The Good Foundation
Around 3:00pm is when the thought pops into most of our minds, Gosh – What am I going to cook for dinner?!” The contents of our fridge and pantry start spinning in our minds as the dread of eating the same-old settles in. The best way to ease meal-prep anxiety is knowing where to start. Jamie Oliver has five simple principles to keep in mind when preparing healthy and nutritious meals for your family:
Homemade is best
Homemade food is tastier than any ready-meal and is generally a lot better for you. Even if you are buying ready-to-cook components and combining them to make a meal, that’s still a valid and important step on the way to cooking from scratch.
Freshness makes a difference
Fresh ingredients have the best flavour, texture and nutritional value and can make all the difference to a dish. The fresher your ingredients are when you buy them, the better they’ll be. Frozen vegetables have a high nutritional value too as they are often frozen straight after they’re picked – this means they’re far better for you than ‘fresh’ vegetables which have been sitting around for a while.
Seasonality is exciting
These days we can get almost anything all year round, but buying seasonally means there are always new seasons and new ingredients to look forward to. Buying seasonal food is generally better quality and tastier – bonus, it often means you are buying local produce.
The simplest dishes can be the best
A few well-chosen ingredients, which are simply cooked and served, can be much more worthwhile than making a complicated dish. The exciting combination of different ingredients and flavours can transform a dish from something fairly ordinary to something that is amazing.
Healthy balance
Balance is everything when it comes to your diet, so try to include a variety of foods when planning your meals. Cook from scratch with fresh ingredients when you can, eat more fruits and vegetables, and try to learn a bit about the food you’re eating, where it comes from and how it affects your body. Treats are a part of life, but it’s also important to recognise when we’re pushing things too far – we need to understand what treats are and redress the balance at other meals to even things out. Remember that a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise are the keys to a healthy lifestyle.
You can learn more about Jamie’s food principles on the 5-week online course – for more information and to book visit: https://bit.ly/2KINTVU
You may also like to read:
