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From the editor

Hello

I became a vegetarian in my late teens. It was pragmatic: veggie meals at my uni were

tastier than the meat. A year on and cooking for myself, I revisited meat and fish. From then on I chose the ‘flexitarian’ path.

Stats and our shopping habits show more of us than ever are eating this way – enjoying more meat-free days and choosing vegan wraps over ham sandwiches. There are so many positives, and this special issue of Healthy Food Guide celebrates all that’s good about vegetarian eating, while filling in any gaps in our nutrition knowledge. Our nutrition editor and dietitians have that covered, while Phil Mundy shares his go-to ingredients and cracking recipes and Laura Day guides you through eating out.

The other topical issue right now is how to reduce our dementia risk. Our free brainpower booklet (p67) is a fun way to stay sharp.

When she had a go, our assistant editor Liz Atkins became hooked.

She’s now working her way through the 201 exercises in Dr Tonia’s book Keep your brain stronger for longer. It’s the free gift with this month’s subscription offer (p81), so don’t miss out – order yours today.

EDITOR’S BUYS

MELANIE LEYSHON, EDITOR

MR SUPER VEG

ONE-HIT WONDERFUL

BEER MONEY, WELL SPENT

A chef on a mission to help us big up the flavour and eat more veg… Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new cookbook is certainly mission accomplished.

Quality ingredients weighed out for a healthy recipe – this courgette polpette ticked the tasty box. Find my cooked version on my Instagram feed @melanieleyshon

River Cottage Much More Veg (Bloomsbury, £26)

Abel & Cole veggie recipe boxes, from £12 for 1 recipe to serve 2

I’ll be taking part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s Go Sober for October fund-raiser. If you don’t fancy ‘soberlising’, you can donate by buying merchandise online instead.

Stress ball, £2.95, shop.macmillan.org.uk

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 3

In this issue

48

62

53

68

12 42

OCTOBER

Contents 3 Editor’s letter 6 Meet our experts 8 Your say 10 Health bulletin

VEGGIE SPECIAL

COVER RECIPES Colour-me-healthy soups p60

12 The essential guide to vegetarian eating Veggie, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian… We help you do it the healthy way 14 How to get the nutrients you need 16 Go-to foods and those to avoid 18 Our veggie greatest hits 20 Protein portions Serving size guide 22 Eating out guide

NUTRITION LOOK OUT FOR the vegetarian symbol on this issue’s recipes

24 Your recovery eating plan Pre and post hospital help 67 Everyday foods to feed your brain Plus! Free pull-out brain workout booklet 80 Diet SOS Coeliac advice

HEALTH

29 Dr Dawn’s medical notes…

This month: mouth ulcers 30 More than a good gut reaction? Fermented foods

RECIPES

35 Recipe index 36 Veggie tonight! Try going meat-free for a week 42 Veggie pizza 44 Just for a change Swaps for meaty classics 48 Make noodles go further 53 6pm panic 54 Veggie in a hurry 56 Modern muffins 60 Colour-me-healthy soups Try our delicious veggie trio 62 The crowd pleaser 65 Dinner for one 68 Healthy makeover 70 Fruit ‘n’ nut treats

WEIGHT LOSS

72 Your meat-free weekly diet plan, plus flexitarian options

92

78 6 ways to turn off the snack switch

PSYCHOLOGY 83 Underslept… and overweight

LOOKING GOOD

84 Hair repair Help for the most common complaints

SHOPPING

90 New product hot list

FITNESS

92 Take your fitness indoors

DON’T MISS

64 Coming up next month 81 Subscription offer Save money AND get a free brain workout book worth £9.99 96 References 97 Nutrition lowdown 98 Talking point Why medicinal herbs have an important role to play OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 5

The Healthy Food Guide panel

Meet our experts Every issue is researched by our dietitians, registered nutritionists and GP

❛Pasta al pomodoro made from scratch

This month we asked…

with beautiful Italian tomatoes. When I have time, I blend the sauce by hand in an old-fashioned hand blender (it’s quite calming!) and reduce it slowly. I stir in some freshly grated veggie cheese before serving – all the family love it.❜

What’s your favourite easy veggie meal?

AMANDA URSELL is HFG’s nutrition editor. She has a degree in nutrition and a post-graduate diploma in dietetics

JENNIFER LOW is a dietitian who works as a consultant for the NHS and in the private sector. She specialises in IBS, eating disorders and bariatric surgery

❛An omelette – it’s quick and

easy and you can throw in all the leftover veg from the fridge. I grate cheese into mine, too, to give hungry kids and husband a calorie boost!

We serve it with salad veg and a jacket potato or home-cooked potato wedges.❜

DR DAWN HARPER works as a GP and runs regular clinics on women’s health and weight management. She often appears on TV shows such as This Morning

❛Butternut

squash Thai massaman curry with rice.

This is packed with big flavours, and the squash is bulky, so you feel you’ve had a satisfying plate.

RORY LARKIN is a registered nutritionist and restaurant chef, with a special interest in developing healthy recipes

❜

❛

I started growing my own vegetables this year, so I often do a big dish of seasonal veg. I make a salad out of mixed leaves with spring onions, blanched runner and French beans, thinly sliced courgettes, baby carrots and beetroot and tomatoes. I’ve recently discovered Cotswold Gold Raspberry & Wholegrain Mustard dressing goes really well drizzled over.

❜

PHIL MUNDY is our recipe consultant. He works his magic every month to cut calories, fat and added sugars while making sure every recipe tastes great

❛You can’t go wrong with

spaghetti bolognese made with chopped veg, veggie mince and red lentils. Add bay leaves and a glass of red to boost the flavour.❜

WE ALSO WORK WITH l Tracy Kelly, registered dietitian l Helen Bond, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association l Norma McGough, registered dietitian at Coeliac UK l Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation l Lucy Jones, registered dietitian 6 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Why you can trust us The Healthy Food Guide experts believe that making small diet and lifestyle changes brings the best long-term gains.

This is how we help you move to a healthier way of life...

We look at the science behind the headlines to clear up mixed messages about current health issues. Our experts examine the body of evidence, never just one isolated study, before presenting information as fact. You’ll find the references to our news and features on p96.

We promote a balanced way of eating Our dietitians and nutritionists are fully qualified and can help you break free from

yo-yo dieting. Our recipes come in satisfying portion sizes, use everyday ingredients and are well balanced. Our experts never recommend cutting out key food groups unless you have an intolerance or allergy.

We fight the fads We keep up to date with new products (and share our top picks every month) but will never recommend an ingredient or food just because it’s ‘trending’.

Guide to recipe symbols & nutrition analysis How we do it Nutrition is calculated using McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, Seventh Edition, but may vegetarian gluten free vary slightly depending dairy free suitable for freezing on your ingredients. l All recipes are approved by 450kcal or less for a At least 6g fibre Diabetes UK as suitable for main course; 300kcal per 100g or people with diabetes. or less for breakfast; and 3g fibre per 100kcal l We use standard UK 150kcal or less for a starter, measurements, where snack, drink or dessert At least 20% of 1tbsp is 15ml and 1tsp the calories come is 5ml. l For gluten and 3g fat or less from protein dairy-free recipes, we per 100g recommend you check all product labels.

At least 30% of the 1.5g saturates l In vegetarian recipes RDA per serving or less per 100g with cheese, use a vegetarian substitute At least 30% of the if you avoid animal rennet.

5g total sugars RDA per serving l Our freezing symbol or less per 100g means a recipe can be The number of frozen for up to 3 months. portions of fruit and/ 0.3g salt or less Thaw and reheat until or veg contained in a serving piping hot. per 100g

All our recipes are tested by recipe consultant

Phil Mundy in our test kitchen. Created to guidelines set out by the NHS Eatwell Guide, they all come with nutrition analysis and symbols (see below).

1

Online recipes and shopping Find hundreds more recipes on our website, healthyfood.co.uk. Did you know you can order your shopping straight from the website? Just choose your recipes, then at the bottom of the ingredients list pick your favoured retailer and click on ‘add to shopping list’. The ingredients will automatically go into your shopping basket (you can edit it if you already have any items). Prefer to shop in store?

You can create a shopping list to print out and take with you – or have it emailed.

EYE TO EYE MEDIA LTD, Axe & Bottle Court, 70 Newcomen Street, London SE1 1YT SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES 01795 414778 Healthyfood.co.uk/subscribe EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES 020 7803 4128 FAX 020 7803 4101 EMAIL Info@healthyfood.co.uk WEB Healthyfood.co.uk Editor Melanie Leyshon Art director Tina Betts Assistant editor Liz Atkins Senior sub editors Rebecca Almond, Sara Norman (maternity cover) Editorial assistant/writer Laura Day Nutrition editor Amanda Ursell Recipe consultant Phil Mundy Digital editors Rebecca Brett, Vic Grimshaw (maternity cover) Digital producers Isabella Bradford, Isabeau Brimeau With thanks to Abigail Dodd, Becky Brannigan, Debbie Voller, Kate Jones ADVERTISING SALES Ad director Jason Elson 020 7150 5397 Group head, advertising sales Catherine Nicolson 020 7150 5044 Senior sales, partnerships Rachel Dalton 020 7150 5040 Regional business development manager Nicola Rearden 0161 209 3629 Managing director Seamus Geoghegan 020 7803 4123 seamus@eyetoeyemedia.co.uk Publishing director Adrienne Moyce 020 7803 4111 adrienne.moyce@eyetoeyemedia.co.uk Consultant editorial director Jo Sandilands Production director Jake Hopkins 020 7803 4110 Marketing consultant Julia Rich 020 7803 4129 Finance director Darren Blundy darren.blundy@eyetoeyemedia.co.uk Finance manager Martin Cherry 01733 373132 martin.cherry@eyetoeyemedia.co.uk

Healthy Food Guide magazine is published

by Eye to Eye Media Ltd, Axe & Bottle Court, 70 Newcomen Street, London SE1 1YT, under licence from Healthy Life Media International Limited and its content includes copyright material which is owned or controlled by, and is reproduced under licence from, Healthy Life Media International Limited. The title Healthy Food Guide and the Healthy Food Guide logo are trade marks owned by, and used under licence from, Healthy Life Media International Limited. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Healthy Life Media International Limited, its subsidiaries, affiliates or contributors. For licensing enquiries contact Phil Ryan, Healthy Life Media International, phil.ryan@hlmedia.co.nz.

ISSN 2045-8223. Printed in the UK by Southernprint Ltd. Colour origination by Rhapsody. Copyright Eye to Eye Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors in advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations. Eye to Eye Media Ltd is a registered data user whose entries in the Data Protection Register contain descriptions of sources and disclosures of personal data. This paper is manufactured using pulp taken from well-managed, certified forests.

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SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 7

Letters

Your sayÉ

JOIN OUR CLUB

Our lunch recipes hit the spot and the memory prevention plan also improved your state of mind

HFG STAR LETTER

THE BEST LUNCH ORDER

I wanted to say a massive thank you for the Lunch special (September issue).

Since I started working shifts for the NHS I’ve really struggled to eat healthily, as there’s no regular pattern to them and my eating has been all over the place. Your recipe feature made me sit up and take stock. As a shopping list was provided all I had to do was add in some main meal recipes and go shopping for what I didn’t have. For the first time in months, I’ve actually eaten healthily and enjoyed the food.

I think I could get my eating back on track if this type of article could be a regular feature in future issues, with breakfasts and dinners as well as lunches. It made all the difference that the hard work was done for me. JENNIE HARPER

CONGRATULATIONS

The star letter writer wins this sleek stainless steel set of digital scales from Dexam, worth £22. It can weigh both dry and liquid ingredients (in either metric or imperial) with graduations as small as 1ml/fl oz/g/oz, to help you keep tabs on portion sizes. The ‘tare’ function allows you to add and weigh several ingredients in the same bowl for fuss-free cooking and baking.

Find out more about the scales and other handy kitchen food prep and cooking aids at dexam.co.uk.

LUNCHBOX CLEVER I would like to say how much I enjoyed the September issue, especially the pull-out-and keep lunchbox ideas. I work nights, which really messes up my eating patterns. As I don’t eat bread, the pasta and wrap ideas are brilliant for me. I’m also loving the swap ideas for saving calories.

Please continue.

MAUREEN ARMSTRONG 8 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

REASSURANCE ON A BIG ISSUE… Having watched her sister succumb to dementia, a close friend of mine had become terrified of experiencing the same fate. I was, therefore, pleased to be able to give her my copy of Healthy Food Guide with your feature Memory loss prevention plan (August issue) – with amazing results.

Thanks to the advice, she is now beginning to manage her anxieties and, although she accepts that none of us knows what the future holds, being able to take steps to reduce the risks has made her feel much more in control of her fate and has given her a much more positive attitude.

So thank you for giving her peace of mind and for giving me back the fun-loving friend that I feared I had lost for ever. CHERI LEE

The number of HFG readers active across our social media channels is growing every day.

You’re posting comments on health stories, pictures of recipes you’ve cooked and sharing your weight-loss progress.

Everyone’s welcome to join in the lively discussion and interact with the HFG team and our experts…

ON TWITTER @healthyfoodmag

ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/ healthyfoodguideuk

ON INSTAGRAM @healthyfoodmag

… AND STAYING POSITIVE I found August’s Memory loss prevention plan about how to lower your risk of dementia by following the MIND Diet very informative. We should view our body parts in the same way that we view a car. If kept in good condition, they will serve you well and minimise the chance of a breakdown.

But I do agree with Dr Dawn Harper concerning one of the most feared illnesses in the modern world – that it is normal, as we get older, to suffer some degree of forgetfulness, but not to blow it out of all proportion. Positive thinking is the way forward. GLORIA WILDING

EMAIL US AT info@healthyfood.co.uk TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

of HFG (good and bad) and send your tips, pictures and queries to: info@ healthyfood.co.uk.

Or write to us at: Healthy Food Guide, Eye to Eye Media Ltd, Axe & Bottle Court, 70 Newcomen Street, London SE1 1YT.

Just like Prosciutto di San Daniele, true taste and real origins simply cannot be imitated. That is why the European Union created the Protected Designation of Origin scheme. PDO makes regional specialities with centuries of tradition easier to recognise. So next time you want to enjoy the unmistakable �lavour of these unique delicacies, look for the PDO logo.

Follow our tradition at www.prosciuttosandaniele.it

CAMPAIGN FINANCED WITH AID FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITALY.

Proud carriers of the PDO logo.

News

Health bulletin

The latest need-to-know from the world of diet and fitness

Get rhythm to train your brain

To stay alert as we age, we should be taking the advice from Strictly to ‘Keep dancing…’ more literally, says a new study. Following volunteers aged 65-plus over 18 months, the study compared the effects of dancing with endurance training. The researchers found that while both had an anti-ageing effect, only the dancing led to a noticeable difference in hippocampal plasticity in our brains, which has a direct effect on improved balance. Researchers believe these results are down to the fact that dancing isn’t only about physical exertion, but also involves the challenge of learning a dance routine. Turn to p92 for toetapping ideas.

