Chickpea, cauliflower and Feta salad

This is one of the easiest and quickest meal salads and it’s very tasty too.  The cauliflower will give the salad some crunch and the creaminess of the feta some richness.  Chickpeas are a source of phytoestrogens, and most vegetables also contain these hormone balancing nutrients.  If you want to increase the phytoestrogen content of the salad, you could add some chopped celery or fennel.

Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 10 minutes

1 small to medium sized cauliflower, cubed
1 tin of chickpeas (400g)
4-5 spring onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
200g pack of feta cheese, cubed
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbs olive oil
Handful of chopped coriander

1.    Wash and cube the cauliflower and place the cubes in a salad bowl.
2.    Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the cauliflower.
3.    Slice the spring onions and add to the mixture.
4.    Peel and grate the carrot and mix into the salad.
5.    Add the cubed Feta cheese.
6.    Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and add to the salad.  Mix well.
7.    Add the chopped coriander and serve.

Come and see us – to have your diet assessed with our DIET MOT - we would love to see you!

Our ancestors and preindustrialised peoples all soaked or fermented their grains before making them into breads, porridge or casseroles, unlike today where convenience and speed is the order of the day.

These practices accord very well with what modern science has discovered about grains. All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer of bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. Soaking allows enzymes to breakdown phytic acid and this practice will greatly improve their nutritional benefit.

Scientists have learned that the proteins in grains, particularly high gluten grains like wheat puts a lot of strain on the digestive mechanism.

Therefore it is suggested to soak your porridge the night before cooking, not only will this help to breakdown phytic acid, but your porridge will cook in half the time it normally does which allows for five extra minutes in bed.

Book your consultation today and together we can yell at the TV ads in the mornings while eating a virtuous home made spelt muffin!

Why not try this for a change?

I bought some mixed stir fry veggies and fresh salmon. At home I stir fried the veggies (as is) with some Tamari Soya sauce and I always have some garlic lying around. This takes about two minutes, and then I placed the salmon fillets on top of the veggies, covered it with a lid and allowed to steam for seven minutes. I squeezed some lemon on to my fish and, checked for seasoning and my dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes.

It was quite late so I didn’t need a heavy meal, the green veggies and protein went down a treat, it was light, filling and tasty and most importantly….convenient.

But the best was that I had some leftovers for my lunch the next day, which always makes me happy. This meal is of course also great for your detox, it’s gluten and dairy free and a great balance of protein, fibre and healthy fats. Even more to smile about!

So how can we protect ourselves? Read on for our top immune boosting tips.

1. Get your five a day. Fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene. These nutrients are vital for helping us fight off infections. Simple ways to boost your fruit and veg intake are to add fruit to your morning cereal or to Greek yoghurt for a healthy dessert. Have a bowl of soup and a salad at lunchtime, and roast, stir-fry or steam a wide range of vegetables and serve with your evening meal, or add lots of vegetables to warming winter dishes such as casseroles.
2. Add onions and garlic to your cooking. Both have natural antiviral and antibiotic properties which make them great for warding off germs. If your social life allows, have onions and garlic raw whenever you can.
3. Eat curry. Turmeric and coriander, both key spices used in curries, contain antioxidants. Ginger and cinnamon are wonderful warming herbs and have traditionally been used to help relieve colds, plus cinnamon has the added benefit of containing anti-bacterial properties. But before you reach for the takeaway menu, have a go at making your own curry – many takeaway curries are full of saturated fat and salt. Also consider other spiced dishes such as Moroccan, Turkish and Lebanese food.
4. Reduce sugar and excess alcohol and caffeine as they deplete the body of nutrients and can depress the immune system.
5. Drink green tea. Although green tea contains some caffeine, drunk in moderation it may help boost immunity as it is high in a group of potent antioxidants called flavonoids.
6. Ditch white foods (e.g. white bread, pasta and rice), which have little nutritional value. Instead eat dense fibrous foods such as rye bread, brown rice and oats. These foods are packed full of nutrients including B vitamins and zinc which are vital for our immunity.

De-stress. Excess stress can lower our body’s immunity so take time out to relax and get away from it all. Curl up and read a good book, watch a funny film, or wrap up warm and get outside for a long calming walk in the countryside or by the coast.

Book in for a DIET MOT to see if you can make improvements in your diet and your health!

The reason for this is that when unsaturated fats, such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, are heated to high temperatures they become denatured and essentially rancid.  These denatured fats, and saturated fats used in frying, actually compete with the beneficial fats to be used by cells.  This is also the reason why polyunsaturated oils, such as flax or pumpkin-seed oil, should not be heated. 

Therefore, when cooking omega-3 rich fish, such as sardines, mackerel or salmon, try baking it rather than frying for maximum benefit of the essential fatty acids.  Omega-3 fats have so many health benefits.  Not only are they good for the heart, but also help balance hormones, reduce depression, and help with weight loss.

Contact us to find out more or to book an appointment at one of our London nutrition clinics.

