How to Actually Have Five Servings of Fruit and Veg Every Day

You’ve been told to include fruits and vegetables in your diet for as long as you can remember, so why are we Brits so rubbish at getting our five-a-day? Let’s be honest, sometimes you manage three or four servings and give yourself a pat on the back for taking care of your wellbeing, but five servings EVERY day? Probably not. Still, your five-a-day is vital for your wellness, so how do you actually get your intake up and protect your health?

 

1. Think Outside the Box: One great way to eat more fruit and veg is to make them more interesting, so that you’ll actually want to eat them. Dunking veggies in dip isn’t just for parties, so crack out your favourite dressing or hummus and have a healthy and delicious snack. You can also sauté some veggies with olive oil and add your favourite spices. If you’re on Pinterest, there are thousands of creative ideas for fruit and vegetable dishes, so get searching.

 

2. Great Things Come in Small Packages: You know the mini versions of toiletries that come out in shops just before the summer holidays? Why are they just more appealing than their full-sized counterparts? The answer: because they’re small and cute! With fruits and vegetables, size does matter as baby carrots or grapes make for an easy and appealing snack on the go. Plus, the tiny versions of most vegetables actually tend to be sweeter and have more flavour in each bite.

 

3. Load Up Your Basket and Your Plate: Instead of getting your produce during your supermarket shop, go to your local greengrocers. Not only does this often work out cheaper; you’re more likely to purchase fresh fruits and veggies when you’re surrounded by them. Whenever you can’t seem to get your hands on the real thing, hit the frozen food aisle of your supermarket for equally nutritious alternatives. Once you’ve got plenty of produce to pick from, make sure they fill up half of your plate at mealtimes. According to the new USDA food guide, this should be a habit that everyone makes, as it guarantees one to two servings in a single sitting.

 

4. Slurp Em: If you’re not a fan of the texture of certain veggies but love the flavour, go ahead and slurp them in your soup. Vegetable soups provide satisfying new menu options to help stave off the winter chill, especially if you pair it with some nice bread. For an easy soup, pea soup can be easily made with fresh or frozen peas, and both taste just as good as each other. However, if you want a soup in the summer time – or any time of year – you can’t go wrong with a refreshing gazpacho.

 

5. Mary Berry Style: If you’re a dab hand at baking, why not add fruits and vegetables to your muffins and breads. Grating some carrots or scooping dried cranberries or raisins into your next batch of baked goods will add moisture and flavour to your bakes, as well as giving you another serving of your five-a-day. You can try classic recipes like carrot cake or banana bread, of you can impress your friends with out-there combinations like courgette and apple bread or blueberry bread.

 

6. Keep Them in Sight: If you want to eat more fruits and vegetables, you need to make them as noticeable and convenient as possible. Instead of hiding your produce away, keep them in a bowl on the kitchen counter. That way, you’ll be much more likely to grab fruit or veg after your busy day, rather dive into the bar of chocolate hidden in the fridge.

Categories: baking, Bread, Five a day, Fruits, nbsp, soup, vegetables, veggies

Wellness Tips: How to Have a Happy and Healthy Diwali

Bright lights, yummy sweets and spending time with your family are some of the key aspects of Diwali and while all these things are good for your overall sense of wellbeing, they’re perhaps not so great for your diet. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just be healthy, this festival can really impede on your efforts, but should you stay away from the celebrations altogether? Of course not! You can enjoy all aspects of the Diwali festivities without suffering the guilt of the next day food hangover. No, you don’t have to stay away from good food; you can have your mithai, chakli and more by following a few wellness tips.

 

1. Bake your savouries instead of frying them: A lot of Diwali savoury favourites come in low-fat versions, and so you’d be forgiven for thinking you could shop away, guilt-free. However, you should not be deceived by those attractive packets of diet chakli, diet chivda or farsan, as these tempting treats are not what they seem. Though they’re not required to say as much on the label, most packaged food items – even the diet ones – contain trans fats. These little nasties can be very dangerous for your cholesterol levels, which has, in turn, an impact on your weight and heart health. Instead, why not make your savouries at home? You can cut down on the amount of fat you use by baking them rather than frying, and this won’t compromise the taste.

 

2. Be a health-conscious host: It’s nice to have plenty of snacks and special drinks on hand to serve your Diwali visitors, but that doesn’t mean you have to give guests devilish treats that are ultimately bad for them. Try serving healthier snacks, such as dhokla, masala peanuts, unsalted dry fruits, sprout-chaat, fruit salad, idlis, and baked chaklis. Instead of packing your pantry with soft drinks or artificial juice, serve nimbu-paani, jal jeera, chaas etc. Your guests will surely love it, and no one’s health or waistline has to suffer.

 

3. Eat at home first: Before going to visit friends and family, eat at home. That way, you can make sure that you don’t end up binging when you get there. Plus, by visiting other people you can bring all the Diwali snacks that you’d only end up gorging yourself on after the festivities have come to a close. Post-Diwali, you know you’re left with loads of mithai and chocolates at home, and you just eat them all so as to not be wasteful. However, taking them to your friends and family during the celebrations, or distributing them to people who are not fortunate enough, can help you not to binge during and after the festive season, and share with other people, which is definitely a good thing.

 

4. Make sweets at home with natural sweeteners: You don’t want to overdo it with the sugar in your Diwali cooking, but research shows that artificial sweeteners can cause side-effects like thyroid problems, memory loss, acidity and even obesity – which is what you’re trying to avoid by using artificial sweeteners in the first place! Instead, turn your attention to natural sweeteners like dates, jaggery, honey or figs in sweets. However, while honey is healthier, be warned that it does contain twice the amount of calories as sugar. When it comes to the best time to eat sweets, plump for those moments after a heavy workout or when you have an empty stomach. That way, your body will be low on calories and so won’t convert the carbohydrates into fat, but rather will use them up for other functions.

Categories: artificial sweeteners, baking, diet, Diwali, Home, Natural Sweeteners, sweeteners, sweets, wellness tips

Easy Recipes to Boost Your Calcium Intake

Calcium is a vital nutrient in the body, and it becomes more necessary as we age. Calcium does far more than just strengthening the skeletal system though, as it also improves the strength of your muscles, nerve transmission and even the functioning of your heart. As people age, the loss of bone becomes more of a concern. This is more common in women than men, especially after the menstrual cycle stops, and can even lead to heart disease and other health problems. It’s advised that people up their calcium intake, as most people don’t get enough, and you can do this with easy and delicious recipes that naturally contain more calcium. A balanced diet that contains plenty of dairy is the best way to ensure that you have enough calcium in your diet to stave off osteoporosis.

 

Baked apples

You may not immediately think of a baked apple as a great source of calcium, but there are ways to improve the more traditional offerings to help your diet and improve your wellbeing. First of all, slice the top off of the apple and core it – top with cinnamon and brown sugar and place in a baking dish, baking at 375 until it is soft and tender. Usually this takes around 40 minutes. Once it’s done, serve with natural yoghurt for a calcium-rich boost.

Mozzarella snacks

Cheese is well known for being a great provider of calcium, but it can be fattening and bad for your health if consumed in large amounts. Mozzarella is a brilliant way to get the best of both worlds, as it’s relatively low in fat but also gives the health benefits you need. Try coating it in breadcrumbs that have been seasoned with herbs and black pepper then baking in the over for a tasty treat. Cut the mozzarella into strips and coat in beaten egg before dipping in the crumbs. Once the cheese has been thoroughly coated (you may need to repeat the process) you can place the strips in the fridge to chill before baking in the oven.

Berry smoothie

Smoothies are loaded with nutrients, from calcium to fibre, fruit and vegetables. For this recipe, combine a cup of yoghurt, a cup of frozen berries, a cup of water and two tablespoons of berry jam – whichever you prefer. Blend together with a blender until it is smooth and enjoy straight away.

Cream of broccoli soup

If you want to load up on veggies quickly, soup is the way to go. This particular soup has the added benefit of calcium in the form of milk. Boil broccoli, sauteed onions, chopped parsley, garlic salt and white pepper together until soft, then blend together. Add two cups of non-fat milk and heat until piping hot.

Omelette and frittata

If you want a quick and easy meal that offers plenty of health benefits, an omelette certainly fits the bill. Mix two eggs with salt and pepper, and add a dash of milk. Once cooked through, you can top with cheese for even more calcium. For a heartier meal with added nutrients, try making a frittata. Mix six eggs this time with seasoning and add milk to make a looser consistency. Fry onions, mushrooms, pepper and sweetcorn in a pan until soft, then add the egg mixture, topping with cheese if you wish. Cook on a slow heat until firm on the bottom, then place in an oven to cook through. You can slice this into wedges and serve with a hearty salad for a delicious meal.

Categories: baking, bones, calcium, calcium intake, cheese, Food, Health Benefits, milk, pepper

Could Baking Cakes Help To Cure Your Depression?

People who bake say that they find it soothing. It is easy to see how it could give you a feeling of wellbeing as you go through the rituals of measuring out the ingredients, following instructions, combining things to create other things and creating tasty treats for you and your family to enjoy.

Now, a new study has shown that baking really is good for your mental and emotional health and wellness. One woman has even opened a pop-up shop called the Depressed Cake Shop, which she hopes will raise money for mental health charities and also get people talking about the issue.

It is the knowledge that baking (and the ritualistic process involved, such as kneading) can benefit mental health that has led to these pop-up bakeries appearing throughout the UK, starting during the first weekend in August and appearing in various venues such as London, Derby, Glasgow, North Yorkshire and Cardiff.

There is lots of evidence to suggest that this connection is a really good way of highlighting mental health issues, as well as helping those who struggle with problems such as depression. John Whaite, winner of the 2012 Great British Bake Off has even brought out a cookbook recently called ‘Recipes for Every Day and Mood’ which has one chapter dedicated to lifting the mood through baking. In this, he describes his own experience of depression and how he found baking to be meditative, describing it as destroying something to make something new, and talking about how you end up with a product that you are proud of and can show off to others.

Marian Keyes, a leading novelist, has also described her experiences of baking her way through depression, and has published a book called ‘Saved by Cake’ which describes how she used the soothing ritual of baking to help her get through her depression.

Categories: baking, health, mental