Healthy Eating: lighter eating tips for spring

By Dr Wynnie Chan

With warmer weather on the rise, try these five light bites that function as a healthy meal

In the next few months, many of us will be looking for lighter alternatives to the sandwich, jacket potato or hot soup and roll, for lunch or dinnertime. But, instead of turning to those mayo-laden packed pasta salads or the minuscule lettuce, tomato and cucumber ones you find in most shops, why not make your own delicious version? The following salads not only look and taste incredible, but are also packed with nutrients that will keep you alert and energised throughout the day. All recipes serve 4 – Enjoy.

Avocado, grapefruit and red onion salad
4 ripe avocados, sliced
2 medium red grapefruits, segmented
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 handful pumpkin seeds to garnish

Dressing
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey

Each serving provides 356 calories and 31g fat. Although this seems quite high in fat (mostly from the avocado), over 58% of it is monounsaturated, the ‘good’ kind of fat that protects against heart disease. This salad is packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and one serving provides all the vitamin C you need for the day.

Peach, goats cheese and mixed leaf salad
200g goats cheese, cubed
200g mixed leaves (rocket, lambs lettuce and frisée)
150g peaches, stoned and halved
zest of one orange
1 handful cranberries
1 handful mint leaves to garnish

Dressing
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp raspberry vinegar

Each serving provides 195 calories and 15g fat. This salad is a great way to get calcium (from the green leaves and goats cheese) into your diet, which is important in the formation of strong bones and to help lower our risk of osteoporosis. One serving provides around a fifth of our daily calcium requirement.

The peaches are rich in beta carotene, a type of vitamin A which helps us see in the dark, and functions as an antioxidant nutrient that helps fight against heart disease and some cancers. Leafy greens are also a good source of folate, a B vitamin that is essential for pregnant women, as it reduces the risk of the birth defect spina bifida in unborn babies. Folate is also considered to be important for reducing our risk of heart disease. One serving of this salad provides around a fifth of our daily requirement of folate. It is also a good source of vitamin C, providing around two thirds of the daily requirement.