#MAY5ADAY – think you’re up to the fruit & veg challenge?

I’m passionate about a lot of things when it comes to healthy lifestyles – the benefits of drinking water, the importance of eating clean and real food, going back to basics and avoiding packaged junk, the effect that strength and flexibility can have on your overall mental and physical state… those are just a few. But perhaps one of my biggest passions is helping people to reach (and hopefully exceed) their recommended 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. The benefits of eating more of the plant-stuff are REAL, I promise you – just ask the peeps on my Spring Clean programme!

The UK’s recommendation is that you eat 2 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetables a day – that ratio is because fruit is higher in sugar than vegetables, and veggies tend to have a broader range of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which can help protect us from diseases. In Australia, the recommendation is 2 portions of fruit and 5 of veg a day. And despite originally starting with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations of 5 a day, countries like Denmark (6 a day), France (10 a day) and Japan (a whopping 13 a day – 4 from fruit and 13 from veg) have upped their recommendations over the last few years. So our piddly 5 a day seems like child’s play in comparison! Surely we’re cool enough to play with the grown ups?

The scary thing is, so many people aren’t even reaching our small recommendation. I think that’s probably for a number of reasons:

Are you getting your 5 a day?

• I think there’s a lot of confusion about what a ‘portion’ actually is. “Hurrah!”, you think, “I’ve scoffed a satsuma – that’s one of my portions!”… Erm, no. Sorry. That’s half a portion. Check out the box opposite for what a portion looks like
• “Jacket potato in my gob, that’s a portion of veg!” – nope, I’m afraid not! While potatoes are definitely vegetables, they don’t actually count towards your 5 a day because they’re a starchy carbohydrate. So unless you’re loading your spud with salad or beans, you need to rethink that one!
• Squishing the juice of out fruit only counts as one portion, no matter how much not-from-concentrate, no-added-sugar goodness you think you’re drinking! See, when you squelch out the juices, you leave behind the pulp that contains all the nutrients and leave yourself with the liquid sugar. And, even more of a shame, this ‘one portion of juice’ rule doesn’t apply to wine. Oh how we wish it did.
• Sadly, I think some people find fruit and veg boring, or they have a phobia about the textures, tastes and other things. Okay, so school dinner cabbage (which I strangely loved as a kid and used to swap my ice cream for people’s cabbage), might be to blame for that – but there’s such a HUGE variety of different fruit and veg out there, and a gazillion ways to cook them and incorporate them into our diets – you’ll surely be able to find a way that you like to eat things. It’s sometimes just a matter of trying something new.

Tag your fruit & veg pics!

So I want to set a little challenge for you all in May – #MAY5ADAY – and a bit of a challenge for me too!

Every Monday in May I will share a recipe that helps you up your intake of fruit and veg. Your part of the bargain is to make a conscious effort to reach your target – and get involved by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the #MAY5ADAY.

Of course, the easiest way for you to kick this challenge into touch would be to sign up for my May Spring Clean intake. You’ll be given meal plans and recipes that will help keep you on the 5 a day path – and you’ll get a whole heap of other benefits from the healthy food too. You can find out more HERE.

What say you? You in?

Happiness is egg-shaped – an ode to the humble egg

I love an egg. Small but perfectly formed, super tasty, relatively cheap and so damn nutritious. The ultimate fast food, packed full of vitamins and only around 70 calories each. What’s not to love?

On the Spring Clean programme, we’ve been working our way through eggs in all manner of shapes and forms – egg muffins, omelettes, luxury scramble with salmon, or tangy and creamy scramble with feta, bakin’ with them, and generally hankering after them. Seriously yummy, easy to make and designed to keep you fuller for longer. So what makes this little oval pocket such a powerhouse?

