Simple tweaks to make meals instantly healthier

Dietician shares that certain combinations will help boost your health without much effort. Photo / Getty Images

It can feel daunting to overhaul your diet and start eating more healthily but now a dietician has revealed the small, simple tweaks you can make to your meals that will make them much better for you.

It can be hard to make a radical lifestyle change, as a recent survey of more than 2000 adults for the British Fruit Juice Association proved, after finding that 80 per cent of people stick to traditional food combinations.

However dietician Lucy Jones has shared with FEMAIL Food&Drink the very easy changes you can make to your dish that will ensure you eat more vitamins and minerals.

Here she shares her top tips for boosting the healthiness of each meal - so start eating tomatoes and avocadoes together, and drink a glass of orange juice with leafy greens.

Eat tomatoes with avocados

This combination will increase the absorption of a phytonutrient called lycopene, which may help with eye health.

Cook vegetables before adding them to a recipe

Add some cooked carrots into the pot when making a bolognese or any other type of sauce from scratch as cooked tomato (tinned or fresh) and cooked carrot provide more carotene than uncooked.

Carotene converts into vitamin A, and helps with vision and the immune system.

Drink juice with leafy greens

Pair a vegetable curry or stir fry with 150ml orange juice, as the vitamin C will help to absorb iron from dark green veggies such as spinach or broccoli.

Just 150ml of orange juice contains your entire RDA of vitamin C.

Swap mayonnaise for yoghurt

Replace the mayo in your sandwich or jacket potato with live natural yoghurt.

It contains less fat and packs more protein, calcium, and B12. It also contains probiotics which improve gut health.

Eat fish with low-fat yoghurt

Eat salmon fillets with a low-fat yogurt as the dressing.

The vitamin D from oily fish helps the body absorb the calcium from the yoghurt.

Make porridge with milk, not water

Always combine wholegrain cereal or porridge with milk to boost calcium intake to help maintain strong teeth and bones.

Top with vitamin C rich berries or kiwi, or drink 150ml of orange juice, to aid iron absorption as this boosts your immune system.

Add nut butter

Add a teaspoon of nut butter like peanut, almond, or cashew to your pancake or smoothie mix to add protein, minerals and fibre.

Mix up your meal deal

When buying your meal deal at lunchtime, swap the chips for a side salad to boost your veg and fibre intake.

Or simply swap a packet of chips for a handful of nuts.