5 TIPS TO GETTING THE BEST NUTRITIONAL VALUE FROM YOUR MEALS THIS SEASON
With the Christmas and New year festivities in full swing, getting the best nutritional value from your meals might prove a little hard to do with the surge of carnivals, hangouts, clubbing, concerts, and end-of-year party invites rolling in.
Well in fairness, the meal table at these parties can be too tempting a trap, even for the most health-conscious of persons. However, with some deliberate plan, and some self-control to boot, you can keep your health and body on track for 2022 with these 5 tips.
5 Tips To Improve the Nutritional Value of Your Meals
1. Ensure that fruits and veggies always form a portion of your meal
Whether it’s eating indoors with family or at an outdoor event, formal or informal. Ensure that your meals have a side of veggies or fresh fruits. You cannot overemphasize how important vegetables and fresh fruits are to your health and wellness. Before you jump on that greasy fried chicken at the next outdoor event, or that firewood cooked jollof rice with the party scent, or the slowly roast whole cow with just the right amount of crisp on its skin… remember your safe words ‘veggies please’
2. Use healthy canned or dried alternatives if there’s no fresh produce
In most cases, fresh produce is usually the best option. But what happens when it’s unavailable? Well, there are loads of canned as well as dry products that are equally healthy alternatives and are easy to preserve and prepare. Produce like chickpeas and canned beans which are abundant in nutrient deposits and can be preserved for years can be integrated with your menu in a variety of ways. Canned fish sauce like salmon mackerel, sardines which are rich in a range of minerals, vitamins, oil, protein, and omega 3 fatty acids can be used in making pasta dishes, salads, healthy and tasty sandwiches, or even infused with a cooked meal.
Also canned veggies though possessing reduced nutritional value can be a great option when the fresh produce is unavailable or scarce.
3. Stock up on Healthy Snacks
For snack lovers, build your holiday quick-bites around healthy snacks like boiled eggs, chopped or dried fruits, unsweetened yogurt, cheese, nuts, or any other local options that are readily available including dates, tiger nuts, mushrooms, etc. These are far better snack options high in nutritional content.
4. Avoid Processed Foods
While making use of fresh produce may not always be the case especially when they’re scarce, ensure that you steer clear of processed foods. Packaged desserts, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals usually have a high deposit of salt, sugars, and saturated fat. Avoid sodas and other carbonated drinks and if you do feel the need to buy processed food, be sure to select healthier alternatives by looking through the label.
5. Steer Clear of Roadside Pastries and Barbies.
On a normal day, partaking in roadside pastries as well as fries and barbecues such as puff-puff, doughnuts, fried yam, fried potatoes, akara, fried chicken, suya, etc is ill-advised. This is because the hygiene content from production to packaging and sales is at best questionable. During the festive seasons, there’s an even higher demand for these roadside foods, and in a bid to satisfy this demand, the already questionable hygienic process becomes, even more, scaled-down, and more of a health hazard for you when consumed. So in my opinion, avoid them altogether.
As much as the festive period is a time to kick back, relax and indulge in some of your cravings, you can still enjoy a healthy and food-filling holiday, if you stay guided by these tips.
