Avoid Gaining Excess Baggage This Holiday

If you’ve spent the last few months working hard to get your beach body ready for action, the last thing you want to do is see the pounds pile back on whilst you’re on holiday. Here are a few tips to avoid turning from beach babe to beached whale:

Count Your Cocktail Calories

Depending on how it’s made, a large Pina Colada can contain more calories than a Big Mac (490 calories), so make shrewd choices when you’re checking-out the cocktail list.  Better still, rather than a cocktail, opt for spirits such as vodka, whiskey or gin and have them on the rocks, or with a low calorie mixer, sipped not gulped!

Drink plenty of water to keep you both hydrated and feeling full. Add lemon or lime and ice-cubes to make it more appealing. Never use alcohol to try and quench your thirst, an ice cold beer may taste refreshing, but it won’t do your hydration levels or waistline any good!

Select, Seduce And Stay Slim

Holidays aren’t the time for strict diets, so do allow yourself some treats. Calorific indulgences should, however, be something that you’re really going to enjoy, rather than just a stale bit of sweet bread, so spend time selecting the best treat you can possibly find.

Don’t rush, holidays are all about slowing down and taking it easy. Allow yourself to be seduced by your food, enjoy everything about it including the presentation, aroma, texture and taste. By literally savouring every mouthful, you’ll end up eating far less and enjoy your food a lot more.

Restaurant Rules

In the restaurant, avoid munching on the mountains of free bread that you’re given. Save yourself for your meal, it’ll taste much nicer if you haven't already binged on tastless snacks first. If you’re waiting for a course to come, use the time to re-fresh your palette with some sin-free water.

Try not to have a starter, a pudding and a high calorie alcoholic drink all in one sitting. Opt for one out of the three or just go for the main meal. Remember that a couple of cocktails and a dessert everyday could add half a stone to your waistline by the end of a week!

If you’re on an all-inclusive holiday, keep reminding yourself that just because it’s all paid for, it doesn’t mean you have to eat it all. And don’t take the “all-you-can-eat buffet” idea too literally!

It’s All About Balance

Finally, try to make some healthy choices everyday, but make sure it doesn’t become a chore that ruins your holiday. Make a concerted effort to balance out any extra calories that you take on, by being as active as possible. Plan to swim and walk everyday, and take advantage of any fitness classes that might be going on, or a gym that you could use.  

Enjoy your holiday, have fun and don’t forget to pack your trainers!

Heather

PS. You’ll find some more holiday tips in my 2008 article: Forget Credit, You’re The One Who Should Be Crunching This Summer




These Feet Were Made For Walking!

I’ve recently come across a brilliant website called www.walkit.com, the urban walking route planner.  Type in your starting and finishing point, and it’ll provide you with a map and detailed walking route description. You can choose either the most direct way, or a route that avoids pollution and busy areas. It’ll also tell you the distance, how long the walk will take, how many hills you’ll have to climb and how many calories you’ll burn.

So dump the car, put on a pair of comfy shoes and head out of the door. Walking has countless health benefits, it’s free, you don’t need any equipment, and you already know how to do it!

Heather

Celebrating Spring Onions!

Although available all year-round in supermarkets, spring onions are now just about coming into season and are at their peak in taste and flavour…well they didn’t get that name for nothing!

They’re basically a normal onion picked early, before the bulb has had a chance to swell up, and they belong to the same family as garlic, leeks, shallots and chives.

Spring Onions are Good for You Because…

They contain no fat, no cholesterol, and are low in calories and salt. They’re also packed full of good stuff including vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and fibre.

Research has shown that eating onions may help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and prevent the formation of blood clots. They’re also thought to protect against cancer and heart disease.

There’s More to Them Than Crispy Duck Pancakes!

Despite being small and immature, spring onions can still pack a punch! They’re ideal for quickly injecting a burst of flavour and a dash of colour into your food.

