Healthy Eating Tips from a Registered Dietitian
/We all want to ‘eat healthy’, right? But what does that actually mean? The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, like heart disease, stroke and types of cancer. That’s around 5 pieces of fruit and vege a day. But is that all we need to eat healthy?
Harvested Produce Delivered sat down with Accredited Practising Dietitian Dimi Harpas, to give us an insight into all things healthy eating. From meal planning to pantry stables, the most immune-boosting produce and healthy family meal suggestions, Dimi’s got a whole bunch of healthy eating tips to improve your eating habits.
A little bit about Dimi:
Dimi’s philosophy and passion for food comes from her Mediterranean background. Her philosophy is simple; to inspire her clients to follow the Mediterranean Diet, and to teach them that food isn’t just about ‘what’ you eat, but about ‘how’ you eat. The Mediterranean Diet is a heart-healthy eating approach that emphasises on fresh, whole foods. Primarily plant-based eating that included grains, olive oil, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, it’s a diet that embraces fresh wholesome food. Dimi’s approach to espousing the Mediteranean diet is a lifestyle choice. It is her purpose to encourage and inspire people towards a well-balanced way of eating and lifestyle.
To find out more about Dimi and her services, you can visit her website or follow her on Instagram for more tips on healthy eating.
1. What can we find in your fridge (and pantry)?
You can find a variety of different delicious things!
My fridge is filled with dairy products and alternatives, like full-fat milk, almond milk and greek yoghurt, farm-fresh eggs, Greek feta cheese, hummus/tzatziki, plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables to last a week or so, condiments such as mustard and soy sauce. I also have a stash of dried fruits like prunes, figs, and dates. Oh, and some marinated vegetables including delicious Kalamata olives, eggplant and roast capsicum. You can never go wrong with these.
In my freezer you will find frozen proteins (chicken breast, beef mince). I also have some frozen veggies and other miscellaneous items like filo and puff pastry.
As for my pantry, you will always find wholegrain or sourdough bread, a mixture of grains such as pasta, rice, quinoa and bulgar wheat, and a mix of dried and canned legumes like lentils, chickpeas and four bean mix. Last week I purchased Freekeh for the first time, which is something I’d definitely like to experiment with!
I always keep nuts (walnuts and almonds are my favourite), raw seeds (chia and sunflower) and dried roasted chickpeas at eye-level, this way when I do find myself in the pantry, these are some of the staples I always use.
My dried herbs and spices rack is always filled with a variety to cover all cuisines and to add plenty of flavour to my meals.
And, because we’re only human - of course there are a few treats in there too, such as nut bars, chocolate and popcorn.
2. What kind of healthy family meals would you recommend eating during quarantine?
I know it could be difficult for some families to focus on healthy family meals, especially during quaratine. I would suggest getting creative with a variety of different types of dishes and cuisines. Some of my suggestions include one tray bakes, casseroles, roasts, soups, stir-fries & healthy ‘takeaway’ dupes (e.g healthy homemade pizza, healthy homemade burgers). Get inspiration from cookbooks, cooking magazines, online and use any extra time up your sleeve to perfect new cooking skills like marinating or pickling vegetables, baking bread, fresh made pasta. It’s also a great way to get the kids involved, too!
Finding a repertoire of safe ‘go-to’ meals that you feel comfortable cooking, taste delicious and are also packed with nutrition makes things a lot easier also.
Another healthy tip is to take traditional family favourites and add extra nutrition-boost by including more fruit and veggies. For example, you can add grated zucchini and carrot (even a can of lentils) to your spaghetti Bolognese which will increase the fibre and nutrient, but still taste delicious!
Other ways to boost the nutrition content of the meal would be to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) as the main source of fat in your cooking. Did you know that cooking your vegetables in EVOO actually helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals more effectively? True story.
3. Would you recommend meal prepping?
I would definitely recommend meal prepping if you have the means to do so. Meal prepping eliminates ‘decision fatigue’, a term associated with deciding on what meal options to eat everyday. Having to decide daily what to cook takes time, effort and energy to plan and cook meals, so why not make it easier on yourself? Meal prepping is also a useful trick for parents who currently have kids at home, as you’ll be spending less time in the kitchen! Here are some different examples for meal prepping:
You can prep entire meals e.g A curry or a casserole to cover a few dinners or a big batch of bircher muesli to cover your breakfasts for the week.
