Don't call it a diet

My thoughts on diets? They rarely work long term and are often detrimental to your physical and mental wellbeing. My primary advice to clients who are wanting to lose weight is never think of eating as a ‘diet’. As a foodie I can’t think of a more miserable way to spend your time on earth – believe me I’ve been there, sat in my lunch-break faced with 1 slice of cheese and ham followed by a low fat yoghurt (some low carb/fat/high protein diet which, of course, didn’t even work!). I may have been a bit slimmer but looked the opposite of good health and food brought me absolutely no joy!

Calories

I know talking about weight can be hugely triggering for some and therefore I find the government’s obesity strategy in introducing calorie counts on menus hugely misguided. Not only does this make eating out less enjoyable but counting calories religiously as a form of managing ones weight can become obsessive. Everyone metabolises calories differently and often the calorie count isn’t accurate so it is far better to focus on nutrients and balance of macros (i.e. your carbs, fat and protein which the body uses for energy).

So how to eat well without dieting/counting calories and still lose or maintain your weight in a healthy way? Here are 5 of my favourite super simple health hacks with weight loss or management in mind.  

 

Move every day

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I would firstly look at your lifestyle and decide what kind of exercise you enjoy that you could incorporate into your weekly routine. I’m a naturally active (restless?) person and find it hard to sit still for too long so I love running, boxing and lower impact classes like pilates and yoga (I’ve hyped up Georgie Spurling’s method many times – cleverly this low impact pilates/barre hybrid garners results with minimal sweat). However if you’re just not an exercise type of person or want to gently ease in, walking is extremely underrating, although I would say power walk with purpose to raise your heartbeat and with music, a podcast, or a buddy to make it fun!

 

Eat more to eat less

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Obviously my favourite motto. I absolutely love fruit and vegetables, primarily because treated lovingly they taste AMAZING but also eating a variety everyday (aim for 10) gives you a range of vits and mins, is gold for your gut microbiota and only scratches the surface of your calorific intake p.d. (not that i’m counting but it’s important to remember that we need to consume only the energy that we expend per day to stay at a stable weight). Therefore fill your plate with them – I recommend 50% at least. There are literally dozens of ways to serve vegetables so get creative by roasting, stir-frying and shaving/grating/massaging to serve raw. I love a poke bowl for packing in raw, pickled and cooked veg (see my version with a basil cashew cream here, recipe below). For children and fussy eaters, chopping or grating finely and adding into bologneses and pasta sauces is one the easiest ways to hide them and smoothies as a snack or breakfast are an excellent way of incorporating a few in one burst if short on time. 

 

Never deprive yourself!

Sorry, this doesn’t mean eating chocolate bars all day but finding healthy alternatives for when you’ve got a craving and NEVER going hungry (sad times and when you’re ravenous you’re more likely to eat the first thing you see). For example if I want something sweet mid-afternoon I might have a date with almond butter or a smoothie or for something savoury then small piece of rye toast with hummus and veges or a little bowl of last night’s leftovers. That being said have the chocolate bar occasionally but really relish it instead of wolfing it down! Mindful eating really does help.

 

Manage your plate-pectations

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To avoid overeating over a day, roughly know where you’ll be and what you’ll be eating. For example if I’m going out for dinner I’d have a normal breakfast and a light, balanced lunch so that I can relax and eat to my heart’s content in the evening.  Or if you get a big meal sprung on you, just have a lighter day the next day. 

 

Mindful Drinking

I love to drink, good wine makes me happy and much as I envy people who can abstain entirely I think my life would be a little less fun without the odd rosé-filled afternoon in the garden or red wine in a cosy country pub in the winter. But wine sadly does count and it’s frustrating when you’ve been eating well and exercised frequently for this to be sabotaged by a few too many nights out. Therefore, practice ‘mindful drinking’…

1.    Hydrate before, hydrate during and hydrate after. Alcohol is a diuretic so always sidecar your drink with a glass of water: this will likely mean you drink less alcohol as often we reach for our wine glass as a reflex or when we’re thirsty. 

2.    Never drink instead of a meal, making sure to eat a balanced meal during or beforehand (carbs are your friend in this case). 

3.    Get out of the habit. Aim for 4 days a week (min) alcohol-free.

My Salmon ‘poke’ bowl with brown rice, quick ginger pickled carrot

and a basil, lime cashew cream

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If you want to pack more servings of vegetables into your meals then This recipe is like a hug in a bowl for you wellbeing containing over 8 varieties. And Salmon is rich in omega-3 important for cognitive health with the added bonus of being excellent for your skin. Based on a Hawaian poke bowl, i switch the white rice for brown and kept it dairy free with a basil cream made with cashews.

For the salmon

2 ultra fresh salmon fillets, skinned and chopped into bitesize cubes

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp tamari/soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

  • Mix the last 4 ingredients, stir in the salmon and chill in the fridge for up to an hour.

Kale

  • In a large pan melt 1 tbsp coconut oil over a low heat. Add in 2 sliced garlic cloves, cook for 30 seconds then add in 2 handfuls of kale. Stir fry for 5 minutes until wilted, adding in 1 tbsp tamari sauce half way. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Carrot

  • In a bowl mix 1 tsp honey, pinch of salt, juice of 1 lime and 1 tsp freshly grated ginger.

  • Add in 2 carrots, finely peeled into ribbons and massage into the liquid. Leave for 15 minutes.

Basil, lime cashew cream

  • Soak 50g cashew nuts in boiling water for 15 minutes.

  • Add to a blender with a little of the soaking water and add 1 small bunch of basil, 1 peeled garlic clove, juice of 1 lime, pinch of salt, 1 cm peeled ginger. Blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed.

To assemble:

80g brown rice, cooked and chilled.

2 handfuls of spinach

1 pomegranate, deseeded

1 avocado, sliced

Fresh chilli or chilli flakes

Furikake seasoning (a sesame and seaweed condiment)

Chia seed, blueberry and ginger breakfast pots

If you’re looking for a breakfast with maximum visual appeal but minimum effort this is it! Chia seeds magically soak up all the liquid and flavour overnight and by morning they’re plump, creamy and ridiculously filling and take 1 minute to layer up with a compote, yoghurt and toppings. You could even serve this as a light pudding, although I’d add a little more maple syrup if you like something sweeter…

The multiple health benefits of this little seed are well documented but in short it contains a high amount of fibre and protein which is why this breakfast will keep you sustained all morning AND they contain a good dose of that much needed fatty acid, omega-3. The reason for upping our omega-3 intake is that most modern diets are too high in omega-6 and too low in omega 3 and this imbalance can lead to inflammatory diseases. We can tip this balance by consciously consuming more omega-3 (high amounts are found in flaxseeds, oily fish/fish oil tablets, walnuts and pumpkin seeds) and lowering our intake of omega-6 (vegetable oils, processed foods, peanuts).

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Recipe

Makes 4 portions - and works well to make ahead for the week

·     ½ cup chia seeds 

·     2 cups oat milk (or ordinary)

·     ½ cup yoghurt – cow’s or coconut for DF

·     1 tbsp maple syrup

·     1 tsp vanilla extract

·     1 tbsp pitaya/dragonfruit powder (optional)

·     2 cups frozen blueberries 

·     1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated 

·     Yoghurt and granola to top. 

Method

  • Mix the seeds, milk, yoghurt, maple syrup, vanilla and pitaya powder together in a large bowl, whisking so it is all mixed evenly. Cover and leave overnight. 

  • Put the blueberries and ginger in a pan and slowly bring to a simmer until defrosted and the juice is runny. Simmer for 1 minute then cool. 

  • In the morning, take 4 glasses and divide the blueberry sauce between each. Divide the chia between each, then top with a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt and some granola or seeds. 


