Tag: healthy snacks

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

OMG I’ve ruined my diet ?

Dr Nancy P

OMG I’ve ruined my diet ?….. 🍦🍪

We all know the feeling, it’s mid afternoon, we’re a bit peckish but we’re ‘being good’ so don’t want to reach for a biscuit. Instead we grab a couple of slices of toast – nothing wrong with that right? It means we’re still on track with our ‘diet’ and all’s well….

But some days you may not have that will power… sun’s out, so you grab a cornetto out the freezer.. then have just one Jaffa cake… which becomes 2, 3, .. or maybe just one more – so that’s 4 and perhaps a final one… so you finally stop at 5! Now you’re wracked with guilt! How could you be so stupid? You’ve totally ruined your ‘diet’! Why don’t I have any self control you say to yourself?!

Hold on just one second! Perception is a wonderful thing… and it can also be a terrible thing. That toast that seems ‘ok’ may not be that much better. Two slices of sourdough toast with butter is up to 424 cals. That cornetto and 5 Jaffa cakes… a mere 384 cals! So neither is a great choice if you’re trying to stick to a particular calorie goal, but in most cases you’ll view the cornetto/Jaffa cake saga as a total disaster on the diet front, whilst probably overlooking the toast completely.

It pays to be aware of the calories in what you’re eating. That way you can choose with knowledge rather than your preconceived or conditioned ideas about what’s ‘bad’ or ‘good’. Being aware of the calories in different foods empowers you to make that choice and can help remove the guilt. Knowledge is power!

🤗

Xx

Nutrition

Good snack?….

Dr Nancy P

Good snack?….. 🍫

I often hear people telling me they need to choose “better”snacks, or that they’ve swapped their usual chocolate for “good” snacks. So something like 30g cashew nuts is often perceived to be a “good” snack, whilst 30g of chocolate (Maltesers in this case) is considered to be a “bad” snack.

The key to being in control of your weight management is really understanding that there is no such thing as a “bad” or “good” snack – they’re just different. There are nutritional differences between the chocolate and the cashew nuts of course, but we don’t just choose food on the basis of it’s nutritional breakdown.

The cashew nuts are a great option for a snack. They provide healthy fats such (monounsaturated fatty acids) which help give healthy levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). They also contain magnesium, iron, zinc and other micronutrients which support the immune system. They also provide some protein too so may keep you fuller for longer.

The chocolate provides you with energy, mainly in the form of sugar, and some fat. The chocolate also tastes good and for many people can give an emotional boost as well as an energy one.

Overall the calorie difference between the two is pretty marginal. So if you’re choosing the nuts in a effort to lose weight, then think again. If you’re choosing them because you like them then brilliant – keep having them. If you fancy some chocolate, then have that!

There are no good or bad foods – all foods can be accommodated within a balanced diet. Being aware of the calories in different foods empowers you to make that choice.

🤗

Xx

Recipes

Bunny butt pancakes!

Dr Nancy P

I couldn’t resist a bit of Easter fun!

These are just my normal banana pancake recipe with some added decorations! Use whatever you like – I used blueberries, raspberries and Greek yoghurt – but any fruit, yoghurt or even melted chocolate would do! The pancake recipe is here : Quick Healthy Banana Pancakes

Happy Easter!

Xx

Recipes

Easy Easter Biscuits

Dr Nancy P

I thought it might be fun to do a little Easter baking! These are fun super easy, spicy Easter and spring biccies that are great fun to make, and eat! You can leave the spices out if you prefer of course or add any flavouring you like! Something fun to do with the kids too 🙂 The icing is flavoured with either lemon, fresh raspberry or fresh blueberries.

I use low fat spread and “half spoon” sugar – but you can use normal butter/spread and any sugar you like! 🙂

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For the biscuits you need:

300g plain flour

140g Sugar (if using “half spoon” sugar then just 70g)

180g Dairy free spread

Optional spices: 2 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp Cloves

For decoration:

Sugar and cinnamon

Currants

Icing sugar

Lemon juice, raspberries and blueberries

Sugar balls etc

Preheat the oven to 175 C.

Put the spread and sugar in a bowl and cream together. Combine the flour and spices if using and mix really well. Once it forms a dough, wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge for 20 mins if you have time (you can also save it in the fridge for use later that week or you can freeze it for months if you need).

Remove and roll out. Use whatever shaped cutters you like to it your biscuit shapes and transfer to a baking tray.

If you are using currants for bunny eyes and noses then add those now. Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon. Place in the oven and cook for 8 – 12 mins or until golden. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Once cool you can ice the biscuits. Mix up your icing powder with lemon juice or fresh mashed raspberries or blueberries and then spread on the biscuits (or just water if you prefer). Add sugar decorations if you like. Allow to set and then eat!

Enjoy! 🙂

xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Lockdown Snacking…..

Dr Nancy P

Lockdown Snacking….. 🍫🍦

Whether you are currently isolating, or just in lockdown, or even still out there going essential work, it’s quite likely that with the increased stress, uncertainty, inability to go out as you normally would etc that snacking and having “treats” is likely to increase.

Now there is absolutely no point trying to avoid snacking completely. It’s not realistic, it’s also putting unnecessary stress on yourself at a time when other things are far more important. Instead some simple, lower calorie, swaps can really help reduce the impact of all those extras.

You can still have “treats” and things you enjoy but you can minimise the impact and hopefully prevent too much overeating. You can make some really simple swaps – swapping your chocolate for something like a curly wurly, a grab bag of crisps for some pop chips, and choosing a a low calorie ice cream could reduce your snack calories by two thirds!

Finding similar tasting treats that are simply lower in calories is a great way to cope with the snacking temptations of being at home more, or the added stress and anxiety without negatively impacting on your fat loss goal.

🤗

Xx