Eating wisely

Sensible meals and snacks

On Monday I talked specifically about alleviating hypoglycemic symptoms, but the meal and snack suggestions I'm making today are applicable to anyone wanting to improve their eating habits. If you suffer with hypoglycemia then save some of your breakfast for a snack later; but don't eat a piece of fruit on its own, the sugars are too quickly and easily digested so you need to have a couple of provitas or 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread and half a glass of skim milk as well.

A healthy breakfast
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, but we pay scant attention to it and just grab whatever comes to hand - a slice of toast, a bowl of cereal. Or nothing at all! You have been fasting all night, your blood sugar is low and you need a kick start before you can expect your body and brain to perform optimally. Many of us make the excuse that we 'don't have time' for breakfast. Make time. It's vital for your health. Ideally, breakfast should contain a little protein, a little fat and carbohydrates. Some ideas:

No time available?
A small carton of low-fat or fat-free yoghurt (fat and protein - even fat free has a trace of fat). Add to this one tablespoon of seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame, flax, linseed, whatever (fat and protein) - and one tablespoon of bran (carbohydrate).

4 pro-vita biscuits (carbs) spread with one tablespoon low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese (fat and protein). Top with slices of cucumber or tomato (more carbs).

A smoothie: 1/2 cup of each of the following: frozen (or fresh) berries, yoghurt, milk, water. Whoosh together with a hand blender. Accompany with an English muffin or crumpet (whole wheat, of course).

A piece of fruit, a small piece of cheese and a slice of whole wheat bread or toast.

A little time available?
A piece of fruit, 1 egg (fat and protein), 1 slice wholewheat bread or toast.

40 - 50gm high bulk, high fibre cereal with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup yoghurt. (I particularly like the Weigh Less Hi-Bulk Meusli. 50gms gives a respectable bowl-full).

2-3 Tablespoons baked beans on toast. Sprinkle with some grated cheese. Eat a piece of fruit or drink 1/2 glass pure unsweetened fruit juice.

No rush?
Cooked oats with 1/2 cup of chopped fruit (or 1 tablespoon raisins or cranberries) and 1 tablespoon cottage cheese, creme fraiche or yoghurt.

One egg omelette with a filling of 1 thin slice ham chopped or 1 tablespoon grated cheese, tomato, chopped mushrooms (quickly dry fry mushrooms and tomato before adding to the omelette). Serve with one slice of whole wheat toast.

A home-made pancake (use 1/2 nutty wheat flour, 1/2 cake flour, no sugar) filled with 1 cup chopped fruit of your choice, sprinkled with cinnamon, topped with a dollop of fromage frais.

Poached haddock or kipper with one slice whole wheat bread

See? It's not so difficult to come up with no-fuss, nutritious breakfasts, is it? Any of the No time breakfasts make easily portable, eat any time snacks, too.

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10 breakfast ideas

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, but we pay scant attention to it and just grab whatever comes to hand - a slice of toast, a bowl of cereal. Or nothing at all! You have been fasting all night, your blood sugar is low and you need a kick start before you can expect your body and brain to perform optimally. Many of us make the excuse that we 'don't have time' for breakfast. Make time. It's vital for your health. Ideally, breakfast should contain a little protein, a little fat and carbohydrates. Some ideas:

No time available?
1.  A small carton of low-fat or fat-free yoghurt (fat and protein - even fat free has a trace of fat). Add to this one tablespoon of seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame, flax, linseed, whatever (fat and protein) - and one tablespoon of bran (carbohydrate).

2.  4 pro-vita biscuits (carbs) spread with one tablespoon low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese (fat and protein). Top with slices of cucumber or tomato (more carbs).

3.  A smoothie: 1/2 cup of each of the following: frozen (or fresh) berries (carbs), yoghurt, milk (protein, fat) and water. Whoosh together with a hand blender. Accompany with an English muffin or crumpet (whole wheat, of course, providing fibre and more carbs).

4.  A piece of fruit (carbs), a small piece of cheese (protein and fat) and a slice of whole wheat bread or toast.

A little time available?
5.  A piece of fruit (carbs), 1 egg, scrambled or poached (fat and protein), 1 slice wholewheat bread or toast (carbs).

6.  40 - 50gm high bulk, high fibre cereal (carbs) with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup yoghurt (protein and fat). I particularly like the Weigh Less Hi-Bulk Meusli and 50gms gives a respectable bowl-full.

