How to keep your plate balanced this winter
This article was written by The Mission Dietitian intern, Klaudia Sokolowska.
Summer is often the prime time for healthy eating - with many motivated by their upcoming holidays, fresh produce at its peak, and people often leaning towards fruit and vegetables in the heat. It is also documented that the prevalence of comfort and binge eating is lower in summer when compared to winter months. However, eating healthy shouldn’t be a chore as the weather gets colder. Here is how to approach it.
When planning your meals, it may be easier to think about them in terms of food groups. Although no food consists of just one macronutrient, this line of thinking can give you a bit more structure and make the whole task of constructing a healthy meal less daunting. When speaking of a balanced meal, whether that’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, we should ideally aim to include all the food groups below:
Wholegrain carbohydrates
Examples of wholegrain carbohydrates include:
Grains such as brown rice, barley, buckwheat, bulgur wheat, millet, oats
Also products made of these grains, such as wholemeal bread or pasta.
Potatoes are also predominantly made of carbohydrates, and although not considered a “whole grain”, when eaten with the skin, can provide some extra fibre.
Nutritional information:
Carbohydrates are the bodies’ main source of energy, and the preferred energy source for our central nervous system, including the brain.
They are packed with vitamins and minerals, e.g. calcium, iron and B vitamins.
They are also one of the main sources of fibre in the Western diet. Adequate fibre intake is crucial for a healthy gut and digestion, healthy poop, but it also helps us feel fuller for longer, reduces the rise in blood sugar levels after eating and helps to keep blood cholesterol in check.
With so many different grains available, carbohydrates serve a great opportunity to diversify your diet and they contribute to the thirty plant points a week! Some people believe that carbohydrates are fattening, or “not good for us”. While science says quite the opposite (as detailed above), carbohydrates are often the food group that people tend to overeat the most. Eating any food in excess is not indicated, and it may contribute to unintentional weight gain. Particularly for those with some medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, it is important to stay mindful of portion sizes - aiming for a ¼ to a ½ of the plate of carbohydrates at a meal.
Fruit & Vegetables
Most of us understand the importance of including plenty of fruit and vegetables in our diet. In the UK, the national recommendations state that we should eat at least five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Visually, a portion may look like:
one apple, pear or orange
2 plums, kiwis or satsumas
3 table spoons of peas, a handful or carrot sticks or grapes
7 cherry tomatoes or strawberries, etc.
Nutritional information:
Fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of fibre (especially when eaten with skins on!), as well as vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium.
Some fruit and vegetables are also high in polyphenols - plant compounds of antioxidant properties, associated with lower risk of many chronic diseases. Good sources of polyphenols include berries, spinach, olives, red onion and chicory, artichokes, broccoli or carrots.
While in summer we may gravitate towards salads and fresh fruit, in winter we often crave warm meals. Excellent ways to include fruit and veg in your diet in colder months include:
Bulking up your stews, curries and sauces with vegetables
Making soups with multiple vegetables in them
Stewing your fruit to make different crumbles or a delicious topping for your warm morning porridge
Protein
Protein sources can be divided into:
Animal products: meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy
Plant-sources: beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, soya, tofu, plant-based meat replacements
Protein, or more accurately amino acids - the simplest form of protein, are the building blocks of all organs and systems in our body. They are involved in our cell structure, bones and muscles, hormones, immune cells, and everything in between. Hence, adequate protein intake is crucial for optimal bodily function. But don’t worry - most of us consume enough protein without additional supplementation, by maintaining a balanced diet.
Nutritional information:
Adequate and regular protein intake has consistently shown to be associated with reduced appetite and promotion of satiety (the feeling of fullness), which may be beneficial if your aim is weight loss, or if you simply want to reduce the need to snack between meals.
Plant sources of protein such as beans and lentils are also jam packed with fibre, alongside potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, zinc and B vitamins. Again, they contribute to your thirty plant points a week and can be an amazing way to diversify your plant intake, e.g. by opting for mixed tins rather than a single type of beans.
In winter months, you can add lentils to your soups or sauces (e.g. bolognese) or beans to your stews. Different pulses can also make great pastes to spread on your sandwiches!
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats include mono and polyunsaturated fats found in olive, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed or soybean oils, olives, avocados, nuts and seeds, as well as oily fish, e.g. salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring.
Nutritional information:
Dietary fat is a source of essential fatty acids which our body cannot make by itself. They are crucial for building healthy cell walls and membranes as well as for absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, i.e. vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Replacing saturated with unsaturated fats in our diet has been associated with improved immunity, lower inflammation levels, improved cardiovascular health and brain function, lower risk of mental health conditions, and many more!
To add more healthy fat into your diet:
Add oily fish to curries or alongside autumnal salads
Opt for a handful of nuts and olives as a snack
Choose avocado or nut butter as your toast topping
Opt for olive or rapeseed oil in your cooking rather than butter or lard.
Remember, healthy meals don’t just include a chicken breast with rice and broccoli - although this is a perfectly fine meal if you enjoy it! You have so much space for creativity. Examples include a lentil and carrot soup with toasted seeded bread with garlic butter, a warming chickpea and salmon curry with wholegrain rice, an autumnal pearl barley and chickpea stew, or a warming carrot cake porridge for breakfast. The sky’s the limit!
We would love to see your seasonal creations - tag @themissiondietitian in your foodie Instagram stories!