You can meal prep part of a meal e.g chop up the veggies you will use for a few dishes like pumpkin, potato and carrot for a roast and a soup that week, and store them in containers or zip-lock bags.
You can make snacking simpler and healthier by chopping up your favourite vegetables and storing them in a water filled air tight container for the week e.g cucumbers, carrots and capsicum.
Meal planning is another habit that helps with reducing both time and stress when it comes to meal times. It can be as simple as jotting down the main protein of the meal or the theme of the meal:
Here is what you may do if you meal plan based on protein source:
Monday: Legume night
Tuesday: Fish/Seafood night
Wednesday: Beef night
Thursday: Chicken night
Friday: Vegetarian night
Saturday: Fish/Seafood night
Here is what you may do if you meal plan based on meal theme:
Monday: Stir-fry night
Tuesday: Pasta night
Wednesday: Roast night
Thursday: Soup night
Friday: Casserole night
Saturday: BBQ night
This way, you can feel organised be prepared with shopping lists, saving you time, money and limiting the amount of time you spend in the supermarket. Also, meal planning will also keep you on track with your health goals, by limiting your visits to the fridge and pantry and cutting down on binge-snacking.
4. What fruit and vegetables in your opinion have the most nutrients to support immunity?
All fruit and vegetables have a diverse range of nutrients to support immunity. Getting enough fibre in our diet is crucial for good gut health. Good gut health equals a stronger immune system. Also, research tells us that including a greater variety of fibre-rich plant based foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds in our diet can increase gut health and therefore a stronger immune system. So its not just about getting enough fruit and vegetables in your diet, its about eating a wide variety of different types of plant-based fibres. Mix it up!
5. If you had to pick 5 fruit and vegetables to eat during quarantine, what would they be and why?
For fruit I would choose apples, bananas, strawberries, mandarins and pineapple. For vegetables I can’t limit it to 5, I would need at least 10! Cucumber, tomato, onions, rocket, garlic, spinach, potato, sweet potato, corn and carrot. Choosing this variety because they are colourful, packed with nutrients and vitamins, tasty and above all can be adapted to a variety of meals.
6. What fruit and vegetables do you believe have the best shelf life?
Root vegetables such as carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin and potato are all in season in the coming cooler months and also have a great shelf life. Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and garlic are also in season.
7. What foods should we be avoiding during iso?
You do not need to necessarily avoid any foods in particular but you can use this time in isolation to form healthy eating habits. Reduce ordering take-away and other types of high energy low nutrient food like chocolate, chips and sugary baked goods and make an effort to increase your intake of delicious seasonal veggies and fruit!
8. What are some good sources for vitamin C?
Vitamin C is an important nutrient for supporting our immune system. While it isn’t a ‘cure’ for colds or viruses, research has shown that it can reduce its severity or length.
You may already know that citrus fruits such as orange, lemon and mandarins are high in Vitamin C. But also capsicum, broccoli, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit and kale are all major sources of Vitamin C.
9. What's the best way to make sure that people are eating healthy?
Here are a few tips:
Meal planning and meal prepping
Mindful eating (paying attention to how you feel before, after and during the meal)
Making sure that your healthy meals are palatable - not bland! Food needs to have flavour so that you can continue enjoy eating it. Mix it up and get creative with new methods of preparing and cooking food e.g Adding a different blend of herbs and spices to your roast vegetables, perfect your stir-frying technique and learn how to make tasty marinades.
Make your environment conducive to making healthier choices and decisions e.g have a colourful fruit bowl in an area that you can see, have healthy snacks at eye level in your pantry e.g nuts, dried fruit, seeds, dried legumes.
Use positive reinforcement to drive your healthy eating habits i.e. Choose to make vegetables and fruit a priority in your diet not because your should eat them, but of how good they make you feel - this will make it a lot easier to stick to eating healthier.