All Entries in the "Nutrition" Category
No, really, how bad is a fried breakfast?
Well it depends on what you eat FGs. As I write this, I’m thinkin’ I’m gonna have me a fried breakfast in the mornin’. Yup fry me up Scotty! Oh and a fried breakfast FG style, boots Special K back to its hovel!!
So what makes a healthy fried breakfast? Well first of all make sure you’re gonna fry in olive oil or coconut oil (although the latter can be a lil strong so see how you like the taste). Oh and make sure the olive oil is not extra virgin, that stuff is only for salads as its composition changes when it’s heated and you get a lil less goodness. So yeah, a little olive oil, then maybe some eggs, some tomatoes, some mushrooms, and then some decent sausages. Y’know like those fab gourmet ones you can buy that are leaner that your average sausage and taste real good!! And you have yourself a good fry up!
Notice how there was no mention of beans, toast, waffles and all of that stuff that you were hoping we were gonna write!! I mean we’re not saying never have it, we’re just saying a fry up can be a healthy breakfast too! Enjoy!!I’m gonna have
Fit Girl Top 5 Lunch Choices: Pret
Hmmm, not sure what to choose when buying your lunch out. Here’s our top 5 faves from Pret A Manger:
* Chef’s Italian Chicken Salad
* No Bread Crayfish & Avocado
* No Bread Tricolore
* No Bread Trout & Horseradish
* Simple Tuna Salad
These all have a great combination of protein, carbohydrate and fat, all a Fit Girl needs!!
Mmm Tastes Like Ice-Cream!!
Yo yo FGs. So did I tell you just how in love I am with my new ecclectic breakfast mix, that actually makes me feel like I’m eating ice-cream first thing in the morning?? Oh yes, ’tis my very own zone breakfast shake!! Now you may or may not have heard of the zone diet (diet in the sense of a way of eating as opposed to manic calorie counting as discussed in Diet is Not a Dirty Word). Anyhoo, the zone diet focuses on balancing your meals as 40% carbs, 30% fat and 30% protein. I definitely dig it!! So I decided to conjure up a little zone breakfast to keep myself in check! Here it is!!
Mixed Berry Breakfast Shake
450g of frozen strawberries
115g cup of blueberries
1 scoop of unflavoured protein powder
Water
9 almonds or walnuts to munch seperately.
Throw the fruit and protein powder into a large beaker and add enough water just to cover the fruit and protein. Blend it up and there you have it!!! The most delicious sorbet like breakfast smoothie!! Nibble with the nuts to get that good fat in too!! Wanna ditch the nuts? Oh no you don’t!! Good fat helps shed bad fat ladies, don’t make me tell you twice!!
Bikini Power Starts in the Morning!!
Ladies, are you booked? Do you have a holiday planned? A beach one?? Fabulous! Read on, this might come in useful!
So no bikini looks good on a self-conscious body! Wear yours with pride girls, there are plenty to choose from for all shapes and sizes, but confidence cannot be bought at a boutique, that my darlings, comes from within, and that within comes from your fridge! Forget the Special K diet! Really girls, if you want to know how to feel crap and hungry for however long you choose to chomp on cereal, then go ahead! But if you want to rock the bikini in a big way, then we suggest you start your day with virtue!!
Skipping breakfast is a no no! The metabolism booster starts upon waking! And you know the drill, a little carb, protein and fat love goes a long way. Fasting at breakfast means the fat ain’t gonna burn like it should. So try these brekkie options that will get you one more step toward bikini fabulousness!!
Feeling Fruity!!
Some berries (low sugar, high in goodness…oh yeah) & some greek yoghurt with a few seeds dashed on top
or
Chopped up cantaloupe melon with a few slices of parma ham (a weekend treat no?)
or
An apple and a handful of almonds for you rushed types that don’t have time to eat your breakfast!
Eggs-actly what I was thinking!
2 Poached eggs with a little houmous on the side…tastier than you think!
or
2 x scrambled eggs with strips of smoked salmon and some lemon juice
or
spinach, tomato and mushroom omelette…so good!
Healthy lunches for the time poor!
We hear it a lot!!! Ooh, I just don’t have time to make my lunch every night/morning! So then I’m forced to get a the-S-word from a local cafe!! Well, consider your excuse flushed down the toilet FGs, it’s time to get smart with your packed lunch box!
