Healthy Summer Diet - Plan - recipes
All the brand-new, nutritious recipes you need for our summer 7-day Healthy Diet Plan, plus an easy-to-follow menu chart to take you through each day.
Whether you're aiming to lose weight, cut back on sugar or just glow with health, BBC Good Food is here to help. We've put together brand-new recipes and expert advice from our nutritional therapist, Kerry Torrens, to bring you a 7-day menu that's packed with nutrients. As with all our diet plans, we've focused on natural foods and stayed away from processed products, packing our recipes with healthy fats, lean protein and slow-release carbs, as well as a mix of vegetarian and vegan recipes to enjoy throughout the week. As a result, you can expect to cut down on added sugar, increase your energy levels, improve your digestion and lose excess weight, all while supporting your immune system.
Source:https://www.bbcgoodfood.com
How to use the plan
Using our handy chart, you can see at a glance what to eat and when. Our carefully analysed breakfasts, lunches and dinners deliver an optimum balance of nutrients each day and are based on a balanced combination of protein, fats and carbs, which helps to manage hormonal swings and blood sugar levels. If you follow our suggested menu plans, each day provides more than five of your five-a-day and keeps within the recommended Reference Intakes (RI) for fats, protein, sugar, salt and kcals while following the latest guidance on your intake of 'free' sugars. To get the best from the plan, we recommend eating the meals in the order set out in our chart. However, if you want to swap or repeat days, you'll still reap all the benefits of eating whole, unprocessed, nourishing foods. For those who want to lose weight, the daily calorie count of up to 1,500 kcals will help you reach your goal.
If this is a new way of eating for you, our nutritional therapist, Kerry Torrens, suggests you begin by introducing some of the recipes a day or two before starting the full seven days. This will allow your digestive system time to adapt to the more fibre-rich foods we’ve included. To help you supercharge your results, read Kerry's six tips to make the most of the plan.
What to eat when...
Download and print this chart
The recipes
Our plan serves two people for seven days (sometimes with leftovers for another day) and covers breakfast, lunch and dinner — although the recipes can be easily scaled up or down to suit your family. If you're vegetarian or looking to cut down on meat, we have a vegetarian plan just for you.
To help you get organised, we've designed a handy shopping list so you can buy everything you need in one shop — just remember to check the packets for sell-by dates to make sure they'll last until the end of the week.
Breakfasts
Sweet potato pancakes with orange & grapefruitWhy it's good for you...
Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, a protective antioxidant, and although naturally sweet, they don't cause blood sugar disruption. Citrus fruits like oranges are rich in collagen-supportive vitamin C, so are great for skin health and elasticity. This recipe is a great way to get two of your five-a-day into your breakfast, and it's low-calorie and gluten-free too.
Homemade muesli with oats, dates & berriesWhy it's good for you...
Traditional oats, pecans, seeds and dates all add to the taste and texture of this delicious muesli, plus it's topped with gut-healthy yogurt and berries. Pecans are rich in heart-friendly monounsaturated fats, so although this recipe looks high in fat, it's packed full of the healthy variety. This recipe is a good source of calcium, folate, fibre and vitamin C and provides one of your five-a-day.
Pink barley porridge with vanilla yogurtWhy it's good for you...
The pink colouring in this pretty recipe comes naturally from the plums that are mixed into the porridge as it cooks. Barley adds an intruiging texture and also lowers cholesterol, aids digestion and releases its energy slowly, helping to regulate your appetite. This recipe is healthy, low-fat and provides calcium and one portion of your five-a-day.
Mushroom baked eggs with squished tomatoesWhy it's good for you...
Eggs contain zinc, iron and copper; vitamins A, D, E, B12, B6 and K; and several heart-friendly nutrients such as betaine and choline. We've baked them with tomatoes, mushrooms and rocket to add plenty of flavour and two of your five-a-day. This recipe is healthy, low-calorie, low-fat, gluten-free, and a good source of folate.
Lunches
Cucumber, pea & lettuce soupWhy it's good for you...
This soup is light, refreshing and low in calories. The peas add substance and are a useful source of iron and fibre, including soluble fibre, which helps regulate cholesterol levels. Peas are frozen as soon as they are picked, so (unless picking straight from your garden) they are usually nutritionally richer than fresh ones. This recipe is healthy, low-fat, and provides three of your five-a-day.
Curried pork bulghar saladWhy it's good for you...