L S

M

Don’t fall for the ‘upsell’!

The average person in the UK is consuming 17,000 extra and unintentional calories a year, translating into a potential 5lb annual weight gain because of ‘upselling’ by shops. On average, we get pestered 106 times a year by employees trying to sell us more food and drink than we had intended to buy, says a new survey by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH). Over the course of just one week, more than a third of the 2,000-plus respondents surveyed reported buying a bigger coffee than they’d planned and/or sweets or chocolate at a till point, and had added sides like chips to meals after encouragement by staff. Learning to say: ‘Just this thanks,’ is a vital step in rejecting verbal pushes of unhealthy choices.

Check out the hashtag #Justthisthanks.

Vegan eating out made easier Fancy a vegan supper out? You could soon have more options, following the launch of a new catering guide. Chef Day Radley has written a practical guide for restaurants, which includes vegan recipes, easy ingredient swaps and supplier contacts. Once a restaurant features two vegan options for each course, it can display a ‘Vegan Options Inside’ window sticker and get listed at vanilla-bean.com, which flags up plant-based places to eat around the UK. Why not pass the news on to your favourite local eatery? They can download a guide from veganuary.com.

10 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

1 in 10 MEN

Protein + carbs = better blood sugar control You can reduce blood sugar surges by 25% after eating if you consume protein with carbohydrates. Scientists found that people eating a 200g portion of tuna with white bread had lower blood sugar levels over the twohour period after eating compared with when they ate a double serving of carbs (rice and bread). Researchers say the protein in the tuna helps to slow stomach emptying, an effect that in turn reduces the speed of digestion and impact of the quick-release carbohydrate in the bread.

✔

+

50%

✗

+

Could gluten be causing your headaches?

If you regularly suffer from unexplained headaches, don’t rule out coeliac disease or a sensitivity to gluten. Dr John Leung, director of the Center for Food Related Diseases in Boston, USA, says, ‘About one in five people with confirmed coeliac disease suffer from headaches.’ He says that research shows in 57–71% of cases, these people’s headaches improve when they follow a strict gluten-free diet.

According to Dr Leung, the complaint is common in those with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy, too.

You should see your doctor if you regularly suffer from headaches – and it may be worth discussing coeliac disease.

HAVE A HEART AGE 10 YEARS OLDER THAN THEY ARE

These statistics come from analysis of the 1.2 million men who have already taken the online Heart Age Test, which is part of the One You health campaign run by Public Health England.

Find your heart age by doing the 3-minute online test at nhs.uk/oneyou.

Depending on your results, you may be redirected to relevant heart content.

OF UK PARENTS

are being forced into cooking more than one meal a night by fussy eaters. Children aged six to 10 are the ‘worst’ offenders, with 71% of parents of this age group virtually running a ‘restaurant service’ in their own homes, research

by Tefal found. One way to get back control is to cook one meal for all but let everyone take turns choosing the dish for the day. This one-meal-fits-all approach will help children understand that eating a variety of foods is normal, says nutrition editor Amanda Ursell.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 11

The essential guide to

VEGETARIAN EATING THERE’S BEEN A DRAMATIC SHIFT towards vegetarian eating, but one size no longer fits all. Now, in the space of one week, you can be veggie, vegan, a pescatarian and an enthusiastic meateater – in other words, flexitarian, a way of eating that’s becoming more popular. But whether you’re a part-timer or a vegetarian, the challenge is getting the nutrition right – there are lots of junk vegan and unhealthy vegetarian foods out there. This guide can help you get the nutrition right, whichever shade of veggie diet you’ve decided to follow.

Over the following 11 pages, you’ll find advice from nutrition editor Amanda Ursell, the top ingredients recipe consultant Phil Mundy swears by, and a guide to healthy portions by dietitian Jennifer Low. If you want to try a meat-free week, you may find our first vegetarian weekly diet plan (p72) is the easiest place to start. And, if you enjoy a vegetarian diet already, you’ll love the delicious new ideas in our recipe section, starting on p35.

12 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Nearly half of Brits who have already cut back on meat or are considering it say it’s for the sake of their health

VEGGIE SPECIAL

WHICH TYPE ARE YOU? Laura Day looks into the trend for cutting out (or reducing) meat for the sake of your health. One thing’s for sure: it’s only going to get bigger, say retailers keeping a close eye on consumer preferences

T

O GET AN IDEA of the veggie zeitgeist, just look at the number of vegetarian cookbooks being launched, plant-based recipe delivery boxes and the 14 million Instagram hashtags. Type ‘vegetarian supper’ into google and you get 90,700,000 results (almost double the number for, say, ‘beef supper’). The Meat Free Monday movement that started in 2009 now runs in 40 countries.

Certainly, more of us now understand the impact that consuming too many animal products has not only on animal welfare but also on our health and the environment.

This new awareness may be partly due to headline-worthy research, legume-loving bloggers and environmental documentaries pricking our consciences. But when did the sea change happen?

Fuelled by demand For David Balmer, buying and product development director at Abel & Cole, the year was 2013. ‘We began seeing a trend for more vegetarian recipes and ethically sourced meat following the horsemeat scandal,’ he says. And the trend shows no sign of diminishing. ‘The demand for vegetarian cooking continues to grow and customers are looking for more inspiration,’ says David. ‘There’s also a realisation that vegetarian cooking is better value, with more people opting to batch

cook for the week.’ Now 50% of the recipes in Abel & Cole’s recipe boxes are vegetarian, of which two are vegan. ‘We’re simply meeting customer demand,’ he says.

No more all-or-nothing Maybe you’re unsure where you fall on the meat/ non-meat spectrum. Don’t worry. Just as you wouldn’t stop defining yourself as a home cook or an exerciser once you eat in a restaurant or skip a workout, your meatless food choices still count if you enjoy the occasional steak once in a while. It’s this thinking that led author Brian Kateman to coin the term ‘reducetarian’.

He wants to inspire people to make a deliberate commitment to eating less meat in a way that’s easy, manageable, and avoids a moral high ground. And this message will chime with

many. According to a 2016 report, Are We Eating Less Meat?, in the previous 12 months, 44% said they either didn’t eat meat or were considering reducing their meat intake.

Meat-free goes mainstream The shift has really been felt across the supermarkets, which now offer a greater range of vegetarian and vegan options in fresh and shelf products. Chloe Graves, chilled vegetarian buyer at Waitrose, says, ‘We’re

Eating meat no more than three times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease a year expanding our vegetarian range to meet demand. This month will see the launch of 30 new vegetarian products.’

Get ready to do a supermarket sweep as the exciting new launches don’t stop there. Marks & Spender is adding a further 12

products to its chilled vegetarian range this month, with two products in particular making a supermarket first: M&S own-brand soy protein mince and soy protein chunks.

‘According to our latest research, one in five M&S customer households are cooking for a flexitarian/ vegetarian and about 60% are eating less red meat, says M&S nutritionist Helen Seward. ‘Plant-based eating is a really important part of our product development as a result.’

So whether you’re newly (or long-time) vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian, resolving to be a reducetarian or have a vegetarian teenager shaking up family mealtimes, this is a great time to be plant-based cooking! There are plenty of exciting developments, including vegan burgers that ‘bleed’, and inspiration from a growing number of vegan and vegetarian athletes.

Of course, there are pitfalls – not least the risk of cutting out important sources of nutrients without replacing them. Turn the page for nutrition editor Amanda Ursell’s guide on how to eat less meat the healthy way.

QUICK GUIDE TO DIET TERMS l VEGETARIANS exclude products consisting of or produced from meat. Vegetarians may be: lacto-ovo (eat dairy products and eggs); ovo (eat eggs but not dairy); or lacto (eat dairy but not eggs). l FLEXITARIANS primarily eat plants, with the occasional inclusion of meat, fish, eggs and dairy. l PESCATARIANS eat fish, eggs and dairy, but no meat.

l REDUCETARIANS aim to gradually reduce consumption of animal products. l VEGANS follow a plant-based

diet that excludes all meat, fish and foods produced from animals, including dairy, eggs and honey. They also avoid animal-derived products such as leather or anything tested on animals.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 13

HOW TO GET THE NUTRIENTS YOU NEED KNOW THE PITFALLS S

WITCHING TO A PARTIAL OR COMPLETELY vegetarian diet usually comes with the promise of a healthy glow. Eating this way is touted as a fast-track to losing weight and lowering your risk of heart disease and cancer.

While this may be the case if you make the transition the healthy way, the validity of all these claims is under scrutiny.

This summer, scientists from the Harvard TH Chan School of Nutrition revealed that people whose diets included the most healthy plant-based foods, such as wholegrains, vegetables, fruits and nuts, were 25% less likely to end up with heart disease than those whose diets contained the least amount of those foods. However, as regular readers of Healthy Food Guide will know, there’s nutritional nitty-gritty you do need to bear in mind to stay well, both physically and mentally, too…

How you make the transition to a diet that’s higher in vegetables (even if you include some meat or fish) is crucial.

BECOMING VEGETARIAN It helps to make the transition slowly. You may want to consider taking a daily supplement of vitamins and minerals as well as omega-3s when you start off to help you plug any nutritional gaps.

GOING VEGAN You need to be particularly vigilant about vitamin B12, iodine and omega-3s, which can be lacking in a poorly planned vegan diet. Not taking care of your vitamin B12 intake will not just make you feel a bit off-colour as, over time, deficiencies can lead to irreversible nerve damage. See how to boost your intake, right, to be sure you’re covered.

BEING FLEXITARIAN You may think that by eating meat occasionally all will be well in the nutrition department. This isn’t always true. Your iron and selenium intakes may be low, (see right) and, as you eat less and less meat, fish and other animal foods like dairy, you may also need to consider whether you’re getting enough vitamin B12 (see right).

EATING PESCATARIAN Relying on fish for your main source of protein is fine, but certain groups of people need to be careful not to eat too much of certain types of fish.

Advice for the general population is to eat at least one 140g portion of oily fish a week to ensure we get the recommended intake of omega-3. However, because this group of fish (and some other types of fish and shellfish) can contain low levels of pollutants that collect in their bodies over time, it’s recommended that we have no more than four servings a week. Women who are pregnant, breast-feeding or planning a pregnancy should lower this to no more than two servings. For more specific advice on following a nutritionally safe pescatarian diet, visit nhs.uk/Livewell/ Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish.aspx.

VEGGIE SPECIAL

MIND THE GAPS IN YOUR DIET

Make sure you’re not running low on key vitamins and minerals if you become vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian or pescatarian

IRON

SELENIUM

VITAMIN B12

CALCIUM

People on a vegetarian or vegan diet are vulnerable to a deficiency in this mineral, due to eating lower amounts of readily absorbed (haem) iron from red meat. Plant sources (non-haem) are less easily absorbed.

This important antioxidant helps to prevent damage to cells and tissues and, as a result, has been linked to protecting against certain cancers and heart disease.

It also helps to maintain a healthy reproductive system and immune system. The selenium content in food can vary, depending on the soil a crop has been grown in or what foods an animal has eaten. Top sources are meat and seafood, which is why vegetarians and vegans can be prone to a deficiency.

An essential vitamin involved in keeping our nervous systems healthy, enabling energy release from food we eat and helping to make red blood cells. It isn’t easily found naturally in plantbased foods.

Calcium is essential for healthy, strong bones and teeth. If you don’t get enough in childhood and the teenage years, it may lead to osteoporosis in later life – a condition where the bones become weak and fracture easily. As vegans cut out all dairy they may suffer from lower intakes, so it’s important to choose milk alternatives that are fortified with calcium.

How much do we need?

Telltale signs of a deficiency

Girls (11–14) 45mcg; (15–18) 60mcg Boys (11–14) 45mcg; (15–18) 70mcg Women 60mcg Men 75mcg

A lack of vitamin B12 can lead to a type of anaemia.

Symptoms include a pale yellow tinge to the skin, a sore and red tongue, mouth ulcers, pins and needles, changes in the way you move and walk, disturbed vision, irritability, depression and changes to mood and behaviour. It may lead to irreversible nerve damage.

How much do we need?

Girls (11–18) 14.8mg Boys (11–18) 11.3mg Women (up to 50) 14.8mg; (over 50) 8.7mg Men 8.7mg

Telltale signs of a deficiency You may be tired, struggle to concentrate, suffer with palpitations and shortness of breath, be susceptible to infections, sensitive to cold and have a pale complexion.

You may also have a sore tongue or dry, flaky nails.

Boost your intake Vegetarians Eggs are a good source.

Vegans Pulses, nuts, seeds, green leafy veg, dried fruit and fortified breakfast cereals for non-haem iron.

Flexitarians Choose from all sources above. Vitamin C helps our bodies absorb iron, so alongside iron-rich meals, eat berries, kiwis, citrus fruits, tomatoes and peppers.

Avoid tea, coffee and red wine with iron-rich meals, as the tannins they contain inhibit absorption of nonhaem iron.

Telltale signs of a deficiency There aren’t any easy-to-spot signs. Mildly low levels don’t result in clear deficiency disorders, but you may have weakened immunity, so you’ll be more prone to illness.

Boost your intake Vegetarians Eggs are a good source.

Vegans Just 2–3 brazil nuts a day will meet an adult’s needs.

If taking a daily supplement, the Department of Health advises no more than 350mcg.

Flexitarians Good sources include fish.

How much do we need?

Girls (11–14) 1.2mcg; (15–18) 1.5mcg Boys (11–14) 1.2mcg; (15–18) 1.5mcg Women and men (19–64) about 1.5mcg

Boost your intake Vegetarians and vegans Look for breakfast cereals, unsweetened soya drinks and yeast extracts such as Marmite, which are fortified with vitamin B12. Also consider a daily supplement.

Flexitarians and pescatarians If you include sufficient meat, fish or dairy foods in your diet, you should be getting enough.

How much do we need?

Girls (11–18) 800mg Boys (11–18) 1,000mg Women and men 700mg

Telltale signs of a deficiency Calcium deficiency is gradual and shows no symptoms, which is why osteoporosis is often called ‘the silent epidemic’ – you tend not to know you have it until you have a fall and suffer a fracture.

Boost your intake Vegetarians Milk, cheese and yogurt are the best sources and provide calcium in a form that’s well absorbed by the body.

Vegans Green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, dried fruit, oranges and fortified milk alternatives.

Flexitarians Include fish with soft and edible bones, such as canned sardines.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 15

GO-TO FOODS and those to avoid Amanda explains which veggie staples get the green light and when to approach with caution

WALNUTS PULSES

Some people avoid pulses through fear that they’ll make them bloated or gassy. The types of carbohydrate in pulses can certainly have this effect when you start eating more of them, but as your gut bacteria gradually adapt to a veggie style of eating, your body will usually start to cope better with them and these side-effects are generally short-lived.

Nuts can be great providers of a range of nutrients, with almonds being particularly noteworthy for vitamin E and calcium, cashews being especially helpful for iron and brazil nuts for selenium. When it comes to omega-3s, walnuts are among the best, but, as with all plant sources of this essential fatty acid, it’s in the so-called ‘short chain’ form called alphalinolenic acid or ALA. The problem with ALA is that it needs to be converted in our bodies into the ‘long chain’ form known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) for the most health benefits – and this conversion happens slowly and only in small amounts. To optimise omega-3 from plant sources, limit foods high in sugar and saturated fat, alcohol and caffeine, as these limit absorption.

