12 Week Get Healthy Challenge- Week 5 : Switch to Wholegrains

Hi Everyone. How did you go with the consolidation week of the 12-week challenge? At this stage I am still managing to follow the 3 challenges set so far, so it is time to move on to another for Week 5.

This week is about adding in wholegrains to your diet.

Eating lots of highly processed grains doesn't add much to your diet except pretty empty carbohydrates. I don't mind the occasional bit of white bread, or pasta, but some weeks I definitely think my diet looks a little bit too much on the white side. Wholegrain products tend to have more fibre and nutrients in them than their processed counterparts. However, just be sure to have a quick check of their labels to make sure that loads of franken-ingredients haven't been added (I practice this with most foods anyway).

Luckily, I tend to love the flavour of wholegrain foods, but I know that this isn't the case for everyone. That is why this week, I won't ask you to replace everything you eat for a wholegrain version, but instead just try to change 1-2 items.

Here are some examples....

If you eat white rice, try to swap in brown rice. Brown rice has a nuttier flavour than brown rice, but in a saucy meal, I don't actually notice the difference.  I also love brown rice sushi. Brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice, so if you think that this might be a problem for you, try the Quick Cook sachets or cups. To get some wholegrains into lunch, try making a brown rice salad.

Swap your white sandwich bread for a wholegrain loaf. I really love a loaf of Vogels or Burgen, but these are very dense wholegrain breads that are nothing like white bread. Look for an option that you think you can manage that has at least 5g of fibre per 100g.

Wholemeal pasta is much more readily available now and a great swap for standard white pasta. Wholemeal pasta is a little firmer than white and again it will take a little bit longer to cook.

And finally, if you like crackers, try to find a wholemeal option, or brown rice version of rice crackers.

If you can gradually swap the majority of processed foods for wholemeal alternatives, you will be doing something better for your body and hopefully notice that they help keep you feeling satisfied for longer.

Good Luck!