Prioritising healthy choices in your diet is key for a long, vibrant, and joyful life. Research shows that a balanced diet not only boosts physical health but also reduces the risk of conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Beyond physical benefits, a nutrient-rich diet positively impacts mental wellbeing, enhancing mood, concentration, performance, and reducing the risk of depression and anxiety.
In this article we explore three things you can do to help improve your diet whether at home, work or on-the-go.
1. Try to maintain a healthy balanced diet
Key items that make up a healthy diet include:
- A variety of whole fruits and vegetables. Aim for at least five portions per day (limiting fruit juice to 150ml per day at most).
- Around 30g of fibre per day from sources such as fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, and wholegrains.
- A good source of protein with each meal (this includes eggs, fish, lean meat, low-fat unsweetened dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes).
- Some healthy, unsaturated fats from sources such as oily fish (like salmon, sardines, mackerel and trout), nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil.
- Aim to consume six to eight glasses of fluid a day to maintain hydration. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks (including tea and coffee) all count.
Foods that should be avoided or consumed only in moderation include:
- Sugar such as sweets, chocolates and sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Processed carbohydrates such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, white bread etc.
- Processed fatty foods such as deep fried foods, crisps, battered foods etc.
- Processed meats such as bacon, sausages, ham, salami, pepperoni etc.
- Alcoholic beverages.
Efficient meal preparation not only minimises your exposure to highly processed foods but also ensures a diverse and nutrient-rich diet, preventing any potential deficiencies.
Consider incorporating practices like packing a nutritious lunch the night before or in the morning for work, or engaging in batch cooking for the week to cover both lunch and dinner. Another strategy is to cook extra portions during evening meals, providing convenient leftovers for the following day. This proves especially helpful during busy workdays when time and energy for daily meal preparation might be limited. Additionally, having healthy snacks on hand for on-the-go moments adds an extra layer of convenience to support your nutritional goals.
If you are unable to take food with you to work, then preparation is still important. In this case, pre-plan where you will buy food from and what the healthier choices could be.
2. Include foods that support your gut health
Recent research indicates that a healthy gut microbiome is key to improving our overall health, including our immune system, levels of inflammation and our mood. In the same way that our brain can affect our digestive system, our gut can affect our brain. For example, approximately 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Serotonin helps with sleep, lowering levels of anxiety and mood regulation.
It’s important to support our “good” gut bacteria as these can assist in breaking down components of foods that we are unable to do by ourselves, releasing beneficial nutrients for us to absorb.
How to look after your good gut bacteria:
- Eat lots of fruit, vegetables, and foods high in fibre. The fibre in these foods are the “food” for the “good” gut bacteria. They are known as prebiotics. Examples include onions, garlic, apples and whole oats.
- Take probiotics. Probiotics are the beneficial live bacteria that can be consumed via capsules, powdered formats, or in food and drink. Fermented foods are a form of probiotics, including items like kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, yoghurt and kimchi.
- Try eating away from distractions or while doing another activity. This can help your digestion system work optimally.
- Avoid processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and foods high in sugar. These foods can feed the “bad” gut bacteria.
3. Try to eat healthy when on-the-go
It can be very difficult to find healthy on-the-go options, but some simple swaps can make a big difference. Foods high in fibre and protein and low in sugar are best. Below we offer some ideas for making healthier choices at food outlets.
Supermarket meal deals:
When choosing a drink, rather than going for high sugar options choose water or sparkling water. It may seem less exciting, but it will avoid blood sugar spikes, consumption of empty calories and will help to hydrate you. You may see drinks containing kombucha or kefir, these would be beneficial for your gut bacteria, but just look out for any hidden sugars that may have been added.
When picking a snack, there are lots of nutritious options to choose from instead of crisps and chocolate. For example, a healthier option could be unsalted nuts, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, carrot sticks and hummus, as well as olives.
As a main, the sandwiches and pasta options generally include a lot of sauces and refined ingredients which may contain high amounts of salt and/or sugar. Some of the available salads could be a better alternative e.g. a chicken salad, or a ham and egg salad. The sushi packs are another option to consider, that can include fish and omega 3’s. However, it’s worth noting that sugar tends to get added to the white rice, so they may not be as healthy as they appear.
Other items that help you to feel fuller on-the-go include bananas, oranges, grapes, sweet potato pakora and hummus.
Fast-food outlets:
Eating from fast-food vendors is not ideal as the majority of their products tend to be high in salt content, sugar content and saturated fats. However, sometimes it’s the only place to get hot food around the clock e.g. if you’re on night shifts or need to eat out after the shops have shut.
For breakfast, you could try swapping a sausage bap for porridge. This will provide much more nutrients and help you stay fuller for longer.
For a main meal, you could try swapping burger, fries and a fizzy drink for a grilled chicken wrap, a fruit bag and a bottle of water. Again, this option will likely reduce the level of sugar and saturated fat content. Refer to the nutritional information online if unsure about the nutritional contents.
Further support
British Nutrition Foundation – Food on the go.
BBC Good Food – Eating for a healthy gut.
Sources:
www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/water-drinks-nutrition
www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day/5-a-day-what-counts
www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/information-about-alcohol/alcohol-and-the-facts
www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health
www.bda.uk.com/resource/healthy-snacks.html
This information was published January 2024.
