Making the right choices on the High Street

We have all been there, rushing into town with no breakfast thinking we can survive until lunch. Then it hits you. The cake shops are glowing and calling your name, you can feel yourself gravitating towards the donuts and almond croissants, convincing yourself…"that’s breakfast food right?".

This is a guide on how to make the best choices on the high street:

• First and foremost try not to get caught out hungry; always line your bag with healthy goodies like nuts, seeds and fruit (but don’t forget about them!).
• The next best bet is the green grocers! You could pick up an apple, banana and satsuma (for less than £1), so if your trip is short this could keep you going until lunch.
• If you are going to go for a full-on brunch there are a surprisingly wide range of things that will not tip you over your calorie limit or force you to starve for the rest of the day. 

My four recommended choices are:

• Soup (no bread, but wholegrain if you do). Do check the ingredients as some of them are made with cream - avoid cream of mushroom etc.
• Eggs benedict; toasted muffin, poached eggs and rocket, or eggs royal (with smoked salmon) but I swap the hollandaise for extra rocket!
• Coffee shop salad… Coffee shops have now started making elaborate salads with roasted squash, lingonberries and African rain water (kidding). They usually have a good choice of salads with less dressing or sauce and something to have next to it like fish or meat. Just watch out for added dressings and keep portions under control.
• If you have no time for stopping, a sandwich does not have to be the end of the world. Again just make sure it is not filled with sauces, and that it does contain a good bit of protein like fish, meat or egg. Make sure you pick wholemeal and go for bread or wraps over a baguette.

Well, these are some ideas should you find yourself in this situation, although my best piece of advice from my own weight loss journey is, ‘’don’t let yourself get hungry’’ as this is when you’re more likely to make the wrong food choices.

Emma McMahon