Julia

“I’d like to focus a little more on the teenagers for this one. I used to love making lunches for my boys when they were younger. Cute little plastic boxes filled with a variety of delights that they could enjoy and share with their friends with pride. There are also many books out there about healthy food ideas for young children but very little for the older ones. Although my youngest is still slightly in that zone my others are now into the lunch break that is mass refuelling at the greatest speed possible AND without a shred of street cred lost in the process! Added to this – these older ones really should be making their own lunches (if you have a child in year 7 or above and you are still making their lunches – please stop!) so I see the parent’s job as being in the background and making sure that the best foods are available to help their choices.

Some things we can insist on and some we can let go. For me the greatest necessity is that they drink enough water through the day. How many of your older children are drinking 1.5 litres of water during their school day? I think I’ve heard every excuse under the sun from a teenager about not drinking water but the stats are undeniable. A 3%, yes, just 3% reduction in hydration = 10% loss of power and 8% loss of speed. That’s just the physical effects so translate that to the brain and we could have a bunch of dehydrated fatigued children who are unable to achieve their full concentration and performance in class let alone on the sports field. If my boys consent to drinking 1.5 litres of water during their day then frankly I don’t mind if they leave the house with a ham sandwich (wholemeal and salad of course!) and an apple.

The days of little cute boxes are well and truly over for this age group so we do have to accept that the general theme is going to be anything they can pile into a pitta, wrestle into a wrap or bung into a bap. Plus it needs to be simple – remember you can fill in the nutritional gaps with your family food so this just really needs to be ‘good enough’. So chunks of fresh chicken, fresh salad – a bag will do – you could be on the side chopping tomato and cucumber otherwise it might not appear! Sticking it all together with hummus or some fresh salsa is a good idea. Try and steer away from too much cured meat such as ham and salami. Cold pizza can be a good one as it’s not considered ‘healthy’ so street cred in tact but it can be a great excuse to pile on the veggies and maybe some salmon, peas, chopped peppers, red onion and so on. I would also recommend making double quantities as so often lunch is eaten at morning break leaving them starving by the time they leave school and heading for the chippy! Aaargh!! If there’s a second bap or wrap waiting at the bottom of their bag then the gap can be well filled.

Reassuringly fruit still seems to be sociably acceptable so do pile them with that – even if they eat it on the bus to and from school!

Also be reassured that, although we lose some control over their nutrition when they are out and about, we can absolutely make up for it when they are home and they will thank you for good, wholesome family food”

If you are worried about your family’s diet – come and see us for a DIET MOT http://www.thenutritioncoach.co.uk/services-diet-mot.htm or contact us

http://www.thenutritioncoach.co.uk/contact-the-nutrition-coach.php

I look on September as the beginning of the new term – so, if you haven’t don’t so already – it is time to make a plan for the next three months – what are your goals and aspirations?

Life

I am just about to sit down and work out what the next three months hold for me.  We so often just live life without having a real sense of where we are going or what we want to achieve.  You could book in with me and we could do a brainstorm together.  I  love doing this!  I had a client on the phone yesterday ringing from Spain – and although we couldn’t sort out totally in one session of Life Coaching, she has some small steps to put in place to carry her next life destination.  Take up the offer of an introductory session for free until the end of September (of course subject to my availability!)

Your body

Also once the summer excesses have worn off,  I find it a great time to review my diet generally thing about the DIET MOT – and get going with a plan!

The Universe!

I plan to start my meditation sessions again – I have thousands of books on meditation, but that of course, doesn’t actually make you meditate – it is the doing of it.  I will have to let you know how I get on with that one!

Check out Diet MOT http://www.thenutritioncoach.co.uk/services-diet-mot.htm

and our Life Coaching at http://www.thenutritioncoach.co.uk/life-coaching.htm

Now it is time to start the new term – I always start my New Year from September.

Time for new plans, new intention and new energy – the summer “sun” should have recharged our batteries ready for the winter.

Top tips for the new term:

1. Read our Newsletter out in September – dedicated to this topic – with some great tips
2. Book in for a Free life coaching chat (subject to availability) – see my last blog
3. Think about cleaning up the Diet – a great time to assess where you are draining out your energy – The Diet MOT is a fab way to do this.
4. Mums – you have been at it full on and full-time – get some serious YOU time booked in your diary.  I have recently discovered Hydro-Therm massages! Seriously wonderful

Go Well

Kate

The Nutrition Coach is featured in an article in Cosmopolitan magazine focusing on aspects of The Nutrition Coach’s Dump The Diet programme.

It is one of nature’s cruellest jokes: some girls can munch through a box of Krispy Kremes and still wake up with a washboard stomach while others only have to look at a doughnut to feel their jeans tighten.

But don’t give up on your body just yet. New research suggests that with just a few tweaks to our daily diet, we can boost our metabolisms and burn calories faster.

Here are just a couple of the tips in the article:

#: Eat spicy foods. Chilli pepper and mustard seeds – two spices often found in Thai, Mexican and Indian dishes – can help your body burn extra calories thanks to a process called thermo-genesis.

#: Replace starchy carbs at lunchtime – such as sandwiches made with white bread and jacket potatoes – with wholewheat turkey wraps, baked salmon with brown rice or a vegetable stir fry sprinkled with ground quinoa.

Read the article here and here.

Find out more about our Dump The Diet programme and contact us to make an appointment for a consultation at one of our London nutrition clinics.