Think colour over calories
“You want to be inspired by your plate, not depressed by it,” says Rosie. She advises having half your plate filled with colourful vegetables or fruit. “They’re rich in nutrients, fibre and minerals but low in calories.” Bulk up salads with chickpeas or falafel, or a piece of grilled chicken or fish – perfect for barbecues.
If you love a lunchtime sandwich, swap bread for wraps and pittas and fill up with fresh salad. “Try to keep carbohydrates relatively low. Fruit and veg are a good source and a sufficient way to get your carb intake,” says Rosie.
Swap shop-bought for home-made
We can often think we’re making healthy choices, with salads or a stir-fry, but ruin good intentions by adding ready-made dressings and sauces. “Shop-bought salad dressings are full of sugar and poor-quality oil,” says Rosie.
Focus on gut health
We’ve been living through uncertain times and anxiety can have a negative effect on our gut health. No matter how healthy you’re trying to be, if your stomach is feeling stressed, your body won’t be working as effectively as it could be. “If you’re feeling bunged up or bloated, you need to get your digestive system working again,” says Rosie. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kefir are great but for something a little easier to introduce into your diet, try live, fermented yogurts. “Live yogurt is a great way to get beneficial bacteria,” says Rosie. “Try kefir on your cereal or muesli in the mornings instead of milk, along with some colourful fruit or berries.”Yeo Valley do kefir yogurts, available from most supermarkets.
organic or free-range where possible.”
If you are looking to reduce your meat intake, try eating more lentils, beans, nuts, seeds and tofu which are all excellent sources of plant-based protein. £1.50/100g,
Rosie says rather than focusing on how much you eat, think about how you eat. “Take time to enjoy food and chew it really well,” she says. “Your body has a natural mechanism to tell you when you’ve had enough.”
up to 30 minutes. To help track your fitness levels, you could get a FitBit or pedometer and set yourself little goals. “10,000 steps a day is a great target but don’t get too obsessed,” says Mel. It’s more important to be active – even doing vacuuming or cleaning the bath all adds up.”
Banish the booze?
Alcohol can play a part in weight gain and many of us saw our drinking rise during lockdown. Rosie advises generally cutting down on our alcohol consumption and have alcohol-free days in the week, while Mel says little tweaks mean you still enjoy a tipple. “Swap wine (which can contain lots of sugar) for a clear spirit such as vodka or gin and add a diet drink for a mixer, or have less wine and top your glass up with soda water so it’s a bigger drink to fill you up but with fewer calories,” she says.