. .

40. Remember to use pulses frequently. Lentils, chick peas, all types of bean – these
are power-packed protein foods, full of fiber, and a really great addition to your diet.
Add them to soups, salads, casseroles and pasta sauces. If you’re troubled with
flatulence after eating pulses, try pureeing them coarsely before use. The indigestible
skins are often at the root of the problem. .

41. Put fish, especially oily fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, on the menu at least 3
times a week. Have at least one fish-based sandwich for lunch every week. .

42. Make fruit your first line of defense when you fancy a snack. Three or four fruit
snacks a day can only do you good – a simple banana, satsuma or apple, a handful
of dried fruits (plus some unsalted nuts or seeds if you like), a slice of watermelon,a
little helping of cubed melon or mango, a kiwi to eat with a teaspoon. .

43. Go for colorful eating. Nutritionists agree that brightly colored fruit and veg are
especially rich in vitamins and antioxidants. The trick is get a good range, so include
something red, orange, yellow, dark green and blue/black every day. . .


4 TIPS ON EATING AWAY FROM HOME .


44. Beware the siren-call of the salad bar. Hands off those croutons and crispy bacon
bits. Head for the veggies and lean or low-fat protein sources. Hunt out some pulses
or beans. And when you get to the dressing, limit mayo and go for one small ladle or
sachet of vinaigrette. .

45. Going to a party where everyone brings a dish? Take along a healthy option –
home-made hummus with crackers and vegetable sticks, a bean casserole, a big
salad made pretty herbs and slices of fruit, a fresh fruit salad..

46. An hour before you leave for a festive feast, have a sustaining healthy snack, or
even a small meal. That groaning buffet will seem much less tempting if you’re
stomach’s already happy. .

47. Enjoy the occasion, don’t focus on the food – that’s not why you’re there. Talk to
people, circulate, take a small plate and when you’ve served yourself, move away
from the buffet table. . .


3 TIPS FOR FEEDING KIDS .


48. When you’re cooking, and the family are hanging around looking hopeful, chop up a
quick pile of veggie sticks as a healthy appetizer. Even kids who are picky about
veg will often nibble at a stack of carrot and celery sticks, if you just place it quietly
where they can reach… .

49. Lunch box time – spread that bread thinly, use mustard rather than mayo, and
remember to stuff a good handful of shredded salad leaves, red pepper or
bean shoots in there as well. .

50. Put fresh fruit in the freezer or ice box, so when kids demand an ice cream you
can hand them a deep-frozen banana, or a dish of frosted orange segments. .

For more ideas and inspirations to help you eat healthily, visit https://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/index.html

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