Did you know…

• It is better not to drink fruit but to eat it, as drinking too much sugar in one go and the effect of the fibres is negatively influenced by pressing. Give it a try!
• Rice and potatoes can easily be replaced by cauliflower, pasta by courgette and bread by cucumber or lettuce.
• It is best to steam your vegetables instead of boiling them, as you will lose some of the water-soluble vitamins to the cooking water.
• The requirement to put ''light'' on a product is that there is at least 30% less of ''something'' in the product than the original. This can be calories, fats or sugars. This does not mean that the product is immediately healthy.
• There are requirements for nutrition claims. For example, a product must contain at least 6 grams/100 grams or 3 grams/100 kcal of fibre in order for the claim to be high in fibre. Take a good look at the packaging to see how much you actually eat of it and what other ingredients it contains. Claims quickly make a product look healthier than it is.
• Some claims are not protected. For example, wholemeal in bread means that it must consist of wholemeal flour. The same does not apply to wholemeal pastes or other types of grain.
• Spelt is itself a wholemeal flour. However, the name Spelt is not protected and some manufacturers mix spelt flour with white flour. As a result, the product contains much less fibre and is not wholemeal as you would expect with normal wholemeal bread.
• Frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh vegetables.

Author: Nina de Rooij, PSV lifestyle coach & Eilish Hazelaar, Jumbo Nutrition Specialist