First of all, never mind making a salad every day. How about making a big-ass salad at the beginning of the week that you can just take a portion from each day. Be it tuna, chicken or whatever, big-ass salads mean you don’t have to faff around each day in the kitchen.
Our favourites are, greek salads, for lasting ability. Even if it’s just 3 days worth, you buy yourself some extra time, save money and look tight!!
Or just double up on your dinners. Make double the amount and package it up for a sweet lunch the next day! And if you want a bit of variety, vary your fruit or extra nibblies, it’s really not a big deal girls.
The thing about dried fruit…
Snacking away on some dried apricots are we? Feeling like you are on a one way train to your 5-a-day? Well before you devour the whole packet, let’s have a little chat about dried fruit. Whilst it is still fruit and therefore still good for you, you need to know that its sugar content is high (which we know if eaten in volume can be stored as fat…you don’t want your 5-a-day to turn into a pound-a-day, you dig?). It’s high in sugar because dried fruit has all of the water taken out of it, leaving you with a little bundle of sugar. Good for your sweet tooth, bad for your sweet ass! Fresh fruit still has its water content and as such is less dense in sugar. But us girls know that even eating fresh fruit requires a little protein to slow down the rate of absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Sing it,”protein keeps you lean!!”. And just for the record, tropical fruits are higher in sugar content, so if you’re going dry, reach for dried berries over dried mango, delicious as it is.
Not mad about water? Spice it up with a little lemon, lime and mint!
If you think the very thing that you need to drink a lot of is bland, then spice it up with these simple additives. All natural, all good in the hood. You know how we roll at FG HQ!
Ingredients:
1 litre of water
A handful of mint chopped
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
The juice of 1/2 a lime
Add all of the ingredients to the water, and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to soak up that flavour!!
Diet is Not a Dirty Word…
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘diet’ FGs? Do you think of yourself incessantly counting calories and refraining from eating all manner of goodies? Well you shouldn’t angels. Your diet is just the term for what you eat. Whether you’re eating eating 1,000 calories or 1,000,000 calories a day, it is still your diet, your way of eating.
So what do you think a ‘good’ diet is? A holier than thou lettuce-munching fiesta? Hell no!!!! A ‘good’ diet, is a balanced diet. That means that along with all of the nutritious goodies you get in every day, and for the majority of your diet, you also have room for some treats!!! You’re not on a good diet if you want to punish yourself for eating a cupcake after a week of virtue. Balance means that you don’t feel guilty when you have a treat. You should be eating well enough and exercising enough, that a treat here and there is enjoyed rather than being a one-way ticket to confession!! Your good food-to-treat ratio should be about 80%:20% And just so you know, a bad diet would be that equation reversed!
Your attitude has to be as healthy as your food. If you obsess about it, that’s unhealthy, so get balanced and enjoy!!
Go Green for a Fresher Diet
Eeek!!! I’ve just gone and bought me a mini salad garden!! Oh yes, carrots, lettuce leaves, basil, parsley, red onion…you name it, I bought the seeds!!!!! You know it’s all about buying local so your veg stay as fresh as possible!! Well why not go one step further and grow your own honies!!!! Imagine juicing carrots that you have pulled out of the ground, or indeed the pot on your balcony in my case! You can’t get fresher than that. Ain’t no time for the nutrients in my veg to get lost sweet pea, it’s barely left the ground!!! And what about the savings!!!!
Here’s what you need:
1. Seeds of whatever your veg/salad of choice is
2. Small pots in which to grow seedlings
3. Compost
And away you go!! I’ve already planted some salad leaves that are going to be god to go in just three weeks!!!!
Can I get some fat with my carbs please?
Now if you freaked out at reading that sentence then we need to break it down for thee!! So when we’re talking about carbs, obviously, you know, that we know, that you know we are not talking ’bout bread and pasta etc, cos that’s the wheaty stuff and that be the stuff that will bloat the best of bellies and make thee tired. So let’s first just do a little carb break down.
Amazing carbs that you didn’t even realise were carbs:
1.All bright and beautiful veggies – spinach, peppers, broccoli, courgettes, carrots
2.All fruits, although the tropical variety tend to be high in sugar…oops…so we like antioxidant berries, they’re def at the top of the FG fruit list!!