You may want to take a supplement if you feel your intakes are low.

CHEESE

QUORN and TOFU

These two are a great source of protein and come in many guises. Tofu is made from soya beans and provides 8g protein per 100g. Buy it either in its firm version (used in stir-fries and curries) or silken (used for sauces). It has a bland taste that takes on the flavours of your dish, or you can buy smoked pieces flavoured with herbs or chilli – but check these don’t have high levels of salt or sugars. It’s also made into a long list of products, from sushi to sausages. Quorn is derived from a fungus and has 14g protein per 100g.

It now carries the Vegan Society trademark and can be bought in many forms, including burgers, nuggets, fillets, mince and even ‘fish’ fingers.

We tend to be aware that cheese can be high in both total and saturated fats and therefore calories. However, it’s worth remembering it can also be high in salt. A 30g (matchbox-size) portion of cheddar has 0.5g salt, while 30g stilton and 100g cottage cheese both provide 0.6g, making them all qualify for a red traffic light symbol. Ricotta is a lower-salt choice, with 0.3g per 100g, which gives it a green traffic light for salt. But there’s no need to fear cheese, which adds valuable protein and calcium to a vegetarian diet. Just keep portion sizes in check and include other protein sources in your diet, too.

16 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

VEGGIE SPECIAL

When you miss bacon…

Something about the aroma and tasty saltiness of bacon can be hard to give up, but you can give your tastebuds a treat by using foods rich in natural glutamates, such as sun-dried tomatoes and seaweed to fill that ‘tastiness’ gap. Or try Quorn ‘bacon’ – it’s not a bad substitute if you find yourself in the grip of a craving or friends are having a fry-up and you don’t want to miss out.

HONEY

Honey may be a natural sweetener, but it’s still a refined (‘free’) sugar and should be counted as part of our recommended 7tsp daily max. If you’re a vegan, you’ll need to steer clear altogether as vegans believe the health of a bee is sacrificed when humans collect its honey and that harvesting honey is exploitative.

ANIMALFREE OR NOT?

SOYA

People often ask if it’s safe to eat foods containing soya every day, and the answer based on evidence to date is yes. Soya is great for protein, and foods like tofu (see left) and soya milk and yogurt can be a really useful part of your diet. Cancer Research UK reports in its joint study with other national cancer charities that women with a diet high in soya may have less-dense breast tissue than women with low-soya diets.

Higher density of breast tissue has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer and this was the first study to directly link eating soya with an effect on breast tissue. A handful of studies, however, suggest that concentrated soya protein supplements may actually stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells.

The best advice is to include soya-based foods as part of a varied overall eating plan and to avoid soya-protein based supplements.

BEERS AND WINES A substance called isinglass, derived from fish bladders, may be used to filter yeast – but it doesn’t have to be declared on the label.

RED FOOD COLOURING Sweets, ice creams and some food supplements may get their red colour from crushed cochineal beetles. This appears as E120, cochineal, carminic acid or carmines.

CHEWY SWEETS Sweets and capsule supplements may contain gelatine, made from animal bones.

Look instead for agar or carrageenan.

CHIPS Ready-prepared and oven chips often have added animal fat.

PARMESAN Check the label to see if rennet or chymosin, from the stomachs of calves or lambs, has been used in the production.

EGGS

Some people worry that eggs are high in cholesterol – as too much cholesterol in the blood can be harmful. However, the type of cholesterol they contain doesn’t affect the levels in our blood. For most of us, it’s more important to reduce the amount of saturated fat in our diet to keep blood cholesterol levels down. The exception may be people with familial hypercholesterolaemia (about one in 500 of us), who may need to be more cautious about dietary sources of cholesterol and to seek advice from their doctor or registered dietitian. Eggs are a valuable source of protein and research shows that having two for breakfast can help to reduce overall daily calorie consumption. They also provide vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D. OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 17

Our veggie greatest Fry’s Veggie Mince £3.19/380g, Ocado, health food shops This deliciously savoury ‘mince’ that cooks quickly from frozen makes great bolognese, pilaf or a speedy curry. You’ll need to add a little extra liquid when cooking, as it absorbs more moisture than meat mince (I’ve used it in my recipes on p44).

Per 95g serving l 156kcal l 4.3g fat l 0.6g saturates l 0.3g sugars l 0.7g salt

Taifun Organic Smoked Tofu With Almonds & Sesame Seeds £3.19/200g, Ocado, health food shops Tofu can be pretty bland, but this is loaded with flavour. It’s wonderful in stir-fries, but has life outside the wok. I like to fry thin slices of it in a little spray cooking oil until crisp, then serve it in a saladstuffed roll, with a chipotlelaced yogurt dressing.

Per 125g serving l 240kcal l 14.1g fat l 2.5g saturates l 0.5g sugars l 2.1g salt

Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages £2/6 sausages, widely available A veggie classic that’s still going strong. Use as you would a meat sausage, or thaw, slice or chop and use in pasta sauces, meat loaves (try my recipe on p45), or risottos. They’re great value and high in protein.

Per 2 sausages (grilled) l 141kcal l 5g fat l 1.8g saturates l 1.3g sugars l 1.5g salt

Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Walnuts & Co-enzyme Q10 Around £5/360g, supermarkets With useful amounts of vitamins and minerals, this sprinkle will perk up your porridge, add a nuttiness to smoothies, hummus or salads and help bind homemade veggie burgers.

The calorie content is fairly high, though, so don’t be too heavy-handed.

Per 15g l 84kcal l 7g fat l 0.9g saturates l 0.4g sugars l 0g salt

❛If it’s fresh, nutritious and delicious, I’m happy❜ ❛

JACQUI CANHAM, freelance writer from south-east London

I made the decision to stop eating meat around 15 years ago after reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (Penguin, £9.99). Although I believe humans are biologically meant to eat meat, I know how brutal intensive animal farming can be and the impact it has on the environment. After a few years, though, I brought fish back into my diet because I found it hard to get enough protein. I accept this is probably hypocritical as there are plenty of arguments against eating fish (someone called me a cowardly vegetarian recently), but everyone has their personal limits, and I always look for sustainable fish. I 18 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

tend to cook it simply – baked in foil with lime, chilli and ginger.

You can make such delicious, meatless food, and I love experimenting with curries. I travelled in India (where in some states the majority of people are vegetarian), and picked up lots of ideas – tomato and aubergine curries from the north and dishes with chilli and coconut from the south. I also cook risottos and Mediterranean dishes such as ratatouille and gazpacho.

I feel healthy on my diet. I think that’s because I have to be both creative and liberal with vegetables, legumes and pulses.

I don’t deprive myself – I love a chocolate éclair as much as anyone, but on the whole, if the ingredients are fresh, nutritious and delicious, I’m happy.

❜

VEGGIE SPECIAL

hits Marigold Engevita Vegan Yeast flakes with added B12 Around £3/125g, widely available A simple way to boost your B12 vitamin intake. These savoury flakes may look like fish food, but they add a really good flavour hit to almost anything. Sprinkle over soups, pasta (in place of cheese), sandwiches and stews. A great alternative to cheese in vegan pesto, too.

Per 5g serving l 17kcal l 0.2g fat l 0g saturates l 0.6g sugars l 0.2g salt

When you’re testing recipes every day, you get to know the store-bought ingredients that make the grade. Recipe consultant Phil Mundy shares his top veggie products for flavour and nutrition

Fage Total 2% Greek Yoghurt £2.75/500g, Waitrose A low-fat yogurt that tastes as good as its full-fat sibling.

Thick, creamy and high in protein, it can be added to chopped fruit and seeds for a tasty breakfast or dessert, used as a butter alternative on bread, stirred through pasta with some chopped herbs for a creamy sauce, or spiced up and used in place of calorie-laden mayo.

Per 170g serving l 124kcal l 3.4g fat l 2.2.g saturates l 6.5g sugars l 0.2g salt

Olivado Organic Fair Trade Extra Virgin Avocado Oil £4.65/250ml, Waitrose It’s bright green, richly flavoured and a must-have for your storecupboard.

Winner of a Healthy Food Guide Food and Drink Award, it’s rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Due to its high smoke point, it’s a perfect oil for cooking, but it also adds a distinctive flavour to salads, salsas and dressings.

Per 1tbsp l 89kcal l 10.1g fat l 1.4g saturates l 0g sugars l 0g salt

Profusion Red Lentil Organic Fusilli £2.99/300g, Ocado, health food shops This colourful pasta is protein packed (23g per 100g uncooked weight), so a good choice if you’re worried about your protein intake.

It has a stronger flavour than wheat pasta and is particularly delicious with a richly herby or spicy tomato sauce. Leftovers make a handy lunchbox filler.

Per 80g (uncooked weight) l 274kcal l 1.4g fat l 0.2g saturates l 1.8g sugars l 0g salt

LOOK FOR THE LABELS YOU CAN TRUST WHILE THERE’S NO LEGAL DEFINITION OF VEGETARIAN, there is legislation that applies to mis-use of the term ‘suitable for vegetarians’. The rules say any self-styled claims and logos that state that something is vegetarian ‘should not contain ingredients that are solely, made from or manufactured with the aid of products derived from slaughtered animals’. They may, however, ‘contain products of living animals such as eggs, milk, cheese and honey’. Any manufacturer or restaurant found to be flouting this definition can be prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act. If displaying a self-styled vegan symbol, the product or dish must not contain ingredients made from or with the aid of animals or animal products.

If in doubt, look for these symbols, right.

Strict criteria apply to the use of the Vegetarian Society’s logo, which is a trademark. Check these out at vegsoc.org.

The Vegan Society is also a registered trademark and can only be used by registered clients. You know a product is vegan if you see this symbol. Find out more at vegansociety.com.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 19

PROTEIN PORTIONS What a healthy serving size looks like You’ll need good sources of protein to meet your daily quota without overloading on fat or calories. Use dietitian Jennifer Low’s quick guide

P

ROTEIN IS ESSENTIAL FOR GROWTH and development – it helps build muscles, skin and body organs. Most meat eaters meet these requirements, but it’s not so easy for vegetarians and vegans. Cut out meat and fish and you’ll need to step up plant protein in the shape of beans, pulses and lentils, nuts and seeds, dairy products, eggs and wholegrains.

The recommended daily intake for men is around 56g per day and for women it’s 45g (calculate your exact intake by multiplying 0.75g protein per kg of your body weight), then use my portion guide to make sure you meet your daily needs.

‘By simply adding a few vegan meals and snacks to your diet every week you’ll up the plant protein and the variety of food you eat’ 20 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

A day’s meals could be…

Breakfast

Porridge made with 40g oats and 300ml soya milk, plus 2 slices wholemeal toast with 2 level tsp peanut butter = 28g protein/585kcal

Mid-morning snack 1 banana = 1.1g protein/88kcal

Lunch

Veg casserole with 120g (cooked weight) brown rice = 10.4g protein/266kcal

Mid-afternoon snack 30g cashews and 30g dried apricots = 7.5g protein/231kcal

Dinner

300g vegetable lasagne and 80g green salad = 15g protein/352kcal

TOTAL l 63g protein l 1,500kcal l 52g fat (14g saturated fat), l 2.2g salt

This day also hits the RDA for many vitamins and minerals including calcium and iron.

CHEDDAR Quick size check A SMALL MATCHBOX Weighs: 30g Provides: 7.6g protein 125kcal

EGGS Quick size check 2 MEDIUM EGGS Provides: 13g protein 131kcal

1 2x2

BAKED BEANS

(reduced sugar and salt)

Quick size check 1 SMALL CAN Weighs: 200g Provides: 10.2g protein 170kcal

1

CHICKPEAS Quick size check ½ STANDARD TIN Weighs: 200g Provides: 14.4g protein 246kcal

½

EDAMAME BEAMS Quick size check 1 BIG HANDFUL Weighs: 50g Provides: 5.5g protein 70kcal

MIXED UNSALTED NUTS Quick size check 2 LEVEL TSP Weighs: 30g Provides: 8.2g protein 180kcal

MIXED SEEDS Quick size check 1½TBSP Weighs: 25g Provides: 7.6g protein 181kcal

PEANUT BUTTER Quick size check 2 HEAPED TBSP Weighs: 30g Provides: 8.6g protein 190kcal

1 2 1½ 2

VEGGIE SPECIAL REDUCED-FAT HUMMUS Quick size check 2 HEAPED TBSP Weighs: 50g Provides: 3.3g protein 99kcal

❛My conscience led me to go vegan❜

2

VEGETARIAN CHICKEN-STYLE PIECES Quick size check 1 HANDFUL or a COMPUTER MOUSE Weighs: 75g Provides: 10.4g protein 75kcal

VEGETARIAN SAUSAGES Quick size check 2 SAUSAGES Weighs: 100g Provides: 7.2g protein 125kcal

FALAFELS Quick size check 6 FALAFELS Weighs: 150g Provides: 11.6g protein 290kcal

LOW-FAT NATURAL YOGURT Quick size check 1 STANDARD SMALL POT OR ½ CUP

1 2 6 1

Weighs: 125g Provides: 5.9g protein 72kcal

TOFU Quick size check LARGEST SMARTPHONE Weighs: 125g Provides: 6.1g protein 56kcal

PUY LENTILS Quick size check 5 HEAPED TBSP Weighs: 125g Provides: 11g protein 139kcal

WHOLEGRAIN BREAD Quick size check 2 SLICES Weighs: 80g Provides: 8.2g protein 185kcal

1 5 2

CARLY TIMMINS, bar owner, from Liverpool

❛

I made my decision to go vegan in February of this year after thinking about it for a while (I’d been pescatarian for around eight months). My fiancée had been on and off vegan for a while so I had someone to assist and advise me. I’ve always prided myself on being an animal lover and I’d arrived at the realisation that I couldn’t love animals and help fund their unbelievable misery and torture.

It wasn’t just about the mental and emotional battle I was having with myself – it was physical, too. My body began to dislike certain foods and this was a massive sign for me. Additionally, watching the Kip Andersen documentary Cowspiracy helped solidify my decision to go vegan. Not only would I no longer contribute to animal cruelty, but I would be helping save the planet in the process.

❜ ‘You can meet most of your nutrient requirements on a vegan diet, but watch out for iron, B12 and calcium, which are more difficult to get from plant sources’ DIETITIAN JENNIFER LOW

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 21

EATING OUT GUIDE Veggie dining out has come a long way since cloying nut roasts were de rigueur. Now outlets are vying to outdo each other with delicious plant-based options. It’s a shift that could benefit us all, argues Laura Day

T

HE DAYS OF FRANTICALLY searching menus for the token mushroom risotto are gone. The most carnivorous of us will be tempted by the more imaginative veggie options at good restaurants, and even pubs on remote country roads are offering plant-based menus during the prime-time Sunday roast slot.

