Eating well is one of the foundation stones for good health, especially in later life. If you can stick to a wholesome balanced diet, with a variety of foods in the right proportions, you’ll have more energy, find it easier to maintain a healthy weight and generally feel better all round.
One of the best ways to know exactly what you’re eating, and avoid many of the artificial additives and preservatives in pre-prepared foods, is to cook plenty of your own meals at home. Older people are generally better at home cooking than younger ones, not having grown up in the ‘fast food’ and ‘ready meals’ era, but some people still shy away from the stove. There’s really no reason to, as many healthy and nutritious meals are quick and simple to prepare, and taste delicious.
This quick and easy recipe for mouth-watering fishy toast toppers is from the NHS’s Change 4 Life website, which has lots of ideas for healthy and nutritious meals. Serving up to four people, it’s perfect for a filling snack or a light summer meal, taking only 15 minutes to prepare and with no cooking time.
Ingredients:
- 80g smoked mackerel, skinned and flaked
- 50g cooked prawns, peeled and thawed if using frozen
- 4 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
- ¼ cucumber, half of it finely chopped and the other half sliced to serve
- 1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 4 slices wholemeal bread
- A small handful of watercress, to serve
Method:
- Put the mackerel into a bowl and mash with a fork, removing any bones. Add the prawns (chopped if large), yoghurt, spring onion, deseeded tomato, cucumber and lemon zest. Season with a little black pepper and stir everything together.
- Toast the wholemeal bread, then divide the fish mixture into four and spread on top of each slice. Serve with cucumber slices and watercress.
Tips: You could use peppered smoked mackerel, but if you do, don’t add any extra pepper to the fish mixture, or you could use different types of smoked fish, such as trout or even (if you’re feeling extravagant) salmon. If you’re feeling hungry, serve with extra salad such as chopped tomatoes, iceberg lettuce or whatever you fancy.
• Each serving contains: Energy 913kj/217kcal; protein 15.1g; carbohydrate 22.4g, of which 4.8g sugars; fat 6.6g, of which 1.4g saturates; fibre 4.2g; sodium 440mg, equivalent to 1.1g salt.