Northampton dietitian shares her top tips for healthy eaters ahead of 2022

As 2022 draws near and New Years resolutions are being sworn in, a Northampton dietitian has given us her advice

Sian Porter has more than 30 years of experience and works as a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and regularly appears in newspapers and magazines and on TV and radio commenting on nutrition topics and health stories.

After the massive changes to life posed by lockdowns, Sian promoted little changes to people's diets that can make big improvements down the road. In particular, 'balance' is key.

Sian said: "People have had to adjust to a change in the rhythm of life. Where they were used to commuting to work, they were then working from home as opposed to an office.

"I think sometimes when reading about lockdown it sounds like everybody's been gorging all the time when this was not the case for everyone. Some may have become more controlling about eating, while others malnourished due to lack of food and variety.

"Everybody's more aware of the link between good nutrition and health and people are looking for good ways to look after themselves."

One of the main challenges that Sian highlighted was avoiding what nutritionists call 'discretionary foods', these being foods 'not necessary to provide the nutrients' we need, such as sweets, biscuits and those high in saturated fat, sugar and salt.

She said: "My top tip for anybody is to eat more fruit and vegetables. If there's one thing that could help improve your dietary health, it's eating more vegetables.

"Some people get confused about 'five a day', thinking it all has to be fresh. But there is great availability in frozen vegetables as well and those can help you reach that amount.

"You can have things like peppers, spinach and courgettes, added to food like lasagna, curry, and pasta sauces.

"I also recommend people can cut down on the extras that might have become daily 'treats'.

"If you have a 'treat cupboard', empty it out. You can't eat what's not in the house. If you have foods like that, say chocolates from Christmas, then give them away or at least keep them out of sight in a cupboard on a high shelf.

"Just like supermarkets putting the most expensive stuff in your eyeline, to make you want to buy it, putting discretional foods there can do the same thing."

Sian also recommended that people keep a food diary to track what they eat. People are often 'surprised' by the amount of food they actually get through in a day, once it is all written down.

By following this advice, people Sian said that people should see positive changes over time, but should set themselves 'realistic targets'.

She also warned against what she calls 'fad diets' which, while they can lead to weight loss in the short term, but may not be healthy or effective in the longer-term.

Sian said: "The idea of a 'super food' is just a marketing term. There are no magic bullets. All fruit and veg is super.

"So for every meal ask 'where's the vegetables or fruit?' Start adding fruit to your cereal, or have a side portion of salad with your sandwich at lunch.

"Once you start doing this, over time it will become a healthy habit."

If you would like to learn more about healthy eating, including articles written by Sian, you can learn more at The Association of British Dietitians' website.