Feeling lethargic? For many people the overindulgences of Christmas & New Year will have resulted in tiredness, stress & a weight gain. It's important now to get your body working well at digesting food, assimilating nutrients & evacuating waste efficiently. So here is my advice:
1. Never skip breakfast - your body needs refuelling after sleeping.
2. Ditch the junk - clear out all the leftover 'Christmas' food.
3. Get cooking with fresh ingredients for optimum nutritional intake.
4. Keep a bowl of homemade vegetable soup in the fridge - warming & healthy.
5. Eat 'healthy' snacks to keep blood sugar levels stable between meals.
6. Go brown - bread, rice, pasta as they help you 'feel full' for longer.
7. Have one 'raw' meal a day to ensure absorption of high nutrient levels.
8. Give your liver a break - stop or severely limit your alcohol consumption.
9. Aim to drink 1.5 litres of water per day.
10. Write it all down - studies show that keeping a diary of all you eat & drink gives great results with weight loss.
Happy New Year & Happy Eating!
Bev
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Thursday, 15 December 2011
HAVE A FABULOUS HEALTHY CHRISTMAS!
As promised on Red Shift Radio's European Lunch show - here are my top tips again for cutting down on excess calories this Christmas.
The average person consumes a whopping 6,000 calories in just 1 day.... that's 3 days worth for the average woman!
If you take up all of the following suggestions you'll SAVE AROUND 1,000 CALORIES JUST ON LUNCH!...... SWAP:
1. White & dark turkey meat with skin, for just white meat.
2. Roast potatoes for a small jacket potato.
3. Sausage meat stuffing for chestnut & cranberry stuffing.
4. Chipolatas wrapped in bacon for Devil's on Horseback (prunes wrapped in thin, lean back bacon).
5. Bread sauce made with whole milk for one with skimmed milk.
6. Gravy made with turkey juices/fat for gravy granules and with water.
7. Christmas pudding & brandy butter for a filo pastry mince pie with 1/2 fat creme fraiche.
8. Sherry trifle for a fruit sorbet.
9. Hard cheese & biscuits for feta cheese & celery.
10. Foil covered chocolates for Turkish Delight.
And then there's the alcohol....
Have a Happy Christmas everyone!!
Bev
The average person consumes a whopping 6,000 calories in just 1 day.... that's 3 days worth for the average woman!
If you take up all of the following suggestions you'll SAVE AROUND 1,000 CALORIES JUST ON LUNCH!...... SWAP:
1. White & dark turkey meat with skin, for just white meat.
2. Roast potatoes for a small jacket potato.
3. Sausage meat stuffing for chestnut & cranberry stuffing.
4. Chipolatas wrapped in bacon for Devil's on Horseback (prunes wrapped in thin, lean back bacon).
5. Bread sauce made with whole milk for one with skimmed milk.
6. Gravy made with turkey juices/fat for gravy granules and with water.
7. Christmas pudding & brandy butter for a filo pastry mince pie with 1/2 fat creme fraiche.
8. Sherry trifle for a fruit sorbet.
9. Hard cheese & biscuits for feta cheese & celery.
10. Foil covered chocolates for Turkish Delight.
And then there's the alcohol....
Have a Happy Christmas everyone!!
Bev
Friday, 2 December 2011
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
NAMASTE! WOW! That about sums up my adventures in Nepal. I was working as a volunteer for Racing The Planet on their 150 mile foot race through the Annapurna foothills of the Himalayas. 240 people entered the race & there were 22 volunteers & 12 medics ensuring their safety - manning checkpoints, getting deployed each day to a new position & generally cheering them on! It was extremely hard work - especially through the freezing cold nights, but a very pleasant 30 degrees in the day.
Highlights were seeing the Himalayas (photos on my FB page), the stunning scenery, monkeys swinging in the trees & the very welcoming Nepalese people.
I'm happy to forget the night there was a snake in the loo pit - venomous apparantly - and also the rats, mice & spiders!
Driving was quite an experience - it would appear you drive on the left - unless it looks better on the right! There were no rules apart from do not hit the cows or the water buffalo.
We had some fantastic food in Pokhara after the race (freeze dried food loses it's appeal after a week!) Curries, daals & cooked meats being so cheap. I'm now really craving fresh fruit & vegs, so the fridge is once again stocked up with healthy stuff!
I suppose I'll have to start thinking about Christmas soon.....stay healthy this winter by eating well.... info to come.
Bev
Highlights were seeing the Himalayas (photos on my FB page), the stunning scenery, monkeys swinging in the trees & the very welcoming Nepalese people.
