Dr Nancy P

Low calorie or “normal” ice cream?….. 🍦

Here are two ice cream options – one is a low calorie, currently very popular ice cream stick – a halo top strawberry cheesecake one. The other is an oldie but a goodie and just a “normal” ice cream – the humble strawberry split.

Now anyone who knows me knows I’m a massive fan of the low calorie Halo top ice cream – not just because they’re low calorie but because they taste good. But it’s very easy for people to discount the “normal” strawberry split. So whilst these are obviously not directly comparable in flavour and texture etc they are very similar and serve a similar purpose – as a dessert or snack. One is marketed as low calorie, one isn’t.

I think it’s safe to assume that many of use would presume the halo top ice cream is the “healthier” option as it’s marketed as low calorie, and certainly the lower calorie option. In reality it’s not – the strawberry split is actually considerably fewer calories. So if you were tracking calories and trying to lose weight/bodyfat then the strawberry split would be a better choice. It does however have a bit more sugar than the Halo top – so if weight loss isn’t a goal but you want to go for a less sugary option then the halo top might be the better choice.

Overall the differences are relatlively small. Neither is a “healthier” option – it’s ice cream. Ice cream isn’t consumed to provide us with nutrients – it’s consumed because we enjoy it – so choose the one you enjoy most! However, as always, be aware of those calories – you may find some of your favourite ice creams aren’t actually as bad as you thought they were!

Now go and enjoy an ice cream

🤗

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Skipping to Fitness

April 28, 2020 Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Skipping to Fitness 🏃🏼‍♀️

With gyms closed we’re all having to workout at home (or outside) but as the weeks go on motivation can wane. Having just had Easter too you may, like me, be feeling like you need to do some exercise. If you can’t face long home workouts or don’t have time with home schooling/ work etc then I have the perfect solution!

This is one of my favourite cardio exercises (as many of my PT clients will already know!) – skipping! It’s cheap, easy to do and can be done almost anywhere – and it’s really effective too! As well as being great for improving cardiovascular fitness, it is also great for helping to recruit and increase fast twitch muscle fibres to keep you agile, and improves balance and coordination . Studies have shown it is as effective as a 45 minute run in improving fitness and fat burning. And contrary to what you might think If done properly, skipping is lower impact on the joints than jogging or running. However, it does require the correct technique – light 2 footed jumps on the balls of your feet, only a couple of cms off the floor. This amount of impact is enough to support healthy bone density and prevent osteoporosis but not enough to stress the knees, ankles and hips too much.

And even better, a recent study by the Waseda University in Japan discovered that participants who took part in ten mins of skipping a day experienced a drop in appetite (compared to those who did nothing or did other cardio exercises such as cycling and running). It turns out that the up and down movements from skipping actually cause less ghrelin (the hunger stimulating hormone) to be produced by the gut. So you end up feeling less hungry – which means you will tend to eat less! Ideal for lockdown eh?

Try 2 min blasts now and then through your day.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Recipes

Easy Ice Lollies – Berry and Coconut, and Pineapple and Mint

April 26, 2020April 27, 2020 Dr Nancy P

The sun is shining so how about some easy ice lollies?

These are quick and easy to make and you can customise them with your own flavours or whatever fruit and juices etc you happen to have to hand!

I made two flavours – berry and coconut, and pineapple mint

They’re really low in calories – between 40 and 90 cals each (depending on whether you use coconut milk or not).

Pineapple Mint Lolly

300g Pineapple (fresh or canned)
300ml pineapple juice / apple juice or for a creamier lolly any sort of milk
Handful of fresh Mint leaves

Put all the ingredients in a blender apart from the mint. Blend until smooth. Chop the mint leaves and add to the mix. Stir well then put into lolly moulds and freeze.

Berry and Coconut Lolly

300g mixed strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
400ml coconut milk (or swap for any liquid you like)
Honey/maple syrup liquid sweetener to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender (you can add whatever fruits you have to this) and blend until smooth. The coconut milk makes it creamier but you could use apple juice or any juice you like.

Pour into lolly moulds and freeze!

Then go and enjoy the sunshine 🙂

Recipes

Almond Caramel N’ice Cream

April 24, 2020April 27, 2020 Dr Nancy P

Perfect weather for n’ice cream! This is really scrummy and tastes delish. It doesn’t need any extra sugar as the bananas and date caramel give it tonnes of rich sweetness and creaminess. It’s also pretty quick to make. I usually make up a big batch of the date caramel so I can use it for other stuff (or just eat it by the spoonful!).

If you don’t have dates you can just add use caramel syrup with almond butter (the sugar free one for coffees works well) or any liquid sweetener or sauce! You can even buy date syrup if you wanted to use that 🤗

The caramelised almonds are yummy as a snack on their own too!

You will need:

8 – 10 Medjool dates (this will create extra caramel so reduce if you don’t want any spare)

1 tbsp Almond butter

1 tbsp hot Water

4 frozen bananas

Handful almonds

Drizzle of maple or date syrup or any liquid sweetener

It’s best if you peel and slice your bananas for freezing as it makes it easier for the blender to handle so make sure your bananas are well frozen first.

First caramelise the almonds. Pop the almonds into a dry frying pan, add a good drizzle of maple, coconut or date syrup and heat. You need to keep an eye on this – you want it to start to bubble and thicken but not burn. Keep stirring so they don’t catch. Once the syrup is reduced down and they’re well coated tip them out in to some baking paper and allow to cool. You can break them apart once cool.

Then make the almond caramel. Chop the dates and pop in to a high speed blender together with the almond butter. Depending on how dry your dates are you may not need all the water so start with half. Process well, adding the rest of the water if necessary, until you have a smooth caramel. Remove this from the blender (don’t worry about getting every last bit out and there’s no need to clean the blender).

Pop your frozen bananas in to the blender and pulse to blend the banana. Once it’s almost smooth add a tablespoon or so of the caramel back in to the blender with the bananas (add as much as you want – to taste). Blend well and then serve with the almonds sprinkled in top. If you want to serve it later freeze in small portions (plastic food bags or ice cube trays work best) and reblend briefly before serving to remove any large ice crystals.

Fitness and Exercise

Bodyweight workout number 6! Only ten mins!

April 23, 2020 Dr Nancy P

Woohoo! It’s time for another workout!

I’m sure you’ve spotted the pattern by now – ten exercises, ten mins in total and no equipment required – just yourself, a watch/iphone to time it, and a mat if you want one for your knees/hands.

If you have more time then you can always do it twice or three times, if you don’t have ten mins then just do half! Get everyone involved! 🙂

If you want to do it “with me” then the video is below.

Or you can use the pics below or download a pdf of the workout here: Bodyweight Circuit 6

Have fun! 🙂

Ps. If you missed the previous workouts they’re here: Bodyweight Circuit 5, Bodyweight Circuit 4, Bodyweight Circuit 3, Bodyweight circuit 2 and my first one (with no video) is here (Bodyweight circuit 1)