Staying well-nourished and hydrated doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire lifestyle. In celebration of Nutrition and Hydration Week, our Re-Shape team is encouraging everyone to pause and reflect on the foods and drinks that fuel the day.
Small, manageable changes can make a meaningful difference to your energy levels, mood, and long-term health.
This blog explores easy, practical ways to add more nourishment to your meals, stay hydrated in enjoyable ways, experiment with new flavours that support your wellbeing plus some recipe ideas.
From adding extra vegetables to trying new recipes, you’ll find simple ideas you can start using right away. Let’s dive into some inspiration for the week ahead and discover how small steps can build lasting habits that help you feel your best.
Improving this doesn’t have to involve any major changes, focus on some small, manageable goals which will build up over time. Here are some things you could try this week:
Try adding in some extra vegetables
Whether they’re frozen, fresh or tinned. Add something extra to an existing meal you enjoy. Soups can be a great way to do this.
Try a new food
Adding a variety of foods to our diet helps to incorporate more nutrients that our bodies need to function well. Whether it’s a fruit, vegetable, bean, or lentil, or even some meat or fish.
Try your best to reduce Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs).
Highly processed foods can be tasty additions to our diets, every so often, however if we consume them on a regular basis they can slowly impact how our bodies function, how we feel and our long-term health.
Try and include more whole foods, that are minimally processed.
Good quality carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, rice and pasta, fruits and vegetables, alongside some animal and plant-based proteins.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, make sure to have a variety of different plant sources of protein to ensure you’re getting all the necessary amino acids.
When it comes to hydration
The general recommendation is 6-8 glasses a day, however, there are a range of drinks and meals that will help with this. We don’t just have to have water throughout the day.
Include watery meals, such as soups and stews.
Try herbal teas, you can even try making your own at home, for example, pop some lemon and ginger into a teapot rather than buying teabags.
If you have a lot of caffeinated drinks throughout the day, try adding some decaf options, and some caffeine-free drinks too.
Go for sugar-free options as much as possible – sparkling water with some added fruit or herbal teas are a great way to add in some extra flavour without the added sugar.
Finally, experiment with some new recipes
Do you find yourself having the same meals on repeat? If so, explore some new options online or have a look through some recipe books. Over time, this will help you build up a good ‘go-to’ library of recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, adding and adapting as you go.
Tasty recipes you can try at home
At Home Lemon and Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
- 1 Inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
- 1-2 slices of lemon
- Hot Water
Method:
- Wash ingredients and place into a teapot, add hot water.
- Leave to infuse for a few minutes.
- Pour (over a tea strainer) and enjoy.
Smooth Carrot, Red Pepper and Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1-2 carrots, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 100g red lentils, washed
- 1 litre vegetable stock (750mls if you like it a little thicker)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- When cooked, blend until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep pan.
- Add the onions and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat down to low. Cook gently for around 10 minutes.
- Add in the remaining chopped vegetables and lentils, stir and turn the heat up to medium for a couple of minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, stir, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes.
We would love to hear from you, follow us on social media and leave a comment on our social media post with the changes you have made during nutrition and hydration week and any healthy recipes you have tried.
If you would like to find out more about our adult weight management programme, Re-Shape, please click here.