For a long while I suspected that I had a bit of a problem with wheat. If I’d had cereal for breakfast and then a sandwich for lunch I’d notice that my stomach would feel quite uncomfortable, bloated and made some low grumbling noises in the afternoon. It was obviously not happy! Continue reading
Category: Weight
Chargrilled Cauliflower with Chilli and Garlic
A great nutritious accompaniment to a meal!
Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, known for their cancer fighting properties. High in vitamin C (one portion contains 77% of the recommended vitamin C daily amount), vitamin K and beta-carotene, cauliflower is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich. Try this simple recipe to liven up your cauliflower dishes. I used to think cauliflower was rather bland but I think, (like me) you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple yet yummy this dish is.
Ingredients:
- 2 heads of cauliflower
- Olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 mild red chillies
- Pepper and salt to season
- Cook the cauliflower in boiling water to blanch only (a couple of minutes). Cool it down completely by immersing in cold iced water, drain and dry completely (It mustn’t be wet).
- Once completely dry, toss in a couple of tps olive oil. Heat a griddle pan and grill the florets(in batches if necessary) on a high heat, turning them regularly so they get charred on all sides.
- In the meantime, heat 2 tbs olive oil and heat the whole garlic cloves and chillis until the garlic turns slightly golden.
- Pour them over the hot florets and toss together. Season to taste and serve!
Optional: Use broccoli instead of cauliflower or have a combination!
Variation: Add lemon slices or thinly sliced toasted almonds
Daal
Bringing a touch of aromatic Indian food to your cuisine this week. Daal is made from lentils which are a great protein rich dish – at least 3x that of rice and 2x that of wheat – so it is a great choice for vegetarians. Continue reading
The key to dropping a few kilos? Exercise less, not more!
I don’t know about you but if I had an important event looming that I wanted to look good for I’d up my exercise regime and work out fast and furious. The result?? Not what I’d expect – in fact, sometimes the scales would even show an extra pound or two! Continue reading
Goat’s Cheese, Date and Walnut Salad
2 cups of mixed salad leaves of your choice
1/2 cucumber chopped
1 cup of mini tomatoes cut in half
1 cup of dates pitted and chopped in half
2 ripe pears (peeled or skin on) and chopped
2 figs quartered
½ cup walnuts chopped
200g Goat’s cheese crumbled
Optional: Blackberries to garnish
Dressing:
¼ cup honey (pure raw honey is the best)
60 ml apple cider vinegar
Lemon rind grated
1 Tbs lemon juice
60ml extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning to taste
- Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl
- Drizzle with the dressing
Alison Middleton
Green Mango Salad
Serves 1 to 2
Food of the Gods or Dieters’ Nightmare?
Can you guess what I’m referring to?
Chocolate, of course. With Easter fast approaching and the shops overrun with every kind and size of chocolate egg possible, it’s hard not to think about the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sweet stuff.
Chocolate is, without a doubt, one the most craved-for foods of all time. It makes us feel good. Well, that is until the guilt of indulging, or even overindulging, kicks in.
Chocolate Easter bunnies aside, most of us turn to chocolate at times of celebration or desperation. You might share a bar of chocolate with friends at the end of a lovely meal. Or, you might devour a whole slab of chocolate locked away in your bedroom at the start of your dreaded period.
So what’s the deal with chocolate? Is it our friend or foe? Is it good for you or does it solely serve to pile on the pounds and the guilt?
The answer depends on the type of chocolate you’re eating. Most of the chocolate consumed nowadays is full of sugar and nasty ingredients.
Here’s a piece of chocolate’s history for you:
Chocolate comes from cacao beans, which are seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree native in tropical regions of South and South America. Research shows it was first consumed in the form of a bitter frothy drink around 1900 BC in Mexico, so very different from the sweet treat we enjoy today. Cacao beans were fermented, roasted, and then ground into a paste mixed with water and spices like chili peppers and vanilla and later on sweetened with honey or cinnamon.
The Mayans and Aztecs revered chocolate for its invigorating and mood enhancing properties. The Mayans worshipped a god of cacao and reserved chocolate for rulers, warriors, priests and nobles hence it became known as ‘Food of the Gods’.