Your classic carbs that you will recognise as carbs:
1. All good starchy carbs – brown rice, rye bread (wheat-free honies), sweet potato
Wheaty carbs – these babies bloat you:
1. wholewheat pasta, wholewheat bread (notice we use wholewheat not the white stuff that’s had all of the goodness sucked out of it!!…see below)
Refined carbs, that need a mention cos they’re still carbs and can have their effect tamed mildly by good fats:
1. Refined carbs – white bread, pastries, cakes, biscuits
OK, so when you eat carbohydrates on their own, whatever the variety, they convert into sugar in your bloodstream. The amazing carbs that you didn’t even realise were carbs do this to a lesser extent than the other carbs, particularly the refined carbs. Now we harp on about you eating protein with every meal cos this slows down the rate at which sugar gets absorbed into the bloodstream, reducing the likelihood of a sugar high followed by a low. Now good fat has the same effect. So drizzling some olive oil on your salad or gorgeous veggies will slow down this sugar thing, leaving you satisfied and not craving more carbs…usually of the processed variety!! We like olive oil or coconut oil for cooking and extra virgin for salads. The slower the rate of sugar absorption into the bloodstream, the less like that stuff gets stored as fat…you dig!!
Carb loading for going the distance…
If there is an image of glee on your face right now, remove it, we’re not about to tell you to stuff your face with pastries. Carb loading is a thing you do, not when you are feeling depressed about your body and just want to eat cake and chocolate…it’s what you do when you need to load the system up with GOOD carbs before you compete in an endurance race!! Carb loading is great as it can assist you in beating the dreaded ‘hitting the wall’. Your system will be loaded with energy, and you will race better. So the London Marathon is coming up in the UK and you can carb load 4-6 days beforehand.
So here’s what to do, let’s say the marathon is on a Sunday:
6 days – On days 1 (Monday), 2 (Tuesday) and 3 (Wednesday) before the marathon, completely deplete carbs, no porridge for breakfast, no chicken with your rice, you even need to stay away from the fruit bowl!! This is kind of tough, expect to snap at people when they say good morning, and generally treat you with kindness.
4 days – On days 1 (Wednesday) and 2 (Thursday) before the marathon, completely deplete carbs as above
6 days - On days 4 (Thursday), 5 (Friday) and 6 (Saturday) before the marathon, load it up!!!! Porridge for breakfast, fruit as snacks (obviously with a little protein thrown in…you know the drill girls), chicken and rice for lunch, and fish and veggies with sweet potato for dinner. You will feel SO full after the carb depletion, but you’ve just got to do it. And, by the way, now is not the time to be counting calories, you are determining getting through the race with some serious carb storage, not whether you add an extra pound or two on the scales!!!
4 days – On days 3 (Friday) and 4 (Saturday) before the marathon, load it up as above.
Ate a little too much chocolate over Easter did we??
Ok this is literally to make you feel better if you over-indulged over the weekend, now further studies have to be made, so don’t get carried away with chocolate scoffage!!
Soooooo, according to Brian Buijsse, PhD, of the German Institute of Human Nutrition patients who consumed the greatest amount of chocolate, about 7.5 grams per day had significantly lower blood pressure and risk of stroke than those who ate the least about 1.7 grams per day. Oh suddenly my devouring chocolate over the weekend has turned into a health drive, how fabulous, ’twas all planned of course!! Anyway as already mentioned, Buijsse states “It’s a little early to make recommendations,” cautioning that more studies are needed, before you chocolate lovers get carried away!
Whilst the study differentiates little between types of chocolate, our advice would be to stick to the good stuff 70% cocoa solids baby, you know how we do! Er and that doesn’t replace your greens ladies so don’t even think about it!!
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Power Balls
Lots of you ladies ask for suggestions on healthy snacks to eat on the go! And courtesy of a friend who has a six-pack and two young boys (just in case anyone had any excuses stored up), we’ve managed to get hold of a handy little recipe book from Solgar Vitamins. It’s called ‘Whey of Life’ and has tons of great recipes including, breakfast, smoothies, savoury dishes, and sweet treats, all made with protein, and free from bad fats, sugar, and lots of other nasties. (It does recommend soya as an alternative to milk, but they can’t be perfect)
Anyway, we thought we’d share one of the fab recipes with you, the perfect snack…are you ready!!
