Time to come clean; I’m a typical ‘December human-being’, and whilst I’ve stuck to my healthy eating as well as maintained my training, the portion sizes have been way too big and there have been a few too many Christmas treats; “I’m craving sugar right now, far more than I did before Christmas“. If that sounds familiar, here’s an exotic fruit salad to help ween you (and some friends – its pretty, so why not entertain with it!) off the festive sugar. Banished are the leftover mince pies, and taking their place is something altogether more natural and nourishing. Whilst a large amount of the 200 calories (per quarter of a portion of fruit this salad) are from sugar, they’re natural, fibrous, hydrating and packed with minerals and vitamins. “Which”, you say? (more…)
In moderation, and the right type, no! I’m marking the change of seasons with some yummy winter berries. This healthy dessert should satisfy your sweet tooth (guilty!), whilst offering plenty of nutritional value too. I’m regularly asked whether ‘fruit will make you fat because of the sugar content’; true, too much of any type of sugar is bad news. However chomping on the right fruit (like these berries) means you’re not only eating fructose (the lowest-GI form of sugar with a glycemic index of 19, versus a glass of apple juice at 30, table sugar at 65, and glucose at 100), but also enjoying other benefits like fibre (helps digestion) & plenty of vitamins and minerals. By chewing solid food and metabolising it slowly (rather than drinking it straight into your bloodstream) you suffer less of a blood sugar spike. I’d rather have a delicious, beautiful, tasty, bowl of fresh berries with nutritional value including some protein (thanks to the yoghurt, plenty of calcium & vitamin-B too) than a dry cardboard biscuit that claims to be ‘low in sugar’.
