Are fizzy drinks and fry-ups your autopilot comfort eats? Don’t despair, these stealth swaps will help get your nutrition back on track. Bring on the brown pasta…
WORDS CHERYL FREEDMAN.
If your diet has slipped over the past year, all is not lost. You can make huge nutritional gains with some simple swaps. While implementing a complete overhaul can feel daunting (and is more likely to fail), introducing a few subtle switches can help you make the slow, stealthy transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Don’t think of yourself as a brown bread and sparkling water kind of guy? The good news is you can train your palate to enjoy wiser choices. ‘We learn flavour preferences in childhood, which can lead to habits for a lifetime. But by being open to new experiences, you can change this,’ says Dr Enzo Battista-Dowds, a registered dietitian.
Studies suggest that simply exposing ourselves repeatedly to certain foods means we grow to like them. We can also tolerate lower levels of sweet and salt by ‘tapering off’ consumption – reduce the sugar in your coffee from two spoons to zero over several weeks, and you’ll get there. Go cold turkey overnight and possibly not.
Here, we’ve suggested some swaps to help you make a start. Each is designed to mirror the original food so won’t feel too large a leap. Battista-Dowds also recommends using technology to help: ‘An app like MyFitnessPal (myfitnesspal.com) is a fast way to review the impact of ingredient swaps, while HabitHub (thehabithub.com) is helpful for tracking daily goals and creating lasting healthy habits.’
SWAP: WHITE PASTA FOR BROWN PASTA
Getting sufficient fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer, and it’s recommended we consume 30g daily. But most of us fail miserably, managing just 20g on average. Upgrading your pasta is an easy win that could change this. Brown is a little chewier but just as hearty (swapping white rice for brown provides for similar benefits).
‘Wholewheat pasta contains almost double the fibre of white pasta. An average 230g [cooked weight] serving has nearly 10g of fibre in wholewheat, compared to just under 4g for white,’ says Battista-Dowds. Plus wholewheat contains extra minerals such as magnesium and zinc, important for nerve function and your immune system.
SWAP: FRIED EGGS FOR POACHED EGGS
‘Chicken eggs are a valuable source of protein, with 8g per large egg. But frying them ramps up calories and fat,’ says Batti
