- Grab yourself some mixed seeds! I always keep a bag of mixed seeds (available from any supermarket) in my cupboard & add a couple of tbsp to my breakfast bowl every day. You can sprinkle them toasted on salads, stir through rice or couscous for texture, bake with them, sprinkle on top of curries/stews/eggs etc.
- Eat the skin! There is really no need to peel most fruit and veg. You can certainly keep the skin on those root veggies (carrots, parsnips, butternut squash etc), potatoes/sweet potatoes (always!), stone fruit like peaches & plums, papayas – even fuzzy kiwi skin is totally edible! There is a good argument for buying organic where possible, especially if you intend to eat the skin – but that’s a blog for another day.
- Porridge fan? Pick the right oats. Out with the ‘instant’, ‘quick’ or rolled oats – in with the bigger, steel-cut old fashioned oats. Take things up a notch with a scoop of ground flaxseed (I love the Linwoods range), or 1 tbsp chia seed or psyllium (all readily available online, in health food stores & supermarkets)
- Make a 50:50 rice blend. When we eat curries (which is often, we LOVE a curry in our house), I usually serve up half rice half legumes: think lentils from a can or pouch, chickpeas (the kind from a jar are EPIC, so buttery-soft) or beans.
- Make your snacks count! Chopped raw veg sticks with hummus, bean dips or nut butter; edamame beans; skin-on almonds; mashed avo (surprisingly high fibre!) on an oatcake…
- Don’t serve a naked ready meal! Everyone has those nights where they just can’t summon the energy to cook-cook. I know I do! Don’t stress…but boost it. Aim to add a couple of portions of fibre-rich fresh veggies to every meal or takeaway
- Boost your lasagne or bolognaise. Just replace half the meat with lentils, beans or chickpeas.
- Try a legume based pasta. There are lots of lentil and chickpea-based pastas on the market, which taste great and can provide 50% more fibre than regular wheat pasta
- Think about your bread choice. I probably don’t need to tell you the white sliced packet stuff ain’t great…but you might be surprised to learn that ‘brown’ or even ‘wholegrain’ packaged options aren’t always much better! Highest fibre and best for blood sugar control are minimally-processed dark rye and spelt options and (truly) wholegrain sourdough.
- Choose berries over other fruits, especially blackberries and raspberries. I love a handful with full fat yoghurt or kefir, a sprinkle of high-fibre granola & nuts and seeds in the morning.
Hormone Imbalance in Menopause
If you’re reading this you are probably well aware that perimenopause – the years leading up to a woman’s last menstrual period – and menopause
