Eat well to make the most of your Go Sober

Taking a break from booze is absolutely one of the best things you can do for your health. Not only are you giving your liver (and other organs!) a break, but you can expect these benefits:

• Better sleep – alcohol might help us fall asleep, but it leads to poorer quality sleep
• Less bar snacks – drinking stirs hunger, and can also lead to sub-optimal food choices (I’m looking at you late-night fried chicken)
• Less hangover remedies – greasy fry-ups, sugary drinks and fast food are pretty common on Sunday morning, meaning the effects of your weekend drag on
• More movement – not being glued to the couch recovering means more opportunities to get out and about  

If you’re looking for even more ways to treat your body right, we’ve got some simple tips.

Eat more vegies

Doctors, dietitians, The World Health Organisation, Your Mum… everyone one agrees eating vegies is super good for your body! And yet only one-thirds of adults are getting their 5-a-day. These are our top 3 tips to getting more vegetables into your day:

1. Have some at breakfast.
   Grilled mushrooms on toast, smashed avocado or baked beans are all great ways to kick-off your day
2. Make them your go-to snack. 
   Pre-prepare some of your favourite vegies and store in a clear container on the top shelf of the fridge so you’ll see them! Put a wet paper towel in the container to help your cut up vegies stay fresh for longer
3. Meat-free Monday 
   Swap a meat dish for a vegetarian one – they’ve usually got a lot of vegies in them! Think spicy dahl, pumpkin frittata or mushroom risotto. Yum!  

What’re you drinking?

What do you drink when you’re not drinking? For a lot of us, it’s fizzy drinks. These are loaded with sugar (10 teaspoons per can!!) which isn’t great for our teeth or our waistline. Plain water won’t always cut it, so it’s time to get creative!

1. Sparkling water with a twist. Try mint, citrus, strawberries, cucumber or a combination
2. Tea or coffee. There’s so many types and techniques to try these days, you’ll be down with the latest trends come November! 
3. Homemade iced tea. Regular, green or herbal teas are lovely chilled. Serve over ice in a fancy glass
4. A mocktail. Yep, a lot of them are just as sweet as fizzy drinks, but they’re in smaller serves and feel more fancy so you’re unlikely to drink them as quickly

Cook at home

It’s the number one habit of healthy eaters, and there are loads of benefits! Save time and money AND cook healthier meals with these home cooking hacks.

1. Add more vegies. If you’re making a casserole, curry or stirfry, chuck in a few extra vegies. This bulks up the dish which means you can have the leftovers for lunch. Vegies are often the cheapest part of the meal too, so it decreases the cost.
2. Watch the salt. Use herbs and spices, lemon and chili to add flavour instead of loads of salty stock, soy sauce or salt. Choose no-added-salt or reduced-salt products. If you slowly decrease your salt, your taste buds will adapt easily.
3. Use less sugar in baking. Sugar is important for texture as well as flavour, but we’ve had a lot of success decreasing the sugar in our family favourites. For cakes, you can usually go as low as ¼ cup of sugar for every 1 cup of flour. Add vanilla, cinnamon or orange zest to make sure you don’t end up with bland cake!
4. Choose lean cuts of meat, and trim the fat and the skin off before cooking. Use marinades and sauces to keep your dishes juicy and flavourful.

If you’re motivated and keen to take on a few more changes, you can see some more suggestions at Live Lighter.

Happy Go Sober for October!

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About the Author

Anne Finch is an Australian-based Accredited Practising Dietitian with a passion for food and kitchen craft. She has a Bachelor of Science (Human Science), a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics. She has been working on a range of programs to help people all over the state eat well and be healthy.

Likes: Coriander. Bike riding. Developing cheap, tasty, healthy recipes. Her current mission is inventing a veggie burger that doesn’t fall apart!

Dislikes: Coconut oil. Traffic. Health advice that makes eating well sound like rocket science. It’s only food!