As mentioned previously, reducing the amount of ultra processed foods in our diet would most likely benefit our health and can only be achieved by cooking more often using whole foods. Cooking from scratch can be very challenging, cost, culinary knowledge, and time restraints to name but a few, one such hurdle which I will attempt to offer advice on involves the dreaded question ‘what shall we eat tonight?’. Some lucky people grow up within a household with a strong culinary culture and learn from an early age the art of cooking but for many of us finding culinary inspiration is a constant struggle, here are some helpful tips:
- Cookery books – an obvious one but try getting out your old cookery books and rediscovering why you purchased them in the first place. Shown below are my favourites, all three provide recipes that contain plenty of vegetables, utilise minimal pans and aren’t too time consuming.
- Websites that provide access to free recipes can be a very useful tool especially if you or your family have special dietary requirements. My favourites include Recipes – Food52 an American site so you will have to convert measures, lots of options including a great section on special diets including gluten free and child-friendly. French Recipes Homepage – Pardon Your French uncomplicated French recipes that are very clearly directed and lots of ways to incorporate vegetables into tasty meals. Recipes | Jamie Oliver this is a massive resource, lots of recipes categorized really nicely, full breakdown of nutritional content, technical level and time required.
- Food magazines can be a nice resource as they usually contain recipes that are seasonal and can be kept and reused, you could also try swapping with family & friends.
- Watching cookery programmes can help to inspire especially when travel related as this also provides an element of escapism and can encourage you to try a new cuisine. Shows that I’ve enjoyed in recent years include Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy and Rick Stein’s Secret France.
- Social media can be a great way to find inspiration as recipes are posted regularly so you’re unlikely to ever run out of ideas, Joe Wicks (@thebodycoach) • Instagram photos and videos is good example, he regularly posts healthy, uncomplicated, family friendly recipes.
- When eating out try something new and seek out different cuisines, this can be a good way of discovering new tastes for you and your family that you can then try out at home.
MLT Nutrition 