New Goals Challenge - Eat a new food

Why does it matter?

Eating a varied diet benefits your health in many ways. It ensures you are getting a good mix of nutrients each day, but it also leads to a more diverse gut microbiome consisting of extra 'good' microbes ('friendly gut bacteria' which help keep our digestive system healthy). People with more diverse gut microbiome tend to be healthier.

Many of us are creatures of habit; we buy and eat the same foods weekly. So unless you are naturally an adventurous eater, it's really good to challenge yourself to try some new foods or meals to help diversify your diet.

Ideas

• Look in the Nutracheck app at the Popular Recipe section for a new meal idea.
  NEW! We've just added a selection of delicious tried and tested recipes from BBC Good Food. More coming soon!
• Buy a new fruit or vegetable to try – it will also boost your 5-a-day (check your tracker in the app).
• Switch out some or all of the meat in your regular meal for a plant-based alternative – e.g. beans, pulses, Quorn, tofu, tempeh, branded plant-based alternatives.
• Include different vegetables with your evening meals, rather than the same combo you usually do.
• Make a healthy addition to your meal – sprinkle mixed nuts and seeds over your porridge, or add an extra tin of pulses (e.g. lentils/chickpeas) to curries, stews, bolognese and pasta.
• Shop colourful! Choose fruits and vegetables with a variety of colours – your aim is to eat a rainbow! The more colours the better as different colours represent different nutrients.