After a holiday period of indulgence it’s only natural to want to have the motivation to eat healthier, exercise more and embrace the healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately a lot of the time this is usually only maintained for a short time due to unrealistic diets.

My advice? NO fad dieting! Everything in moderation is key.

Eating healthier doesn’t mean you need to cut things out of your diet and eliminate foods completely. Not only are you depriving your body of nutrients it could possibly need but you are setting yourself up for failure, testing your willpower.  Lifestyle changes are not easy but you need the motivation and willpower to continue regardless of a small bump along the road. It’s about nourishing your body to maximise your health, understanding balance and knowing how and why we break down our meals into Protein, Carbohydrates, Fruit/Vegetables and Fats.

Tips for kick starting your resolutions:

1) Have a clean out
During the Christmas period we all stocked up our fridge/freezers etc. with scrummy delights for our whole families to enjoy. Unfortunately seeing these leftovers will tempt us or we will end up eat them just to get rid of them. As we start this New Year why not take control- give away these foods to those who are less fortunate, if that’s not possible- dispose of them.. This will allow plenty of room for nutritious fresh foods to help us towards our goals.

2) Plan
Try not to make too many changes to your diet and exercise regime all at once, gradually introduce change when you are happy and comfortable to do so. Do everything at your own pace and don’t compare your journey with someone else’s, everyone is different. To make this easier for you, plan your meals and snacks- this will limit temptation. By doing this it will allow you to see what’s working for you and what’s not!

3) Eat fresh ingredients
Say goodbye to ready meals, pre-made lunches and snacks.
Focus on making your own meals with fresh local ingredients. Why not go to the local Sunday markets or a farm shop to support local traders in your area, meal time has never tasted so nutritious, fresh and delicious. This combined with planning your meals will be a faultless recipe for success.

4) Be more mindful
Meal time should be a positive and fun experience for any family, therefore eating should be a positive and gratifying experience.  Where possible we should refrain from using our phones, be away from electronic devices such as laptops and video games and you can enjoy a meal in peace with your family ideally around the table away from distractions.
Savour your food- eat slowly and concentrate on the food you are eating. It has been found that by chewing your food 10-20 times assists with the release of vitamins and minerals in our food and makes our food more flavoursome. Remember it takes at least 20minutes for our bodies to release its no longer hungry.

5) Exercise
Eating healthy and doing exercise going hand in hand to achieve maximum results. Government guidelines suggest that:

If you are aged 15-18 Years then you need Moderate to Intense exercise 60mins a day. If you are aged 19-50 Years then you need Moderate to Intense exercise 150mins a week minimum.

Exercising as a family would be a fun and easy way of combining this into your week, for example in the summer you could go for a family bike ride in a local park.

After all, teaching good habits from a young age is not just beneficial for your child’s future but can be fun and enjoyable for the whole family. I want to able to show you how easy it is to make mealtime more enjoyable by cooking as a family but at the same time using healthy, wholesome foods that you can incorporate into your daily lives.

As a nation we are rapidly becoming a fast food nation which is probably driven by our current lifestyles. Always being on the go, wanting something quick, easy and cheap! However, this is causing or could cause a lot health issues, therefore we should be taking a lot more notice of what’s actually on our plates.

Below I have chosen a chicken curry recipe from our current menu. I want to highlight how easy it is to cook a home cooked meal, that’s healthy, especially in comparison to the fat ridden or deep fried fast food that is slowly becoming the norm! By making home cooked meals it enables our children to learn not just about how to cook but skills that they can take into their adulthood and when they have their own families. Not only that, but by getting children involved with cooking and the preparation of the meals, makes mealtime a lot more enjoyable for them and for you too!

Chicken Curry
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast – 500g
• Vegetable Oil – 2 Tablespoons
• Onion (Large) – 1
• Curry Powder – 1 Tablespoon
• Chilli Powder – 1 Teaspoon
• Garlic Puree – 1 Teaspoon
• Ground Ginger – 1 Teaspoon
• Turmeric – 1 Teaspoon
• Coconut Milk – 100g
• Vegetable Stock Cube – 1
• Potatoes – 250g
• Organic Carrots – 150g
• Tomato Puree – 2 Teaspoons
• Chopped Tomatoes – 400g
• Water – 250ml

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the potato, carrots and onions, and dice them.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until they are soft.
3. Add the different spices and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes.
4. Add the diced chicken breast, and seal the meat.
5. Add the tomato puree and stir, then add the chopped tomatoes and diced carrots.
6. Mix the stock cube into water, and add to the pan, bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the potatoes, coriander and coconut milk, continue to cook for a further 20 minutes. (Add more water if needed).
8. Season to taste and serve.

To serve, why not try wholegrain rice.
Wholegrain rice is nutritionally dense compared to white rice as well as adding extra fibre into your diet. If you are worried your children may not like wholegrain rice, try to introduce it slowly into their diets by doing a 50/50 mix with plain white rice. However, if you are feeling daring, why not try cauliflower rice?

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Did you know?
Chicken Breast without the skin is the leanest part of the chicken.

Swap!!
Instead of Coconut Milk, you can try other alternatives such as natural low fat yoghurt i.e. 0% Fat Yoghurt. This will reduce the amount of total and saturated fat, but increases the amount of protein, which will leave your children feeling fuller for longer.

Swap!!
Why not swap your Vegetable Oil for either olive oil, or the spray oil, which you can now get from your local supermarkets- These tend to have other flavours such as garlic or coconut. Therefore, Eating healthy or looking for healthier ingredients does not mean you are cutting back on flavour!

Swap!!
Using Garlic cloves instead of puree is a more natural flavour. This will reduce the amount of unwanted ingredients or chemicals manufacturers may have added during production. Garlic has many health benefits such as cardioprotective properties- promote good heart health.