Packed with flavour from curry powder, cumin seeds and a natural hit of sweetness from medjool dates, this salad is a great healthy lunch option. It's low-fat, low-calorie and a good source of fibre, while including two of your five-a-day.
Ratatouille pasta salad with rocketWhy it's good for you...
This filling lunch provides all five of your five-a-day in one delicious dish! We've used wholewheat penne pasta to boost the fibre content. It's low-calorie, low-fat, and a good source of folate, vitamin C and iron. Using the leftover ratatouille from your Sunday supper means that it's super quick to make, too.
Bean & feta spread with oatcakes & Greek salsa saladWhy it's good for you...
Cheese and crackers gets a wholesome upgrade in this light, yet filling, lunch. The vegetable-packed salsa provides three of your five-a-day, while butter beans add fibre to the feta spread.
Broccoli pasta salad with salmon & sunflower seedsWhy it's good for you...
Salmon is a great source of omega-3, and we've used pre-cooked wild salmon fillets to make this lunch super quick and easy to make. The recipe provides one of your five-a-day but if you want to increase this to two portions, increase the beans and broccoli to 160g each.
Dinners
Herb & garlic pork with summer ratatouilleWhy it's good for you...
All five of your five-a-day in one delicious Sunday supper! This healthy meal is low-fat, low-calorie, and provides beneficial folate, fibre and vitamin C.
Miso burgers with mint & pomegranate slawWhy it's good for you...
Chickpeas are a good source of manganese, which we need for healthy bones. The fibre they contain helps regulate cholesterol too. Miso is rich in essential minerals such as copper, manganese and zinc, and it is a good source of various B vitamins, including folate. As a fermented food, miso provides the gut with beneficial bacteria that can promote good gut health, known to be linked to our overall wellness.
Jamaican chicken with rice & peasWhy it's good for you...
A healthy, full-flavoured dinner that is sure to tickle the tastebuds and leave you satisfied. Meat cooked on the bone will add extra nutrients to the sauce in the form of amino acids, gelatin (good for the joints), selenium and zinc — which is why bone broth is so popular. This recipe also provides fibre, iron and three of your five-a-day.
Cod with cucumber, avocado & mango salsa saladWhy it's good for you...
Avocados are a great source of potassium and along with their rich monounsaturated fat, they're super healthy for your heart. You might think the mango would make this recipe high in calories, but combined with low-fat cod (an excellent source of stress-busting B vitamins) and magnesium, it is surprisingly low. This healthy dinner is low-fat, low-calorie, gluten-free and provides folate, vitamin C and three of your five-a-day. Best of all, it's ready in under 15 minutes!
Balsamic beef with beetroot & rocketWhy it's good for you...
Round off the week with a hearty (and healthy) steak dinner. Red meat is rich in B vitamins and iron which fuel your energy levels. Using techniques like marinating helps tenderise the meat, making it easier for your body to digest. This recipe is low-fat, low-calorie, gluten-free and provides folate, fibre and three of your five-a-day.
Still hungry?
The calories you need on a daily basis vary depending on your age, height, weight, sex and activity levels. There are numerous calculators you can use online to determine your optimum calorie intake but we’ve based our daily menu plans on no more than 1,500 calories. For the average female, who is moderately active, this should generate a shortfall allowing for steady and controlled weight-loss. For those who find they need more energy and are happy with their weight, supplement our daily menu plans with our suggested healthy snacks.
A note on fat
Fat is in most of the foods we eat – meat, fish, nuts, seeds and grains as well as dairy and eggs. Obtaining fat from these whole foods is a healthier way of getting this essential macronutrient. We need fat for healthy skin, to boost our mood and improve concentration, as well as for a well-functioning immune system. Our recipes include full-fat rather than processed low-fat ingredients, like yogurt, and extra virgin cold-pressed oils rather than refined ones. That’s because all fats are not equal; we should avoid processed, refined fats and oils and limit (but not exclude) our intake of the saturated variety.
A note on dairy
We've used full-fat milk and whole bio-yogurt in our recipes. These contain around 4% fat and because of this, are richer in essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. If you prefer the taste of semi-skimmed milk and reduced-fat yogurt or you've been advised to reduce your sat fat intake, you can swap for these. You'll still reap the benefit from the calcium and protein that dairy contains, but be aware that the fat-soluble vitamins will be reduced.
A note on sugar
We’ve used naturally sweet ingredients like fruit, dried fruit and sweeter-tasting veg, like beetroot, so we can slash the amount of added ‘free’ sugars in our recipes.
Source:https://www.bbcgoodfood.com