You may have heard this phrase recently. But what is it and why does it matter?
What is 30 a week?
Thirty a week is the most recent recommendations for eating fruit/vegetables/nuts and seeds and pulses. Old government guidelines suggested ‘5 a day‘ but that didn’t necessarily mean that you were getting a varied selection of plant based food. You could, for example, eat the same five things every day of the week and that wouldn’t be a varied or healthy diet.
What foods count?
Included in the things that you can include are perhaps some surprises. Coffee and tea can be included, as can dried herbs and spices. Each food can only be included once, so if you have tea each day you don’t log it every day, just the once! All fruit and vegetables count, as do chickpeas, lentils, bulgur wheat and quinoa……even dark chocolate over 70% counts as it’s plant based and contains polyphenols.
Quick hacks to 30 a week
It might seem quite daunting at first glance, but it’s actually much easier than you might think. Here are some great ways to help you get to the 30 a week
Nuts and Seeds
Sprinkling nuts and seeds on your food is an easy way to increase your 30 a week total. You can either buy a ready made selection (available in most supermarkets) or make your own. Add to breakfast cereals, salads and side dishes and use every day if you can. You’ll also be helping to improve your fibre intake as well as adding essential nutrients to your diet.
There are some great pre-made mixes that you can add to your food. Zoe do a great one that tastes lovely and will provide you with your 30 a week – Details here
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices each count towards your 30 a week, so you can see how easy it is to make a curry really count. Use ground spices and seeds to make your curry dishes from scratch and aim for at least five as your base. You also have your onion, garlic and fresh ginger that count, as does a tin of tomatoes and any extra veg that you put in your curry. Top it off with some fresh herbs and you can quite easily be heading to 20 ingredients in just one dish! Consider adding spices to other dishes too as many of them have some great anti-inflammatory properties too (I’m thinking turmeric for one).
Salads
It may seem like an obvious one, but there are some simple ways to make your salad really counts towards your 30 a week. Consider switching Iceberg lettuce (the nations favourite, but in terms of nutrition it’s not a great choice) for mixed leaves. Each different salad leaf counts as a separate choice, so it makes sense to vary them as much as you can. Different colour onions all count as an option too, as do different colour peppers, radish etc. Swap lettuce leaves for kale, Cavalo Nero or chard to really supercharge your salad bowl. And adding a salad dressing that includes fermented Cider apple vinegar and olive oil (which both count) will also help your gut health. Win-Win!
Soup
Soup is a fantastic way to increase your veg intake and a really nutritious dish to add to your weekly menu. Using tins of tomatoes, chickpeas and pulses can be a quick way of making soup, as are frozen vegetables. Both those options are equally as nutritious as fresh veg. So if you are strapped for time don’t feel guilty about taking the easy option. As well as a base of onions and garlic, try adding celery and chopped carrot to your base to increase veg in the dish without it affecting flavour too much. Again, think about adding some spices and topping off with fresh herbs. Have a look at my recipe page to get some recipe inspiration
For more information please email me on rebeccajfarrington@icloud.com
