Healthy Weight Week

Did you know that in February there was a Healthy Weight Week? This was promoted by the Dieticians Association of Australia. During the Healthy Weight Week the DAA published some interesting articles, one that really caught my eye was one called “Home cooking wins the war on weight’. In this article they shared some new research that shows that ‘cooking at home more often means Australians will up their fruit and vegetable intake, helping to win the war on weight.’

The research, involving more than 1,300 people, found those who spent the most time preparing and cooking meals ate more fruit and vegetables.

I found this study really interesting, and it also made me question why that as a nation we are not cooking more meals at home, especially when considering the fact that less than 10% of all Australians (and I suspect a similar number of Kiwis) actually eat the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables.
So maybe the answer to why we don’t take more time preparing meals at home is that we feel it is too hard or with the hectic lifestyles we all seem to lead maybe there just isn’t enough time.

If this is the case, then not all is lost because there are things you can do right away that will help you develop healthier cooking and eating habits. The first thing to do is to buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, not only are they cheaper they also taste better. Secondly make a weekly meal plan, you will find that not only does it save time when you have a meal plan written down you can quickly see if you are having enough fruit and vegetables daily. Don’t forget that eating the recommended five serves of veggies and two serves of fruit daily keeps you fuller so you are less likely to be hungry for other foods.
We have some quick and easy, healthy meals on maggi.com.au and don’t forget if you want to know more about healthy eating you can now just post a question direct onto the on the webpage.