1. It’s a protein pocket – most eggs contain 6g of protein, and it’s the complete type of protein that has all the essential amino acids that our bodies need to maintain and repair tissues and support brain function. They also have around 20% of our daily protein intake in just a single egg. Awesome. Protein is so important – not just for the muscle and tissue repair and support, but also because it keeps us fuller for longer… combine them with carbs to help slow down their digestion and you’ll have a meal that will keep hunger at bay!
2. All ‘dem good fats – pretty much all eggs have omega 3 in them… that’s the stuff that so many of us don’t get enough of that is so good for us… But the level of omega 3 depends on the level of omega 3 in the foods that the chooks eat. You might have seen eggs being marketed as ‘Omega 3 eggs’ – that’s usually because of the added oils to a hen’s diet. That’s not always entirely natural – it’s rare that hens would actually eat algae or krill oils if they were left to their own devices – but hens that are free to run around in pastures green will eat plenty of omega 3 from clover and other legumes which will be passed on to us. So we’re getting plenty of the good fats from these beauts – a blessing for vegetarians in particular, as most other forms of omega 3 are fish-based.
3. Remember the whole hoo-ha about eggs and cholesterol? Certainly gave our little oval beauties a bad rap for a while, huh? Well, let’s do a quick recap on the facts. Yes, eggs have cholesterol, but our bodies can’t actually survive without cholesterol – it’s a structural molecule that our cells couldn’t survive without and we couldn’t produce several essential hormones without it! But, there are two different types of cholesterol – one of which can be a harmful if we have too much of it. Previously it was thought that eggs raised cholesterol levels and contributed to the risk of heart disease from high cholesterol – but more recent research has shown that while eggs do tend to raise cholesterol levels, they actually increase the levels of the good type of cholesterol which clears up the bad fat in our blood stream (a little like a hoover) and helps maintain those cells. A little caveat though, if you do suffer from high cholesterol make sure that you check with your doctor whether it’s okay for you to eat eggs as it’s sometimes not recommended if levels are already fairly high.
4. Eggs provide a stack of vitamins and minerals – selenium (to help keep our immune system healthy as well as maintain the health of our thyroid) and Vit D which so many of us are deficient in, especially as we come out of a dreary winter (our main provider of Vit D is the sun) amongst a whole heap of other fabulous vitamins and minerals to keep us in tip top shape.

The thing that I possibly love most about eggs is that they’re a shining example of Mother Nature doing her ‘thang’… For example, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. That means that unless we consume it with a bit of fat, our bodies will struggle to absorb the goodness. So Mamma Nature very cleverly designed these little beauties to have their own inbuilt fat supply – the yolk! That’s why it’s so important to eat the yolks and not just the whites.

Eggs is easy…

I use eggs in a multitude of ways – in our 2 person house, it’s not uncommon for us to run out of a box of 12 eggs in a week. They’re cheap, nutritious and EASY. Check out some of the pics from the Spring Clean programme to see how folks have been using them below. Egg muffins were a favourite (although definitely use silicon muffin cases for an easy release!) but there’s something luxuriously simple about smoked salmon and scrambled egg for a brunch-time treat.

What are your favourite eggy recipes?

The Spring Clean tribe have been enjoying the benefits of more energy, healthier looking skin and weight loss too – and we’re only in Week 3! If you’d like to sign up for the May intake of the programme or to find out more, click HERE.

* Image of eggs in a basket from Huffington Post.

Why you (and your inner diva) NEED to eat breakfast

My mum used to find it highly amusing that, as a toddler or grumpy teen, I always had the same morning ritual. Haul my ass out of bed (usually under great duress) and head straight for the breakfast table in a zombie-like coma. Must. Eat. Food. And slowly, but surely, with each mouthful of whatever it was, the human(ish) Bella would emerge and I’d leave the table a brighter and sunnier person (or so I’d like to believe!).

Turns out, I was setting myself up for an awesome habit that does me a power of good now that I’m a proper grown up (again, so I’d like to believe!). While I know that there are several of you out there who will argue that you can operate fine without breakfast, science backs up the fact that to get your body working properly throughout the day (not just at the beginning of it) then you need to start it right. And that means you need to break the fast and EAT! Preferably something healthy and filled with the good stuff. Don’t believe me? Here are 4 reasons why you need to find a way of starting the day right:

1. Manage your blood sugar levels. While you’re sleeping, your body is working away digesting all the food that you’ve eaten the night before. So when you wake up, there’s very little trace left of the nutrients in your blood stream and just the *ahem* remains waiting to be pooped out. And your blood sugar levels will be low enough to make you comparable with a grouchy grizzly. By gently raising your blood sugar levels first thing, you’re helping to manage your hunger levels throughout the day – leave it too late and chances are you’ll be reaching for a high calorie, high sugar ass-kicker snack mid morning because I’M-STARVING-AND-IF-I-DON’T-EAT-I-WILL-DIE (yep, low blood sugar may result in you turning into a melodramatic diva.) So give your metabolism a wake up call, get some stability in your blood sugar levels, and start the day as you mean to go on. And leave the diva at the door.

2. Wake up your brain. After a night’s sleep your brain cells will be running on empty – they need energy from the food you eat (that’s the glucose from complex carbohydrates) to refuel. Without that refueling, your brain will struggle to operate on all cylinders, which means that processing information or managing complex challenges (so things like forming and retrieving memories) are all a little bit too tricky. But by giving your brain the boost that it needs through food, it’s all set to be bright and alert and all those other things that you’d probably find life easier with!

