Super Spelt & Wholesome Wholewheat.

I've been wanting to do this entry for a while now, and just haven't gotten round to it, but here it is! A while ago I began to cut down on the amount of white, processed carbohydrates in my diet, as I realised 3 things:

1) They hold no nutritional value

2) They give you a quick energy and blood sugar surge, and then a big dip

3) They made me feel sleepy and bloated

Now, that's not to say that I cut out all of them - I still loved pasta and continued to eat that, but my bread was strictly wholegrain. As you know I've gone on a massive health journey this year, and in the past few months my emphasis has really been finding alternatives to white bread and pasta (even noodles too), so I thought I'd share a few of my finds with you, and why I love them...

Spelt pasta & spaghetti

- As I mentioned above, normal pastamakes me bloated and tired, but spelt pasta is a revelation. Whereas some wholewheat pasta can be a bit on the heavy side, this is light, didn't weigh me down, and so much better for your digestive system. It goes well with all kinds of sauces, and I urge you to give it a go. Wholewheat spaghetti is also a great option, but I steer clear of wholewheat (I'll refer to it from now on as WW) fusilli etc, and they are quite dense and heavy.

Gluten-free Chickpea pasta

- A very new find for me, literally just saw it in the supermarket today. I think this is such a wonderful idea for a type of pasta and I will definitely be trying it out and telling you what I think. There are so many wonderful gluten-free products out there, and even if you're not affected by it, they are great to try.

Rye bread & crackers

- Two massive loves of my life. Sometimes I wanta bit of a flavour change from just regular WW bread, and rye is such a fantastic choice. If you have been living off white bread for all your life then this might take some getting used to, but I promise that when you make the change from white to brown, you won't regret it. Justthe otherweek I went to a farmer's market and bought this amazing rye bread with nuts and seeds in it; it was a little dense, but that worked to my favour as I only needed to have a little piece to feel satisfied - winning! Rye crackers are great with anything from peanut butter to yoghurt, and great at tea time.

Wholewheat noodles

- Now if I thought spelt spaghetti was light, I hadn't tried these noodles yet! They cook in minutes and are so airy and wonderful that there is no bloating after eating them, and they absorb and go well with any flavours/sauces you want to add! I'm a noodle nut, so this was a wonderful discovery :)

Wholewheat, Oat and Granary Breads

- Just a quick note on these breads that are fast becoming massive hits on supermarket shelves. Statistics show that the sale of brown breads is surpassing white bread more and more each year, as people strive to become more health conscious. If you've never tried any of these breads before, I urge you to give them a go. They provide you with slow-release energy, which means you won't have peaks and lows, like you getwith white bread. Every week there seems to be a new type of brown bread coming out, so have a look next time you go shopping. If making the switch still seems a little daunting, why not try a 'best of both' bread, which combines white and brown, to ease yourself into it?

As you can see, there are so many ways to start incorporating more WW and wholegrain products into your life. Of course, the carbohydrate food group also contains sugary products, like muffins for example, and I haven't covered those here - I'll leave that for another entry :) - but as bread and pasta are diet staples for many people, I thought I'd start with them. Don't just look in your supermarkets; if you have a farmer's market near you, or a local bakery, check out their breads, and you'll be supporting local farmers and workers as you do so. I hope this quick summary has inspired you to add a darker side to your diet, and branch out from the worn white bread - your body will thank you for it!

Nati xXx

'Can't Beet It' Chocolate & Raspberry Cake.

Not many cakes can claim to be as virtuous as this one, and include one of your five-a-day! I had such a cravingfor chocolate cake the other day, but didn't really want to be completely unhealthy, so I thought I'd make this wonderful version that contains grated beetroot. Now don't freak out - you won't know it's in there, but it's full of antioxidants and makes the sponge sooo soft and moist! Grounded almonds replace the flour in this recipe, and there's no butter so it truly is a curve-conscious chocolate cake. Give this recipe a go, and I hope you like it!

Again, here are some reasons why this cake is healthy:

- No butter or flour

- Natural sweetener, not actual sugar

- Beetroot!

- No icing, fat-free yoghurt

Ingredients

200g beetroot (cooked or raw), grated

4 medium eggs, separated

150g natural sweetener/agave nectar

40g cocoa powder

220g ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

For the filling:

500g fat-free yoghurt

3 tablespoons honey

1 punnet of raspberries

A few strawberries

(Plus a bit of dark chocolate to grate on top)

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade, 350 fahrenheit. Butter and line two cake tins.

2. Grate the beetroot into a bowl.

3. Separate the eggs. In one bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until stiff. In the second bowl, whisk together the yolks and sweetener/nectar until combined.

4. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in 3 goes with a metal spoon. Be careful not to knock the air out of the mixture, and stop mixing the minute it's all combined.

