23% of Brits eat porridge almost daily!
It’s not just a delicious way to start the day – a bowl keeps you fuller for longer and provides an excellent dose of fibre.
So why not try a bowl of the good stuff for your next breakfast. Add honey, chopped fruit or nuts for an extra delicious taste.
Make sure you refuel the right way with these healthy snacks:
1. Chocolate milk
Make your own by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder with 250ml milk. Research shows this combination provides better recovery than sports drinks!
2. Tuna or cottage cheese sandwich
Make your sandwich using brown bread for a tasty, wholesome refueling snack.
3. Dried fruit and nuts
A handful of this delicious mix offers a good dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Not all carbohydrates are an enemy. It’s the refined carbs (like white bread, white sugar, and sweets) that you need to avoid.
They seem harmless, but they have been stripped of their macronutrient content and reduced to a simple sugar that your body quickly digests.
The result is, your blood sugar spikes, your body pumps out tons of insulin to get the sugar into your cells, your blood sugar plummets, you feel sleepy, and any sugar the insulin didn’t deal with gets converted into fat.
This access fat typically sits around your belly, which can lead to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, help to maintain well-controlled blood sugar levels. Keeping you energized, slim, and healthy.
They are your body’s main source of fiber, giving you energy to keep you perky even during the grey days of winter.
The mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin comes from an amino acid called tryptophan, which is only able to enter the brain after digesting a healthy serving of carbs.
So for your waist’s (and your mood’s) sake, don’t give up all carbs!
Almonds are the perfect healthy snack.
They can help curb your appetite and prevent you from eating too much at mealtimes.
So add a stash to your handbag for hunger emergencies!
Many of my clients tell me that they are confused about how much they should (or shouldn’t) be eating.
It can be very misleading when reading food packaging to gauge exactly how much is a recommended portion size.
More often than not, restaurants and supermarkets lead us to believe that what they are selling is the correct portion size for one person. When, in reality, it’s likely to be about one and a half to two times as much!
So how do we control the amount of food that we eat? The best way is to educate ourselves on what is the right portion size for all foods from the various food groups. This way we can be armed with the knowledge before we are presented with more than we need.
However, this doesn’t mean complaining to the restaurant manager next time we eat out, or stopping ourselves from enjoying the odd take away. It means that by being aware of the recommended portions sizes we can help to ensure that both ourselves and our families eat the right amount of food for the majority of the time.
I found Bupa’s guidelines on portion sizes to be the most clear and easy to understand. Below is a summary of their recommendations:
STARCHY FOODS: Eight to 10 portions per day (to maintain weight for an average adult, depending on your activity level)
Some typical amounts for one meal may include the following:
Meat, fish and other proteins: Two to three portions per day (with at least one portion of oily fish a week)
One portion counts as the following:
DAIRY: 3 portions per day
A portion includes the following:
FRUIT & VEGETABLES: At least 5 portions per day
One portion is 80g of any fruit or vegetable. Examples include:
FAT & SUGAR: limit your intake of these foods
Foods high in fat include butter, cream, chocolate and cakes. Foods and drinks high in sugar include soft drinks, sweets and biscuits. You should only eat foods from this group sparingly.
Prevent the sniffling cold this winter by stocking up on essential nutrients to support your immune system.
Vitamins A, C, D , E, iron and zinc, found in foods such as leafy green vegetables, oranges, nuts and seeds should help keep you fighting fit.
Incorporate hearty soups too, with beans and lentils. As these are packed with B vitamins, iron and magnesium, which are great for boosting energy!
Many people increase their carbohydrate intake in the winter, but make sure you choose the right ones.
Avoid fast-release carbs such as bread and cereal, because they cause a sharp fall in blood glucose levels, creating cravings for sugary foods.
Instead, go for slow-release carbs with a low GI, such as wholegrains, seeds, nuts, peas and legumes. These will keep blood glucose levels even and make it easy to snack healthfully.
A recent study found that daily consumption of roughly 40g (one and a half ounces) of dark chocolate reduced the stress hormone cortisol.
Researchers suspect that certain compounds in chocolate, like caffeine and theobromine, may be responsible.
And, as if you even need another reason to indulge, a study has found that adults who ate moderate amounts of chocolate regularly were actually thinner than those who didn’t, even though they consumed more calories and exercised the same amount.
Look for chocolate that contains at least 70 percent cocoa – the darker, the better – and enjoy!
The more you work out, the more hungry you’re going to feel. However, far too often people overcompensate for exercise and that’s one of the main reasons women don’t get the weight-loss results they anticipate. Try these strategies to outrun your hunger so you can finally cross your weight-loss finish line.
The final place in the list of surprising superfoods goes to the good-old beet. These colourful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds help protect against many diseases.
Beets
Why?: Beets are rich in folic acid, which has been show to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in blood linked to heart disease.
How to Enjoy: Roast beets to bring out their sweetness. Drizzle them with olive oil and place in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes to an hour.