TV chef Aisling Larkin joined Today with David McCullagh on RTÉ Radio 1 to share some top tips for packing your meals with ingredients that will allow you to feel fuller for longer. Listen back above.
When it comes to making lifestyle changes in January, it is always tempting to make big declarations, promising ourselves to get up earlier, stretch more, work out for longer, and eat only ‘good’ food.
Of course, this inevitably ends in our resolutions going out the window as we retreat into our old, comfortable habits.
To make life-long changes, we need to make our habits sustainable by changing them softly and slowly.
Add, don’t subtract
“Push out your negative habits with positives,” says Aisling Larkin. “Don’t allow as much space for the negatives and fill them up with slightly better habits that are easy to do.”
For example, if you find yourself getting peckish at 12pm every day, why restrict when you could fill yourself up with nutrient-dense food?
Instead of getting by on the least amount of food, add to your plate and satiate your hunger properly.
For example, you could add a kiwi, an apple, or a banana to your plate of crackers and hummus. Try some cottage cheese and slices of cucumbers to keep you going throughout the day, or if you’re having a small sandwich at lunch, why not add a cup of soup?
When you feel satiated and nicely full, you are far less likely to reach for snacks on the go or feel the need to overeat at the end of the day.
Stay cosy and warm in winter
Christmas may have come and gone, but winter is here to stay. Rather than trying to force yourself to have zingy salads and cold yoghurts, embrace some cosy meals that will keep you warm and full.
Porridge, soup, and stews will likely feel much more satiating throughout the colder months. Top your porridge with some raspberries or chia jam, add some cannellini beans to your soup, or some lentils to your stew.
If you can’t face a bowl of porridge first thing in the morning, try a green smoothie to keep you well during flu season.
Green smoothie recipe:
In a blender, add:
Half a cup of spinach, washed
1 stick of celery
Handful of frozen fruit
1 kiwi, with skin
Half a banana
Bit of mint
One whole lemon
Drizzle of hot honey (spicy honey)
For more tasty and filling recipes, and some tasty sweet treats, listen back to the full interview above.