Earlier in the year I gave you a series of blogs for the Governments “Health Star Rating” about how you can use the system to make healthier choices for you and your family along with some recipes and my overview of the system.

If you didn’t get to read those blogs or would like to know a heap more about the system you can read them here:

“MAKING BETTER CHOICES USING THE HEALTH STAR RATING.”

“HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEA USING HSR.”

“HEALTH STAR RATING OVERVIEW + A QUICK, HEALTHY NOURISH BOWL.”

To refresh your memory:

WHAT IS THE HEALTH STAR RATING?

The Health Star Rating is a very simple and easy to understand front of package labelling system that helps you make healthier choices when buying packaged foods. It makes it super easy to compare different brands and make the choice on what best suits you and your family. Basically, the more stars the healthier the product is!

HOW DO I USE HEALTH STAR RATING?

The simplest way of using it is to look at the stars – the higher the amount, the better the choice.

If you wish to delve a bit you can head to the Health Star Rating website for a whole lot more info or there are a few things you can take note of when making your choice.

NUTRIENTS YOU WANT TO BE LOW:

These nutrients are considered to be “RISK NUTRIENTS” and can contribute to higher risks of chronic disease and/or obesity if they are consumed in excess:

•    Salt (sodium)

•    Saturated Fats

•    Sugars

•    Kilojoules (energy also known as calories)

NUTRIENTS YOU WANT TO BE HIGH:

•    Protein

•    Calcium

•    Fibre

•    Certain vitamins and minerals

Tonight I am collaborating with HSR again to give you a SUPER SIMPLE yet healthy daily meal plan that you can use in your busy day to day life when you don’t have hours to cook or like me when travelling and not able to always cook everything from scratch but you don’t want to eat out for every meal.

Remember, only packaged foods have stars – fresh produce (like fruit and veg) are always healthy options and don’t need a star rating, which is why I haven’t listed one for these foods.

BREAKFAST:

2X Gluten Free Weet Bix (4.5 stars)

Almond Milk (4 stars)

Half a Banana

Handful of blueberries

One teaspoon honey

SNACK 1:

One handful serve unsalted cashews (4 stars)

LUNCH:

1 can tuna in olive oil (4 stars)

125g serve brown rice & quinoa

1 packet steamed veggies (5 stars – but all are healthy)

SNACK 2:

Half banana

1 serve Greek yoghurt (4.5 stars) -125 calories OR Coconut yoghurt (if lactose intolerant)

DINNER:

“Breadless beef burgers”

Grassfed Beef Burger (4 stars)

1 serve Kaleslaw (4 stars)

Half a tomato

3 x Baby beets

1 fried egg (in light olive oil)

+ you can add OR take out any other condiments or toppings you like for example relish, onion, avocado, cheese. When looking for condiments or toppings like relish, jam and more, you can again use the HSR system to help you make the healthiest choice.

As you can see this is not a complicated meal plan but provide you with quick and easy solutions to your meals when you are on the go by combining fresh and packaged foods. Remember to keep your eye out in the supermarket for the stars on the package so you can keep up with a balanced diet.

I hope you enjoyed this little meal plan idea and if you want to find out more about HSR you can head to their website here.  I am not a nutritionist and this meal plan doesn’t take in to account your personal needs, I just enjoy eating a balanced, healthy diet so if you have special dietary requirements please speak to your GP or dietitian before making any food choices.

This blog was written in collaboration and sponsored by “Health Star Rating” but I would never endorse anything I don’t love or use myself.