Shedding That Winter Flab

Halle Berry

With the arrival of spring, the desire for hearty winter dishes disappears along with winter coats and boots. We may be craving spring salads, but the local growing season will take a few months to catch up to our yearning for all the scrumptious salad combinations. There are plenty of ways to start putting fresher, lighter meals on the table. 

This is the time to turn to your local fresh-produce suppliers to get a consistent supply of local produce, meats, dairy and more.  Building a healthy plate is easy when half your plate is fruits and vegetables.

It’s also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in kilojoules and fat.

Here are a few Tricks & Tips

Trey Songz

1. Who says you cannot enjoy pizza, of course you can, but the trick is to add variety by adding your vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.

2. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, fresh/frozen strawberries and a banana.

3. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.

4. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.

5. Grill colorful vegetable kebabs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.

6. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves.

7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas.

8. Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.

9. Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.

10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.

11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.

12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.

13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.

14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.

15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to your meat dishes such as lasagna and meat loaf and also to mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.

16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.

17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.

18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables, add chickpeas and top with low-fat dressing.

19. Fruit on the grill: Make kebabs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.

Lastly, even though you may be eating healthy foods, portion control is still very important as over indulging in a particular healthy food can pile up your energy (kilojoules) intake and sabotage the whole healthy eating process.

Thulas' Profile

Holds an MSc in Nutrition, BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Food Science and a BSc Home Economics degree. Involved in a lot of Nutrition drives advocating for proper Nutrition, Community Nutrition education drives and corporate wellness programmes which are aimed at educating and advising blue collar workers about Nutrition. Thulas is currently pursuing her PhD part time and wants to acquire as much knowledge as possible in the field of Nutrition.








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