3. Get your vitamin fix. Grabbing some fruit, yoghurt, and wholegrains for breakfast is a sure fire way to make sure that you’re getting a swift vitamin shot. It’ll pump you full of vitamin B for maximum energy and keep your immune system healthy with vitamins A, C and zinc. And that diva that you left at the door? She’ll be replaced by the happier version thanks to a lift in your seratonin levels. Happy shiny people!

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I’ve waffled on about the importance of drinking enough water before and breakfast is a great place to start. I like to down a glass of the good stuff first thing to help make sure that my body has the fluid it needs. And don’t forget that pile of digested poop waiting for you to wake up… water will help with that too! But you can eat your water too – fruit is packed full of it! Don’t get too attached to strong caffienated drinks though – that diva might make a re-appearance.

UGH FINE… But I don’t have TIME.
Just because you need to kick start your system doesn’t mean you need to labour over a mammoth feast, or get up a gazzilion hours earlier to create some exquisitely complex sensation for your taste buds. When it comes to my top 3 breakfasts, taste and simplicity are key. I tend to eat mine either at my desk or before I leave the house. Either way, I don’t have a lot of time to hang about faffing over the preparation. Sometimes, that means getting things prepped the night before. Trust me, that little bit of effort can make morning life a whole load more peaceful!

Fruity yoghurt-to-go: This is a night-before-er. Half-fill a Tuppaware with frozen berries (I prefer the mixed ones). Chuck 20-40g of oats on top, spoon in some Greek yoghurt and sprinkle with a tablespoon of milled seeds/nuts. Takes you 3 mins to make. Then all you need to do in the morning is remember to take it with you! And there you have a vitamin-packed breakfast, super tasty, with all the nutrients.

Smashed eggs on toast: Sounds like a palava, really isn’t. Stick your toast (wholegrain, or sprouted if you can!) on while you’re heating a pan with a tsp of coconut oil. When the pan is hot, crack in 2 eggs and smash them up (it’s a less-hassle scrambled egg!) and season. Plop them (as elegantly as you can for first thing in the morning!) onto your toast. To get the full nutritional brownie points from this, whack in a handful of spinach at the same time as the egg and smash it all up together. Or just serve with some avocado or tomatoes. That’ll do too.

Chia and cinnamon oat pot: Might be flashing a few ‘health freak’ warning bells to some of you, but you can get chia seeds from pretty much anywhere these days! They’re packed full of omega 3 and are hailed as a superfood of the moment. I like to chuck a tablespoon into my trusty Tuppaware pot along with a tbsp of desicated coconut, milled flax seed, 40g oats and a tsp of cinnamon. Cover the mix with milk of your choice (I like this one with almond milk) and mix it up, ready to soak in the fridge overnight. Chia seeds start to soak up the liquid and make it go gooey… which is perfect for you to take out in the morning, top with greek yoghurt, blueberries and a drizzle of honey if it’s not sweet enough for you.

I have loads more breakfast ideas – from smoothies and pancakes to sweet bakes and savoury delights! Why not share some of yours below? Are you a breakfast lover?

Full of beans… the ups and downs of becoming vegetarian

So it’s been (bean, bean, bean) two whole weeks of my meat free existence. And all in all, I’m actually really enjoying it – I’ve been experimenting with a few new foods, made an effort to actually find and cook tasty things and I’ve not actually been (bean, bean, BEAN) missing meat too much! I’ve had the odd craving for fish (which surprised me – I was expecting a craving for STEAK!), but other than that, I’ve been more than happy with my veggie goodness… oh, and the BEANS. Wowzer, there are LOADSA BEANS.

My first week resulted in bean boredom… I made the classic mistake of not allowing enough time to plan a variety of different foods. So I had baked beans for brekkie and easy late dinners, mixed bean salad for lunches and bean stews and casseroles for dinner. JE SUIS UN BEAN. But despite the bean fatigue, I felt great… no noticeable side effects (well…. erm….) and I was literally full of beanz.

And then week two happened. And the slump hit. I had changed up my beans and leafy salads for cheese and carbs in an attempt to swerve bean overload. And so I was eating some really great meals (like the stuffed red peppers and lentil and aubergine stew in the photos below), but I wasn’t really paying attention to getting the right balance of nutrients. By Wednesday afternoon I was WEAK. A quick stern word with myself, and a day of eggs, beans and greens later and my iron and vitamin B12 supplies were heading back to the levels they should have been. The difference was amazing. It really highlighted to me the importance of making sure that you get the planning right.

