If you’ve over indulged over Christmas, it’s likely you’ll be looking to kick-start the New Year with a healthy eating plan. Here are our top tips for enjoying food but more healthily this January, and throughout the year!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s easy for us to say, but eating breakfast really is good for you! Skipping breakfast can lead to low blood sugar, meaning you will most likely crave food and eat more unhealthily at lunchtime, whereas eating a hearty breakfast gets your metabolism going straight away. Even cooked breakfasts don’t have to be unhealthy – our healthy breakfast is one of our most popular dishes – meaning you can still enjoy all your favourite brekkie items but without the guilt!
Not all carbs are bad. Carbohydrates are often painted as a dieter’s worst enemy but actually, the right carbohydrates can be good when you’re trying to eat healthily as they fill you up, lessening the cravings you have for food. If you’re cooking a rice dish, try substituting white for brown rice. With the addition of passata and chicken stock in a paella, for example, you can’t really taste the difference. If you’re a pasta fan, fresh past contains more protein; so theoretically, you can eat less and still feel full.
Herbs and spices. These days, we’re so used to tasty food all the time that anything less feels like a deprivation, making it hard to stick to a diet. The addition of fresh herbs to a dish or adding some chilli or fresh ginger, can really make a big difference to a dish. Salt (try chef’s favourite Maldon sea salt) and pepper (freshly ground) are any chef’s failsafe way to take a dish from bland to bloomin’ tasty.
Eat fresh. Preservatives and chemicals are hidden in so many of the things we consume – such as juices, cordials, processed foods and most snack food. At Thyme Out, we’re firm believers in quality fresh food, and everything we produce is made from scratch by our team of chefs. Try to stick to this philosophy and even treats or traditionally ‘unhealthy’ meals will be better for you.
Timings. If you’re going to eat something in the day, do it sooner rather than later. We all have our moments of weakness, but scoffing a bar of chocolate whilst you’re lounging in front of the television at 10 o’clock at night is the worst time to eat unhealthy items. If you want a treat, eat it at lunchtime or mid-afternoon to give your body time to digest and burn it off. And then stack your fridge full of healthy snacks such as fresh fruit or fat free yogurt in case you get the late-night munchies!