It continued to be consumed only in exclusive circles until Dutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented the cocoa press in 1828. This separated the cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving behind a dry cake that could be ground into a fine powder that was mixed with liquids and other ingredients and could be poured into moulds. Chocolate became available and affordable for the masses.
In 1847, the first solid chocolate bar, made from just 3 ingredients – cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar, was introduced by the British c company J.S. Fry & Sons. Cadburys, Hersheys, and Mars came into the picture in the 1900s and introduced the different sweet variations we have today.
So, with all the extra nasties now present in that innocent-looking bar of chocolate, you can indulge in an occasional treat but if you’re looking to enjoy something healthier and guilt-free, why not give minimally processed dark raw chocolate a try? Make sure it’s organic and fair trade and has a cacao content of at least 70%. A single square of chocolate packs a mighty punch of the most powerful antioxidants and the least amount of sugar. The higher the percentage of cacao the greater the potential health benefits.
I know, raw chocolate is an acquired taste. The polyphenols are what make the chocolate bitter, which is why manufacturers remove them and, as a consequence, we lose the health benefits. The good news is that you can train your palate to enjoy raw dark chocolate. My son is milk (lactose) intolerant so I decided to buy it for him. And then, of course, I had to try some too. At first, we both found it very bitter but we gradually came to enjoy it. He and I often have a piece of raw dark chocolate in the evening after our meal. One or two pieces is enough as it is so rich, which it means a whole bar lasts a few evenings AND we don’t over-indulge and scoff the lot in one go!
So, what are the health benefits of dark raw chocolate?
A 2013 paper in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine hailed cacao as a complete food for its:
- healthy monosaturated fats
- high levels of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the levels of strawberries) which are critical in protecting the body from damage and ageing.
- positive effects on our cardiovascular system, helping reduce blood pressure and cholesterol
- high levels of minerals, including potassium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc, and magnesium, all critical for the body’s efficient functioning.
- ability to improve brain function. thought to be due to the high content of flavonoids. Various studies bear this out. http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20160222/can-chocolate-improve-brain
- Mood enhancing properties. It contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love.
Just an ounce of dark chocolate with 70 percent to 85 percent cacao solids contains around:
- 168 calories
- 12.8 grams carbohydrates
- 2.2 grams protein
- 12 grams fat
- 3.1 grams fibre
Click here for a nutritional breakdown:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/10638/2
So you can see why it has been referred to as Food of The Gods.
Cacao v cocoa?
These can be used interchangeably but in cooking and baking, I tend to choose raw cacao powder as it retains more of its natural goodness. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is typically heated at much higher temperatures, destroying many of the health properties. It also often contains sugar. You could also try raw cacao nibs. A sprinkling makes a great addition to porridge or to your smoothie.
What about caffeine?
Dark chocolate contains caffeine but much less than coffee. Compare a 1.5-ounce bar of dark chocolate with 27 mg of caffeine, to the 200 mg in an eight-ounce cup of coffee. However, if you do have trouble sleeping don’t indulge in chocolate from late afternoon onwards as some people find it gets in the way of a restful night’s sleep.
So, to sum up:
If you want to enjoy the health benefits of this Food of The Gods consume dark chocolate. Look out for the highest percentage cacao content you can find (at least 70%), check the sugar content, consume in moderation, relax and relish its rich deliciousness.
Alison Middeton
Stay healthy this holiday season without being a party pooper: 10 strategies
Coming up to the holiday season with all the wonderful calorie laden goodies, lunches and cocktail parties how do we ensure we enjoy ourselves and still maintain our weight and health? Continue reading
Healthy Chocolate Brownies
(makes about 12 to 16 depending on the size you want!)
These have quite a gooey fudge like texture and are completely grain free which is what I love about them. And as they have no refined sugar in them I can indulge without feeling too guilty! Continue reading
Battling Endometriosis and Winning!
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue grows outside of the uterus causing a great deal of – at times quite unbearable pain especially during menstruation and for many can result in infertility. (Maybe a reason why it took me so long to get pregnant with my son, Alex and then didn’t happen again after a miscarriage a few years later). Causes are not clear and there is no real cure for endometriosis. Continue reading
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