Revamp your diet

Nutrition goes hand in hand with your fitness goals, so follow these simple steps to hit them

Starting a new diet is the most daunting obstacle you’ll face in your quest to get fit. In fact, it’s probably the first – and most common- stumbling block. Get it right, though, and you’ll find yourself burning fat in no time.

To help you out, we recruited the guys at LDN Muscle – a quartet of dudes dedicated to common sense and practical fitness. Here are their top three pointers to help change your diet.

1.BUY FOOD YOU ACTUALLY LIKE

If you eat a bland, unenjoyable diet, you’re more likely to relapse into old habits after several days. For this reason, you diet should be based on wholesome foods you actually enjoy. If you hate avocado and brown rice, don’t buy them. Flavoured rices, whole grains and wholemeal brads – alongside quality protein sources that you actually like- are ideal, and they are more sustainable in the long run than force-feeding yourself a diet of food you don’t like. Eating fats from quality protein sources, nut butters, dark chocolate and foods that are traditionally deemed as “bad” is also good, and increases the enjoyment and diversity of your diet.

2.CAPITALISE  ON BULK DEALS

In the supermarkets , bulk buying low-effort ingredients for meals is good practice. This reduces time spent prepping meals, especially if the foods are pre-seasoned. Although these options may be higher in sugar and salt than their homemade equivalents, they are a lot less time-intensive than prepping them yourself, and increase the likelihood of you eating a good-quality, inexpensive lunch rather than the unhealthy and expansive shop-bought option. Stock your cupboards and fridge with express microwave rices and vegetables, pre-cooked chicken or fish, nut butters, low-fat hummus, and wholemeal pitta breads for easily accessible components that can make a healthy and nutritious meal in minutes. Also check out websites such as musclefood.co.uk for great deals on meats and fish that you can store in the freezer for a long time.

3.START BATCH COOKING

We would suggest batch cooking meal on Sunday for the following three days – and refrigerating them in Tupperware- before then batch-cooking again on Wednesday. Meats and fish tend to hold well in the fridge, as so most carb sources, but we suggest cooking or preparing any vegetables on the day, or making use of microwave bags, as veg degenerates quickly and can ruin the taste, texture and general appeal of any meal. Meat-based dishes such as curry, bolognese and chilli can also be frozen, then defrosted in the fridge the night before. All you have to do then is pop an express rice in the microwave and you have a healthy meal with virtually no prep. Try not to freeze individual portions of your carbs or veggies- but you can use actual frozen vegetables, which we highly recommend for ease of preparation and a good nutrient profile.