Fruits and vegetables not only add
colour to your meals but will also help you to consume the necessary vitamins, minerals
and fiber needed to keep you healthy. With our busy lifestyles we often forget to
include this very important food items into our shopping trolley
Follow these easy tips to make sure
you are eating your five a day.....
Breakfast:
– Add small amounts of fresh fruit to oats, high-fiber cereal or even in
your low fat plain yoghurt
– Make sure your omelette contains colourful vegetables such as mushrooms,
peppers and tomatoes
– Add spinach, beetroot or zucchini to low GI bran muffins, baby quiches
or frittatas
Lunch and Dinner:
– Aim to fill half your plate with vegetables or salads to ensure that you
decrease your calories while still filling you up
– Fill a wrap or small pita with carrots, peppers, brinjals, cucumber and
tomatoes before adding your protein and a small amount of hummus/pesto
– Prepare a salad in a glass for a picnic or party by packing it in colourful layers
– Think salads are a bit of a snooze? Then wake them up by
tossing in almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, apples, pears, oranges or even some
dried cranberries into your salads.
– Add some crunch to your sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber or
grated carrots.
– Cook vegetables into your meals e.g. adding carrots to mince dishes or
adding peas to cottage pie.
Snacks:
Instead of
hitting the vending machine add vegetables and fruit to your snacks!!
– Choose a piece of fruit or a handful of dried fruit as a snack.
– Prepare a smoothie : blend one to two fruits and a low fat liquid (low
fat milk, water, fat free yoghurt) together and add cinnamon for taste
– Pack vegetables sticks (e.g. celery, snap peas, baby carrots, baby corn,
cucumber, baby tomato, etc.) into small containers for the week and enjoy it with
hummus, fat-free cottage cheese, guacamole or salsa.
Desserts:
– For an easy dessert try tinned fruit in fruit juice (with no sugar
added) with low fat custard
– Serve a cup of yoghurt with fresh berries or sliced fruit.
– Prepare a fruit lolly for you and your kids by blending together fruit and liquid (water, fat-free milk, ice, fruit juice
or low fat yoghurt) and popping it into the freezer
– Add sweetness to your fruit by dipping strawberries in dark chocolate
– Combine seasonal fruit together in a bowl and enjoy your fruit salad.
Love
The Dietitian's Life xxx (Suzelle Viljoen)