A couple of other things that I’ve noticed since I’ve been meat free:

• Not all restaurants, cafes or shops provide easy, tasty or healthy options for vegetarians… I’ve had the odd occasion where my choice was either to go hungry or have chips. Or you have to pay through the nose for something branded as a super special food of the vegan gods. It helps to have a few extra snacks in the handbag to make sure you’ve got a cheap, easy and HEALTHY alternative.
• As someone who’s not a massive fan of cereal but also a firm believer of starting the day with a good breakfast, I’ve had to make an extra effort to get up early to make my eggs, beans on toast etc to make sure that I’m getting something with the right nutrient balance to pump me full of energy. It’s been worth it when I do and noticeable when I don’t.
• My weekly shopping bill has dropped! Woohooo! The cost of some of the food I’ve been preparing at home (quinoa, beans, eggs, nuts, etc) is a lot less than the price of the meaty counterparts.
• Cheese. That is all.
• This may be a coincidence, but I’ve been feeling more zen-like, have taken up yoga and downloaded the Headspace app since cutting out meat. Is there a link between carnivorous ways and aggressive attitudes? Or is this my inner hippy going into COMPLETE overdrive? I thoroughly expect (and embrace) the latter! 🙂

Tomorrow brings a new and exciting veggie challenge for me… We’re sparking up the BBQ! While my beloved meaty man person will be slapping on a few burgers, sausages and fish kebabs, I’ve been having a trawl through some recipes for something a bit different. The recipes on the BBC Good Food website are giving me plenty to drool over! I’ll be using tomorrow as a practice run for our Easter BBQ with friends (including a few fellow veggies) and family. And not all of it will include beans!

(Pepper stuffed with halloumi, mushrooms and couscous)

(Aubergine and lentil stew, not the prettiest, but oh so tasty!)

Farewell to steak… and bacon… and chicken…

The results of the poll are in! In an earlier post, I left the fate of my meat-eating habits in your hands – will I spend the month of April exploring what it’s like to be a pescatarian, vegetarian or a (*gasp!*) vegan….?

You’ve been kind – over 40% chose vegetarian. It’s farewell to fish and meat, but I can eat cheese and other dairy produce. I can’t complain about that! So despite one of my more sadistic friends voting for the vegan option so that I would be stretched to the furthest point from my comfort zone, the rest of you were a lot more considerate and are helping me makes changes in baby steps!

I’m really excited my meat-free month! I’ve not had an awful lot of time to work out some exciting recipes for this week, but I have pulled together a meal plan with a fair amount of beans and feta… I’ll need to sort that out soon else I’ll be a bored bottom-burper before long (and no one wants that!). In essence, I just need to eat a balanced diet, with lots of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. Variety is key. But from speaking to my veggie friends and through my studies and reading, there’s also a risk of missing out on some essential nutrients. So, if I’m going to do this right, there’ll need to be a bit of planning to make sure I get the energy and vitamins that my body needs.

I’ll cover two of the nutritional pitfalls that I’ll need to be wary of in this post – these are the two more common complaints (certainly among my veggie friends!). But there will be others I’ll cover in more detail throughout the month.

Be strong like iron
Iron is essential for helping our bodies make haemoglobin – that’s the red sticky protein stuff that makes your blood red, but also, more importantly, creates red blood cells to help move oxygen around your body. Without it you risk being anaemic, breathless and severely lacking in energy. The non-meat sources of iron are slightly harder to absorb, so vegetarians in particular need to make sure that they’re getting enough. So where do you find it in a vegetarian diet? Actually there’s plenty of choice, you just need to make sure you’re getting them at regular intervals!

• Eggs
• Some fortified breakfast cereals
• Nuts and seeds
• Pulses and beans (particularly baked beans, lentils and chick peas – hello hummus!)
• Leafy green veg, kale, cress and broccoli
• Brown rice, wholemeal bread

Make sure that you’re getting enough Vit C in your diet too – it’s a handy little helper in the absorption process – but PUT THE CUPPA DOWN. Tea and iron are NOT friends.

Vitamin B12 yourself up!
Vitamin B12 is like the super DIY champ of the body. It makes sure that the general maintenance jobs around the body are done – growth, repair and general upkeep, bit of hedge trimming and mowing of the lawn (okay, maybe not the last two). But sadly for veggies, it’s only found in animal products in its natural form. So that means if you don’t eat eggs and dairy then, as a vegetarian, you’re left with the option of Marmite (and we all know that you either love it, or hate it… ) or the fortified breakfast cereals etc route.

So with those two starting points, I’m all set to start on my meat-free veggie learning extravaganza! If you have any favourite vegetarian recipes, hints, tips or ailments you’d like me to research and explore along the way, please do get in touch!