I'm happy to forget the night there was a snake in the loo pit - venomous apparantly - and also the rats, mice & spiders!
Driving was quite an experience - it would appear you drive on the left - unless it looks better on the right! There were no rules apart from do not hit the cows or the water buffalo.
We had some fantastic food in Pokhara after the race (freeze dried food loses it's appeal after a week!) Curries, daals & cooked meats being so cheap. I'm now really craving fresh fruit & vegs, so the fridge is once again stocked up with healthy stuff!
I suppose I'll have to start thinking about Christmas soon.....stay healthy this winter by eating well.... info to come.
Bev
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
NEXT STOP NEPAL - WELL ALMOST!
Hello again, I can't believe how the time has flown by. Luckily I've been extremely busy in the last few weeks, and even had 3 new enquiries, from lovely ladies who want to eat more healthily and lose weight during December!
Anyway, the cases are nearly packed - half the room is taken up with the delicately spiced freeze dried meals (eat your heart out Masterchef!)and healthy snacks that we'll need for a week.
This is where I noticed a flaw in the plan.... We're having a stopover in Abu Dhabi first - so the cases will still be full to capacity when we fly on to Kathmandu - so where do I pack the shoes & bags I so obviously need from the souk markets?! Any suggestions?
I'm looking forward to Arabian & Nepalese food too & will try to upload some photos when I can. I read an article recently that says Nepal is yet to open a MacDonalds - good for them I say!
So the itinerary is Abu Dhabi 3 nights, Kathmandu 1 night, Pokhara 4 nights. Next 7 days & nights somewhere in the foothills of the Himalayas with the occasional tent to sleep in! Then a few days r & r before homeward bound!
Next blog in December!
Happy Christams Shopping!
Bev
Anyway, the cases are nearly packed - half the room is taken up with the delicately spiced freeze dried meals (eat your heart out Masterchef!)and healthy snacks that we'll need for a week.
This is where I noticed a flaw in the plan.... We're having a stopover in Abu Dhabi first - so the cases will still be full to capacity when we fly on to Kathmandu - so where do I pack the shoes & bags I so obviously need from the souk markets?! Any suggestions?
I'm looking forward to Arabian & Nepalese food too & will try to upload some photos when I can. I read an article recently that says Nepal is yet to open a MacDonalds - good for them I say!
So the itinerary is Abu Dhabi 3 nights, Kathmandu 1 night, Pokhara 4 nights. Next 7 days & nights somewhere in the foothills of the Himalayas with the occasional tent to sleep in! Then a few days r & r before homeward bound!
Next blog in December!
Happy Christams Shopping!
Bev
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
ADVENTURES AGAIN IN 29 DAYS!
After the fantastic time Tony & I had working in the Atacama Desert in Chile last year we wanted another adventure to look forward to. So we're off to work for Racing The Planet again - this time as volunteers on a 150 mile self supported foot race in the Anapurna region of the Himalayas in Nepal.
We set off on Nov 10th and I'm already making a list of things to do before we go & things we need to take with us - especially the really yummy freeze dried food that we'll be eating for a week! (In the Atacama the volunteers got cold pizza as a treat one night - wow - real food - it was fab!)
PLANNING is so important in many aspects of your life. If you are one of those people who wants to be healthier, have more energy, lose some weight & generally feel amazing, then PLAN your meals & snacks in advance. Then you can shop for healthy, fresh food and cook delicious meals instead of rushing into the supermarket for a pre-packaged dinner. PLAN, shop & prepare healthy packed lunches for yourself or your family if they need them, to avoid making unhealthy choices if out in the day. Yes I know it takes time & effort, but doesn't everything that's really worth doing?
So I'm now off to buy some things on the list..... freeze dried meals, energy bars, sachets hot chocolate, alcohol gel, blister kit, batteries for headlamp.... & the list goes on!
Happy Planning!
Bev
We set off on Nov 10th and I'm already making a list of things to do before we go & things we need to take with us - especially the really yummy freeze dried food that we'll be eating for a week! (In the Atacama the volunteers got cold pizza as a treat one night - wow - real food - it was fab!)
PLANNING is so important in many aspects of your life. If you are one of those people who wants to be healthier, have more energy, lose some weight & generally feel amazing, then PLAN your meals & snacks in advance. Then you can shop for healthy, fresh food and cook delicious meals instead of rushing into the supermarket for a pre-packaged dinner. PLAN, shop & prepare healthy packed lunches for yourself or your family if they need them, to avoid making unhealthy choices if out in the day. Yes I know it takes time & effort, but doesn't everything that's really worth doing?