7.  2-3 Tablespoons baked beans (protein) on toast (carbs). Sprinkle with some grated cheese (protein and fat). Eat a piece of fruit or drink 1/2 glass pure unsweetened fruit juice diluted with an equal quantity of water.

No rush?
8.  Cooked oats (carbs) with 1/2 cup of chopped fruit (or 1 tablespoon raisins or cranberries) and 1 tablespoon cottage cheese, creme fraiche or yoghurt (protein and fat).

9.  One egg omelette (protein) with a filling of 1 thin slice ham (protein, fat) chopped or 1 tablespoon grated cheese (protein, fat), tomato, chopped mushrooms (quickly dry fry mushrooms and tomato before adding to the omelette). Serve with one slice of whole wheat toast (carbs).

10.  A home-made pancake (use 1/2 nutty wheat flour, 1/2 cake flour, no sugar) filled with 1 cup chopped fruit of your choice, sprinkled with cinnamon, topped with a dollop of fromage frais.

See? It's not so difficult to come up with no-fuss, nutritious breakfasts, is it? Any of the 'No time breakfasts' make easily portable, eat any time snacks, too.

Let's do lunch on Wednesday.

Sabotaged!

 

We strive all week to make healthy food choices, control portion sizes and take reasonable exercise. Then along comes the weekend (or a special occasion) and all our good intentions dissolve – whether it’s drinks with colleagues after work, someone’s birthday or Sunday lunch at the in-laws’ place – and the road to healthy eating is forsaken. One weekend of eating and/or drinking too much, or failing to keep up with your exercise routine can undo a lot of the good work you did during the previous week, both physically and mentally.

 

After a weekend of over-indulgence we may well feel guilty and call ourselves weak-willed, resolving to do better next weekend. But we need to help ourselves keep that resolution. Here’s how:

 

• Start with a healthy breakfast, as on any other day. A good breakfast ensures that we will be able to get through to lunchtime without gnawing hunger pains or a headache. High fibre cereal with yoghurt, whole grain toast with a smear of peanut butter or thin slice of cheese, or an egg – all healthy choices.
• Keep on track by tracking, every day – yes, even weekends. We need to stay up-to-date and honest with our food journal/diary – even if we go overboard. At least we will be able to see how (and maybe why) we did.
• Going shopping? Eat first. If we’re hungry while grocery shopping, we’re likely to pick up all sorts of food items that we don’t really want, and certainly don’t need.
• Occasional treats are allowed. Any eating plan that leaves us feeling deprived is sure to fail. There is no harm in enjoying a small piece of dark chocolate or one scoop of ice cream. Occasionally; I said that already, didn’t I? Don't save all your treats to splurge at the weekend.
• Plan ahead. Knowing what we are going to eat is really important for keeping on track. We need to plan weekend meals, too, and make a shopping list accordingly. And stick to the list. If we don’t put poor food choices in our trolleys, they won’t be in the house to tempt us later. Stock up on fresh fruit instead.
• Spend some time reading and planning. Reading health magazines keeps us up-to-date with current research and tips on food and nutrition – there are usually some tasty, healthy recipe ideas, too.

 

Enjoy your weekend. You deserve a break.

Oats for breakfast

The word oatmeal conjures up a mental image of a burly, bearded Scotsman complete with kilt and sporan. I have no idea why. Maybe oatmeal packaging back in my childhood depicted a kilted man, playing the bagpipes. Who knows? Who remembers? Oats and oatmeal have certainly been on breakfast menus around the western world for very many years.

Oats are generally considered a 'health' food. They are certainly high in soluble fibre, and contain protein nearly equal to that found in soya beans.

Oats are a whole grain, so they give a feeling of fullness for longer - always a good thing if you want to lose weight. Oats are said to reduce 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) - always a good thing if you want to avoid cardiovascular disease. Oats are incorporated in many commercially produced food stuffs too, from muesli to oat biscuits.

Serve oats with: cooked apple: milk and a little sugar: with a sprinkling of cinnamon and raisins: with a handful of blueberries and a dollop of fat free yoghurt: or whoosh them up in your breakfast smoothie. Replace the breadcrumbs in burger patties with oats. Use half flour and half oatbran for sweet pastry. Use half flour and half rolled oats as a crumble topping on fish pie.

Oats make a very soothing face pack, too.

Oats are the only cereal always refered to in the plural. We don't talk about wheats or corns (unless they are on our feet) or barleys, do we? I wonder why that is.