It can be difficult to eat healthy when many of us lead stressful and fast-paced lives. Often it is too simple to grab something and go, whether it be from a fast-food restaurant or the grocery store. Or perhaps you are looking for ideas of what to eat during social distancing due to COVID-19. If you are looking to eat healthier, a good place to start is incorporating more home-cooked meals because you can control exactly what goes into your food. These tips should help you get started!
1. Plan ahead – this can be taking a look into your fridge and writing a grocery list to plan meals around what you have, or planning a meal every night and shopping for those ingredients. This way, you can restrict yourself to buying only ingredients that you know you will use.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables – they are filled with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. The recommendation is to eat two cups of fruit and veggies each per day! This can be achieved through fresh, frozen, canned, or dehydrated fruit and veggies. A good way to increase your fruit and veggie intake is with snacks. Apple slices, baby carrots and dried fruit are all great healthy snacking options. You can also dip fruit and veggies into peanut butter (or almond butter, etc) for added protein.
3. Try new grains – a simple trick to eating healthier is to swap out your usual grains (white rice or pasta, white bread) with whole grains that have more nutrients. Depending on what grains are available to you, try brown or wild rice, whole-wheat pasta or quinoa for a more nutritious alternative with your meal.
4. Go veggie – protein is an integral part of the diet, but it does not have to be from meat. Switch it up once a week and substitute tofu, or shelf-stable options like chickpeas or lentils with your favourite meal.
5. Watch out for sugar and salt – a benefit of cooking your meals is that you can keep an eye on your added sugar and salt content. Many prepackaged foods contain high amounts of sugars, which can really add up and take a toll on your body. Similarly, salt is found in processed foods, so cooking with fresh foods can limit your intake – and at Nightingale, we agree that a meal almost always tastes better when you cook it yourself!
Check out our blog post for more information on nutritional guidelines for ostomates here. Be sure to consult your doctor or NSWOC if you are considering changing your diet to make sure it is right for you.
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