With good reason, says Su Taylor from the Vegetarian Society.

‘Restaurants know offering vegetarian and vegan options delivers a competitive advantage,’ she says.

positive feedback. This approach is now being replicated on the high street.’

Chains upping their act

A recent survey by Veganuary, a charity that encourages people to try veganism, revealed the restaurant rated best by vegans was Zizzi.

Other chains that did well THERE ARE were Ask Italian, Pizza VEGETARIAN Express, Wagamama, SOCIETY CHOICES AT Las Iguanas and Pret McDONALD’S, TOO A Manger. In fact, as Go for the Vegetable a result of a customer Deluxe burger and poll in 2015, Pret a side shaker Meat-free is now normal now has separate salad for just Amanda Powley, co-owner of Terre à Flip the menu vegetarian sections and 412kcal.

As for those cutting down Terre vegetarian restaurant in Brighton, even standalaone Veggie on meat, they want it to count. has noticed big changes since it Pret stores (number three is ‘We’ve seen an increase in opened in the 90s. ‘We’ve seen an on its way). restaurants specialising in meat cookery, increase in the number of men in the Meat-centric restaurants have moved such as steak or barbecue houses,’ says restaurant as it’s now considered with the times, too, with the likes of Rochelle. ‘When we do want a burger or acceptable to eat meat-free,’ says Toby Carvery also offering a good range steak, we expect high quality. The trend Amanda. ‘There’s more interest of plant-based options or menu is for better ingredients, be those plant in the ethics and sustainability workarounds. Nando’s, famous for or meat-based.’ of our food sources, as its peri-peri chicken, now The Sustainable Restaurant Association well as the implications for offers bean burgers, grilled ZIZZI ON TOP (SRA) recently launched a campaign our health.’ halloumi pittas, plus In a survey, vegans encouraging restaurants to ‘flip their In fact, the whole supergrain and quinoa named Zizzi the best chain menu’.

That means more veg, better dining landscape is salads that wouldn’t for vegetarian/vegan meat, and vegetables becoming the star, looking different now, look out of place in the starters, mains, snacks, not the side. SRA suggests restaurateurs according to Rochelle hippest health café. sides and desserts, offering dedicate a third of their menu to Venables, editor of a total of 53 options. Ask veg-led dishes, make starters meat-free The Good Food Guide.

Italian came a close and move veg plates up the menu.

‘What was on offer in the second, with 52.

Chief executive Andrew Stephen UK’s restaurants was argues that challenging the dominance lagging way behind public of meat on a menu makes good appetite,’ says Rochelle, ‘but in commercial sense. ‘Only 18% of diners the past few years we’ve seen we surveyed say a good meal requires significant changes in the approach to meat,’ he says. ‘This is an opportunity for plant-based eating from Britain’s chefs to capitalise on a shift in eating premier chefs. Back in 2014 The Good habits. When London’s Moro moved the Food Guide singled out a couple of vegetarian mezze to the top of the menu, leading players (The Clove Club’s Isaac for instance, they saw sales soar by 25%.’

McHale and Menu Gordon Jones in With over 2,400 restaurants signed up Bath), who were taking the emphasis so far, the ripple effect could be great. away from meat protein – and getting 22 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

VEGGIE SPECIAL

HOW TO AVOID MENU PITFALLS

Just because a dish is vegetarian doesn’t make it healthy, warns nutrition editor Amanda Ursell. Knowing where veggie options can fall down will help you plan

WATCH THE FAT

SUGAR ALERT!

HOLD THE SALT

Vegetarian carbonara , cauliflower cheese, vegetable pies and pasties can be packed with fat, saturated fat and therefore calories, especially when they always seem to come with obligatory servings of garlic bread. Look for lean options such as pasta arrabiata, bean casseroles or chunky vegetable soup with a hunk of wholegrain bread.

Sweet and sour dishes, even if meat free, are still full of sugar (4tsp per serving isn’t uncommon). Combine this with a glass of fruit juice and a pudding and you can be having double your 30g added sugars limit in a single meal.

Pub food can be a minefield when it comes to salt.

Battered and crumbed fish usually come with chips or wedges that have been pre-seasoned, then it’s tempting to add more, while rich beef and chicken pies come with pastry, which adds still more salt.

FROM THE ITALIAN MENU SWAP Mushroom risotto (350g) 651kcal/38g fat

FROM THE CHINESE MENU SWAP Oriental crispy tofu with sweet chilli sauce (250g) 500kcal/44g sugars

FOR

FOR

Stir-fry vegetables with tofu (300g) 312kcal/10g sugars

Spaghetti pomodoro (350g) 420kcal/18g fat

SAVE

SAVE

188kcal/34g sugars

FROM THE PUB MENU SWAP Italian spinach ricotta and asparagus pizza (415g) 936kcal/3.6g salt

FOR Vegetable cottage pie (415g) 350kcal/1.4g salt

SAVE 586kcal/2.2g salt

231kcal/20g fat

❛ It’s about the environment❜ HANNAH DEVLIN, full-time mum, from London

❛I was a vegetarian for 15 years, from the age of 17, when it

was ‘the thing to do’ among my friends – it was mostly about animal rights. But when I had my first baby I was so tired I started eating meat again. I told myself I was being pragmatic: my baby needed me, and I needed the sustenance. But a vague feeling of dissatisfaction kept niggling away and eight years later – now with three young children – my husband and I decided there would be no more meat eaten in our house. My reasons for preferring a vegetarian diet have changed. Eating meat is one of the most environmentally destructive things we can do and although I know there’s so much more I could be doing to reduce my impact on the world’s resources, this is something I can do so easily that I can’t really justify not doing it.

At the same time, I don’t want my children to lie awake at night worrying about the future of the planet. So we became flexitarian. For us, it means occasionally choosing meat in a restaurant or at friends’ houses, and we don’t restrict what the children can have at their friends’ or at school. It wasn’t a problem cutting out meat at home. A lasagne will be butternut squash and roasted peppers, a stir-fry will feature cashew nuts, and a curry will be chickpea and spinach, which are so delicious none of us really notices there’s no meat.

❜

LABELLING MIX-UPS

The terms ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ on menus are used voluntarily, which means many outlets are unaware of the exact definitions. The Vegetarian Society cites the most common mistakes include labelling fish and dishes containing seafood as ‘vegetarian’ and using cheeses made with animal rennet in otherwise vegetarian dishes. Even things you’d assume to be vegetarian may not be. Chips can be cooked with animal fats, and gravy, sauces and stocks may be meat-based.

If you’re unsure, stick with establishments that display the Vegan or Vegetarian Society logos (see p19), or call ahead to check.

IF IN DOUBT…

l Go to vegsocapproved.

com for a list of approved restaurants. l Search the global vegetarian restaurant finder happycow.com – useful for unusual places. l Ask, ‘What can you make that’s vegetarian?’

Most restaurants will relish the challenge. l Ask the restaurant if they use separate oil or fryers, have separate hot plates, grills, woks and utensils to prepare veggie food.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 23

Nutrition

YOUR G RECOVERY eating plan

OING INTO HOSPITAL takes its toll, physically and emotionally, but we may get better and regain strength more quickly if our immune systems are built up before treatment. That means ensuring you eat nutrition-dense foods before your hospital stay and getting back into regular eating patterns as soon as possible afterwards.

‘Eating well before and after surgery means thinking ahead,’ advises Stella Vig, council member for the Royal College of Surgeons. So, although you may not feel like it, it will help to stock up on easy-to-prepare ingredients and healthy ready-made meals for your return home. Batchcooking to fill your freezer is also a good way to get the nutrients in.

OONE

R

S

WEL T E

L

G

Get ahead

Food may not be at the front of your mind when you’re about to go into hospital, but eating well before – and after – an operation or treatment plays a crucial part in speedy recovery. Here’s how to plan

24 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Scientists believe a poor intake of certain nutrients lowers immunity, although only a few studies make this direct link. ‘Essential nutrients include zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid and vitamins A, B6, C, and E,’ says nutrition editor Amanda Ursell.

‘You’ll get these from veg, fruit, wholegrains, fish, pulses, eggs, lean meat and healthy oils and nuts – essentially, the Med Diet.’

Research also shows taking a probiotic supplement before and during a hospital stay can minimise the risk of diarrhoea and an infection called clostridium difficile.

This mostly affects people who have recently been on antibiotics, and is easily spread in a hospital setting. It’s worth checking with your consultant to see if a supplement would help.

You can boost the effects by including prebiotics (which feed probiotics) to your diet, adds Alison Clark of the British Dietetic Association. ‘Good food sources are leeks, onions, artichokes, garlic, chicory and bananas.’ Read more about prebiotics and probiotics on p30.

BEFORE YOU GO ‘It’s a good idea to reduce the levels of inflammation in the body before you go to hospital,’ says Amanda. ‘Inflammation is triggered when our immune system responds to invaders such as bacteria, or when it’s recovering from illness,’ she says. ‘Short incidences of inflammation can help us fight disease, but if levels are raised day after day, as a reaction, for instance, to stress or fatigue, it eventually puts a strain on our immune system.

This makes it harder for us to heal.’

Foods to boost your immunity Including the following in your diet will help you stay on top form VEGETABLES are packed with antioxidants, including polyphenols, which can help fight inflammation.

Orange and dark green vegetables contain beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A. This helps to keep the membranes of our mouths, throats, nasal passages, lungs and skin in good condition, to help physically block the entry of invading bacteria and viruses. Dark green vegetables, peppers and potatoes also provide vitamin C for stimulating the formation of antibodies. ● Have at least three servings per day.

FRUITS Berries of all descriptions contain vitamin C and give us myriad polyphenols and other antioxidants believed to have anti-inflammatory effects in our bodies. Apples and pears give us soluble fibre to help control blood sugars. ● Have at least two servings per day.

WHOLEGRAIN STARCHY CARBS are great for fibre, which appears to lower C-reactive protein (CRP), a substance in the blood that indicates inflammation.

Choose wholemeal bread, pitta and wraps, brown pasta and brown rice, and wholegrain cereals such as porridge, Weetabix and Shredded Wheat. These foods also contain vitamin E, along with minerals zinc and selenium. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to zap free radicals and may improve immune function, while zinc aids healing and is

vital for internal immune system cells.

A lack of selenium, meanwhile, appears to dampen immune system function. ● Have one serving at every meal.

LEAN, PROTEIN-RICH FOODS are crucial for a strong immune system as protein helps to keep our membranes healthy, along with all the major cells and organs of the immune system. Go for eggs, low-fat dairy foods such as skimmed milk, low-fat fortified soya milk, tofu, pulses such as beans, lentils and peas, nuts and seeds, lean chicken, fish and occasional lean red meat. ● Have one serving at every meal.

NUTS Studies have linked nuts with reduced markers of inflammation.

Nuts give us protein, fibre and vitamin E, and brazil nuts are especially high in selenium. ● Have a 30g handful as a snack between meals each day.

OILY FISH is great for protein and also omega-3 essential fats.

These fats help to reduce CRP (see left) and interleukin-6, another inflammation-promoting protein in our bodies. Eat fresh or canned salmon, sardines, mackerel and pilchards, but choose fresh tuna and anchovies over canned varieties (the canning process removes most of the omega-3s

from tuna and canned anchovies tend to be extremely high in salt). ● Have one 130g serving per week.

EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL This type of oil is full of monounsaturated heart-friendly fats and provides antioxidants and oleocanthal, a compound scientists believe can help lower inflammation. ● Have 1tbsp a day in dressings or use in cooking.

DRINKS It’s vital to avoid dehydration – you’ll know you’re well hydrated if your urine is a pale straw colour. Ignore the ‘clean’ or ‘detox’ diets that put coffee and tea on the banned list – both contain polyphenols and other compounds, which may protect against inflammation. Just avoid caffeine at any time when it could disrupt your sleep, which is important when your body is trying to recover. ● Drink water and low-fat milk throughout the day. ● Stick to three to four cups of coffee or tea a day. If you’re pregnant, limit yourself to one to two cups (or below 200mg caffeine) daily.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 25

AT THE HOSPITAL Hospital food still has a bad reputation, despite the efforts of highprofile chefs, such as James Martin and Heston Blumenthal, to introduce healthier patient meals. That said, earlier this year a report by The Patients Association found 75% of patients would recommend their hospital’s food service to others. However, only 16% said they’d received information about eating well during their stay. Public Health England is in the process of updating its nutrition principles for hospitals in line with the latest guidelines.

Don’t fancy what’s on the menu?

It’s important you don’t miss out on nutrients by skipping meals, so Amanda suggests you ask visitors to bring along some nutritious alternatives, and to steer clear of more unhealthy choices WHAT TO CHOOSE

WHOLEGRAIN FILLED ROLLS As long as your digestive system can cope with fibre, a sandwich made with wholemeal bread will add zinc to your meal, which is important for both wound healing and a healthy immune system. Adding some lean roast beef, prawns, tuna or crab meat will further boost the zinc content, and the fibre will help fill you up.

READY-PEELED ORANGES or satsumas will give you vitamin C boost, which is vital for wound healing and immunity.

Ask visitors to bring them peeled and segmented in a plastic container to make them easier to eat. The citrussy taste will brighten up your taste buds, too.

Rinse your mouth with water afterwards to protect against tooth erosion.

CEREAL AND LONGLIFE MILK Wholegrain cereals, such as bran flakes or Weetabix, and longlife milk in single-serve cartons make it easy to snack whenever you feel peckish. Milk gives you the calcium that’s vital for bone repair, as well as protein, which you need more of after an op, for tissue and wound repair.

HIGH-FAT FAST FOODS These contain fewer immune-boosting vitamins and minerals and are usually low in fibre, which is vital for keeping your large intestine healthy (the last thing you want is constipation). Research by the University of Cambridge found high-fat diets can have almost immediate negative effects on muscles, causing them to work less effectively – an effect they described as a ‘high-fat hangover’.

ENERGY DRINKS While they may sound just the ticket for an energy boost, they’re brimming with sugar.

This means your pancreas has to work harder than usual and gives you a blood sugar high, followed by an energy slump. They’re also bad for your teeth (which may be harder to clean if you’re finding it tricky to get to the bathroom), and may contain a lot of caffeine, which can disrupt the restful sleep you need.

WHAT TO AVOID

SMELLY FOODS AND MEALS While foods you normally enjoy at home may have been made with care and brought with love to your bedside, any strong food aromas could trigger nausea when you’re feeling delicate.

And if you’re sharing a ward with other people it could have an effect on them, too. Curries and egg sandwiches are best left for you to enjoy when you get home.

26 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Nutrition

WHEN YOU GET HOME ‘Some people may find they’re ravenous, but many find they’re too tired to eat,’ says Stella Vig of the Royal College of Surgeons. Unless you’re following specific medical advice, the general consensus is to eat regularly even if you don’t really feel like it. Stella adds that many foods can taste unappetising post-op, while medications such as antibiotics and painkillers can make you nauseous, and strong painkillers may make you constipated. Follow Amanda’s plans below to get you back into healthy eating habits.

