Tag: healthy eating

Recipes

No-meat meat ball ragout!

Dr Nancy P

This is another quick and easy lunch or dinner recipe – it can be served with pasta, rice, cauliflower rice or just on its own! There are lots of veggie meat balls out there – I’ve used the Birdseye ones for this but I’ve also used the Quorn ones in the past. Even if you’re not vegetarian they’re a great way to cut calories without feeling like you are!

I cook up a batch for the week and then it’s nice and easy to quickly heat it up for dinner (or lunch!).

Use fresh or frozen veg (or any leftover veg you have will work well) – I happened to have peppers and mushrooms so they went in, but courgettes, aubergines etc would also work well.

Also it’s worth noting that Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies so if you’re vegetarian then double check – Biona and other companies make one without the use of animal products and it’s widely available.

This serves at least 6 at about 227 cals per portion.

You will need:

2 packs of no-meat meat balls

2 cans chopped tomatoes (400g each)

2 small onions (or 1 large)

2 peppers

Handful of mushrooms (or any veg you like)

1 tbsp concentrated tomato purée

1/4 tsp smoked Paprika

1 tsp mixed herbs

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 vegetable stock cubes

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 tbsp marmite (optional)

A dash of Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Chop the veg. Heat a little oil in a pan, add onions first and allow to soften, then the peppers, mix and allow to soften.

Add the no-meat meat balls to the pan allow to brown. Then add the mushrooms and any other veg you’re using. Be gentle with the mixture as otherwise the meatballs will break up.

Cook for a couple of mins until the veg start to soften and then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée . Stir well and bring to a slow simmer. Add the stock cubes, all the spices, balsamic vinegar, marmite and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.

Bring to a simmer and allow to cook through for about 10-15 mins.

Serve on its own, with green veg and grains, pasta etc.

Enjoy 🙂

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: 2000 / 2500 cals per day?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: 2000 / 2500 cals per day?

You may have heard the recommendation that women need around 2,000 cals a day and men need 2,500? It’s a figure bandied about as the guidelines for health by the NHS and others – but is that really what you should be aiming for and where did it come from?

It actually came from a USDA study on calorie requirements which was then reduced by 20 percent (to cover a wider range). To further complicate things Public Health England then announced women should actually aim for 1800 cals.. confused? Yep me too and rightly so!

Sadly it’s not as simple as one number fits all. Your calorie requirement is influenced by height, age, gender, some

medical conditions, muscle mass and activity levels, so to suggest 2,000 cals would be appropriate for all women (or 2,500 for men) is ridiculous. I know personally that if I have 2000 cals a day I put on fat. If you’re trying to lose fat then your calorie intake will also need to be less.

So what should you aim for and how do you work it out? There are plenty of online calculators out there – you enter your details and it will give you an estimate of your basal metabolic rate (basic calorie requirement to function). Many will give you the option to specify how active you are – my advice, if you’re aiming to lose fat, is to opt for a lower activity level as most studies show we massively overestimate our exertion and activity levels. This will give you an initial calorie goal to aim for.

It’s not an exact science – you’ll need to try eating that calorie level for a few weeks and see how the body responds and then adjust it up or down accordingly.

At the end of the day if you’re trying to lose fat/weight and you’re not then you’re eating too many calories – regardless of what an online calculator tells you.

If you’re stuck feel free to drop me a message and I can help you work out a rough calorie goal for you 🤗

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Fake News

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Fake News 📰

We’re all busy, we almost all have smart phones, and there’s so little time in a day that it’s very easy to just scroll through facebook or Instagram for information and it’s all too tempting to take it at face value.

But according to a recent survey social media is the no. 1 source of nutrition and fitness misinformation.

There is zero control over what people put up on social media – design a funky graphic, tap in to a common fear or desire, and you can pretty much say anything and some people will believe you – eggs are bad, eggs are good, eggs cure cancer, eggs cause cancer… eggs contain lysozyme! (Long word, sounds scary, must be bad…… it’s not 😆) … I could go on!

That’s not to say you can’t trust anything you see on social media but just be a bit critical of what you see. Anything fear-based, food shaming or more about what not to eat than what to eat, or claiming some incredible effect of a specific food is likely to be something to be wary of. Social media can be a great source of information but check where that info is from – who is posting it? Are they qualified? Do they have a fitness or nutrition qualification? Are they quoting scientific, peer-reviewed, studies to back up their claims? Are they trying to sell something – if so that’s often a red flag, or at least a reason to investigate a bit more.