So I'm now off to buy some things on the list..... freeze dried meals, energy bars, sachets hot chocolate, alcohol gel, blister kit, batteries for headlamp.... & the list goes on!
Happy Planning!
Bev
Thursday, 29 September 2011
LOSE WEIGHT BY EATING MORE!
When you're "on a diet" it can be so depressing to see the tiny amount of cheese you are allowed, or to force yourself to stop at 1 biscuit!
By changing many of the foods that you regularly eat to ones that are LOW ENERGY DENSE you can eat bigger portions, feel less hungry and not have to rely on willpower to lose weight.
Energy density is a way of measuring how many calories food has in relation to its volume. High energy dense foods are ones such as chocolate and pastries - just a sniff and you feel the pounds piling on!
Low energy dense foods are mainly fruit and vegetables. They contain a relatively high amount of WATER, FIBRE and AIR. Take cucumber and celery - they have a very high WATER content and it's thought that you use up more calories digesting the food than they actually contain! FIBRE is not digested, it passes through the body so it's 'calorie free'! Vegetables, beans and pulses are high in FIBRE.
AIR is also calorie free, so how about popcorn as a great healthy snack - no salt, sugar or butter though!
Other great low energy density swaps are baked white fish for steak, porridge oats for cornflakes, rice cakes for bread and cottage cheese for hard cheese.
You can eat more of the healthy swap so it looks like you have plenty of food on your plate!
Happy eating!
Bev
By changing many of the foods that you regularly eat to ones that are LOW ENERGY DENSE you can eat bigger portions, feel less hungry and not have to rely on willpower to lose weight.
Energy density is a way of measuring how many calories food has in relation to its volume. High energy dense foods are ones such as chocolate and pastries - just a sniff and you feel the pounds piling on!
Low energy dense foods are mainly fruit and vegetables. They contain a relatively high amount of WATER, FIBRE and AIR. Take cucumber and celery - they have a very high WATER content and it's thought that you use up more calories digesting the food than they actually contain! FIBRE is not digested, it passes through the body so it's 'calorie free'! Vegetables, beans and pulses are high in FIBRE.
AIR is also calorie free, so how about popcorn as a great healthy snack - no salt, sugar or butter though!
Other great low energy density swaps are baked white fish for steak, porridge oats for cornflakes, rice cakes for bread and cottage cheese for hard cheese.
You can eat more of the healthy swap so it looks like you have plenty of food on your plate!
Happy eating!
Bev
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
5 WAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
Most people I speak to are now on some sort of diet to lose holiday weight & be slimmer for the Christmas parties - roughly 10 weeks away - OMG!
My advice, as usual, would be don't diet, because when you stop dieting you'll regain the weight again. Instead, decide to make healthy eating a way of life. The pounds will drop off - and stay off!
Make some healthy changes today....
1. Eat breakfast, or you'll be famished by mid morning & reaching for a quick sugar fix. Best choices are oat based cereals or fresh fruit.
2. Get cooking. Give up processed foods which are usually packed with salt, sugar, saturated fats, fillers, preservatives & other additives - none of these are good for you!
3. Swap brown for white when eating bread, rice & pasta. When these foods are processed to make them 'white' foods they lose a vast amount of their nutritional value, so opt for brown.
4. Eat good fats, that means unsaturated which are found in olive oil, oily fish, avocados, nuts & seeds. They help lower cholesterol & reduce the risk of heart disease.
5. Have a vegetarian day. To ensure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables plan to cook a meat free dish at least once a week.
Go on, make a healthy change today!
Happy eating,
Bev
My advice, as usual, would be don't diet, because when you stop dieting you'll regain the weight again. Instead, decide to make healthy eating a way of life. The pounds will drop off - and stay off!
Make some healthy changes today....
1. Eat breakfast, or you'll be famished by mid morning & reaching for a quick sugar fix. Best choices are oat based cereals or fresh fruit.
2. Get cooking. Give up processed foods which are usually packed with salt, sugar, saturated fats, fillers, preservatives & other additives - none of these are good for you!
3. Swap brown for white when eating bread, rice & pasta. When these foods are processed to make them 'white' foods they lose a vast amount of their nutritional value, so opt for brown.
4. Eat good fats, that means unsaturated which are found in olive oil, oily fish, avocados, nuts & seeds. They help lower cholesterol & reduce the risk of heart disease.
5. Have a vegetarian day. To ensure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables plan to cook a meat free dish at least once a week.
Go on, make a healthy change today!
Happy eating,
Bev
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