Ways To Make Your Dinner Healthier

You're eating well and reaping the benefits, but are you getting as much possible goodness out of your dinner as you can? Take the nutrition of your evening meal to the next level with these simple and easy tips!

Make your own salad dressing
That way you’ll know exactly what’s in there! No chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavours or stabilizers needed! Adding a dressing made with an oil to your salad or vegetables also helps you absorb more of the fat-soluble nutrients. Look out for salad dressing recipes such as this one :

Creamy Green Goodness
Transform your regular salad into a nutritional powerhouse packed with healthy fats and anti-inflammatory, alkalizing herbs!

What you need:
1/2 large avocado
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, juiced
A large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 cloves of raw garlic
Sea salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Serve your lunch at the same time
If you tend to go back for seconds or eat a little more than you should, set aside the leftovers into portioned containers before you even dish up your dinner. That way you’ve prepped your lunch for the next day or two, and won’t be tempted to keep eating!

Feature vegetables
So often vegetables are thought of as as side dish, but we say make them the focus of your meal! Load up your plate with vegetables and add the extras from there.

Mix up the method
Avoid microwaving and boiling, instead, opting for steaming, slow cooking, or pressure cooking... you’ll retain more nutrients.

Cook with heat stable oils
Vegetable oils and extra virgin olive oil struggle to maintain their integrity when faced with high heat. When they become unstable, they produce volatile compounds that are dangerous to our health. Opt for more temperature stable oils including avocado, macadamia, coconut, and almond oil. Keep the extra virgin olive oil for cold dishes such as salad to get the most benefits.

Eat a lighter meal
Many of us eat our biggest meal at night, when we don’t need as much energy. Rather than having the heaviest meal at dinner, try eating like a King at breakfast, like a Prince at lunch, and a Pauper at dinner. This will give your body more time to properly digest your food, and use up the energy those meals provide throughout the day.

Make it with broth
From time to time, use broth instead of oils with the technique known as a wet sauté. Use twice as much broth as you would have oil and enjoy all of the nourishing benefits! Need a recipe? Try this vegetarian Potassium Balance Broth.

Cut the carbs in half
If you’re fond of having a pasta or rice dish, use less grain and add in more vegetables! Rice? Make half rice, half cauliflower rice. Pasta? Have half spelt or whole grain pasta, half zucchini noodles. The meal will be easier to digest, reducing the burden on your gut before bedtime! (Of course if you are LCHF - then you will probably have all cauliflower rice and all courgette noodles ... not the half and half way !)

Spice things up
Ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, and chili pepper are all easy additions to your dish, bringing a delicious flavour, and a fat-burning boost to your metabolism! Sprinkle over roast vegetables and salads, add to curries, coat fish before baking, or roll peeled, boiled eggs in them ... and how about this Aubergine / Eggplant and Green Bean Curry!

Scrub your vegetables
Don’t peel them. Scrubbing removes any loose dirt and debris, whilst still retaining all the nutrients found in and close to the skin of the vegetable. Plus it adds extra tummy-filling fibre to your meal!
Article first seen here

A variety of articles and recipe ideas are within this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan