When most people hear the word “diet”, they picture glum, uninteresting and tasteless food.  Healthy foods and meals don’t have to be tasteless or boring. Below you’ll find some tips for preparing delicious and appealing diet foods and meals.
diet-foods-and-meals
It’s Not a Diet Meal
Do not think of the meal as a “diet meal”. Imagine you are preparing any other meal, but you are using healthy foods.

Easy on the Carbs
It is important to eat carbs in moderation, try to include at most 1/3 carbohydrates into your diet meal. Another important fact to keep in mind is to try to choose low GI foods. This is very important if you suffer from diabetes, but it is beneficial to everyone. Low GI foods are absorbed slowly and release energy slowly, thus causing a gradual rise of blood sugar levels. Low GI food include: wholegrain bread, durum wheat pasta, brown rice – just to name a few.

Fruits and Vegetables are Key
Include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. You can snack on things like raisins and other fruit between meals – but remember moderation is key! By including vegetables in your meal, you brighten up the plate – thereby making your diet meal more attractive.

Focus on Good Fats
It is important to include fat in any diet meal. The key is to include good fats. Good fats are polyunsaturated fats; these fats include essential fatty acids called omega 3 and omega 6. Essential fatty acids cannot be produced by the body and you need to consume this through diet. It is thus important to include essential fatty acids in any diet meal. Oily fish, pumpkin seeds and walnuts are a good source of Omega 3.

Water, Water, and More Water
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Water is the one thing that your body really can’t have enough of (…to an extent of course!).

Spice up a Meal with Garnish
Look up some tips on “garnishing”. It is amazing how you can completely transform a boring diet meal by simply garnishing the meal. Garnishing is the term used for making the food look more appealing. It is really worthwhile to do some research and to let your imagination take over.