If you need to regain weight

If you’re suffering from constipation

If you’ve lost your appetite

Surgery can increase your metabolism and the speed calories are burned, and some illnesses and treatments have a similar effect. If you’ve lost weight, try this daily eating plan. I’ve included milky drinks, skimmed milk powder and foods such as dark chocolate and nuts that are calorific as well as nutritious.

Focus on foods rich in wholegrains and drink plenty of fluids.

Foods that look, smell and taste delicious need to be top of your list – so make sure you include all your favourites. Aromas that get your digestive juices flowing can also stimulate the appetite.

WORDS: LAURA DAY, AMANDA URSELL. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK

TRY THIS BREAKFAST Porridge made with milk mixed with skimmed milk powder, plus 2 eggs on wholemeal toast.

SNACK 50g nuts and a milky coffee.

LUNCH Herby meatballs with orzo pasta with a piece of bread and salad with olive oil dressing, followed by yogurt with fruit.

SNACK 50g dark chocolate, some berries and a milky drink (fortified soya, if you fancy a change).

DINNER Baked potato with ricotta and roasted vegetables. Rice pudding with canned peaches.

BEFORE BED A few oatcakes with peanut butter and a 250ml glass of orange juice.

TRY THIS BREAKFAST Porridge with a banana and sultanas, plus a cup of tea.

SNACK Oatcakes with nut butter and slices of apple, plus a glass of water.

LUNCH Poached eggs on wholemeal toast followed by fruit salad and a cup of herbal tea.

SNACK 4 rye crispbreads spread with ricotta, and raw carrot and red pepper crudités.

DINNER Hole mole black bean chilli, followed by baked apple and custard.

BEFORE BED Small bowl of bran flakes with berries.

TRY THIS BREAKFAST A 150ml glass grapefruit juice (some medications, such as statins, don’t mix with grapefruit, so first check with your GP) and a lean bacon sandwich or a bake-at-home croissant and berries.

SNACK A yogurt topped with berries.

LUNCH Bowl of wholesome, nutritious soup such as butternut squash soup with cannellini beans, plus a roll warmed in the oven to boost aromas.

SNACK Hummus with a toasted pitta and a fruit and banana milk-based smoothie.

DINNER Macaroni cheese made with semi-skimmed milk and reduced-fat cheddar with some very lightly steamed broccoli on the side. Fruit crumble with custard for dessert.

BEFORE BED Toast spread with nut butter and a sliced apple.

It’s important not to neglect your diet once you’re home.

This could lead to malnutrition, which in turn can result in risk of illness and infection, slower healing, low mood, reduced energy and low muscle strength.

Recipe at healthyfood.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 27

Health

DR DAWN’S medical notes…

Mouth ulcers

Lots of us get them, but it’s often unclear why. Dr Dawn Harper discusses possible causes, explains when you need to see the doctor and offers soothing solutions

I

Can they be prevented and treated?

remember as a child being told by my grandmother that having mouth ulcers meant I’d been telling lies – and that I needed to put salt on them, which is the last thing I wanted to do as they were already so sore.

In fact, as is so often the case with old wives’ tales, she was partially right on both counts, but I’ll come to that later.

Mouth ulcers can come in varying forms.

They can be tiny pinpoints or large sores more than 1cm in diameter and can last anywhere between a few days and a few months. Some people get the occasional ulcer, but some are plagued with recurrent attacks.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Why do we get them?

In most cases, there’s no specific cause, but if you suffer with recurrent ulcers you should see your GP, who may want to run some tests. Any ulcer lasting more than three weeks should always be checked out as very rarely mouth cancer can present as an ulcer that just won’t heal. Ulcers can be associated with other conditions, too, and are more common in people who have Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, HIV and an inflammatory condition called Behcet’s.

But, as I said, Grandma had a point – stress and anxiety can sometimes be a trigger, and I guess if you’ve been telling lies, you’re likely to be stressed.

Other causes include hormonal changes and injury from badly fitting dentures or overzealous tooth brushing.

Interestingly, some people find they develop mouth ulcers after stopping

smoking – but that’s not an excuse to put off giving up! A lack of iron, vitamin B12 and folate can also cause mouth ulcers, which is why your doctor may want to run some blood tests.

Mouth ulcers can also be associated with some medicines, including anti-inflammatories and nicotine replacement therapies. If you develop them soon after starting a new medication, speak to your GP about changing your medicine, but don’t ever stop taking prescribed medication without discussing it with your doctor.

A healthy well-balanced diet and minimising stress really can help keep mouth ulcers at bay, but if you should succumb, there are some simple things you can do to alleviate the pain, such as avoiding acidic fruits and spicy or salty food. But Grandma wasn’t totally wrong about the salt, either. I wouldn’t recommend putting neat salt on an ulcer, but you can make a simple salt mouthwash (see below) to use as often as you like, which can be quite soothing.

Your pharmacist will be able to advise you on oral rinses, gels and sprays to reduce the pain. Interestingly, liquorice has some natural ulcer healing properties. If all else fails, speak to your GP about painkillers, steroid sprays or lozenges available on prescription to help heal them. In severe cases, you may even need a course of oral steroids to get rid of them or antibiotics if they’ve become infected.

For most of us, mouth ulcers are just an irritation and not a cause for concern.

But if you’re plagued by them, do speak to a health care professional as there’s plenty we can do to help, and it could be that there is an underlying condition we need to treat.

Make a mouthwash by dissolving ½tsp salt in a glass of warm water. Swish it around your mouth as often as you like – just remember to spit it out when you’re done and don’t swallow it…

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 29

Health

TREND: FERMENTED FOOD

More than a

GOOD GUT REACTION?

Y

Everyone’s talking about fermented foods and how good they are for our gut health. Nutrition editor Amanda Ursell updates you on research that links them to even more benefits, and shops for the best

OU KNOW A HEALTH TREND HAS GAINED PUBLIC APPROVAL when a niche product leaves its hidden corner in the health store and lands on the supermarket shelf. Or when it gets a name-check on a national soap.

Yogurt, the most familiar fermented food, made the transfer decades ago.

Now kefir – a fermented milk-yogurt drink – can be found in the chillled aisles at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, and it’s being famously fermented by The Archers’ Tom. It’s hit the big time because of the health benefits it may have for the bacteria that live in our gut, known as the ‘microbiome’.

This scientific term is also making the transition into the vernacular. The health of our microbiome is a hot topic for leading scientists, who are looking into how it can affect our health, from obesity to diabetes, and even our mood.

The inside story Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, is a specialist in the impact of gut bacteria on our health and weight. He describes our microbiome as our ‘inner garden’, with fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir and kimchi providing the ‘fertiliser’. In other words, including fermented foods in our daily diets can, he claims, help to nourish the bacteria 30 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

and create a more diverse microbiome.

While work in this area is in its infancy, there’s a frenzy of scientific research under way to help us discover more about how the trillions of bacteria in our microbiome can interact with and impact on our health, with Tim Spector in the vanguard.

‘I’m interested in identifying the specific microbes that are associated with various diseases, then working out which foods we need to improve them. Effectively, we need to learn how to self-medicate with these good foods,’ he explains.

Changes in diet could, Tim believes,

have a rapid knock-on effect on our inner health and how we feel.

As reported in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, a quick test on his son, Tom, enabled Tim to demonstrate very quickly the effects of junk food on microbiome diversity, as well as weight gain and overall health. Within just three days of existing on a diet of burgers and nuggets, the composition of Tom’s microbiome had changed dramatically, with a 40% reduction in detectable species of helpful bacteria. Within six days, Tom reported feeling sluggish.

Foods that are highly processed and low in fibre ‘hit our gut microbiome hard,’ says Tim. This leads to the production of inflammatory and metabolic chemicals that make us more likely to put on weight or develop diabetes. It also lowers levels of vitamins, minerals and hormone-like compounds such as serotonin, which affect our mood, and chemicals that negatively affect our immune systems.

How and why are foods fermented?

Before refrigeration, our ancestors preserved certain foods and drinks to keep them safe for consumption by fermenting them. Originally, this was a spontaneous process – for example, the bacteria present in milk (from cow, goat, sheep, camel or yak) will naturally produce lactic acid, which, in turn,

WHY WE NEED PREBIOTICS

Fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir (pictured, right) contain live bacteria that encourage our own gut bacteria to produce health-boosting chemicals.

Prebiotics in our diet help to feed these live bacteria, so the more prebiotic-containing foods we eat, the more nourishment we provide for the good bacteria in fermented foods. One example of a particularly effective prebiotic is inulin, a fibre found in jerusalem artichokes, leeks and bananas. Other foods that play a role in overall gut health include 70% dark chocolate and nuts (great for polyphenols – plant compounds that release helpful antioxidants) and apples and pears, which give us soluble fibre.

would act on the milk’s protein to create the tarter flavour and thickened texture of yogurt.

Today, we don’t take any risks with health and safety – commercially produced fermented foods have defined starter cultures, which are added under controlled conditions.

Why our bodies love them

absorbed more effectively. This helps to explain why people who are usually intolerant to the milk sugar lactose are often able to comfortably consume kefir and yogurt, as the lactose present has been partly broken down.

On top of this, making cabbage into sauerkraut or kimchi increases active compounds known as glucosinolates, which are believed to play a role in fighting cancer.

Look for yogurts and kefir that carry the label ‘LIVE CULTURES’ and, better still, those that also contain added ‘PROBIOTIC BACTERIA’, (these will be specifically named so you know what you’re actually getting).

While there are plenty of claims flying around about fermented products, the evidence isn’t yet there to warrant any official health claims. This doesn’t mean there’s no evidence to support potential benefits, though – rather, that this is an emerging field and we need more research to understand their full potential.

Scientists are now discovering, for example, that the bacterially inspired changes during fermentation alter not only the physical properties and flavour of foods and drinks, but can produce a number of ‘bioactive metabolites’, too.

These, along with the probiotic bacteria they deliver, are proving to have potentially fascinating activities on both our short and long-term health. The three most common metabolites are: l bacteriocins, which have antibacterial properties l exopolysaccharides, which have anti-tumour, immune modulating and prebiotic activities l proteolytically released peptides, which have the potential to lower raised blood pressure.

Bacteria in fermented foods effectively ‘predigest’ certain food components, making them easier for our gut to handle and for nutrients to be

SEPTEMBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 31

The potential benefits

WEIGHT LOSS We know there’s no quick fix to shedding lbs, but preliminary research suggests certain fermented extracts from foods and drinks may lend a helping hand.

In a study with rats, fermented barley extracts mixed with two probiotic good bacteria were found to significantly prevent weight gain – and, more specifically, reduce fat.

In another study, fermented garlic extracts were found to help weight loss of up to 18%, while fermented brown rice has been shown to help obese mice burn off notable quantities of excess fat.

Will the same be proved true of humans? It’s without doubt a case of ‘watch this fascinating space’.

IBS Fermented foods won’t cure irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but they may help keep it under control by reducing bloating.

They may also generally help to improve digestive health, due to the probiotic bacteria and helpful enzymes that are by-products of the fermentation process.

When eaten regularly, the balance of bacteria can be altered, improving the ratio of good to bad, with symptoms of poor gut health becoming noticeably less troublesome.

32 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2017

DIABETES A recent review of evidence revealed 13 studies showed a link between the frequency of yogurt being eaten and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Analysis suggests that people eating 80–125g yogurt per day have a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those eating none.

Scientists say this could be the result of fermented dairy products modulating blood sugar metabolism. But they rightly point out that we now need large-scale intervention studies and randomised clinical trials to dig deeper into the way bioactive compounds in yogurt affect blood sugar levels.

BLOOD PRESSURE Bioactive metabolites (see p31) created during the fermentation process of soya, including ‘proteolytically released peptides’, have been linked with lowering blood pressure.

To investigate this relationship, researchers in Japan looked at the development of raised blood pressure over a five-year period in over 4,000 adults aged 40–69. Those who regularly ate fermented soya products were significantly less likely to go on to develop high blood pressure.

In another study, scientists who scrutinised active protein fractions from fermented goat’s milk found they had an effect on hormones and enzymes involved in controlling blood pressure.

CHOLESTEROL Increased interest in the bacteria in kefir has led scientists to discover they may be able to lower cholesterol levels.

One way the bacteria may do this is by binding to and absorbing bad cholesterol into their cells before it can be absorbed by the body. The second is by producing bile acids, which tackle the bad cholesterol and lower levels in the blood. Finally, they may act in a similar way to cholesterollowering drugs, which increase breakdown and therefore lower blood levels of bad cholesterol.

Work on other fermented milk, barley and garlicbased extracts is also promising, creating a view that such foods may be worth including in a cholesterollowering eating plan.

IMMUNITY Introducing friendly bacteria to the gut may help to keep illness at bay by stimulating and supporting our immune systems.

Evidence suggests certain bioactive metabolites created during fermentation may dampen down inflammation and autoimmune disorders, and fight off specific viral and bacterial infections.

For example, kefiran in kefir (see right) has been shown in lab studies to help fight fungal and bacterial micro-organisms, and aid healing.

A study in Japan involving 126 nursery children has just provided human evidence to back up these findings: drinking 7g fermented probiotic milk a day proved an efficient way of preventing colds and coughs.

PHOTOS: ISTOCK. *NUTRITION FIGURES ARE APPROXIMATE

Almost week by week, scientists are learning more about the role of fermented foods in improving human health. This is what we know so far…

Health

My top three for a healthy gut These days, yogurt is a staple in most fridges, so here are three other fermented foods you may want to consider adding to your shopping basket

KEFIR WHAT IS IT? A tangy, tart, yogurt-like drink. One of the oldest known cultured milk products, it originates from the Caucasus mountains.

TRY THESE WHAT’S IT MADE FROM? A fermentation starter known as ‘kefir grains’ is added to milk. The exact composition of these grains varies, but all contain lactic acid bacteria, acetic bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Kefir is fermented for 24 hours, then it’s strained and ready to drink. The cultures are collected and and used to make the next batch.

HOW IS IT SERVED? Best chilled.

WHAT’S IT GOOD FOR? Kefir cultures have the ability to assimilate cholesterol in milk and act as a carrier for added probiotic bacteria.

NUTRITION PER 100ML 58kcal, 3g fat, 1.9g saturates, 3.7g sugars, 3.3g protein, 0g salt*

TEMPEH WHAT IS IT? A thin ‘cake’ traditional to Southeast Asia, where it can be a useful source of protein for rice-based diets.

Nourish Natural Drinking Kefir, £3.50/ 500ml, Planet Organic, health food stores

TRY THESE WHAT’S IT MADE FROM? Soya beans, which are inoculated with a mould, then soaked. During fermentation (around three to six days), the mould makes enzymes, which break down constituents in the beans and make the soy protein more digestible. The beans are bound together in a cake, which is then cooked.

HOW IS IT SERVED? Marinate, then use instead of meat in dishes such as chilli and stir-fries.

WHAT’S IT GOOD FOR? Increased levels of vitamins B2, B6, nicotinic acid and pantothenic acid.

