Family favourites made healthy

Healthy Diet

You don't need to avoid your favourite meals, just make them healthier by making a few simple changes.

  • Fish and Chips 

Swap your fish and chip shop favourite for a steamed, grilled or poached fish fillet. Regular deep fat fried chips can be swapped out for baked potatoe wedges. Top up your meal with some crunchy sides like tomatoes and peppers and you have made your very own fish and chips that all the family will enjoy. 

 

  • Roast Dinner 

Beef and lamb can be high in saturated fat, so try swapping yours for lean meats such as chicken or turkey. Make your own gravy from scratch or to save time choose the reduced salt version of instant gravy granules. You should cut down on the extra trimmings such as Yorkshire puddings and stuffing as these add salt, fat and calories to your meal. If you can skip them all together and add in some juicy green beans. A top tip is to parboil your potatoes before roasting them, so they absorb less fat and brush them with an unsaturated fat such as olive oil or rapeseed oil before putting them in the oven.

 

  • Jacket Potatoes

Try switching to a sweet potatoe as this will count as one of your 5-a-day. Butter is high in saturated fat, however, if you find your potatoe is too dry without some, add some unsaturated spread instead. Avoid adding mayonnaise as a filling, a tablespoon alone can be high in calories (104kcal) and fat (11.3g). A low fat yoghurt on its own or mixing it with some lemon juice and herbs will do just fine and taste great. As a side add some salad or make your own healthy coleslaw.

 

  • Cottage Pie 

Beef can be high in saturated fat, try switching this for turkey mince or vegetables, if you do use beef it is best to use the extra lean versions. Instead of adding butter to your mash topping, mash in some fresh, chopped vegetables for some added colour and flavour; parsnip and swede are great options. 

 

  • Cooked Breakfast 

Eggs and beans are good sources of protein and they don't come with the saturated fat and salt that bacon and sausages do. Get creative and think of ways to cook your food without using oil, for example if you decide to have bacon and sausages grill them instead of frying them. Finally skip the fried bread and have some wholegrain toast which is rich in fibre and crunch. 

 

For the full list and to see how you can make more of your favourite meals healthier, follow the link - www.bhf.org.uk 

Healthy Diet Useful Resources

Use this calculator to check your body mass index (BMI) and find out if you are a healthy weight. Or, use it to check your child's BMI centile.