Top tips to clean up your diet this spring

Ah, spring. The season of cleaning, organising and freshening things up. It’s the perfect time to not only spruce up your home but to consider your eating habits too. Now the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and you’re wanting to rid yourself of that sluggish, eaten-nothing-but-stew-for-the-past-three-months feeling.

Our dietitians, Anna and Alex, from The Biting Truth are sharing their top tips on how you can spring clean your diet.

Clean up your cooking space

If you ask us, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a full-blown kitchen tidy-up. Empty out the fridge, give the shelves a wipe-down while you’re at it, then toss out or donate (if possible) anything you don’t need or use anymore. If you’re keen to learn more about your household food waste and how this measures up in terms of dollars and environmental impacts, check out IGA’s Food Waste Calculator.

Now for the pantry. Treat yourself to some clear, airtight, stackable containers, and/or reusable vegetable bags and fill them up with all your goodies. The aim is making batch-cooking a breeze, instead of having to scrounge through your perhaps unorganised cupboards for those ingredients you thought you had!

And finally, your benchtop. The kitchen counter usually becomes the household dumping ground for all manner of bits and pieces which most definitely do not belong in a food prep zone. Get rid of that mess, kitchen creativity requires a blank canvas.

Celebrate seasonal produce

Now that you have a clean, organised kitchen space it’s time to restock it with some springtime goodness.

Apart from being a feast for your eyes, celebrating seasonal produce means tastier, cheaper, more nutritious and environmentally friendlier eating. It’s a win-win. There is a lot of good produce available in spring, so be sure to do some research on what is in season this spring!

For some spring-time meal inspiration, look no further than to our Chicken and Sesame Coleslaw, Cauliflower Pizza Bites or Brussel Sprout Slaw.

Hit refresh

We know when this time of year comes around, some people wish to lose some weight and, if that’s you, we’d much prefer you do so in a sustainable, nourishing way. So, here are our quick tips for losing weight:

1. All that seasonal produce we just discussed? Get more of that on your plate. Ideally half a plate’s worth. And we’re not just talking about main meals. Who says dinner gets to have all the veggie fun? Sneak some into your breakfast, and even your snacks.
2. Speaking of snacks, for those more unhealthy, indulgent ones lying around, how about replacing them with a gorgeous, full fruit bowl on your newly clean and clear kitchen counter.
3. We get it, takeaway and packaged foods are ridiculously tempting, particularly in the dark depths of winter. They’re also, unfortunately, positively packed with calories which can make weight maintenance difficult. If the thought of meal planning and prepping makes you want to return to hibernation, let us do the hard work for you and grab yourself a copy of the Healthy 5 Day Meal Plan here.
4. Lastly, drinks. To some surprise, many drinks contain many calories which can stack up very easily. Next time you reach for a sugary and/or alcoholic drink, steer your hand toward the tap and pour yourself a tall glass of water instead. You could even add some lemon and cucumber for some flavour.