In general it’s mostly about balance and moderation – yes we can make grand claims about the awful effects of one food, or the amazing benefits of another – but it usually comes down to quantity. Having a takeaway once a week – not that bad, having it for 2 meals every day – probably not a great idea!

So be critical guys – it’s your body, read the advice, question it, ask for more info if you want – go and do a pubmed search online and find the research…. and yes I’m totally aware of the irony in me posting this on social media, but I’m very happy to chat through the research behind anything I post, and engage in healthy debate about it – any time!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Combat Slowing Metabolism

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Combat Slowing Metabolism 💪🏼

I am often asked how to combat a slowing metabolism as we age. Metabolism (basal metabolic rate – BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to carry out basic bodily functions at rest (breathing, circulating blood, cell repair, hormone balancing etc). Contrary to popular believe your metabolism doesn’t slow down as you age. What actually happens is that physical activity reduces and lean muscle mass is lost. This means a lower BMR giving the effect of a slowing metabolism. So how can you prevent this happening and keep your metabolism firing?

# 1 Be more active

Work activity in to your day – walk more, stand more, try new classes/exercises etc.

# 2 Resistance training

It’s important to build and maintain muscle so ensure you are doing some resistance training in the form of a class (e.g. pump) or in the gym itself.

# 3 Avoid fad diets

Extreme dieting can cause a down regulation in metabolic rate which can persist for years after the dieting ends. Cutting calories is fine but do it in a steady and sustainable way, in conjunction with physical activity, to help preserve muscle mass.

# 4 Find your motivation

Find what motivates you; is it the form of exercise? the social aspect of classes? the feeling of getting stronger? fitting in to your jeans? being able to run around with your children or pets? Whatever it is find that thing that keeps you going – write it down and keep it somewhere you can see it.

# 5 Get good habits

Find some healthy habits that work for you; track your food, exercise regularly, find alternatives to eating when you’re stressed (adult colouring books, reading, a bath etc), and measure your progress. Studies show those who measure their progress regularly are more likely to lose fat and keep it off long term.

# 6 Get hungry

Listen to your hunger signals and learn how to tell when you’re really hungry vs bored/emotional. A little hunger is a good thing; train your body to recognise actual hunger, Practice mindful eating – pay attention to what you eat, and when you eat, to help avoid boredom or stress eating.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: How to stop those binges

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: How to stop those binges 🍟🍕

We all succumb to binge eating from time to time e.g. those times you eat a tub of ice cream and 2 doughnuts. Lots of things can trigger this eating behaviour, but there are a few things that can help prevent these binges.

#1 Don’t massively reduce your calories.

It’s tempting after a ‘bad’ weekend to drop to eating only 500 cals or live off juice, but that just leads to overeating later. To achieve sustained fat loss you need a moderate caloric deficit, flexibility to enjoy your favourite foods and some activity. You don’t need to cut out food groups, exercise manically or liquidise your food.

#2 Do something productive instead

If you’re an emotional eater (I am – happy – eat chocolate, bad day eat chocolate etc) then try to get your mind off food and do something productive – read, workout, find a hobby, call friends etc.

#3 Don’t label foods good and bad

Some foods are better for us than others, but no food is ‘bad’ – it’s just about how much you have of it. Eat whole, nutritious foods and leave some of your calories for your favorite treats. A diet you can adhere to for the rest of your life is a diet that works.

#4 No cheat days

Cheat days aren’t a good idea; aside from the fact you’re labelling foods and demonising foods as something you have to ‘cheat’ to have, you’re sabotaging yourself. Calling it a cheat day gives you free reign to overeat all day, ruining a week’s progress. Instead enjoy treats as part of your normal diet and if you do have a ‘cheat’ make it a meal not a day.

#5 Remove triggers

If there are certain foods you know will set off a binge then don’t have them in the house. If you can’t moderate the amount of ice cream you have then don’t buy it; have it when you’re out as a treat. Out of sight, out of mind.

#6 Remember how it makes you

Think about how you’ll feel afterwards. You’ll feel bloated, maybe sick, and the next day you’ll feel sluggish, guilty, frustrated, and you’ll continue this spiral of deprivation and overeating and limit your progress etc. Are the consequences worth it?

The best approach is to eat a balanced diet, including foods you love, every day.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx