Dietary needs can change with time as your health, lifestyle and moods alter. Make changes when you are ready, and because you want to make them.

Step-by-step changes

It is best to make dietary changes at a pace that suits you. Some ideas for simple first steps:

• Reduce your intake of processed foods.
• Add two extra portions of vegetables to your daily diet.
• Include herbs or spices in your main meal of the day.
• Switch from white bread, pasta and rice to wholegrain, and from potatoes to sweet potatoes.

Plan ahead

The better you are at planning, the easier you will find it to change your diet, particularly during the early stages.

• Prepare a menu plan and shopping list at the start of the week.
• Stock your kitchen with basic ingredients. Tinned fish can be used for salads, dips and sandwiches. Frozen vegetables and tinned pulses can be used for easy meals when there’s no time to cook with fresh ingredients.
• Make extra portions at dinner to use for lunch the next day.
• Cook food in bulk and freeze the extra portions.

Experiment

Try new foods and recipes. Even if you think you don’t like a particular food, you never know until you try!

• Buy some cookbooks that focus on healthy eating. You may like to try our cancer cookbook, Nourish.
• Look online for recipes and cooking ideas. You can find recipes on our website.
• Share ideas with friends and family, and perhaps find a healthy cooking class or demonstration to join.

Include treats

Within a truly healthy eating approach there are no such things as forbidden foods. If you follow the healthy eating guidelines most of the time you will be able to include some occasional treats, whether that is chocolate, chips or a glass of wine.

Ask for support

• Encourage those around you to read these guidelines and to try some of the healthy eating ideas for themselves.
• Ask others to cook healthy meals for you so that you can stock up your freezer.
• Shop with a friend or family member, so they can understand what’s important for you.