Sorry for the delay...!

Ive had a long break from blogging as have been starting my business (more to come on that) as well as tackling exams and navigating my way through the summer, but now as the cold weather comes floating back so have I.

Where to start (as there is so much to say!) - a nutritional tip. Omega 3 or to be really grown up alpha linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid which humans can not be make themselves so must be ingested. This fatty acid helps reduce inflammation throughout your body, maintains cell and brain health, keeps blood from clotting excessively as well as supporting immune function - all pretty important stuff. People who lack Omega 3 in their diets will often have dry skin, brittle hair and nails joint pain(caused by inflamation) amungst other things. Walnut and linseed oil both contain high levels of Omega 3, ground flaxseed are also a very simple way of getting omega 3 into your diet by simply sprinkle them over your cereal or adding them to a smoothie. If you are a fish lover oily fish such as mackerel and Salmon are a fantastic source of omega 3. This wonderful bud of joy has been splashed all over packaging recently with every margarine and processed fish product claiming that eating their product will boost your omega 3 levels. While this may be true it is important to bear in mind a) the source of your omega 3 and b) the ratio of the 2 omegas. It has been suggested that the correct ratio of Omega 3 to omega 6 should be 1:3. The average person that ratio is more like 1:20 as omega 6 is more readily available in the average diet. The reason it is so important to get this ratio as low as possible is beacause both the omegas compete with the same enzymes in the body. Which omega is most readily avaiable will dictate the derivative of that enzyme. If there is alot of omega 6 this will lead to pro inflamatory and pro thrombosis substances being formed which can lead to blood clots etc. Conversly if there is sufficient omega 3 then these make anti inflamatory and anti thromsosic substances. The body needs the omegas to be balanced in order to perform to its optimum
.
Tip of the day - buy some omega 3 oil and take a teaspoon a day to boost the ratiowhich will definatley keep the doctor away...
See you soon xx

Been slack but I'm back....Still butter but better for you

It is so difficult nowadays to know what on earth you are actually allowed to eat. Surely butter would be a definate no no ... however there is a saving grace coconut butter. OK so I will admit it does not have the same salty and slightly satisfying taste of butter but it still melts loving on to your toast and hugs your vegetables to make them glisten like tinsle. The benifits of this wonder butter far outwieght the fact it has a different taste. This taste is not a horrible one and depending on what type of coconut butter you go for it doesnt have to have a taste at all, it is a milky smooth flavour and melts faster than you can spread it.


The other option as an alternative to butter is to find a ramekin or small bowl and fill it with olive oil. If you put this in the fridge it will go hard and then can be used as a butter subsitute.

Both of these options are better than dairy butter. Coconut butter although still a saturated fat it has shorter chains that the animal products. These mean the body deals with them differently and uses them as energy first meaning they are not stored as fats. It is also a very useful cooking tool as they are relatively stable at high temperature so do not produce free radicals.

Your local independant health shop will stock it....
XX

SNACK AWAY....

This is music to most people’s ears...It is time the nation started snacking ... on certain things. The illusion that we need only three meals a day is no more. If you have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon the chances are you will feel less hungry at meal times so your portions will be smaller....

When snacking it is important to eat the right things. A snack should be something more complex than just a bar of chocolate. This is because it will take the body longer to break it down if it has more parts to it. So the advice is: eat a carbohydrate like a piece of fruit with some protein like some nuts or seeds or some yoghurt. Although you are still eating the sugary fruit the energy you get from it will be more sustained as the body has to work harder to breakdown the more complicated combination of sugars and protein. This will mean the glucose takes longer to get into your blood and will make you not only feel less hungry for longer but also will maintain your levels of energy.

Snacks which are easily portable include vegetable crudités and dips such as hummus or smoked mackerel pate, Fruit and nuts or yoghurt. As the breakfast blog said before smoothies made with protein and carbs are also a fantastic thing to have as a snack rather than a drink!

When we talk about carbs we are talking about healthy foods such as oatcakes and fruits not chocolates and pastries so as long as you are sensible about what you are snacking on go ahead... dive in. xx

Breakfast isnt a chore....

Having spent a bit of time in Argos recently I am now the proud owner of a blender and me and my blender are going to start a revolution one breakfast table at a time. There are many reasons to fall in love with a these wonderful things but number one is that everything about it is easy. So many people miss breakfast and this is a habit that needs to be broken. With everyone squeezing so much into their days the breaking of the fast gets missed out but it is called that for a reason it needs to be eaten, it gets the body going and sets it up for the day.

Making smoothies is a great way of eating on the go or you can prepare it the night before and just grab it and take it with you. The preparation takes no time at all and you can put what ever you want in them until you find some combinations you love. I find simply emptying my fruit bowl into the juicer very effective.

