Switch your meals! Make food more nutrient-packed with these recipes

Meals when packed with all the nutrients, make them more balanced and healthy.

When dieting, everyone embraces conventional food to watch their calorie intake. Despite that, losing weight can still feel like an uphill battle. Courtney Kassis, a dietitian according to her Instagram bio, emphasized on the importance of making meals more nutrient-dense. This approach makes changes more visible. She shared her own experience of struggling to see results for a long time, but once she started making her meals more nutrient-packed, she began noticing changes within two weeks.

A meal should try to balance all the dietary requirements.(Pexels)

Courtney shared these meals in which she modified the ingredients to make them more nutrient-packed:

Breakfast smoothie

She first mentioned the classic breakfast smoothie, which is a staple in many diets. She said, “But now my smoothies are centered around protein because that’s the nutrient that will boost your metabolism, keep you full, and give you a ton of energy.” She suggested swapping a regular green smoothie for a more nutrient-rich alternative—a chocolate kale smoothie. This keeps her full for hours.

She shared the recipe:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Kale leaves (finely chopped)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ½ avocado (medium/pitted)
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 4 ice cubes

Method:

• Blend all together and enjoy.

Snacks

For small snack breaks, she suggested going for 1oz cheddar cheese and 2 tbsp almonds. This is a savoury option. It helped her eliminate sweet cravings. It is a better alternative than the market-bought, ‘low-sugar treats’.

Chicken salad

The chicken salad made at home can be made more balanced. Courtney shared another alternative to the salad - the chicken salad wrap. This alternative is more balanced. As per Courtney, this has more protein and less calories.

She also shared the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 ozs cooked and shredded chicken breast
• 1 finely chopped celery
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tbsps chopped Parsley
• 3 tbsps plain Greek Yoghurt
• ¼ juiced and zested lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup Argula
• 1 brown rice tortilla

Method:

• In a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken, celery, onion, parsley, Greek Yoghurt, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Mix everything well together.
• Add argula and chicken.
• Roll in wrap.

Dinner/ lunch soup

For soup, Courtney shared another nutrient-rich alternative that has more protein. It is chicken, turmeric, brown rice soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 ozs boneless, chicken breast
• 3 cups of bone broth
• 1 cup Coleslaw mix
• ¼ cup dry, rinsed Brown rice
• Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste
• ½ Turmeric
• 2 tbsps Parsley

Method:

• Add the chicken and birth to a pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Let it cook partially and simmer for 15 to 17 minutes or till the time the chicken is well cooked. Remove the chicken from the broth.
• Now add all the other ingredients, bring to a boil and let the veggies and rice cook for about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add chicken again, by cutting it into small pieces. Add parsley and serve.

Dessert

Even if you’re opting for healthier treats like frozen yoghurt bars for dessert, Courtney suggests skipping them as they still have sugar. Instead, Courtney recommended making a healthy frozen dessert alternative at home. It has 0 grams of added sugar and 12 grams of fibre.

Courtney shared the recipe of Raspberry avocado ice cream:

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup raspberries
• 3 tbsps canned coconut milk
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until it becomes creamy. Store in the freezer and then serve.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.