5. Fold in the cocoa, almonds, and baking powder, and stir until combined. Add in the beetroot, until all the ingredients are mixed well.

6. Dividethe mixture between the two cake tins and bake for 20 mins.

7. While the cakes are baking, mix the yoghurt and honey for the filling.

8. When the cakes are done, leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, spread about 2/3 of the filling in the middle of the cake, and top with raspberries and sliced strawberries.

9. Spread the rest of the yoghurt mixture on top of the cake, grate some dark chocolate on top and add a few raspberries. For extra sweetness, drizzle with honey.

10. Eat and enjoy!

Nati xXx

Nice Ice - Fab finds!

Following on from an earlier post I did about ice cream and fro-yo, I found two fantastic new ice creams that are so much healthier than most out there! They were hidden in the corner of the freezer aisle, where only intrepid food shoppers would dare to delve, so it just shows that it pays off to spend some time searching your supermarket for healthier foods! I only bought the first one, but I'll give you what nutritional values I have for both and a little info about them!

Okay so the first one was actually in the Kosher section of the freezers, and is a soya ice cream!

1) Tofutti Mango and Passion Fruit Soya Ice Cream

(Values per 100ml)

94 kcal (amazing, I know!)

7.8g sugar

6.1g Fat, of which only 2.5g saturates

As you can see that's pretty impressive from a health point of view, as most ice creams will have over 24g of sugar. Just looking at the ingredients listed, it's completely organic and full of wonderful things like organic soya beans, palm oil and red beet juice! Yum! It also comes in chocolate, vanilla and caramel flavours.

2) Del Monte Fat Free Smoothie Raspberry Ice Cream

(Comes on sticks, so the values are for 1 of those)

84kcal

Only trace of fat

Now unfortunately I only got a fleeting glance at this one, but it looks superb so I thought I'd mention it to you anyway! I never thought I'd be able to put 'fat-free' and 'ice cream' in the same sentence, but here you go! It looks jam-packed of fruit, and would be fab for kids - give them a go!

So that was just a quick update on some new products I've found! Hope you've been having a wonderful weekend and I'll be back soon!

Nati xXx

Size Matters.

You might have heard the saying (or read it in an earlier post of mine) "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a pauper.", which refers to the size of the meals you consume throughout the day. What you may not have realised, however, is just how much sense that phrase holds, so read on to learn more...

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, as you are 'breaking' your 'fast' from the night. What you eat when you wake up will set you up for the rest of the day, and have a big effect on your metabolism and energy levels. In this sense, protein and slow-release carbs are your best breakfast friends; they will keep you energy and blood sugar levels stable, and having a large breakfast will prevent you from snacking too much throughout the day, and craving sugary foods. A good breakfast would be something like scrambled egg whites on brown toast, and yoghurt with fruit. With that selection you're covering most of the food groups, and getting a balanced start to the day. Now, as you know by now I'm a Weetabix obsessive, and whilst cereals can be a good breakfast choice, try and stay away from high-sugar versions and think about things like muesli and granola too.

If there is a large gap between your breakfast and lunch (of more than 2hrs), it's a good idea to snack on something healthy to keep your blood sugar level stable and your metabolism fast. I tend to go for a banana, or if I have a coffee (soya, naturally) I count that as my mid-morning snack. A lot of people reach for cereal bars or granola bars - but beware. In their unaltered form, and by that I mean the plain granola and low-sugar cereal that you can get out of a packet, these are two perfectly healthy foods. However, by turning them into bars, many companies have decided that it's a good idea to add a heap of butter and sugar/syrup just so it tastes better (read 'sweeter'). While our sweet tooth may be appeased, our waistlines and health will not be, as these snacks can be highly calorific, so be cautious.

When it comes to lunchtime, a princely portion is in order. Consider a sandwich of grilled chicken breast, tomato, lettuce and avocado on wholewheat bread, with perhaps a yoghurt for afterwards. Many people end their meal with fruit, but fruit should always be eaten on an empty stomach, so think again! Eaten on top of a meal it begins to rot as fruit is the most easily/quickly absorbed foodstuffs, so you end up losing all the important nutrients it contains!

Once again it comes to snacktime, and in the afternoon I tend to have a Ryvita with peanut butter and banana, and a soya yoghurt. Ideally you will have had protein at lunch, which should keep you feeling full-ish, so a small snack is all you need. When dinner rolls around, try to avoid eating lots of carbs after 8pm, as your body is beginning to wind down, and it will find it harder to digest lots of carbohydrates. Try something like fish with vegetables, and if you're feeling a little cheeky, a bit of dark chocolate for after :) Dinner should be fairly light to help you sleep easier and to give your digestive system a bit of a rest!

Happy New Year and hope that helps :) xXx