Lifestyle Choices

Breakfast smoothie

A complete meal in a glass, blended so that you can drink it justbefore rushing out of the door. Vary the fruit you use (although choose low-GL ones such as apples, peaches, oranges, plums and apricots, and keep within 10D per person) to keep it interesting and to get a range of different nutrients.

SERVES 1

1 tbsp seeds (such as linseeds, pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds) (optional)

150g (5¹/2oz) live, organic natural yogurt, or soya yogurt ¹/2 banana

1 punnet of berries, about 1 00g (31/2oz) (use frozen berries when fresh ones are out of season)

A little lemon or apple juice (if necessary) (more…)

Each of these breakfasts provides 10 GL to comply with the GL guidelines for main meals. They are designed to fill you up rather than fatten you. I f you lack inspiration or energy in the morning, the low-gl Get up and go is a great solution.

Porridge

Oats are full of soluble fibre for healthy digestion and release their energy very slowly to keep you filled up all the way through to your snack and lunchtime.

SERVES 1

35g (11/4oz) whole porridge oats

225ml 18fl oz) water (the guide is two parts water to one part oats)

1 tbsp seeds (such as any combination of pre-cracked linseeds, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds)

A little xylitol to sweeten or a sprinkling of Solo or other low-sodium salt, to taste (optional)

1. Place the oats and water in a pan. Bring to the boil then gently simmer, stirring, until the porridge thickens and the oats soften.
2. Stir the seeds into the porridge and spoon into a bowl.
3. Sprinkle with xylitol or the salt, if using.

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WEEK 2 STAYING ON TRACK

Days 8-14 are about staying on track and motivated. So, you’ve kept your cravings at bay for seven days. That’s cause for celebration. Part of the low-GL philosophy is to separate treats from food, so instead of reaching for high-GL snacks or a glass of celebratory wine, why not reward yourself with a different kind of treat? Giving yourself (non-food) treats is very important as it helps you to celebrate and recognise the progress you are making.

DAY 1

Breakfast Breakfast smoothie

Lunch Deli-style pastrami open rye sandwich

Dinner Pesto-baked salmon with boiled baby new potatoes and roasted vegetables

Snacks 1 slice pumpernickel-style rye bread with nut butter/celery and ¹/2 carrot made into crudites with guacamole (more…)

How do you get the essential nutrients into your diet? Here are some super foods to eat that help maintain great health, increase immunity and make you feel good. They are packed with essential nutrients and powerful natural antioxidants, they taste delicious and add variety to your diet. They are some of our favourite foods, and we buy them regularly.

Fruits and vegetables

The best way to eat fruits and vegetables is straight from the tree or garden, when they haven’t lost any of their vitamins and minerals. This means that the produce is in season and you are obtaining the best nutrient value. Growers’ outlets or markets also supply good seasonal produce

There are endless ways to serve up your veges. We love leaving them raw and cutting them into small pieces to dip in hummus. Kids love this, too! Try different or unusual vegetables once in a while to add variety. When cooking vegetables, steaming is usually better than boiling, as it preserves more nutrients. For sauteing, use a little butter or olive oil. (more…)

Knowing how to read nutrient labels will help you to make better food choices when shopping. Marketing slogans that call a product ‘healthy’ or ‘natural‘ can make a food sound a lot better than the ingredients would merit. When we are too busy we tend to believe what is written on the front of the package, rather than taking the time to read what is on the back. For example, popcorn is considered a great low-fat snack. However, if you buy the microwave or prepared versions, you will find they can be a lot higher in salt and fat than if you buy dried corn and pop it yourself. If advertising can be misleading, let’s have a look at what some of these terms really mean.

A. ‘Lite’ or ‘Light’

This can mean a number of things and not necessarily that the product is lower in kilojoules or fat. Lite potato crisps may be thinly sliced and lightly salted, but they may still contain a high fat content. Light olive oil has a lighter flavour, light beer has less alcohol content, light margarine has less fat, light cheese has less fat and salt. It is important you check the label for what it is that has been ‘lightened’. (more…)