Healthy Eating for One

Healthy eating for one can be a pain. It's tempting to buy ready meals when you are eating on your own, but these can be laden with hidden fat and salt.

Unfortunately, healthy eating for one is rarely promoted in the media, and often the images given to us singletons are those of Bridget Jones' eating ice cream in her pyjamas, but healthy eating on your own doesn't need to be depressing.

The most difficult thing when cooking for one is that it is hard to make single size portions, and you don't want to end up eating the same leftovers for a whole week. The second hurdle is motivating yourself to cook after a long day at work, when you get on from a hard day the last thing you want to do is spend an hour rustling up a healthy meal.

There is also the question of space, many of us singletons live in studio apartments with limited fridge and worktop space, which can make cooking a nightmare.

So how can healthy eating for one be achieved without too much fuss and hassle? Here are a few tips that can make eating on your own a healthy and enjoyable experience:

    Learn the basics

There are many online resources to teach you the basics of cooking. Video blogs are ideal, but simply searching 'learn how to cook' will provide you with numerous options. For the technophobes, there are many easy to follow cookbooks, pop into your local bookshop and let them know you are looking for the basics!

    Adapt to your environment

Although the chefs on TV all seem to be cooking in warehouse sized kitchens, it doesn't mean you can't make delicious meals with limited space and tools. Look out for 'one pot' recipes and resources aimed specifically at small spaces. Again there are many blogs out there specifically for smaller kitchens, simply tap 'cooking in a small kitchen' into your search bar.

    Make your own ready meals

When you have a bit of spare time, perhaps on a Sunday when you have exhausted all the trash TV, make some meals that can be frozen in individual servings. You can buy the foil containers for individual portions, and stews, soups and casseroles are perfect for freezing and can be knocked up relatively easily. They are also easy to make in one pot, so perfect for that tiny oven!

    Choose healthy

Healthy eating doesn't need to be difficult, by simply replacing ingredients for healthier ones you can cut saturated fat in half. Opt for white meats over red, for example, replacing beef mince with turkey mince in bolognaise will cut the fat to almost nothing.

    Buy plenty of Tupperware

One of the most frustrating things about healthy eating for one is wasting food. Supermarkets don't sell many things in single portions, so make sure you have plenty of Tupperware to hand for freezing and storing things in the fridge. It's also a good idea to buy some labels to date all your stored items so you don't end up with year old meals festering in the back of your freezer.

Hopefully these simple guidelines have given you a bit of inspiration to avoid the ready meal aisle on your next shopping trip. Happy eating!

James Carrington lives in London, UK - and provides nutrition advice for sport and general health.