NUTRITION PER 100G 173kcal, 6.4g fat, 0g saturates, 0.9g sugars, 3.3g fibre, 0g salt*

KIMCHI WHAT IS IT? Any fermented and seasoned vegetable, most commonly cabbage, oriental radishes and cucumber. It hails from Korea.

Bio-tiful Kefir, £1.60/250ml, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Ocado

Impulse Frozen Tempeh, £2.65/ 227g, goodness direct.co.uk

Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh, £4.50/ 198g, Planet Organic

TRY THESE WHAT’S IT MADE FROM? The vegetables are fermented for a few days with the probiotic lactic acid bacteri, which helps eradicate other dangerous bacteria. Other ingredients are added for flavour, such as leek, garlic, ginger and chilli.

HOW IS IT SERVED? As a side dish, typically alongside rice.

WHAT’S IT GOOD FOR? It can be classified as a probiotic vegetable food (although it does contain fewer probiotics than yogurt.)

NUTRITION PER 100G 23kcal, 0.2g fat, 0g saturates, 1.8g sugars, 1.7g fibre, 1g protein and 0.1g salt (these levels vary wildly, so check labels to avoid salt-laden versions in particular)

The Cultured Food Company Kimchi, £4.45/300g, goodnessdirect.co.uk

Biona Organic Kimchi, £3.99/350g, Planet Organic

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 33

WALK NIGHT

SATURDAY

14th JULY

2018

UNITED AGAINST CANCER

Join the first Walk the Night challenge and raise funds to support people affected by breast and prostate cancers.

Walk a full or half marathon through London at night on this amazing new challenge.

For more information and to register online:

www.actionforcharity.co.uk 01590 677854 events@actionforcharity.co.uk

In aid of: In Partnership with

ction for charity

lifechangingevents

Walk the Night UK (@WTNUK)

@Dream Challenges

@Dream_Challenges

TO TAKE PART YOU NEED TO PAY A REGISTRATION FEE OF £45 AND RAISE MINIMUM SPONSORSHIP OF £199 Registered Charity No’s: Breast Cancer Care: 1017658/SC038104 and Prostate Cancer UK: 1005541/SC039332.

Walk the Night is established under Giving Works. Registered Charity No: 1078770

WalkTheNight

Recipe index

What to cook in OCTOBER ❛Beetroot is the glamorous root vegetable. Use it raw in salads, baked whole or in wedges, and chopped in our cover soup recipe❜

VEGGIE TONIGHT 36 Beetroot and feta burgers 323kcal 37 Lemon, ricotta and fennel linguine 437kcal 38 Fennel and mozzarella tray bake 351kcal 39 Ravioli pasta bake 476kcal 40 Jacket potatoes with smoky beans 460kcal VEGGIE PIZZA 42 Mushroom and aubergine beetroot-base pizza 429kcal 42 Goat’s cheese and courgette beetroot-base pizza 462kcal 42 Spinach, egg and pepper beetroot-base pizza 487kcal JUST FOR A CHANGE 44 Mexican nachos peppers 380kcal 45 Middle Eastern ‘meat’ loaf 500kcal 46 Chinese five spice ‘mince’ 459kcal MAKE NOODLES GO FURTHER 49 Warm wasabi beef, soba noodle and spinach salad 404kcal 49 Pesto prawn noodles 348kcal 50 Spicy chicken and pak choi udon noodle soup 331kcal 51 Noodle and vegetable frittata 335kcal 6PM PANIC 53 Nut and seed crusted salmon with brown rice pilaf 481kcal VEGGIE IN A HURRY 54 Vegetarian hokkien mee 505kcal

55 Tofu, tomato, mushroom and spring onion scramble 205kcal 55 Chilli bean tofu with enoki mushrooms and pak choi 277kcal MODERN MUFFINS 56 Mushroom and parmesan quinoa muffins 118kcal 57 Sun-dried tomato and roasted pepper muffins 120kcal 58 Courgette and goat’s cheese muffins 87kcal COLOUR-ME-HEALTHY SOUPS 60 Cover recipe Beetroot, apple and ginger soup 113kcal 60 Cover recipe Pea and fennel soup 113kcal 60 Cover recipe Spiced roasted butternut squash soup 324kcal THE CROWD PLEASER 62 Mushroom & chickpea ragoût 290kcal DINNER FOR ONE 65 Pasta with roasted winter veg 498kcal MAKEOVER 68 Pear and raspberry crumble with custard 247kcal FRUIT ’N’ NUT TREATS 70 Walnut and banana loaf 159kcal 71 Jaffa nut bar 125kcal TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT? Turn to p72 for our monthly diet plan by nutrition editor Amanda Ursell OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 35

Veggie TONIGHT! If you regularly have meat-free days, why not push the boat out and try a week of veggie meals? These recipes are sure to become new family favourites

VEGETARIAN CHEESE If you want to avoid animal rennet, vegetarian versions are available for all the cheese varieties used in these recipes.

Beetroot and feta burgers prep 15 min cook 10 min serves 4 vegetarian 400g raw beetroot, coarsely grated 4 spring onions, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 3tbsp fresh mint, chopped 2tsp ground coriander (optional) Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve (optional) 3tbsp plain flour 1 egg 150g reduced-fat feta, crumbled 3tbsp olive oil 200g mixed salad leaves 4 burger buns (optional), to serve

1 Working over the sink, wrap the beetroot in a clean J-cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible (use rubber gloves or rinse your hands quickly afterwards). In a large bowl, mix the beetroot, spring onions, garlic, mint, coriander (if using), lemon zest, half the juice, 2tbsp flour and the egg, along with lots of ground black pepper. When well combined, stir in the feta.

2 Form the mixture into 4 patties and coat with the remaining flour.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with 1tbsp olive oil and fry the patties for 5–6 min on each side until crisp on the outside and cooked through.

3 Mix the remaining oil and lemon juice, add black pepper and toss with the salad leaves. Serve the burgers in buns, if using, with the salad and lemon wedges, if using.

36 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

1 PER SERVING

323kcal 16.3g fat 4.7g saturates 26.5g carbs 9.1g sugars

5.9g fibre 14.6g protein 0.9g salt 97mg calcium 2.6mg iron

Beetroot and feta burgers

Weeknight suppers

Lemon, ricotta and fennel linguine prep 10 min cook 15 min serves 4 vegetarian 350g linguine 1½tbsp olive oil 1 large fennel bulb, finely sliced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped Zest 1 lemon and juice 2 200g ricotta Parmesan-style vegetarian cheese, grated, and fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped (optional), to serve

1 Cook the pasta in a large pan of unsalted water according to the pack instructions until al dente.

2 Meanwhile, heat 1tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the fennel and black pepper. Fry over a medium-high heat for 8–10 min, stirring regularly, until wilted and softened with a bit of colour.

3 Add the chilli and garlic to the fennel and cook for a few min, then turn off the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice.

4 Remove about 150ml of the pasta cooking water and reserve, then drain the pasta in a colander.

Stir the pasta into the fennel mix, adding the ricotta and reserved cooking water. Toss together, so the ricotta and water emulsify into a sauce. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and parsley, if using, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil to serve.

1

PER SERVING

437kcal 12.2g fat 4.4g saturates 63.1g carbs 4.2g sugars

4.5g fibre 16.4g protein 0.2g salt 161mg calcium 1.9mg iron

Lemon, ricotta and fennel linguine

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 37

Weeknight suppers

Fennel and mozzarella tray bake prep 10 min cook 35 min serves 6 vegetarian 4 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into quarters lengthways 290g jar pitted black olives, drained and halved 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled 2 large onions, cut into 1cm thick wedges 450g cherry tomatoes 10 fresh thyme sprigs 4tbsp olive oil 250g ciabatta, torn 125g reduced-fat mozzarella, torn

1 Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add the fennel and cook for 5 min or until just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.

2 Put the fennel and all the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil, bread and mozzarella, into a large, deep roasting dish.

Season with pepper, then drizzle over the oil and toss together.

3 Bake for 15 min. Add the bread and toss, then cook for a further 10 min. Dot the mozzarella over and cook for 5 more min or until melted, then serve.

Fennel and mozzarella tray bake

3 PER SERVING

351kcal 17.5g fat 3.4g saturates 30.4g carbs 10.6g sugars

38 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

10.9g fibre 12.5g protein 1.7g salt 229mg calcium 2mg iron

Ravioli pasta bake prep 10 min cook 35 min serves 2 vegetarian 150g baby spinach 1tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 500g passata 1tsp dried oregano 1tsp runny honey 60g lightest soft cheese 150g cherry tomatoes 4tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish 250g fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli or tortellini 20g parmesan-style vegetarian cheese, finely grated (optional)

Ravioli pasta bake

1 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C fan/gas 6. Put the spinach in a large colander in the sink and pour over a full kettle of boiling water to wilt. Press as much liquid out of the spinach as possible using a wooden spoon. Set aside.

2 Heat the oil in a medium, deep frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the onion for 8–10 min until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the passata, oregano, honey, soft cheese and tomatoes to the pan with the wilted spinach and mix well until the cheese melts.

3 Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped basil and ravioli or tortellini and season with pepper, then pour into a 1 litre baking dish. Bake for 20 min, then top with the cheese, if using, and cook for 5 min more. Garnish with the extra basil to serve.

3 PER SERVING

476kcal 16.6g fat 5.8g saturates 55.4g carbs 21.7g sugars

9.5g fibre 21.2g protein 1g salt 385mg calcium 5.5mg iron

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 39

Weeknight suppers

Jacket potatoes with smoky beans vegetarian

gluten free

prep 10 min cook 1 hr serves 4 vegetarian

1 Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Wash the potatoes, prick all over with a fork, then bake for 1 hr (see tip) until golden with a crisp skin.

2 Meanwhile, in a medium lidded pan, heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the cheese. Put the lid on and cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and cook for 5 min more.

3 Remove the potatoes from the oven and split open, then top with the beans. Sprinkle with grated cheddar to serve.

TIP Speed up the potato cooking time by microwaving for 15 min first, turning once, then bake for a shorter time.

Jacket potatoes with smoky beans

1 PER SERVING

460kcal 9.5g fat 3.3g saturates 66.2g carbs 9g sugars

16.5g fibre 19.4g protein 0.4g salt 271mg calcium 4.8mg iron

40 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

RECIPES: LOTTIE COVELL, ELLA TARN. PHOTOS: STUART WEST, NASSIMA ROTHACKER, TONY BRISCOE, LAUREN MCLEAN

4 baking potatoes (approximately 250g each) 1tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 x 400g cans haricot beans, drained 2tsp smoked sweet paprika 2tsp English mustard powder 1tbsp agave nectar 400g can chopped tomatoes 75g reduced-fat cheddar, grated

VEGGIE PIZZA right down to the BEETROOT BASE

Turn pizza night into an opportunity to eat the rainbow.

We’ve sneaked veg into the crust, too

Mushroom and aubergine beetroot-base pizza prep 20 min + rising cook 20 min serves 4 (makes 2 pizzas) vegetarian gluten free dairy free For the base 250g raw beetroot, finely grated 350g spelt flour, plus extra for rolling and dusting 1 x 7g sachet dried yeast ½tsp sugar 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease For the salsa 150g passata 1 garlic clove, crushed 1tsp dried oregano Pinch chilli flakes 150g button mushrooms, sliced 200g cherry tomatoes, halved 2 baby aubergines (or ½ small aubergine), thinly sliced 40g pitted kalamata olives, drained 100g grated reduced-fat mozzarella or a reduced-fat cheese blend (such as Low Low) 60g baby rocket, to serve

1 Working over the sink, squeeze almost all the excess moisture from the beetroot with your hands (wear rubber gloves to prevent staining). Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast and sugar to the well, then pour in 250ml warm water and the 1tbsp olive oil and mix everything together gently with a table knife. Add the beetroot and continue to mix until the dough comes 42 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

together. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface, then knead for 3–4 min until smooth.

2 Divide the dough in two, then roll out each piece into a thin 30–35cm circle.

Grease 2 large baking sheets with oil and dust liberally with flour. Carefully put a pizza base on each sheet, then set aside in a warm place for about 30 min or until puffed up and doubled in thickness.

Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.

3 Combine the passata, garlic, oregano and chilli in a bowl, then spread equally over the risen pizza bases.

4 Top with the mushrooms, tomatoes (cut side up), aubergines and olives,

then scatter over the cheese. Bake the pizzas for 18–22 min until golden.

5 Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheets for 5 min before slicing. Scatter with rocket to serve.

2 PER SERVING

429kcal 12.9g fat 4.6g saturates 65.2g carbs 9.9g sugars

12.5g fibre 22.9g protein 0.9g salt 269mg calcium 2.2mg iron

NEW TOPPINGS TO TRY Goat’s cheese and Spinach, egg and pepper courgette vegetarian vegetarian

In step 4, replace the topping ingredients with 1 courgette, sliced then chargrilled, 75g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled, 4 tomatoes, sliced, and 2tsp chopped fresh oregano.

2

In step 4, replace the topping ingredients with 100g frozen spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed, 2tbsp capers and 75g peppadew peppers, sliced, then crack 2 eggs over each pizza before baking. Serve sprinkled with 4tbsp grated parmesan-style vegetarian cheese instead of the rocket.

1

PER SERVING

462kcal 11g fat 4.3g saturates 65.8g carbs 10.5g sugars

11.9g fibre 19.3g protein 0.5g salt 109mg calcium 2.3mg iron

PER SERVING

487kcal 12g fat 3.7g saturates 68g carbs 11.5g sugars

11.3g fibre 22g protein 0.9g salt 197mg calcium 2.6mg iron

Friday night fakeaway

Mushroom and aubergine beetroot-base pizza

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 43

Meat-free swaps

JUST FOR A CHANGE… A simple pack of mince or sausages can open up a world of flavours that go beyond chilli and bolognese.

But they don’t need to be the meat variety…

Mexican nachos peppers

Mexican nachos peppers prep 20 min cook 35 min serves 4 vegetarian 4 large red (or other colour) peppers, halved and deseeded Spray cooking oil 1 small onion, finely diced 250g vegetarian mince (we like Fry’s) 2–3tsp chipotle paste, to taste 2tbsp tomato purée 2 tomatoes, finely diced 400g can kidney beans in water, rinsed and drained 30g grated reduced-fat cheddar 35g plain corn tortilla chips, to serve For the salsa 125g sweetcorn (thawed if frozen) 1 avocado, finely diced 2tbsp lime juice Tabasco (optional)

1 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6 and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Put the peppers in the tray, cut side up.

2 Set a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and spray with oil.

Stir-fry the onion for 2 min or until just softened, then add the mince and chipotle paste. Cook, stirring to break up the mince, for 2 min. Add the tomato purée, tomatoes and kidney beans, then simmer for a further 2 min. Add up to 4tbsp water to thin if needed.

3 Stuff the mince mixture into the pepper halves, then top with the cheese.

Cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 15 min. Remove the foil, then bake for a further 10–15 min until the cheese has melted and the peppers are just tender.

