Three Easy Nutrition Hacks to Boost your Eating
1, Use more Frozen Vegetables
Most people who I work with have large work pressures and lack of time is a factor. Frozen vegetables are a quick and easy way to add important fibre and micronutrients to your diet that take no pre-preparation. Additionally, they are often cheaper per kilo compared to their fresh equivalents.
Frozen vegetables offer several benefits that make them a convenient and nutritious option for anyone looking to maintain a healthy diet. One key advantage is their extended shelf life compared to fresh produce, allowing for less food waste and more flexibility in meal planning. With frozen vegetables, you can have a variety of options readily available in your freezer, making it easier to incorporate a range of nutrients into your meals without worrying about spoilage.
Another benefit of frozen vegetables is their retention of nutrients. Unlike many canned vegetables that may lose some of their vitamins and minerals during processing, frozen vegetables are typically frozen shortly after harvest, locking in their nutritional content. This means that you can still enjoy a high level of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants even when fresh options are not in season or readily available. Additionally, frozen vegetables can be just as versatile as fresh ones, suitable for steaming, sautéing, or adding to soups and stews, making them a practical choice for busy individuals or families looking to streamline meal preparation without sacrificing quality.
If you have a type of vegetable that you like but is not typically found in-store frozen, you can wash it, chop it up then freeze it in a ziplock bag for use later. I often do this with many types of kale, collards greens and cavelo nero.
2, One Pot Meals
As a busy person myself helping dozens of clients, I’m a regular user of one-pot meals. I literally will put everything into a saucepan and cook it up, typically into a noodle pho-type dish. This is a quick and easy way to prepare a highly nutritious meal in about 10–15 minutes.
My go-to quantities of ingredients are some bone broth that I have frozen into large ice-cube trays, around 150 grams of a protein source (meat, fish or 4 eggs), 200–300 grams of vegetables and 50–75 grams of noodles. If the protein source is a lean one, then I may add some extra fat in the form of 10 grams of coconut or olive oil. Add these herbs and spices to taste, the regular ones of mine being ginger, garlic, three types of pepper, chili, fish sauce. There’s a whole multitude of ways to flavor it to your taste. If you want to make several portions, you could do the same in a larger pot and just multiply the ingredients.
One pot meals offer a myriad of benefits that make them a popular choice for busy individuals and families. Here are some advantages of incorporating one pot meals into your cooking routine:
Time-Saving: One pot meals are a time-efficient option as they streamline the cooking process by allowing you to cook everything in a single pot or pan. With fewer dishes to wash and less time spent on preparation, one pot meals are ideal for those with hectic schedules.
Easy Cleanup: Since you're using just one pot to prepare the entire meal, cleanup becomes a breeze. This not only saves time but also reduces the amount of effort required for washing up afterward.
Flavor Infusion: Cooking everything together in one pot allows the flavors to meld and intensify, resulting in deliciously infused dishes. This cooking method enables the ingredients to enhance each other's tastes, creating a depth of flavor that is hard to achieve with separate cooking techniques.
Nutrient Retention: One pot meals often involve simmering or slow cooking ingredients together, which helps retain more nutrients compared to methods that involve draining or discarding liquid. This can lead to healthier and more flavorful dishes.
Versatility: One pot meals are incredibly versatile and can accommodate various dietary preferences and restrictions. Whether you're vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or omnivorous, there are countless one pot meal recipes to suit your needs.
Cost-Effective: By using simple ingredients and cooking them together, one pot meals are often budget-friendly. You can create satisfying and nutritious meals without breaking the bank, making it a practical choice for many households.
Perfect for Meal Prep: One pot meals lend themselves well to meal prepping since they can easily be made in large batches and reheated throughout the week. This is especially useful for individuals looking to save time on daily meal preparation.
3, Eat more fermented foods
Fermented vegetables are a popular choice for those seeking to boost their health due to a variety of reasons. Fermentation is a process that involves the breakdown of sugars by bacteria and yeast, resulting in the creation of beneficial enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, b-vitamins, and various strains of probiotics.
Consuming fermented vegetables can contribute to a healthy gut flora, aiding in digestion, enhancing nutrient absorption, and supporting the immune system. This is particularly important as a balanced gut microbiome is linked to overall health and well-being.
Moreover, fermented vegetables are often rich in antioxidants which help in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases. They are also a source of fiber, which supports gut health and promotes feelings of fullness.
Including a variety of fermented vegetables like kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles in your diet can be a flavorful and nutritious way to enhance your overall health.
Additionally, dairy sources of fermented foods are kefir, yogurt and ayran are valuable sources of probiotics. If you have an intolerance to typical dairy, kefir can be made with either goat's milk, Jersey cow milk (A2) or water.
When you start adding these to your diet, it's essential to start small. When you start adding lots more ‘good bacteria’ to your guts there will be a bit of a war going on as the flora rebalances and this might promote some extra gas. People who have conditions like histamine intolerance or have sensitivities to certain ingredients used in the fermentation process should give extra caution.