Raw spring onions are great for adding an earthy kick to salads, sandwich fillings and salsas. The greens are also a tasty alternative to chives, and can be tossed into scrabbled eggs, cottage cheese, omelets and dips.

When cooked, they can bring a subtle hint of onion flavour into a wide range of dishes, especially stir-fries and soups. They’re also delicious partnered up with ginger in Thai, Chinese and Japanese-style meals.

Handle Your Onions With Care!

Look for a bunch that’s got bright green and perky leaves. The bulbs should be hard, crisp and unblemished. Steer clear of any specimens that are slimy, wilting or limp!

What is the difference between Clementines and Satsumas?

Citrus Celebration - The Ultimate Guilt Free Snacks with Health Benefits

For me, the deliciously tangy aroma of a Clementine or Satsuma being peeled and eaten goes hand-in-hand with the festive season. At this time of year, there are so many pleasurably calorific foods and drinks around, and these sweet fruits, which come in their own convenient and natural packaging, are one of the few Christmassy things that can be enjoyed guilt-free.

Clementines and Satsumas are in season just when we need them. They’re loaded with vitamin C, so can help prevent colds and flu at a time when our bodies have to battle hard to ward off infections. They’re also a bright and sunny addition to the fruit bowl on dull, grey winter days (and you may find a few jumbled up with nuts and chocolate coins at the bottom of your Christmas stocking…but only if you’ve been good!)

But Is There Any Difference Between Them?

Lets first talk about mandarins and tangerines. Mandarin is the collective name for all small orangey-type fruit (but not the bigger oranges). Tangerines are a variety of Mandarin, and usually have seeds in them.

Clementines and Satsumas are similar to tangerines, but are cultivated to be seedless (although you’ll occasionally find seeds in them due to uninvited bees getting in on the breeding process) and are usually sweeter.

Clementines are traditionally from North Africa, whereas Satsumas originate from Japan. It’s not easy to tell the difference between the two, although the Clementines are meant to have a slightly tighter skin.

To make things even more confusing, different countries use different terms for defining the fruit. And shops have been known to mis-label the various varieties, so you may believe you’re eating a Satsuma, when actually it’s a Clementine!

The Weighty Ones are More Juicy!

As with most fruits, choose carefully and go for the ones that look shiny and healthy, without any bruising or discoloured skin. If you can, try and feel how heavy the fruit are. If they feel light, they’re likely to be disappointingly dry and juiceless.

Heather

Crunch Your Way Through Some Apples & Pears

Summer berries and salads may no longer be in season, but that’s no reason to cut back on your 5-a-day fruit and veg portions.

British apples and pears are delicious and definitely worth hunting down at the moment. Food that has been grown locally always tastes better, and you can feel virtuous for supporting British growers and reducing your food miles! Choose organic for the best taste-bud experience.

Both apples and pears have a stronger flavour if you eat them at room temperature, although storing them in the fridge will keep them fresh for longer.

Apples and pears are both low calorie and low GI, so make good weight-loss snacks. Nutritionally, they’re much better if you eat them raw with their skins on. 

Nice Pear!

One chin-dribbling, juicy pear will provide you with zinc, vitamins C and E, some B vitamins and lots of dietary fibre.

Pears are great on their own and are also really tasty in salads. Try combining the sweetness of pears with slightly bitter salad leaves such as radicchio, rocket and watercress.

For a special treat (that'll make your diet go a bit pear-shaped!) try poaching them in red wine, or drizzling baked pears with chocolate!

An Apple a Day…

Crunchy apples are full of lots of good stuff. They’re a great source of nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, vitamin C and dietary fibre.

Apples are a great snack when eaten raw, sliced up with yogurt or grated on muesli. They can also be made into a healthy sauce when pureed and served with meats such as pork.

Of course they can always be made into yummy, diet-demolishing crumbles, pies and strudels!

Did you know...

Conference pears are named after an international pear conference, where the variety won first prize in 1885.

All Bramley apples are descended from a tree that is still growing in Southwell, Nottinghamshire.