Tips to Boost Nutrition - Women 40 yrs Plus

Tips to Boost your Nutrition

• Add several slices of avocado to salads or sandwiches for a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat and cholesterol lowering beta-sitoseterol. Avocado is also known to boost the absorption of other antioxidants in the food.


• Transform your meatloaf into something delicious

  by substituting some of the beef with 1 cup of either black or pinto beans. 12g of fibre will be added whilst subtracting 5g of saturated fat.



• Stir a cup of yellow corn kernels into pasta dishes and soups to add almost 2,000mcg lutein, an antioxidant which assists in preventing age-related vision problems.


• Mix shredded zucchini into marinara sauce to add 1gm fibre together with 20mg vitamin C, 142mcg beta-carotene and 2,500mcg lutein.


• Replace 1 cup of mince with shredded zucchini, carrot, mushroom and onion to bolognaise. Up to 20g of fibre will be added, 5g of saturated fat subtracted as well as adding beta-carotene and anti-oxidants.


• Avoid cream and flour by thickening “creamy” sauces with tofu. Simply chop then puree tofu and blend into the liquid, adding 4g lean protein per slice.


• Double up your calcium intake by adding non fat milk powder into milkshakes, smoothies and puddings. I tablespoon of the powder adds 100mg calcium.


• Sweeten up plain yoghurt with slices of fresh fruit to add more fibre, vitamins and anti-oxidants.


• Add ground flaxseeds into toppings or to recipes that require breadcrumbs to benefit from the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids in seeds. 4g for every 2 tablespoons.


• Add chopped, sliced or slivered almonds or pine nuts to cereals, salads, stir fries and casseroles to gain 9mg of vitamin E for every ¼ cup of nuts, with the added benefit of both mono and polyunsaturated fats.

An additional tip to boost your nutrition is to colour yourself healthy. Choosing produce of a brighter colour will automatically increase your intake of nutrients. For example,

• The darker leaves of romaine lettuce have nearly four times more vitamin K and folate, seven times more lutein and eight times more vitamin C than the pale green iceberg variety.


• Deep red sour cherries contain double the amount of folate and 21 times more beta-carotene than paler varieties.


• Green peppers eventually change colour. Both yellow and red peppers are mature green ones, and a medium sized red pepper has double the amount of vitamin C, four times more vitamin E and eight times more beta-carotene than their green counterparts.

The above tips to boost your nutrition will not only make your meal healthier, add more vitamins and more anti-oxidants but will decrease your unhealthy fat intake and ultimately help your waistline.