Whether you are in a hurry, on a budget or lack creativity when preparing your meals, these easy tricks can help you boost the nutritional profile of what you are going to eat.

So the advice I give you is intended to make this process much easier to follow and sustain, so that your body gets the continuous nourishment it deserves to function at its best.

1. Add more colour to your meals

And I don't mean skittles, m&m's or artificial colours!

Different colours across your meals can be a great indicator of the variety of foods you are consuming (and remember that the wider the variety, the more nutrients your body is also getting). I'm not talking about chef-style cooking with flowers added to your plate (you can if you wish so!), but to add little touches of colour when making any meal. For example, this can be seen as carrot or courgette ribbons on top of a salad that is looking a bit sad, sprinkling some sweetcorn on an omelette or some herbs to your liking on top of a rice dish.

It could also be tomato and chilli sauces (or salsas) on top of foods - as seen in many cultures- or starting with small pieces of other vegetables, fruits, pulses or seeds. This can be a way to encourage you to look at dishes in a more attractive way anytime you are about eat and look for colourful meals even when you are eating out.

2. Include more fibre in all your meals

Oh here we go again with this one! Although this is advice that you may have already heard, the population remains eating insufficient quantities of fibre and unfortunately suffering the consequences (i.e., constipation, diverticulitis, bowel cancer, amongst others).

There are many types of dietary fibre that provide multiple benefits to your body, including:

• Act as a "prebiotic" (or food for your gut bacteria)

• Slow down digestion, making you feel less hungry after eating

• Delay your blood glucose levels after eating a meal, hence helping you normalise your glucose levels

• Lower blood cholesterol

• Have a laxative effect (helping you have a more normal bowel movement pattern)

When thinking of including more fibre, I'm not talking about "card-board like bread or crackers" but to include more fruits (eaten as a whole not juiced), vegetables, ditching white rice, bread, and pasta with brown varieties (fortunately there have been major improvements that have made them tastier), other whole grains like barley, quinoa, spelt, legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils) or nuts and seeds (flaxseed, chia, pumpkin, etc).

The amount of possibilities and combinations is endless. Give it a try!

3. Limit your intake of chemically processed foods

Inevitably we all consume food that have undergone certain processes to harvest, collect, distribute or make them more digestible. However chemically processed foods are:

As a result, chemically processed foods have a lower nutritional value than whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They do not provide more nourishment to our bodies and if consumed in larger and frequent quantities can lead to greater risks of nutritional deficiencies and diseases.

Think of those foods and drinks that can last for ages (which can be quite addictive and that usually come from big companies). These are the ones to watch out for.

You don’t need to say goodbye to these foods or drinks forever -as they can always be consumed as a part of a balanced diet- but try to identify and recognise if they are becoming central in your diet and hindering you from getting more nutrients from other foods. If the transition to finding that balance is too challenging, you can always seek the support from a professional to help you take the necessary steps.