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Power Balls:
2 tbsp organic, salt-free Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 tbsp runny organic honey
3 scoops of plain or chocolate flavour protein powder
1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds
1tbsp of Solgar Omega Advanced Blend (or any oil with the ratio 2:1:1 – omega 3:6:9 respectively)
1 tbsp organic cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp chopped nuts
apple juice or rice milk, 1-2 tbsp if needed to bind the mixture
Combine all of the ingredients, excepting the apple juice and chopped nuts in a bowl. Work together with your hands to form a firm paste similar to the consistency of marzipan. Add a few drops of the apple juice or rice milk if necessary to bind. Form into 8 round balls the size of a walnut. Roll the balls in the chopped up nuts, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. DE-LIC-IOUS!!
Guest Post: Is your Health Drink Healthy?
Here are 5 of the most misleading so called health drinks:
1) Fruit Smoothies: Many of these smoothies contain 11 grams or more of sugar in those tiny little 100ml bottles. If that isnt’ bad enough the process that the fruits go through mean they are not as high in vitamins as you may be lead to believe. As well the processing strips the fruit in the smoothies of most of their fiber.
What to do? There’s nothing like the real thing. Yummy apples, berries, citrus fruits…etc.
2) Vitamin Water – The idea is a good one ,however some vitamin waters can contain up to 33 grams of sugar.
What to do? Hmmm this is a bit of a no brainer but stick to the real thing! If you don’t like the taste of plain water add a slice of lemon.
3) Bottled Green Tea – Simply not as good as the real thing. One of the things that makes green tea so good for us is the high level of antioxidants called catechins. Bottled green teas unfortunately contain very low levels or no catechins at all.
What to do? Brew it at home or stop in to a local café for a freshly brewed cup.
4) Bottled Vegetable Juices – Unfortunately they don’t stand the test of time. Vegetable juices start to lose their potency shortly after being juiced. Many bottled vegetables juices also contain high levels of sodium.
What to do? Either juice at home and drink straight away or purchase freshly juiced vegetables from cafes and health shops that make it fresh and serve instantly.
5) Yoghurt Drinks: These are quite the craze especially with women as many of these drinks claim to help with bloating. They claim to contain friendly bacteria however many of the drinks do not contain a significant amount of probiotic doses and many are high in sugar.
What to do? In this case read your labels as probiotics are good for you so long as you are actually consuming them. You can also take probiotics in the form of a supplement (remember to consult your health professional before embarking on a new programme).
When reading labels for sugar 2-3 grams per 100ml is considered to be low and anything more than 10 grams is considered high.
To save on calories, avoid sugar and maximize on health benefits here are a few suggestions:
Water with lemon or cucumber slices
Hot water with fresh ginger and lemon
Green tea, white tea or nettle tea
Fresh mint tea, either hot or cold
Remember just like most things in life if it seems too good be true it probably is. The more natural something is the more likely it is to be good for you.
Health & Happiness
Pimp My Porridge!
Are you fed up of looking at the bland porridge made with water sitting in front of you? Do you wish that it was a little more appealing? Looking at your porridge, does your mind tell you no, whilst your body tells you yes? If so, then it’s time to Pimp Your Porridge!!!!
First of all get fruity!! Add a little pomegranate love or some berries just to give it that extra kick!!
Next add a little protein and good fat!! We loooove, these ground seeds from Linwoods £5 for 450g from all good supermarkets.
Finally, sweeten it up with a sprinkle of cinnamon, or a spoonful of honey, and consider your porridge pimped!!
Got a sweet tooth but still wanna look sweet?
Y’know when you’re really really craving something sweet, but want to do so without the guilt?….well we’ve got the perfect little snack for you ladies, that tastes sweet and keeps you looking even sweeter. We know, we’re so good to you, and it’s not even your birthday! Here’s what you’ll need:
Oatcake fruit slices:
2 oatcakes
1/2 a banana, sliced
3 large strawberries, sliced
a spoonful of organic, unsalted (generally crap-free) peanut butter
Spread the peanut butter on the oatcakes. Layer the banana slices on top, followed by the strawberry slices.