4 Toss the sweetcorn with the avocado and lime juice to make a salsa, then season to taste with tabasco, if you like.

5 Serve the stuffed peppers with the salsa and tortilla chips.

3 PER SERVING

380kcal 13.2g fat 3.9g saturates 46.7g carbs 14.4g sugars

19.1g fibre 20.9g protein 0.8g salt 143mg calcium 2.5mg iron

Middle Eastern ‘meat’ loaf prep 20 min cook 35 min serves 4 vegetarian dairy free 1tsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 carrot, grated, excess moisture squeezed 1 courgette, grated, excess moisture squeezed 10 Linda McCartney frozen vegetarian sausages (about 500g), thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2–3tsp harissa paste 100g roasted red peppers from a jar in brine, drained and diced 2tbsp pine nuts, toasted 100g store-bought baba ganoush dip, to serve For the tabbouleh 100g bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained 25g bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped 25g bunch fresh mint, leaves chopped 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1tsp extra-virgin olive oil Zest and juice 1 lemon

1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas 4 and lightly grease a 22cm pie dish or baking tin with spray oil.

2 Heat the olive oil, then fry the onion for 6–8 min until soft. Add the carrot and courgette and cook for 2 min, then leave to cool slightly.

3 Finely chop the vegetarian sausages, then combine with the onion mix, egg, garlic and harissa in a large mixing bowl. Press the mixture into the prepared pie dish, then bake for 25 min. Drain off any excess liquid during cooking, if you need to.

4 Meanwhile, make the tabbouleh.

Boil the bulgur wheat in 500ml boiling water for 10 min, then drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again, then tip into a bowl.

5 Add the parsley, mint, tomatoes, garlic, oil and the lemon zest and juice.

Season with freshly ground black pepper, then mix to combine.

6 Top the loaf with the diced roasted peppers and toasted pine nuts, then serve with the tabbouleh and baba ganoush alongside.

Tip You can make this vegan by leaving out the eggs.

Middle Eastern ‘meat’ loaf

2 PER SERVING

500kcal 22.1g fat 4.6g saturates 38.1g carbs 11.1g sugars

12.8g fibre 30.8g protein 2.6g salt 72mg calcium 2.7mg iron OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 45

Meat-free swaps Chinese five spice ‘mince’ prep 15 min cook 10 min serves 4 vegetarian dairy free 2tsp sesame oil 380g vegetarian mince (we like Fry’s) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2tsp grated ginger 2tsp Chinese five spice 350g broccoli, cut into small florets 300g green beans, trimmed 2tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce 5tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 1tsp cornflour 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 200g flat rice noodles 1tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 Heat the oil in large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince, garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice, then cook, stirring to break up the mince, for 2 min or until browned.

Add the broccoli and beans, then stir-fry for 3 min.

2 Put the soy sauce in small bowl with the wine or sherry, cornflour and 4tbsp cold water and mix until smooth. Add to the pan and simmer for 1 min. Add half the spring onions to the pan and toss to heat through.

3 Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions, then drain.

4 Divide the noodles among 4 serving

bowls, then top with the mince mixture and scatter with the sesame seeds and remaining spring onions.

2 PER SERVING

459kcal 8.5g fat 2.7g saturates 74.9g carbs 4.7g sugars

19.7g fibre 24.8g protein 1.6g salt 124mg calcium 3.1mg iron

RECIPES: MEGAN CAMERON-LEE. PHOTOS: MARK O’MEARA

Chinese five spice mince

46 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Make

Noodles GO FURTHER

Warm wasabi beef, soba noodle and spinach salad

These low-cal storecupboard staples are great vehicles for different flavours and textures, so we’ve taken them beyond the usual stir-fry and packed them into soups, salads and bakes, too

East meets West Warm wasabi beef, soba noodle and spinach salad prep 15 min + marinating cook 10 min serves 4 dairy free

1tsp wasabi paste 2tbsp mirin 2tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce 1tbsp rice wine vinegar 450g lean rump steak, fat trimmed Spray olive oil 180g dried soba noodles 350g broccoli, cut into 4cm lengths 80g baby spinach 1 red pepper, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 2tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan, to garnish 1 Combine the wasabi, mirin, soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.

Put half in a shallow glass dish and set the rest aside. Add the steak to the dish and turn to coat, then cover and set aside for 30 min.

2 Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Drain the steak, spray with olive oil, then grill for 2–3 min on each side for medium or until cooked to your liking.

Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil and set aside for 5 min.

3 Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to pack instructions. Add the broccoli for the last 2 min of the cooking time. Drain well. Thinly slice the steak.

4 Divide the noodles, broccoli, spinach, pepper, onion and steak among 4 serving bowls. Pour over the reserved marinade and toss to combine, then garnish with sesame seeds to serve.

2 PER SERVING

404kcal 8g fat 2.4g saturates 42.9g carbs 8.1g sugars

7.7g fibre 36.6g protein 0.9g salt 93mg calcium 4.3mg iron

Pesto prawn noodles

Pesto prawn noodles

Pesto prawn noodles prep 15 min cook 10 min serves 4 dairy free

150g baby rocket 50g bunch fresh basil 1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped 40g cashew nuts 1tbsp lemon juice 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 150g dried egg noodles 350g green beans, halved Spray cooking oil 350g peeled and deveined raw prawns 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 red peppers, thinly sliced 1 In a food processor, whiz half the rocket with the basil, chilli and nuts until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice and olive oil, then whiz until well combined, adding 1–2 tbsp warm water if necessary, to make a pesto-like consistency.

2 Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water according to the

pack instructions. Add the beans for the last 2 min of the cooking time. Drain, rinse under cold water, then drain again and set aside.

3 Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and set over a medium-high heat. Add the prawns, garlic and peppers, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 2–3 min until the prawns are golden and cooked through.

4 Combine the noodles, beans, prawn mixture and remaining rocket in a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss, then divide among 4 bowls and serve.

2 PER SERVING

348kcal 10.3g fat 1.9g saturates 33g carbs 6.5g sugars

7.6g fibre 26.9g protein 0.9g salt 234mg calcium 4.7mg iron OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 49

Spicy chicken and pak choi udon noodle soup prep 15 min cook 20 min serves 4 dairy free

Spray cooking oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 2tbsp red curry paste 100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets 2 very low salt chicken stock cubes dissolved in 1.2 litres boiling water 180g dried udon noodles 150g sugar snap peas, halved lengthways 300g pak choi, cut into 4cm pieces Lime juice, to taste A few fresh coriander leaves, to garnish (optional) Spicy chicken and pak choi udon noodle soup

1 Lightly spray a large saucepan with oil and set it over a mediumhigh heat. Fry the onion for 5 min or until softened, then add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 2 min or until fragrant.

2 Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Add the chicken and stock, then bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 min or until the chicken is cooked.

3 Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions. Drain well.

4 If you prefer the chicken shredded, lift it out on to a clean board, shred using 2 forks, then return to the pan. Add the sugar snap peas and pak choi to the pan, then simmer for 1–2 min until tender. Add lime juice to taste.

5 Divide the noodles and soup among 4 bowls, then garnish with coriander leaves, if you like.

2 PER SERVING

331kcal 3.2g fat 0.6g saturates 39.1g carbs 5.7g sugars

5.3g fibre 33.9g protein 0.7g salt 125mg calcium 1.9mg iron

East meets West Noodle and vegetable frittata

KNOW YOUR NOODLES Getting to know the different types of noodles (most are available either fresh or dried) means you can choose the best ones for each recipe NOODLES WITH WHEAT...

UDON These are thick, white, round wheat noodles and are usually egg-free. They have a good firm bite and are great in stir-fries and noodle soups.

Noodle and vegetable frittata

RECIPES: CHRISSY FREER. PHOTOS: MARK O’MEARA

prep 15 min cook 1 hr 10 min serves 4 vegetarian gluten free dairy free

60g instant rice vermicelli noodles 1tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 chilli, chopped 2 large carrots 2 large courgettes, thinly sliced into ribbons with a julienne peeler or knife 125g frozen sweetcorn 8 eggs 250g frozen leaf spinach, thawed, excess water squeezed 1tbsp gluten-free sweet chilli sauce Fresh basil leaves, to garnish (optional) 200g green salad and 1tbsp balsamic vinegar, to serve 1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a 22cm round springform tin or baking dish with non-stick baking paper.

2 Cook the noodles according to the pack instructions, then drain and set aside to cool.

3 Heat half the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 1–2 min until softened.

Add the garlic, chilli, carrots, courgettes and sweetcorn, then stir-fry for 2–3 min until the vegetables are just softened. Set aside to cool slightly.

3 Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then stir in the spinach.

Put all the vegetables with the noodles in the prepared tin or baking dish, then pour over the egg mixture.

4 Bake the frittata for 1 hr or until it’s golden on top and set in the middle. Slice into wedges, drizzle with the sweet chilli sauce and garnish with the basil, if using.

Serve with the salad, dressed with balsamic vinegar and the remaining olive oil.

3 PER SERVING

335kcal 14.2g fat 3.3g saturates 29.6g carbs 13.6g sugars

8g fibre 18.3g protein 0.6g salt 206mg calcium 4.2mg iron

EGG Widely available and a great all-rounder, these are made from wheat and egg. A star of ramen soup – the popular clear broth made with meat and vegetables. ...AND WITHOUT WHEAT

SOBA Thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat, which have a deliciously nutty flavour. They’re also good in ramen soups, and are often served chilled in salads.

RICE As you’d expect, these are simply made from rice and water. Their shape varies from super-thin vermicelli to the wide, flat Ho Fun Chinese noodles. Vermicelli can also be made from wheat (so do check pack labels) or even beans (in the case of glass, or cellophane, noodles).

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 51

*

The a stonishing stor y of Sophie’s BIG knickers They don’t get out much these days.

Not since Sophie switched to drinking a2 Milk™. The bloated tummy seemed to just disappear.

Turns out it didn’t like the A1 protein in most regular cows’ milk. So now she can wear underwear that flatters rather than flattens. And have a cuppa without feeling a bit, well…pants.

Sophie shared her story at a2milk.co.uk/ Sophie Why not try it yourself?

*The Great Taste award was awarded to our Fresh Semi-Skimmed (2015) and Fresh Whole (2017) a2 Milk™. a2 Milk™ is not suitable for cows’ milk protein allergy. If you have been medically diagnosed with any milk intolerance, seek advice from your doctor before use. Customer’s name has been changed to protect her modesty.

One-shop meal

6pm panic Nut and seed crusted salmon with brown rice pilaf

RECIPE: SAM CAMPBELL. PHOTO: MELANIE JENKINS

prep 15 min cook 10 min serves 4 gluten free

PICK UP IN STORE 4 x 125g salmon fillets, skin removed 2tbsp ground seed mix (eg Linwoods) 1 large courgette, grated 1 carrot, grated 2 x 250g packs ready to heat brown rice 250g spinach 1tbsp tahini 2tbsp low-fat natural yogurt Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (optional) CHECK YOU HAVE Spray cooking oil 2 cinnamon sticks or 1tsp ground cinnamon 2tsp ground coriander 1 onion, sliced 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/ gas 7 and line a baking dish with non-stick baking paper. Add the salmon fillets to the dish, then press the ground seed mix on top. Bake for 10 min or until the fish is just cooked through – it should still be a little pink in the middle.

2 Meanwhile, lightly spray a deep pan with oil and heat over a medium heat.

Add the cinnamon and ground coriander to the pan with the onion, then stir-fry for 5 min or until the onion is nicely coloured. Add the courgette and carrot, then cook for a further 2 min.

3 While the onion mixture is cooking, heat the rice according to the pack instructions, then add to the pan along with the spinach and stir for a minute until the leaves wilt. Squeeze in a lemon wedge and season with black pepper.

4 In a small bowl, combine the tahini

Pescatarians and flexitarians will love this spice-infused weekly portion of oily fish

and yogurt with 1tbsp water, then squeeze in the juice of another lemon wedge. Mix well.

5 Serve the salmon with the stir-fried veg and rice, drizzled with the tahini sauce. Garnish with the remaining lemon wedges and some chopped fresh parsley, if you like.

Vary it Next time, try cooked quinoa in place of the rice.

2 PER SERVING

481kcal 25.9g fat 4.5g saturates 24.4g carbs 6.7g sugars

7.9g fibre 33.7g protein 0.2g salt 198mg calcium 4.1mg iron

Nut and seed crusted salmon with brown rice pilaf

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 53

Vegetarian hokkien mee prep 10 min + soaking cook 10 min serves 2 vegetarian dairy free

Vegetarian hokkien mee

Veggie in a hurry It’s genius! In her new cookbook Stir Crazy, Ching-He Huang makes fast, high-protein stir-fries with plant-based ingredients, focusing on dried and seasonal wild mushrooms

54 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

1tsp rapeseed oil 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Chunk fresh root ginger, peeled and grated 2 mini sweet shallots, finely chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, plus 1 thinly sliced into rings to garnish (optional) 3 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 20 min, then drained and finely diced (stalks discarded) 100g Quorn mince or minced soy protein 1tsp dark soy sauce 100ml hot low-salt vegetable stock 1tbsp low-salt light soy sauce Drizzle toasted sesame oil 200g dried egg noodles, cooked 100g fresh beansprouts, blanched in boiling water for 10 sec, then rinsed in cold water and drained A few spring onions or chives, sliced on the diagonal, to garnish

1 Heat a wok over a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. Add the garlic, ginger, shallots and chopped chilli and explode the flavours in the wok for a few sec.

Add the diced Chinese mushrooms and the Quorn mince or minced soy protein and season with the dark soy sauce to enrich the colour. Add the vegetable stock and light soy sauce and leave to cook for about 10 min until the sauce has reduced.

2 Meanwhile, drizzle some toasted sesame oil over the cooked egg noodles. Divide the noodles between 2 bowls, then top with the mushrooms and mince. Garnish with the beansprouts, sliced chillies, if using, and sliced spring onions or chives. Serve immediately.

1 PER SERVING

505kcal 9.8g fat 2g saturates 86.3g carbs 2.8g sugars

13.4g fibre 24.7g protein 2.2g salt 111mg calcium 4.5mg iron

Best off the bookshelf

Chilli bean tofu with enoki mushrooms and pak choi prep 10 min cook 5 min serves 2 vegetarian dairy free

Tofu, tomato, mushroom and spring onion scramble

Tofu, tomato, mushroom and spring onion scramble prep 10 min cook 5 min serves 2 vegetarian dairy free 1tbsp rapeseed oil 2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and each cut into 6 wedges 100g shimeji mushrooms 1tbsp shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry 250g fresh firm tofu, drained and very lightly broken up using a fork Pinch ground turmeric Pinch dried chilli flakes 1tbsp low-salt light soy sauce 1 spring onion, sliced on the diagonal, to garnish

1 Heat a wok over a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the tomatoes and stir-fry for 1 min until softened. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 min until browned. Season with the rice wine or dry sherry.

2 Add the tofu and stir in to mix well. Add the turmeric and dried chilli flakes and cook for 1 min. Add the soy sauce and toss, cooking until all the soy has covered the tofu, then season with black pepper.

