The British Nutrition Foundation’s 10th Healthy Eating Week takes place from the 13th - 17th of June 2022. Healthy Eating Week aims to send out an important message – eat well for you and the planet – and is a chance to learn more about having a healthy and sustainable diet.
Each day of the week has a different theme, so let’s have a look!
Monday: Focus on fibre - for meals and snacks
Getting the right amount of fibre in your diet is very beneficial for your digestive health and can help keep cholesterol levels low. You can introduce more fibre into your diet by choosing whole foods. These include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choosing whole grains over refined grains is much more nutritious as refined grains are largely processed and mostly stripped of their nutritional content. By opting for wholegrain rice, flour, and pasta instead of more processed items such as white flour and rice you will include a lot more fibre in your diet.
Popcorn is a great snack option as a source of fibre!
Tuesday: Get at least 5 A DAY - put plenty on your plate
Eating enough fruit and veg is so important for a healthy diet. A portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g and the Word Health Organization suggests eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of strokes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Fruit and veg doesn't have to be fresh to count as one of your 5 a day, they can be frozen, dried, or tinned (in natural water with no added sugar or salt).
BBC Good Food have some useful advice on how to get more fruit and veg into your diet here.
Wednesday: Vary your protein - be more creative
Getting protein in your diet is not just important for people wanting to bulk up at the gym, it is an essential nutrient that helps our bodies grow and repair. There are various creative sources of protein that go beyond just drinking protein shakes. These include foods such as natural peanut butter which provides 8g of protein from a 2-tablespoon serving. Eggs are also very affordable and nutritional as they are packed with protein. Cottage Cheese is an example of a low-calorie dairy product that is an amazing source of plant-based protein.
These household staples are good sources of protein, giving you the opportunity to get creative with your meals and be more aware of incorporating nutritional foods.
Thursday: Stay hydrated - fill up from the tap
Drinking enough water improves mental and physical performance as it prevents infections and delivers nutrients to our body cells. We are extremely lucky to be able to drink water straight from the tap in this country. This needs to be recognised as drinking tap water is cheaper and better for the planet than bottled water. Healthy Eating Week’s message of looking after the planet ties in with the core values of Movement in Thyme as we believe that nature is the missing link for our wellbeing. Looking after the planet means looking after nature which is why it is essential to raise awareness of sustainability and nurturing our amazing planet.
Friday: Reduce food waste - know your portions
The last day of Healthy Eating Week has another very important theme for sustainability. Overall, around 1/3 of the world’s food is thrown away which often ends up in landfill, harming our planet. Food waste also bares an unnecessary cost on households. Food waste can be significantly reduced by becoming more aware of over-consumption and making small changes to reduce food waste. This can be done by planning your weekly food shop which will make you much more likely to only buy the foods you need. As well as this, buying more nutritiously dense foods over convenience foods will leave you feeling fuller and lead to you buying less.
The British Nutrition Foundations guide to becoming portion wise can be found here. Understanding portion sizes will help us consume the right amounts of food and drink.
At Movement in Thyme we encourage everyone to get involved with healthy eating week to nourish our bodies and minds filling them with the best fuel!
This blog was written by Movement in Thyme volunteer Jodie Murphy.