Is the onslaught of January, cold weather and the treat of flu, colds and Norovirus filling you with a desire to stay in bed? Even if you haven't been tempted in to yet another diet by yet another TV show about fat people, you probably do want to know about some easy and enjoyable ways to look after your insides when there seems to be no shortage of things conspiring to make you feel grotty.
Fiona Kirk takes us through some of her tips for a health-filled winter...
Vegging out
You’ve got to get the vegetable thing under control (at least five portions) so take the Mediterranean route and munch on a salad or some raw vegetables while you are preparing your lunch or evening meal. Either - Sling a bag of mixed leaves and herbs into a bowl, add a bag or tray (or both) of baby veg (carrots, mange touts, cucumber, corn, peas, cauliflower etc.) and a handful of baby tomatoes, add a good glug of olive oil (and/or nut/seed oil*), a generous squeeze of lemon juice, some sea salt flakes and a couple of grinds of black pepper and dig in.
Or – have a tray/bag of raw vegetables (as above) with some hummus and/or tzatziki and dip and crunch while you prepare
And – have a pint of water or go 50:50 with some fresh vegetable or fresh fruit juice and water
Why? The benefits are huge:-
· vegetables provide the broadest range of nutrients and phytochemicals (especially fibre and carotenes) of any food class
· they are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein and the little fat they contain is in the form of essential fatty acids
· more and more evidence is accumulating showing that vegetables can prevent, as well as treat, many diseases, especially chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis
· all that chewing helps release enzymes to help your digestion
· if you are watching your waistline (or trying to reduce it!) you’re likely to eat less of the main dish
· you body swerve the ‘salty snack attack’ (crisps, tortilla chips, nuts etc.) while you are preparing the meal
· the water/juice mix will help keep you hydrated, help your body get the maximum benefit from the bucketful of nutrients provided by the vegetables AND keep the booze at bay till later!
* experiment with the huge variety of oils that are now available on the shelves:- walnut, hazelnut, avocado, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, rapeseed etc. – go for ‘cold pressed’ wherever possible.
Boost your brain cells
The jury is definitely ‘out’ on this one but it appears that scientists are agreed on two things – good nutrition builds better brains and poor nutrition is a big threat to our brains as we age – SO – essential fats are critical for brain growth and function and antioxidants (particularly vitamins A, C and E) help protect these essential fats in our brains. Is your memory not as good as it was?
Does your concentration waver a bit? If you are working hard all week and playing hard at the weekend, your ‘little grey cells’ may be undernourished. How can you stay sharp? Oily fish and plenty of grains have to feature here and my version of Nasi Goreng provides the lot.
What do you need?
A bag of microwaveable brown basmati rice
Smoked mackerel fillets
A tube of crushed garlic
A small onion, chopped
A packet of beansprouts
A packet of carrot sticks
Frozen peas
A couple of boiled eggs
Five spice powder
Soy sauce
Tomato ketchup
Chopped parsley
What do I do with those?
·
Steam/microwave the vegetables till tender· Cook the rice according to instructions
· Grill the mackerel fillets and flake
· Shell the boiled eggs and chop roughly
· Throw the lot (plus an inch or two of crushed garlic) into a hot non-stick frying pan, add a very good pinch of five spice powder, a few shakes of soy sauce and a dollop of ketchup and stir briskly till everything is heated through
· Scatter chopped parsley over the top and get in there with a fork!!
Tomorrow...Fiona devises feel good foodie tips to help you get a good night's sleep...and make you smile when the January gloom gets a bit too much!