 

Tis' the season (of the sprout, obviously!): 1001 nuits chicken traybake with a roasted and raw sprout, fennel and quinoa tabbouleh (and why sprouts are your body’s bestie in December)

It’s amazing how nature has a way of producing exactly what we need in every season. Take December. With parties, late nights and All. That. Food. our liver is likely to need all the support it can get. Likewise, with the hard-to-dodge-if-you-breathe common cold our immunity needs a boost. Enter sprouts, so ubiquitous with this month, cannily so as they feed your body with (mostly!) everything you need to get through the season boosting your vitamin C for fighting those free radicals and, as a cruciferous vegetable, crucial in the phase 2 detoxification process taking place in the liver. Nutrition aside they are delicious when treated right i.e. in this recipe where I’ve folded some raw and shaved and some roasted into toasted quinoa, herbs and a tahini dressing to make a take on tabbouleh. Served with crispy skin 1001 nuits-spiced chicken, it’s really comforting and moreish.

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Healthy, yes, but also full of warming flavours and interesting textures, plus both the crispy chicken spiced skin and the sage thrown in at the end to crisp up are ADDICTIVE . And bonus, it’s cooked in one large baking tray, adding the different elements according to their cooking time, so a perfect lazy one-pan supper. 1001 nuits is a spice mix I picked up in Paris in the beautiful Bon Marché food hall. Originally created in 12th Century Baghdad, it’s a heady blend of 17 spices including rose, turmeric and cardamom giving a middle-eastern, highly perfumed taste. Ras-el-hanout would be a good substitute if you can’t find it here or you could try and make your own!

 

4 reasons to include sprouts in your diet: 

  1. To support phase 2 detoxification in the liver – along with other cruciferous, sulphur-rich veges such as kale, broccoli and cabbages, helping to produce enzymes which speed up this phase.  

  2. They’re high in Vitamin C (1 serving, 78g, provides 81% of your daily need) which is known for enhancing immunity, acting as an antioxidant to neutralise the free radicals that can lead to inflammation in our bodies, plus it helps the absorption of non-heme iron found in plants.

  3. They’re high in Vitamin K – crucial for bloodclotting. 

  4. They’re high in soluable fibre – helping to regulate blood sugar levels and feed the good gut bacteria.

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RECIPE

Serves 2-3

 

  • 4 free range or organic chicken thighs, skin on

  • 4 tbsps plain yoghurt 

  • 2 tbsp 1001 nuit spice mix or ras-el-hanout

 

  • 100g quinoa, cooked

  • 200g brussel sprouts, bases sliced off. Half cut in 2 and the other half very finely sliced (or, if you have one, by the fine attachment of a magimix or mandolin)

  • 2 fennel bulbs

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup 

  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced

  • 3 tbsp olive oil 

  • 80g dill, chopped

  • 10 leaves of sage, tossed in a little oil

  • salt 

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp tahini 

  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon 

  • 4 tbsp of boiling water 

  • pinch of salt 






Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. 

  • In a large bowl mix the yoghurt with the spices and toss in the chicken. Leave to marinate for an hour or up to 1 day. 

  • Slice each fennel into 8 wedges, trying to keep them intact. Toss in 1tbsp olive oil in a large baking tray with 1 tsp salt and the maple syrup. Move to one side of the tray, making sure they stay in one layer. 

  • Lay the chicken out on the other side of the tray, skin side up.

  • Roast for 30 minutes, turning the veg to brown all over. 

  • Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the veg to a bowl. Add the quinoa and garlic cloves to the baking tray, mixing it into the pan juices with the chicken and cook for another 15minutes until the quinoa starts to crisp. For the final 5 minutes add the sage leaves, waiting for them to crisp up too then remove the tray from the oven.

  • Meanwhile whisk all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and then add the shaved sprouts and dill, stirring to coat. Add in the warm quinoa and garlic. 

  • Divide the tabbouleh between two plates and top with the chicken and sage. Voila!