Girls, we cannot tell you how good this tastes!! In fact you might just feel guilty because it tastes so damn good!!! Enjoy!
Power Packed Salad: Green Beans and Watercress
This little doll of a salad screams health all over it! Let’s see, ooh watercress…practically a vitamin and mineral pill all by itself; then a little green bean…go antioxidant power!!!!
Are you ready, this one is fail proof!
Serves 4-6
Salad:
200g green beans with the ends cut off
1 large bunch of watercress
Blanch the beans in a saucepan of boiling water until bright green, then take out to cool or rinse under cold water. Pick the leaves off the watercress, and add them to the beans.
Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp olive oil
1 level tsp of salt
1 level tsp freshly ground black pepper
Power Packed Salad: Spinach & Feta Cheese
For the easiest salad ever in the entire world, you gotta try this! Here’s a little nutrient rundown in case you’re not convinced…spinach, one of our top superfoods, it doesn’t get more antioxidant packed than this; red onion containing quercetin for a little anti-inflammatory love; and feta cheese for the protein fix!
Serves 3-4 (or 1, cos you might not want to share it!)
Salad:
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/4 of a small red onion chopped
Feta cheese to crumble on top
Wash the spinach leaves and spin dry. Add the red onion, and sprinkle the feta cheese on top!
Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp olive oil
1 level tsp of salt
1 level tsp freshly ground black pepper
Mix the ingredients together and pour over the salad.
This salad is also great with diced chicken breast to add a little extra protein.
Power Packed Salad: Quinoa Tabbouleh
We’ve got it. This A-MA-ZING salad is sooooooo good for you and tastes even better!! All the ingredients a Fit Girl needs to look spiffing: quinoa for the protein fix; parsley and pomegranate for a little antioxidant power; and tomatoes for glowing skin! You need this in your life, and your tastebuds will think you amazing!
Serves 6-8
Cook 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water (should take about 20 minutes)
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped (1 bunch)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
3 large tomatoes, or 10 cherry tomatoes chopped
the seeds of half a pomegranate
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Mix it all together and devour!!
Let’s get a little portion control up in here!
Scared if you buy a packet of X, you’ll eat the lot instead of just a small amount? You need some portion control girl. Either that or just exercising a little discipline. But since us ladies can be prone to cycles of hormonal take over (not exactly an excuse but we’re gonna run with it), we think a little lesson in portion control is needed.
So you buy a bar of dark chocolate with the hope that you’ll just have two squares in the afternoon like they suggest in the magazines, except somehow you thought that those two pieces that you ate were feeling lonely and needed some company in the form of the other 8 squares! Us ladies are very good at rationalising exactly why our wants turn into absolute needs. Things like “oh I might as well just eat it all now” or, “ooh, I want it all now” or indeed, “I need it all now!” Well, sweethearts, you don’t! What happened to savouring the moment? What happened to life’s little pleasures? The truth is, savouring two decadent pieces of chocolate, is a sheer pleasure, and one to be exercised!
You should at this stage be planning your food on most days, and if you’re not…shame on you…where have you been? Reading Un-Fit Girl About Town or something? If you pack your lunch or at least your snacks, seperate them into small clip lid boxes. There is much joy to be gained in taking one of your little boxes out of the work fridge with your perfect portion in there! Er, mind you, if it is two squares of chocolate, maybe it’s best kept in your work drawer. Whilst you may be able to maintain your own discipline, you may not be able to control that of your colleagues who may spot it in the fridge! The same thing goes for any other little snacks you have throughout the day, portion them up, and divide them out. And we’re not interested in hearing that all of those extra little boxes are going to take up room in your bag! Would you rather that, or the excess eating take up room on your thighs? We thought so! Next complaint?
Anyway, here are a few snacks that you can fill your clip lid boxes with!
Two spoonfuls of olives
A handful of almonds and a small apple or plum
Some houmous and oat cakes or some celery (obviously in seperate containers…wrap the oat cakes or celery in tin foil)
A small square of cheese and some grapes
Two squares of dark, decadent chocolate (obviously be careful on hot days!)
A spoonful of (free from crap) peanut butter and small apple
Some toasted seeds
The list is endless! Nothing gives me greater joy than to open up my little clip lid box of love, and enjoy my prepared-with-love snack!
