Healthy eating isn’t always easy, but knowing what to eat can be the first step in a healthy diet.

Step 1: Eat Seasonally.

“How do I know what is in season?”

Depending on how you do your shopping here are a couple of ways to help you out

• Buy organic fresh from the farm – if it’s not in season it won’t be available.
  • Delivered to your door – There are some great options for getting fresh veg delivered to you. My personal favourite at the moment for those of you living in the UK is Riverford Farms
  • Fresh Markets – most high streets have fresh veg stalls where you can find veg that is usually direct from the farm. If you are unsure though speak to the shop assistant, find out where they source their produce and how often it is delivered.
• Check the labels
  • If you are buying from the super market then it should tell you on the labels where the produce is from. If it’s come from a different hemisphere then chances are it’s not in season!

Ideally eating locally is also better, as this will ensure that your body is getting the right kind of nutrients for the climate you live in and the time of year. And produce sourced locally will have been in cold storage for less time and will therefore have retained more nutrients.

* This doesn’t mean you can’t buy/eat fruit and veg that isn’t in season or sourced locally, it is just that these will be better for you.

Step 2: Keep it simple

When we decide to make a change in our eating habits we often go out and stock up on large volumes of produce. Overflowing the fridge in an attempt to force ourselves to eat healthily. A lot of which we don’t know how to cook, don’t like or just don’t get round to using and it then gets thrown away.

A better option is to do small regular shops. Buying a few pieces at a time rather than big bulk bags of things. Start by buying produce you know you’ll eat. If you want to start branching out. Do it one thing at a time.

Small regular shops don’t need to be daily. Keeping a regular weekly shop and topping up if needed works well.

Step 3: Plan your week

I don’t mean full meal plan for the week, unless this is something that seriously floats your boat. Before your shop do a quick check

• Number of meals: whether you’re at home or eating out for some of the meals will impact how much you buy
• Overall schedule: If you have a crazy busy week you won’t want to be cooking meals that take lots of time but if you’re on holiday you might want to branch out into something complicated

Step 4: Enjoy

It doesn’t matter how strict you are on where you source your food, or what you eat. If you don’t enjoy it then you won’t benefit from it. So take the time to enjoy any meal you eat!