During Australia’s Healthy Weight Week 2017 the focus is on enjoying more home cooked meals. Why? Increasingly, studies are showing that purchasing meals, both takeaway and restaurant foods, away home from is associated with more weight gain. The reason is meals prepared outside the home are often in larger portion sizes and contain more energy dense foods and less vegetable serves.
The solution is eating more meals at home. Unfortunately in our busy lifestyles lack of time and energy are often the barrier to cooking meals at home. But the good news is that throwing together a healthy home cooked meal, with the right portion sizes is as simple as one, two, three.
Choose at least 3 vegetables serves. A serve of vegetables is 1/2 cup cooked vegetables such as beans, carrots, spinach or broccoli. Alternatively, 1 cup of salad vegetables is a serve.
Select 1-2 lean protein serves. A serve of protein is 65-100g of lean beef, lamb, chicken, fish or pork. Alternatively 2 eggs, 1 cup of cooked legumes or 170g of tofu.
Add 1-2 serves of carbohydrate. One serve is 1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, potato, quinoa or 1 slice of bread. Where possible choose lower GI and wholegrain options.
For some easy family meal solutions check out my Easy Meal Ideas guide here, or for more individualised advice book an appointment with Susan Phillips, your local Brisbane nutrition and diet expert.