From a nutritional point of view it is a good idea to put some protein in with the fruit. This will slow down the glucose release of the fruit and therefore ensure the levels of energy are more sustained. This will not only make you feel less hungry sooner but also keep your energy levels steady and prevent you getting tired and grumpy! Instead of yoghurt or milk try adding a few nuts like cashews or almonds which will provide some brilliant essential fatty acids and work in the same way as the yoghurt in slowing down the release of sugar....
Enjoy xx

Wednesdays are recipe days... No. 1 Chicken soup

Wednesdays are going to be recipe days... so I am going to start off with one of my favourites and possibly the easiest Chicken soup. Now in these times of glumness many turn to grub to cheer them up and with the countdown to the budget announcement well and truly underway it is important to bear cost in mind when cooking. This recipe is brilliant as you can get any number of meals out of the chicken. You can cook your whole chicken in whatever way you like, roast, boil or take the raw meat off and cook it separately. The bits you need are the bones and any flesh you don’t like the look of.
It’s the easiest thing in the world. Bung your bones in a big pan which has a lid. Cover it with cold water and add any spare veg peelings or veg you need to use up etc and bring it to the boil. Let it bubble away for 10 mins and then either turn it right down and leave to simmer or whack in the over at a low temp. Now the longer you leave it the deeper the taste. I leave it for at least 3 hours and then sieve it so all the delicious juice is allowed to run through the disintegrated bones into a bowl.
You are now left with the scrumptious soup. This can sit in the fridge or freezes beautifully and it can be used for a plethora of fantastic things such as a stock for the basis of a soup, risotto, stew or on its own. Being a girl of simple taste my ideal evening is a big bowl of the chicken stock which has had a mound of pasta cooked in it to absorb all the taste whilst maintain enough liquid to keep it soupy and a sprinkle of cheddar on top. If you ever are feeling a bit blue or cold this soup warms you from head to toe both inside and out.xx

The unsung heroes of the human diet....

There are a very interesting group of things called Phytonutrients which can be divided into two groups, Flavonoids and Carotenoids. They have not as yet been promoted to the dizzy heights of being an essential nutrient however they are pretty useful. These are the building blocks of our health and I would say are the unsung heroes of our diets. They are found in naturally colored foods i.e. not Haribo but foods that brighten up your fridge like peppers and chilies. The orange, red and yellow pigments are the Caretenoids and the Flavonoids are the darker blues and purple coloured foods although they tend to be found in small amounts in almost everything. These little things are not only the support system for the metabolic processes that occur in our bodies but they are also the warriors whizzing around absorbing energy from free radicals.

Without boring you with too much detail free radicals require energy so attempt to steal it off healthy body cells which leaves behind greatly damaged cells. Antioxidants counteract this by donating their energy to the free radical rendering it benign. Whilst Phytonutrients on their own can behave as antioxidants one of their main roles is to support other 'essential' nutrients such as Vitamins In particular Vitamin C and E benefit from the support of the Phytonutrients. They have been shown to be an important part of day to day health and it has been suggested that they help to prevent very serious diseases such as Cancer and Heart diseases.

The moral of the story is make your diet as colourful as you can… xx

THE COW

The second of my blogs is going to be my first of I hope many restaurant reviews and todays is dedicated to the best kept secret in Notting Hill. The Cow in Westbourne park road is the sort of place that half of me wants to shout about and the other half wants to keep to myself so that it can be mine! Its exterior calls you in - not pretentious and incredibly inviting and the interior is chic with a little bit of shabby but defiantly not shabby chic. I have to admit I didn't venture upstairs to the dining room but stayed snugly downstairs in the bar or saloon as its called. The service was quick and my Virgin Mary was the perfect mix. The joy of the cow is not the décor although its heaven but the fantastic menu, cockles and crab nussle next to the more traditional bangers and mash and lamb shank. As we were waiting for someone and starving we ordered a pint of prawns which came with a doorstop of freshly baked bread, it was just the thing to fend off the hunger pangs. Once we were a complete team I ordered my bangers and mash and waited with eager anticipation having seen the other diners tucking in around me. I was not disappointed. The mountain of mash was topped with 3 deliciously crispy sausages and smothered in caramelized onions with gravy dripping from all sides. The fish stew which was the most popular dish round the table was brimming with fish of all types and the small bit I was allowed to taste tasted like a winter walk on a beach. Although the pudding s looked like they had fallen out of a cook book I refrained having rather over indulged throughout the weekend and knew that the cinema pick and mix was beckoning. The Cow is the perfect venue for meeting friends, parents, a date, an anniversary, or frankly just you and your favourite book. Any excuse you can think of use it and go.xx