1 Eat enough food
My number one tip to improve your nutrition is to ensure you eat enough food . This will be different for everyone and differ each day ; but consistently under-eating can impact our gut health , mood , energy , and overall nutrition . So , if you ’ re always ignoring hunger to lose weight or skipping meals because you ’ re too busy , think about trying to eat more regularly .
2 Eat a variety of foods
Once you ’ re eating enough food , it ’ s time to ask , “ How can I increase the variety of foods I ’ m eating ?” You don ’ t have to make drastic changes . Instead of your go-to carrot and celery sticks , can you swap them for capsicum and radishes ? Or , instead of your usual rice and pasta , can you use quinoa and couscous ? Or if you always have the same breakfast of cereal and milk , can you add some nut butter and berries ? Welcome to the ‘ What can we add ?’ era ( rather than ‘ What can we take away ’?).
3 Increase fibre intake
On average , as a population , we don ’ t eat enough fibre . This is a problem as fibre is essential for our gut health , protecting our digestive health and keeping our bowels regular . It also helps fill us up and can help keep our blood sugar levels stable . So , what ’ s the best way to increase your fibre intake ? Include more fruit , vegetables , grains and legumes ! This might look like adding a handful of fresh , frozen or canned vegetables to your evening meals , adding a small tin of chickpeas to your usual salad or soup , or swapping white bread , pasta , rice or cereal for a brown or grainy alternative . pair it with citrus fruit or juice , strawberries , kiwifruit , pawpaw , melon , tomatoes , broccoli , capsicum or take a vitamin C supplement .
6 Include foods with monounsaturated , polyunsaturated and omega-3 fats
Including healthier fats is very important for our health to help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke . They also help to fill us up and satiate us , and transport vitamins around our body . So if you want to improve your nutrition , include extra virgin olive oil , avocados , soybeans , nuts , seeds , nut butter , tahini , oily fish and seafood such as salmon , sardines or tuna in your weekly meals and snacks .
7 Keep snacks available
Snacks have been heavily demonised by diet culture , but they are often an opportunity to reduce out-of-control eating and give our bodies more nutrition during the day . Of course , there are the usual snacks like yoghurt , fruit , veggie sticks and hummus , but be bold and explore the snack aisle and find some new favourites like muesli bars , veggie chips , roasted chickpeas , breakfast bars , tuna and pasta pots - these days , the snack options are endless .
8 Hydrate properly
If there ’ s one thing you take away from this list , ensure you ’ re drinking enough water . Water is crucial for many essential bodily functions , so if you struggle to drink water during the day , try carrying a water bottle , add lime , lemon or flavouring to your water , or use sparkling water instead of still .
4 Add more protein-rich foods
If you ’ re on social media , you may have noticed a push towards including more protein . This doesn ’ t mean you have to include protein at every meal ; however , if you notice you ’ re hungry again quickly after eating , it may be a sign to add a protein source . For example , if you have toast and vegemite for breakfast , can you add a slice of cheese or a glass of milk or yoghurt pot ? The same is true with a salad or soup for lunch ; you may need to add some meat , dairy or legumes to boost your protein .
5 Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods
While people often know to include more haem and nonhaem iron-rich foods like meat , legumes , dark leafy green vegetables , tofu and iron-fortified bread and cereals , it ’ s also important to include Vitamin C-rich foods to increase iron absorption . So next time you have an iron-rich food ,
9 Slow down and reduce distractions
Often we ’ re so distracted when eating that we tend to eat everything in front of us without asking , ‘ Do I feel like this ’? or ‘ Am I enjoying this ’? Could you limit distractions and bring mindfulness to your eating ? Pause before , during and after you eat to check how your body feels and see if you want more food . This activity can help ensure you ’ re giving your body enough food and stop eating past comfortable fullness where you feel sick .
10 Ditch the restrictive diet mindset
While it ’ s incredibly common to restrict our food intake to control our calories and promote weight loss , it often backfires , leading to strong cravings for and bingeing on high-fat , sugar and salt foods . If you resonate with this , try loosening your rules around these foods , including them occasionally and notice if your desire for them reduces and you start feeling more in control . I know it sounds counterintuitive , but get curious and see if you can try it !
YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE 13