Top tips

Fresh start

Before commencing your low carbohydrate plan, think about how you want your kitchen cupboards to look like, what are the foods you want to include in your fridge, freezer and cupboards?

Meal planning and prepping

No amount of knowledge can outperform good planning and prepping. You can download the food prep document in your online learning. This document contains some meal prepping strategies to help you get through the week with ease, save you time and money and ensure you’re getting the most out of your meals.

Swaps

You may not always have all the ingredients you need at home, but don’t let this stop you from preparing healthy and delicious meals. You can always swap some ingredients for others. The following ingredients are equivalent in flavour and can be easily swapped:

  • Fresh garlic and garlic powder
  • Fresh onions and onion powder
  • Fresh parsley and fresh coriander
  • Semi-skimmed milk with low fat plain yogurt
  • Chickpeas, butter beans and kidney beans
  • Red lentils, green lentils and black lentils
  • Cod, haddock and seabass
  • Spinach, rocket and watercress

Don’t be afraid to experiment, you might even find that you prefer the recipe with an unexpected ingredient. Moreover, having a large variety of different foods in your diet has multiple health benefits too.

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Social support

Sharing meals with family and friends is a good opportunity to spend some quality time together and make your experience with healthy eating a lot easier and enjoyable. We have compiled some tips and tricks to help involve your family and friends:

  • For family and friends that are resistant to trying new healthier foods, try making an extra portion for them to taste alongside their meals.
  • Get your children to help you with the cooking. When children are involved in the cooking process, they are more likely to eat the meal they have prepared.
  • Cook something that looks and feels familiar to a classic dish, then put a healthier spin on it. For instance, opting for a vegetarian chilli rather than a chilli con carne.
  • We eat with our eyes. Make your meals look appetising by using colourful vegetables and textures that you enjoy.
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Equipment needed

Non-stick frying pan
Investing in good quality cookware has many benefits. Non-stick frying pans need significantly less oil to achieve the same cooking results, meaning meals can provide less energy. It is also means that they are much easier to clean.

Tupperware
Investing in some good quality air-tight, microwavable, freezer safe, dishwasher friendly and easy to clean Tupperware is key for meal prepping and transporting your meals.

Weighing scales
Investing in a kitchen scale can help with portion control. You can find a variety of different options on Amazon, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s.

Eating in season

This is a good way to ensure you’re having a varied and nutritious diet. It is also cheaper and better for the environment. Fresh, frozen, tinned are all counted as vegetable portions. You can download our seasonal vegetable and fruit chart for more ideas.