Thursday, March 26, 2015

TIPS TO REACH YOUR FIVE A DAY



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)