Its that orange time of year...

It’s the orange time of year. Every shop you go into whether it is food or furniture every street you walk down everywhere you look everything is orange. This is fantastic news for our diets as orange foods hold many brilliant secrets. Tangerines, pumpkins, Swede, sweet potato and squash are all fruits and vegetables which are in season and a fantastic source of many vitamins and especially antioxidants. As discussed in a previous blog the more colourful the diet the better and these foods will give you a brilliant source of another colour! Take some tangerines to work at the start of the week and have as a great snacks with a selection of nuts. People tend to shy away from cooking with pumpkin and squash as they are not as simple to use as potatoes but they are far tastier and arguably more important as they contain more available nutrients. Pumpkins contain a significant amount of iron and zinc which are both vital nutrients when it comes to boosting the immune system which is especially useful as the winter sets in and the offices start coughing!
A simple way of using your pumpkin meat after you’ve scraped your scary face is to make a pumpkin soup. Very roughly all you need is 2 red onions, the meat from a large pumpkin, 700ml chicken or vegetable stock, a sweet potato and some crème fraiche to serve. It’s so easy – put some olive oil in a heavy based pan chop the onions and sweat them. Add the pumpkin and sweet potato and stir until golden. Pour the stock over and leave to simmer for 10 mins. Puree by hand for a more silky flavor and serve with crème fraiche and some chopped parsley. Worth noting that this soup can be frozen in bags for up to 2 months so is a great freezer filler.

Happy Halloween! xx

Eggs are for life not just for Easter

There have been many scaremongering storied surrounding the humble chicken egg such as you shouldn’t eat more than one a week. Yes, importantly if you are on a low cholesterol diet avoid egg yolks and while some people may not be able to digest eggs the majority of us can and should utilize this inexpensive brilliant source of protein as often as possible. When the amount of protein in a food is measured it is measured against the makeup of an egg as this food source is seen to be the most complete form of protein in the human diet. Eggs contain all 8 essential amino acids which are vital for a healthy functioning body. Not only are they the building blocks for muscles, tissues, immune system antibodies they also are a great source of many micronutrients including Selenium and iodine which help support thyroid function. We cannot synthesize enough Choline to satisfy the need in our brains therefore it is very important that we ingest some and eggs are the best food source for this particular micronutrient. The wonders of eggs don’t stop there with significant levels of Vit D K B2 and B5 as well as sleep promoting tryptophan they are a fantastic food choice. For those on low cholesterol diets it is important to note that all dietary cholesterol is found in the yolk and therefore this should be avoided.

Eggs are incredibly versatile and can be eaten (in my opinion) at any time of day. Bung one in a pan and have boiled eggs on rye toast, multigrain whole-wheat toast or a bed of spinach for breakfast. The advantage of having protein for breakfast is that the combination of the macro nutrients will take longer to be digested and release there energy more slowly than the moer traditional cereal therefore you will be less hungry during your morning. A quick omelets or frittata for lunch or supper! Ideal and cheap! A frittata or omelet is also a great way of sneaking in some of your 5 a day…! Whisk the eggs with some pepper and salt and place in a non stick pan. Leave for 30 seconds. Add whatever veg your like – broccoli, spinach, cale, tomatoes, mushrooms. Either cook as an omelet or put in the oven for 5 mins until it rises and cooks around the veg.
Done. xx

Its sold in healthfood shops so it must be good for us.... the greatest of grains... QUINOA

Many people I’ve given this too have never had it before and sometimes never even heard of it! Quinoa originates from the Inca in Peru making it an ancient grain which until recently was not part of the European diet. Not only is Quinoa incredibly easy to prepare it is also a dream nutritionally. Very rarely is a plant a complete protein, meaning it contains all 8 essential amino acids but quinoa is. This makes it a brilliant option for vegans and vegetarians to boast their protein levels. There are huge health benefits to this delicious food as not only a great source of protein it also contains lots of dietary fibre as well as most notably Iron and Magnesium. Magnesium is closely related to cardiovascular health and iron helps promotes energy production through the part it plays in Hemoglobin and thus the energy making cycle.

Quinoa can be used as a substitute for couscous, rice, pasta, and polenta as a side dish or main dish or as a porridge in the morning and it couldn’t be easier to cook. Make sure you rinse it first in cold water and then simply 1 part Quinoa to 2 parts water – half a mug is enough for a big portion for 1 or 2 people. Bring to the boil and then plonk a lid on turn down the heat and leave to cook for 15 mins. Turn off the heat, leave to stand and all the excess water will be absorbed. If you want a more porridgy texture add more water. It’s such a versatile food that there is very little point me putting recipes up. All I will say is to add more flavor perhaps use stock instead of water if using the quinoa in a savory dish and make your dish as colorful as possible (read the Phytonutrients blog).


I can’t tell you enough how much of a brilliant food this is.

Please try it soon! X