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Posts tagged 'healthier'

BREAKFAST POTATO FRITTATA WITH MUSHROOM & SPINACH!

04/06/2018

The humble spud may have originated in the Andes 7000 years ago, but it features heavily in today’s Swedish diet, and is a mainstay in many of the recipes in my recent book Fit In 3. When Love Potatoes reached out to ask me to craft a delicious, healthy breakfast recipe using potatoes, I was delighted to oblige, and dipped into my deep bench of spud dishes! The potato isn’t just an incredibly versatile ‘hero ingredient’ (think roasted, baked, mashed, steamed, crisped, wedged/chipped etc), but it packs significant health benefits. Each one is loaded with flavonoids and carotenoids (whose antioxidant activities to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases), vitamin B6 (to enable enzymatic reactions and promote cellular renewal, as well as the production of serotonin in the brain and healthy heart function) and a unique type of ‘resistant starch’ that may help regulate blood sugar and improve the digestive health. They’re satisfying (their latin name solanum tuberosum literally means comforting tubers!) so you stay fuller for longer, and actually contain more potassium than a banana (which helps to regulate blood pressure and protect against the likes of stroke) or indeed any other fruit or vegetable. They’re also affordable, and always on hand as they’re grown throughout the year – the leading vegetable crop in the world. This recipe is for a delicious Breakfast Potato Frittata with Mushroom, Spinach and Italian Herbs – it’s quick and easy, requiring limited kitchen skills, packs a serious nutritional punch and will keep you full until lunch time! Click MORE for the full recipe and video ‘how to’… (more…)

A WELLNESS RETREAT AT CORINTHIA LONDON…

14/02/2017

London is arguably one of the world’s greatest cities, but living and working here, Londoners can become blind to its rare brilliance. Precious gems like Trafalgar Square, Parliament, The London Eye, The Mall (etc), are casually tarred with the ‘tourist’ brush, and avoided for fear of disrupting ‘the daily mission’. It’s a superfast-paced city in which to work and live… but it doesn’t have to be that way! In what is the first ever staycation Active Escape review to feature on FitnessOnToast.com, I recently spent 3 cosy days inside the walls of the palatial Corinthia Hotel London investigating something genuinely innovative; the Brain Power Experience. It’s been designed in conjunction with the hotel’s Neuroscientist in Residence, and was totally transformative for me! It worked, and conclusively proved the hypothesis that you can enjoy an exceptional and differentiated wellness break whilst at home in this frenetic city, emerging revived and fired up! Click more to see what your own restorative well-being program could involve… (more…)

HEALTHY CANAPE IDEAS!

28/01/2016

When I started Fitness On Toast, I chose the name as a reaction to the sheer number of improvised meals served ‘on toast’ in the UK; my Personal Training clients would fill their food diaries with the likes of beans on toast, cheese on toast, eggs on toast, jam on toast… I wanted to highlight some Fitness on toast instead! However I believe it’s possible to create healthy equivalents to fuel you pre & post workout, yet still preserve the essence of that great national gastronomic heritage! I’ve been working with the UK’s number one oatcake brand, Nairns to achieve precisely that, and this post is all about my healthy canapés, which are delicious, super easy to make, and are served on their exquisite Super Seeded Organic Oatcakes. Click MORE to see my 5 healthy recipes…
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HEALTHY CHICKEN RAMEN ???

14/07/2013

I love Wagamama for a quick meal, BUT it’s definitely a case of ‘buyer beware’!!! I worry about the MSG-content and the calorie-count in dishes like their Chicken Ramen (not to mention the epic 1149-calorie, 50g-fat Chicken Katsu Curry!!!). For the Ramen, 520 simple-carb calories strikes me as alot of the wrong kind, so I set about making my own healthy, fun Chicken Noodle Broth recipe for the home too! This Chicken Noodle Soup recipe (‘Rahmen’ style) is low in calories (c. 390) fat and salt but rich in protein (30g) – ideal! It’s so easy and quick to make – just about 15 min – and it’s suitably filing / craving-neutralising when your body cries out for comfort-food. There are 2 key ingredients:

1) Wholewheat noodles are low in fat (1g fat per 100g), boast 0% saturated / trans fats as well as 0% cholesterol, and crucially, have 27g of slow-release, low-GI carbohydrates per 100g – containing only 1g of sugar! So much healthier than their pale, simple cousins 😀 !

2) Chicken is a famous source of ‘lean protein’ and I consider it one of the core building blocks for a healthy diet that aims to control weight. In the picture above, I’ve used ‘Roast chicken breast slices’ from Sainsbury’s the ‘Be good to yourself’ range. It’s plenty high in protein (29.6g per 100g), lower in fat than most ‘chicken breast’ products (with a teeny-weeny 1.6g per 100g) and has a wafer-thin amount of saturated fat (0.7g per 100g).

I’ve added some veggies – mainly peppers, mushrooms and rocket – but you can use whatever you fancy really, so get a bit inventive! Click to see the ‘how to’ here…

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PROTEIN POWER !!!

30/12/2012

STAGE 3) PROTEIN POWER!!!
Sugar cravings under control √. Complex energy understood √. Now it’s time to fuel your training! Protein is part of any balanced diet; in the gym environment it’s often known for ‘growth and repair’ properties, but every function in our cells/organs/bodies are regulated by protein – ‘growth and repair’, yes, but also, digestion, absorbtion, healthy blood oxygenation, bone strength, antibody production, brain activity etc. With this in mind here’s a good recipe to make a yummy dish packed with high quality sources of protein!

This picture is of my healthy, home made, grilled (avoid frying) tuna steak ‘burger’. Tuna is a naturally rich source of lean protein (c. 25g of protein per 100g), and has very low saturated fat content especially when compared to red meat. The calorific content is also low, at c. 220 calories per 150g tin. It also contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins B12 & B3 and other essential fats. I topped it off with half an avocado (tasty, with essential fatty acids), rocket (for iron and a vitamin boost) and some chilli powder (to set my metabolism racing)! Also, the bun is wholegrain (complex carbs, slow release energy)!

Burger King, eat your heart out! x

SUSHI – EASY, BUT COMPLEX !!!

28/12/2012

Following on from yesterday’s post on KILLING THE SUGAR RAT…

STAGE 2) FEED ON COMPLEX CARBS – Why bother with complex carbohydrates? CRUCIAL! They release energy (glucose) slowly sustaining you throughout the day, whereas simple carbs turn you into a hyper 2 year-old for an hour then comatose you for the next five. Simple sugars (high GI) are in things like refined fizzy drinks, white bread or white rice, but complex sugars (low GI) are found in wholegrain loaves, wholewheat pasta, porridge oats etc. Eating more of the latter will leave you less peckish, less often!

The brown rice in this snap of Sushi (made it for lunch today, took <30 mins) contains c. 80% more vitamin B than white rice (good for energy conversion and blood oxygenation), with double the manganese (joint lubrication, maintains the nervous system), 60% more Iron (helps mental focus, bodily strength, blood oxygen and circulation) and almost 100% more dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. More importantly it’s kept me full until now, 17:30! Add to that the Salmon and Tuna (rich sources of omega fats and protein) and the vegetables (peppers, spring onion, carrot, cucumber), and you’ve got fuel for your workout (or night out!).

N.b. this dish has been known to impress people for its inventiveness, BUT it’s so easy to make!! Bon apetit, or rather どうぞ召し上がれ!!! Click below to get the recipe…

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