Top 10 Healthy Foods to have in your Kitchen

Top 10 healthy foods to have in your kitchen are a must in order for me to stay healthy.    If you leave it to chance you are not likely to succeed.  Do one meal plan for the week to avoid reaching for convenience food.  The essential purchases that are a must in my shopping trolley each week and are always in my kitchen are:

Eggs.  Eggs are a great source of protein and it will keep you fuller for longer.  Swap your breakfast cereal for eggs.  It can be as easy as having two poached eggs or scrambled eggs on brown bread or try the porridge in a cup recipe with the mix of porridge, egg, and yogurt it is a great way to get lots of protein into your body to start your day.

Fish. All fish is good for you.  Fish is high in protein and low-fat food that provides many health benefits  It is recommended to have two portions of fish a week such as prawns, cod, sole, hake and one portion of oily fish such as Salmon, Mackerel, Fresh tuna, Trout. Try our creamy prawns’ recipe or a simple salmon avocado salad recipe on brown bread for lunch.

Fruit & Vegetables – Fruit and veg are a great way to bulk up meals in a healthy way.  Berries are a great source of fiber and can be added to smoothies, yogurts or porridge,  Vegetable is a must each day.  Easily added to most meals.  The greener the better but once you are consuming vegetable each day you are on the right track.  Try adding a handful of spinach to your spaghetti bolognese, curry or smoothies (it just wilts away so you don’t even see or taste it)  If you don’t have time to be preparing fresh vegetable purchase frozen vegetable it is just as good.  Homemade soup is also a great way of getting vegetable into your day, especially over the winter months.  You can easily batch cook – freeze and bring into work for a fulfilling lunch.  Try this homemade sweet potato and carrot soup.

Yogurt – Try and stick to Greek or Natural Yogurt as it will give you a  bigger protein boost and avoid flavored yogurts as they tend to have lots of added sugar which add calories without nutrition. Yogurt contains probiotics or “good bacteria” that help keep our guts healthy.  Yogurt can be had at breakfast try our muesli yogurt breakfast or you could try it as a healthy snack during the day  – mix with fruit or granola or why not freeze it for an ice cream

Brown Pasta/ brown bread – Whole grain pasta and brown bread is high in fiber, lower in calories and has more nutrients than white pasta/ bread. Great for pre-exercise as energy is released slowly into the blood to provide a more reliable source of energy, keeping you going for longer. If you find you get tired halfway through your workout it may be a good idea to have a meal or snack at least an hour before your workout that contains brown pasta or brown bread it will help you exercise more efficiently and for longer.

Meat.  Try and eat lean meat and chicken.  A good butcher will give you good lean meat whether it is mince, steak, burger, etc.  Just ask for lean meat.  Avoid processed meats such as sausages, bacon, hotdogs, and processed packages of ham.

Tomatoes tins.  Tin of tomatoes is a great healthy alternative to jars of sauces.  They are great to make curry sauces, bolognese or a pasta dish.  Add spices and you have a healthy alternative to the high sugar processed jars.

Dark Chocolate.  Dark chocolate rice cakes or dark chocolate squares are great as a snack and curb those chocolate cravings.

Oats – eating oats is a great way to get fiber into your diet and is also good for keeping us full so can be a great breakfast.  I would recommend adding some fruit or yogurt to your breakfast.  Try overnight oats or why not make your own granola or oat scones as a healthy snack during the day.

Treat meal.  We all need a treat meal.  It is important after a long week of exercising and watching your food intake we can enjoy a treat meal.  Just a few tips to allow you have this treat meal so not to totally sabotage your week.  Know when you are full and stop eating,  eat slowly, if you can make the meal yourself do it may not be possible, if eating out try and stick to these eating out guidelines,  stay hydrated and get moving again the next day.