How to enjoy Christmas  and stay healthy!

 

• Here it comes again, Christmas is at the door, but traditional Christmas does not have to be unhealthy, so making wise healthy choices will help you sail through partying feeling great.
• Please try to enjoy Christmas without watching the needle on the scale swing inexorably upwards, just make a few changes and avoid indigestion from over-eating.
• Choose smaller portions and wait 15 minutes before deciding whether you do really want to eat more so that the sensation of fullness has the time to work its way up to your brain.
• Turkey, salmon, lean beef, winter vegetables, fresh fruits and salads, dried fruit and nuts are all very healthy, so enjoy these and limit less healthy options such as crisps, salty snacks, mince pies, rich Christmas puddings, brandy butter, chocolates and canapés.

Alcohol

A special note should be made about alcohol, since vast amounts are consumed during December and January each year. Would you like to avoid 8 kilocalories per gram? Alcohol affects the liver, which is put under a lot of strain and cannot metabolize all the carbohydrates contained in food and drinks, therefore they are transformed into fat, which is then piled on the body. Diet drinks, fruit juices (diluted with water and ice) or water and lemon juice are a better option. If you are going to drink alcohol, make sure you have a glass of water for every glass of wine or spirits you consume.

Do not drink and drive!! Enjoying Christmas does not mean endanger other’s people lives!!!

 

Moderation, moderation, moderation!

·        Be moderate in everything you do. Drink moderate amounts of alcohol, eat moderate amounts of food and do not stop exercise altogether.

·        When you dine out in restaurants or by friends and family, eat grilled fish or lean meat instead of sausages and fatty foods and avoid creamy sauces or butter. Why don’t you try instead some nice vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some fresh lemon and some freshly ground pepper instead. Choose a baked potato instead of chips.

·        For dessert have fresh fruit salad or strawberries without cream or ice cream, but with some nice chocolate sauce instead. Of course, in moderation!

·        If you have however had a heavy meal, eat less for a day or two thereafter, concentrating on fresh fruit and raw vegetables, low-fat yoghurts, grilled fish and lots of water. Do not forget that exercise will make you feel reborn, so go for a walk, for a swim or simply for a little jog in the morning before your breakfast. I promise you, you will feel like new again!

·        Get plenty of sleep since our body recovers while asleep.

·        Last but not least, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

 

A very happy Christmas to all

 Yours

 Jessica

 

 

 

Healthy omelette

Ingredients:

1 spoon of olive oil

3 eggs (3 whites and 2 yolks)

2 spoons of chopped parsley

1 chopped fresh tomato

a little salt and pepper

Cooking instructions:

Beat together the eggs and season with little salt and pepper

Heat a small non-stick pan over medium-high heat

Put the oil in the pan and pour in the egg mixture

As the mixture sets at the edges, with a wooden spatula, gently push cooked portions toward the centre

Tilt and rotate the pan to allow uncooked egg to flow into the empty spaces

When egg is almost set on surface but still looks moist cover one half of the omelette with the tomatoe and the parsley

Slip the wooden spatula under the unfilled side, fold the omelette in half and slide onto a plate

Enjoy!!!

Jessica

Healthy fish soup italian style

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks , cleaned and sliced
2 cloves of garlic , minced
1 onion , peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks , chopped
250 g mushrooms , sliced
1 ltr fish stock
250 g tinned tomatoes
150 ml dry white wine
450 g white boneless fish , cod, sea bass or monkfish, cut into small chunks
900 g mixture of crab, shrimp and mussels
fresh parsley , chopped
salt , to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions:

Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and add the onions, garlic, leeks, celery and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are clear and soft

Next add the stock, tinned tomatoes and white wine. Bring it all to simmering point and season to taste

Put all the fish, including the shellfish with the shells still on, into the pot. This adds to the flavour of the soup. Continue to simmer until the fish is cooked (15-20 minutes)

Once the fish is thoroughly cooked, serve in bowls with sprinkled parsley on top and a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!!

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Guides for Eating in Season

What does this mean for you? Eat in season! Does it mean to enjoy the full nourishment of food? Does it mean to understand why strawberries at Christmas are just a no-no?

Imagine a vegetable garden in the dead of winter, now imagine this same garden on a sunny, summer day. How different things are during these two seasons of the year? For ecologists, seasons are considered a source of natural diversity and sustainability of the planet. For nutritionists there is nothing more nutritious than seasonal foods.

Changes in the growing conditions from spring to summer or from fall to winter are considered essential for balancing the earth's resources and its life forms. But today, unfortunately, it's so easy for us to forget about seasons when we eat, since we are living in a "forever summer time". Modern food processing and worldwide demands of food make foods available all year around and supermarkets shelves look much the same in December as they do in July or any other season for that matter. Next time you go to the supermarket please look around you and compare it to December, notice any difference? I doubt it!!

Here are some principles you can follow to ensure optimal nourishment for the next season:

• In spring focus on tender, green leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of this season. Try to eat more of swiss chard, spinach, asparagus, green beans, peas, Romaine lettuce, fresh parsley, basil and other fresh herbs.

'Til next time and enjoy your "SEASONAL" foods!!!

Jessica

Winter and Soups

Do you want to know what I like about Winter? Soups.

Imagine that you have a mug of hot home-made soup and you sit in front of the fireplace watching your favorite TV programme, uhmm, nice! :-)

One thing that is very important, though when making a home-made soup, is the quality of the vegetables. Yes, since Winter vegetables are mainly root vegetables they have the higher amount of pesticides and heavy metals, so it is paramount to use only organic ones.

Here is one of my favorite recipe, try it:

Ingredients

2 large potatoes
3 or 4 large carrots
1 swede or celery
1 turnip or 3 parsnips
2 large onions
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 chicken (skinned) or Tofu
2L of hot water
Salt and pepper to taste



Cooking Instructions

Peel all the vegetables and roughly chop them. Heat the olive oil in a large cooking pan, toss in the onions and briefly sauté them to bring out the flavor. Add all the rest of the vegetables, the bay leaves and the chicken. Add the water to cover and allow to simmer until well cooked - (about 1 hour).

When cooked add pepper and salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, take half the soup and puree to the desired consistency. Put all the soup together and enjoy with crusty bread sprinkled with some olive oil.

'Till next time!