AIBU to ask for your simple tips on making our diet more healthy?

[Tigerpaws57]

Really want to improve my family's overall diet and make it healthier. I am trapped in an old-fashioned "meat and two veg" type mentality and know I need to change the way I buy and cook but find it difficult to think outside the box. I have bought one of Joe Wicks books and am aiming to cook at least one new recipe each week, but I am looking for any simple tips/hacks any of you have found useful in improving your family's diet and health. I am a reasonable cook and family are all open to new food experiences.

We've dropped puddings gradually, hardly ever think about them now. Hidden veg - grated carrot and handful of lentils in any sauce/soup/stew etc.
Just don't buy unhealthy stuff, cereal bars, Muller yoghurts etc - they're full of sugar or sweeteners and packaging.
Personally, I found Jamie Oliver books and programmes helpful - they're high on veggies, low on fat, straightforward and delicious. We have a few go-to recipes we have every week or so.

I give you Veganuary

The supermarkets are full of it !

Try a Meat Free Monday (or what ever day) you will not miss it.
You don't have to go overboard (I;m vegetarian not vegan)

Some great recipes online .

Chilli
Curry
Vegetable soups (with lentils for fibre and protein)
Quorn (loads of people don't like it , and it can cause 'gastric disturbance' )

Its hard to beat meat and 2 veg for a healthy diet.... as long as you are grilling the meat and not adding extra oil to cook and your meat is about 150g and your veg is at least 80g each and a small amount of carb. Add at least one extra portion of veg and your probably as good as anything else

I'm going to follow this for ideas I think. Yes to twillows suggestions drop puddings and don't buy crap. Also added vegetables to as much as possible . If cooking mince I now try and do half beef and half quorn or similar. I have just ordered a simply cook recipe box as well in a bid to shake up our menus a bit as we tend to stick to the same things. I'm setting a lot of store in This recipe box! I have picked meals i wouldn't usually cook, Goan fish stew is one. Should be interesting😁

Healthy eating covers such a range but I've simplified it in my mind to more vegetables, more fibre than the traditional UK diet I grew up with.

I think you can go at that two pronged by the sounds of it.

New recipes vegetarian /vegan. Experiment with new spices and herbs

Tweak the traditional, so less meat in the stew, more carrots and barley. Half the chicken in a caserole and add cannellini beans. More vegetables on the roast dinner. A big salad selection alongside the meaty pasta dish. More fish.

I added in the fish though it s beyond my veg and fibre idea!

What are you eating that you believe is unhealthy? Are your family overweight?
You already eat a healthy diet. Meat and two veg is healthy.
Lentils are a starchy carbohydrate, not a vegetable. Why cut out a healthy pudding but add carbs to the main meal?

Reduce the portion size and make sure half the plate is vegetables.

Eat less red meat. Eat more veg.

Substitute whole grain options where you can (bread, pasta, rice).

Try to buy as few processed foods as possible. If you're cooking from scratch you know what's gone into it.

Have some healthier snack foods to hand for when you're peckish. Fruit, plain Greek yoghurt, handful of nuts, olives.

Reduce portion sizes slightly.

Get some really tasty veggie recipes under your belt. Indian and Mexican food are my best bets for veggie stuff.

I don't think meat and two veg for dinner is necessarily a bad model either tbh.

You mention dinners but what about making sure people have some fruit or veg at breakfast (could be juice, mushrooms cooked in the microwave, sliced fruit or berries in cereal) or lunch - for instance a homemade soup?

Increase the veg.
Even if you are doing meat and veg, do meat and four or five veg. Start off with easy tray bakes

E.g. chicken marinated in garlic and herbs with leeks, carrots, parsnips and redcabbage

Or with red onions, mixed peppers, courgettes and baby tomatoes. Or chicken thighs marinated in spices with sweet potatoes, spinch leaves, onions and chickpeas.

Try pork with fennel, onions, pears or apples, baby potatoes in their skins and white cabbage, cooked in cider with some rosemary and aromatic seeds.

Once you and your family are used to mixing stuff up more, then you can experiment with veggie meals.

Some great tips thanks! I know there is nothing inherently wrong with "meat and two veg" but I like the idea of tweeking meals a bit, reducing the meat quantities and adding in extra veg and pulses. Also going to aim for a couple of veggie days a week with some new recipes and try to add a bit more salad and or fruit into our breakfasts and lunches. Thanks all!

Move to pasta made from other wholegrains, brown rice, lentils, quinoa, spelt, barley etc. Don't add too much salt or sweetness to your food. Use sweet potatoes rather than white ones. Cook with veggie sausage and mince etc. as they taste great, often have more protein but a fraction of the fat. Cutting back on cheese was a big thing for me (became intolerant and went vegan) I hadn't realised how much that was crapping up my diet.

Use a good nonstick pan or a well seasoned skillet with very little oil.

Ensure your carb to substance ratio isn't whack e.g. half rice half stir fry, move to more like 2/3 or 3/4 of the substance.

Just a few substitutions, cutting down on cooking oil (yes, there's nothing wrong with fat, but no need to do a stir fry or curry for two with a cup of oil)., watching ratios etc. Made a huge difference to me. The extra veg and wholegrains alone add nutrition to your diet and you don't need to go hungry.

If you like Chinese and Indian food, learn to make the sauces and masala yourself as you can make them a lot more virtuous (plus they'll usually taste better!).

None of the above requires you to look sadly at a lettuce leaf, eat artificial foodstuffs or sweeteners or restrict the styles of food you eat.

Oh and lay off the booze for a month, you'll feel much better!

There's loads of good suggestions here.

We also often substitute potato, either for one of the wholegrain options above, or for sweet potato or even butternut squash. Tray baked vegetables can have lots of flavour added with garlic, balsamic vinegar etc.

A lot of diets have too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3 so good sources of Omega 3 are fish, walnuts etc. Depending on budget you could buy grassfed red meat but it is more expensive; we now buy less meat but what we do buy is higher welfare so it works out the same as we used to spend.

I'm more interested in healthy eating than my DH but he likes a lot of meals once he has tried them. I'm trying to find ideas for convenient healthy snacks and lunches for him now too though!

Carrot and swede mash is also surprisingly nice and easy to make

Hidden veg, such as bulking out spag Bol with cauliflower rice in with the mince, and lasagne with butternut squash or aubergine slices with the pasta sheets.

Vegetable smoothies instead of fruit juice

Diluted fruit juice instead of sugary squash

When I lost a lot of weight (and subsequently put back on! So I'm here for tips rather than dishing out advice)

I found inputting calories via my fitness pal really eye opening - not because I knew a mars bar was high in calories but you can see the difference in portion size between say, a bowl of cereal you make and a bowl of cereal to recommended serving size.

So I think if you're already eating healthy, i'd try and be more aware of the amount of food you're eating.

PoliticalBiscuit Thanks. I agree it is a good idea to keep an eye on portion sizes but we are not needing to lose weight. Its more about trying to make sure we are eating the best foods to keep us fit and healthy. Our current diet is relatively healthy but I know it could be better!