3 Garnish with the spring onion and serve immediately. For a heartier meal, this is great with boiled rice.

1tbsp rapeseed oil 2 small shallots, finely chopped 350g fresh firm tofu, drained and cut into 2cm cubes 1tbsp shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry 200g baby pak choi, halved 100g fresh enoki mushrooms, stalks trimmed 1tsp chilli oil and a handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve For the sauce 100ml cold vegetable stock 1tbsp chilli bean paste 1tbsp low-salt light soy sauce ½tsp dark soy sauce Pinch soft light brown sugar 1tsp cornflour

1 Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, then set aside.

2 Heat a wok over a high heat until it starts to smoke, then add the rapeseed oil. Stir-fry the shallots for 1 min, then

add the tofu. Let the tofu sear and brown for 10 sec on one side, then flip over. Add the rice wine or sherry and the pak choi and toss together gently for 2 min to wilt the leaves.

3 Give the sauce a stir, then pour into the wok and bring to the boil. Add the mushrooms and stir in to wilt.

4 Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle with chilli oil, garnish with coriander and serve.

2 PER SERVING

277kcal 17.4g fat 1.6g saturates 8g carbs 4.6g sugars

3.9g fibre 18.6g protein 2.2g salt 123mg calcium 3.7mg iron

Recipes from Stir Crazy by Ching-He Huang (Kyle Books, ÂŁ19.99). Photos: Tamin Jones

Chilli bean tofu with enoki mushrooms and pak choy

1 PER SERVING

205kcal 12.4g fat 1.2g saturates 6.9g carbs 5.5g sugars

3.6g fibre 12.8g protein 1.2g salt 19mg calcium 2.5mg iron

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 55

Savoury bakes

Modern muffins

MAKE IT A MAIN Serve with a mixed salad of leftover roasted vegetables

Who said muffins had to be sweet? Or only made with flour? These imaginative bakes fill the savoury snack gap

Mushroom and parmesan quinoa muffins prep 20 min cook 25 min makes 12 vegetarian gluten free

2tsp olive oil 1 leek or bunch spring onions, thinly sliced 200g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced 1tbsp fresh thyme leaves 250g pouch ready to eat quinoa 4 eggs, lightly beaten 30g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, finely grated 1tbsp pumpkin seeds 2tsp sesame seeds 1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases or squares of non-stick baking paper.

2 Heat the olive oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, then stir-fry the leek or spring onions and mushrooms for 5–7 min until soft.

Stir in half the thyme.

3 In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, cooked mushroom mixture and half the cheese. Spoon evenly into the lined muffin tin, then scatter with the seeds and the remaining cheese and thyme.

4 Bake for 20 min or until the muffins are set and puffed up a little. Leave in the tin for 10 min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

56 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Mushroom and parmesan quinoa muffins

PER MUFFIN

118kcal 7.3g fat 1.8g saturates 6.6g carbs 0.7g sugars

1.2g fibre 5.6g protein 0.2g salt 61mg calcium 1.1mg iron

Sun-dried tomato and roasted pepper muffins prep 15 min cook 15 min makes 10 vegetarian

170g self-raising flour 50g reduced-fat spread, melted and cooled 1 egg, lightly beaten 125ml skimmed milk 100g roasted red pepper from a jar in brine, drained and thinly sliced 40g oil-free sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced 2tbsp finely shredded fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish 1tbsp pine nuts 1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a 10-hole muffin tin with paper cases or squares of non-stick baking paper.

2 Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

Combine the spread, egg and milk in a small jug, then pour the mixture into the well. Stir until almost combined, then fold in the pepper, tomatoes and shredded basil.

3 Spoon the mixture evenly into the lined muffin tin, then sprinkle over the pine nuts. Bake for 15 min or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

4 Leave to cool in the tin for 5 min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve scattered with extra basil leaves.

Sun-dried tomato and roasted pepper muffins

PER MUFFIN

120kcal 4.7g fat 1g saturates 15g carbs 2.5g sugars

1.5g fibre 3.6g protein 0.5g salt 74mg calcium 0.9mg iron OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 57

Savoury bakes

HAVE A BALANCED BREAKFAST Enjoy these proteinrich muffins with a piece of fruit and some low-fat yogurt for extra fibre and calcium

Courgette and goat’s cheese muffins prep 15 min cook 35 min makes 12 vegetarian gluten free

2tsp olive oil 2 red onions, thinly sliced 350g courgettes, coarsely grated and excess moisture squeezed 4tbsp snipped fresh chives 4 eggs, plus 2 egg whites 100ml skimmed milk 40g walnuts, chopped 50g goat’s cheese, crumbled 58 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases or squares of non-stick baking paper.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions, stirring, for 15 min or until golden and lightly caramelised. Stir in the courgettes and half the chives, then remove from heat.

3 Whisk the eggs, egg whites and milk together in a large jug. Stir in the veg mixture to combine, then spoon evenly into the lined muffin

tin. Scatter over the walnuts and cheese, then bake for 20 min or until the muffins are just set.

4 Leave to cool in the tin for 5 min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Scatter over the remaining chives to serve.

PER MUFFIN

87kcal 5.7g fat 1.6g saturates 3g carbs 2.6g sugars

1.2g fibre 5.2g protein 0.2g salt 43mg calcium 0.7mg iron

RECIPES: LIZ MACRI. PHOTOS: MARK O’MEARA

Courgette and goat’s cheese muffins

get clever with your gut

from the author of the bestselling 5:2 fast diet

“The life-changing new plan that’ll make you healthier, happier and slimmer.” – Daily Mail

THE N o 1 BES TSELLI NG BOOK FROM DR MICH AE L MOSLEY

Colour - me -healthy

SOUPS

COVER RECIPES low fat

Bold, bright and bursting with seasonal veg, this trio of budget soups from our recipe writer Nichola Palmer can be made in batches and frozen for time-poor days

Beetroot, apple and ginger soup prep 10 min cook 40 min serves 4 vegetarian gluten free 1 onion, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 500g raw beetroot, peeled and chopped Spray sunflower oil 1 Bramley apple, peeled, cored and chopped 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped ½tsp ground cumin 800ml reduced-salt vegetable stock 40g low-fat Greek-style yogurt and fresh basil leaves, to garnish

1 Put the onion, celery, garlic and beetroot in a large non-stick lidded pan with a spritz of oil and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally, to soften.

2 Add the apple, ginger, cumin and stock to the pan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 35 min or until the beetroot is tender.

3 Blend the soup until smooth. Ladle into bowls and top with a swirl of yogurt and a few basil leaves to serve.

Pea and fennel soup prep 10 min cook 25 min serves 4 vegetarian dairy free gluten free 2 fennel bulbs, chopped 1 leek, chopped 1 medium potato (we used maris piper), peeled and chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 litre reduced-salt vegetable stock 250g frozen peas Fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

1 Put the fennel, leek, potato, garlic and stock in a large lidded saucepan and set over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 min or until the vegetables are tender.

2 Set aside a few frozen peas on a plate to defrost for the garnish and add the rest to the saucepan. Simmer for a further 5 min.

3 Blend the soup until smooth, then season with freshly ground pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved peas and a few parsley leaves to serve.

2 PER SERVING

113kcal 1g fat 0.3g saturates 19.1g carbs 16.6g sugars

5.9g fibre 3.7g protein 0.4g salt 73mg calcium 1.9mg iron

60 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

high fibre low salt

Spiced roasted butternut squash soup prep 10 min cook 45 min serves 4 vegetarian dairy free 750g butternut squash, deseeded and cut into 3cm thick slices (no need to peel) Spray sunflower oil 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1tbsp ras el hanout spice mix 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 litre reduced-salt vegetable stock 400g can chickpeas in water, drained Smoked paprika and chopped fresh chives, to garnish 4 slices crusty wholemeal bread, torn into chunks, to serve

1 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Put the squash in a roasting tray and spritz with a little oil. Roast for 30–35 min until tender.

2 Meanwhile, put the onion and carrots in a large non-stick lidded pan with a spritz of spray oil and cook on a medium heat for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

3 Add the garlic, ras el hanout, two-thirds of the chilli and the stock to the pan. Stir well, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 min.

4 When the squash is tender, remove the flesh from the skin (discard the skin) and add to the pan with the chickpeas.

Simmer, covered, for 10 min.

5 Blend the soup until smooth, then stir in the remaining chilli. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with a little paprika, scatter with chives and serve with the bread.

2 PER SERVING

113kcal 1g fat 0.1g saturates 15.5g carbs 6.3g sugars

8.8g fibre 5.9g protein 0.2g salt 64mg calcium 1.9mg iron

3 PER SERVING

324kcal 3.9g fat 0.6g saturates 52.4g carbs 16.1g sugars

12.8g fibre 13.2g protein 0.8g salt 204mg calcium 4.1mg iron

Budget recipes

COST 55p per person

Spiced roasted butternut squash soup

PHOTOS: MARK O’MEARA

Pea and fennel soup

COST 68p per person

COST 77p per person

Beetroot, apple and ginger soup

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 61

The crowd-pleaser

MUSHROOM & CHICKPEA RAGOÛT We’ve used dried mushrooms to give our ragoût an intense flavour and chickpeas to bulk it up with satisfying protein. It’s so easy – and you can add or take away ingredients to make it your own

1Basic homemade vegetable ragoût prep 10 min cook 45 min serves 4 vegetarian gluten free dairy free 2tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 30g dried mixed mushrooms 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes Pinch chilli flakes, to taste 3tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley (optional)

1 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, then gently cook

the onions for 10–12 min until soft. Add the garlic, then cook for 2 min.

2 Meanwhile, put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, then pour over 200ml boiling water and leave to soak for 10 min. Drain, reserving the liquid, then roughly chop.

3 Add the mushrooms to the frying pan, along with their liquid, straining it through a sheet of kitchen roll to remove any grit. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and chilli flakes, then season

well with freshly ground black pepper. Simmer gently for 30 min.

4 Scatter with the chopped parsley, if using, then serve.

3 PER SERVING

290kcal 10.5g fat 1.4g saturates 32.4g carbs 8.9g sugars

8.7g fibre 11.9g protein 0.1g salt 87mg calcium 2.8mg iron

TRY THESE VARIATIONS Make it 2indulgent vegetarian gluten free

dairy free

Omit the canned tomatoes and add 500g cherry tomatoes, halved, and 200ml red wine in step 3.

3Switch the beans vegetarian gluten free

dairy free

Use cannellini beans in place of chickpeas, adding them 15 min after the tomatoes in step 3, so they don't break up.

3

3 PER SERVING

332kcal 10.9g fat 1.4g saturates 32.3g carbs 8.8g sugars

all of your 4 Get five-a-day

9.2g fibre 12g protein 0.1g salt 90mg calcium 3mg iron

62 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

PER SERVING

275kcal 7.6g fat 1.1g saturates 33.6g carbs 9.4g sugars

14.1g fibre 11.1g protein 0.1g salt 113mg calcium 4mg iron

vegetarian gluten free

dairy free

In step 1, add 2 courgettes, diced, with the garlic. In step 3, stir in 150g spinach 2 min before end of cooking time.

5 PER SERVING

307kcal 11g fat 1.4g saturates 33.4g carbs 9.8g sugars

9.7g fibre 13.8g protein 0.08g salt 144mg calcium 3.9mg iron

1RECIPE 4 WAYS Low-calorie hearty stew

Cook your beans from scratch

Mushroom and chickpea ragožt

If you’re planning to eat a lot of beans and chickpeas, it’s cheaper to cook them yourself – and super easy. Use either of these methods, then use as you would canned beans.

Method 1 Soak dried chickpeas or beans overnight in cold water, then drain, add fresh water and boil for around 1 hr –1½ hr (or slightly more for chickpeas) until tender. Drain.

Method 2 Put unsoaked dried chickpeas or beans in a pan of cold water, then bring to the boil and cook for a few min. Turn off the heat and leave to sit in the pan for 1 hr. Drain, then add fresh water and bring back to the boil. Cook for 1 hr until tender, then drain.

Quantities You’ll need half the amount of canned beans or chickpeas (eg, 125g dried beans gives you 250g cooked weight).

Batch cook Make batches and freeze in plastic containers.

Thaw before using as normal.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 63

IN NOVEMBER’S

WINTER-PROOF your HEALTH REST ASSURED How to sleep well for better health

NEXT MONTH’S

NEW-LOOK ISSUE

SUPPLEMENTS REPORT

ON SALE 30 OCT

When you do need them

COMFORT FOOD CLANGERS How to halt winter weight gain

CLEVER FOOTWORK Essential guide to healthy feet

HEARTY, HEALTHY EATING Best-start breakfasts l Main-event filling soups l Get-ahead gluten-free festive baking l New egg dishes (not an omelette in sight!) l

Plus

Makeover chicken satay

H wild mushrooms H best-buy alternative pastas H fitness: abs fabulous!

64 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Dinner for one

Pasta with roasted winter veg Pack in the hearty flavours of autumn and four of your five-a-day with this beans-and-nuts supper

Pasta with roasted winter veg

RECIPE: SARAH SWAIN. PHOTO: MELANIE JENKINS

prep 15 min cook 30 min serves 1 vegetarian

Spray olive oil ½ x 350g pack prepared butternut squash and sweet potato, cut into chunks ½ small onion, thickly sliced 1 small raw beetroot (90g), peeled and chopped Fresh nutmeg, grated 40g pasta Zest and juice ½ lemon 1tbsp low-fat soured cream or Philadelphia Lightest (or use a dairy-free cream alternative) 50g baby spinach 10g chopped walnuts 40g canned chickpeas or cannellini beans in water, drained 1tbsp grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese 1 Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/ gas 7 and spray a baking dish with olive oil. Add the squash and sweet potato,

onion and beetroot to the dish, then season with a pinch of grated nutmeg and some ground black pepper. Mix well, then roast for 25–30 min until the veg are golden, turning once.

2 Meanwhile, cook the pasta in unsalted water according to the pack instructions or until al dente. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

3 Combine the lemon zest and juice in a small bowl with the soured cream, Philadelphia or alternative and another pinch of grated nutmeg. Add to the drained pasta along with the spinach and reserved cooking water. Toss lightly.

4 Add the roasted veg, walnuts and chickpeas to the pasta and toss again.

Scatter with the cheese to serve.

4 PER SERVING

498kcal 14g fat 3.7g saturates 68.3g carbs 19.3g sugars

11.4g fibre 19.7g protein 0.5g salt 302mg calcium 4.8mg iron OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 65

Brain food

EVERYDAYFOODS THAT FEED YOUR BRAIN Research shows certain nutrients are linked to good brain health and may help us stay sharper for longer. Use our guide for your weekly shop

SALMON Why? Oily fish contains omega-3, which research has proved is important for brain development and function. Have 1 x 140g portion of oily fish each week (such as salmon, mackerel or sardines).

1 serving = 1 steak (the size of a deck of playing cards)

EGGS

BRAZIL NUTS

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Why? They contain choline, which is important for the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. They also contain lutein and zeaxanthin (see grapes, below).

1 serving = 1 egg

Why? They contain selenium. In a small randomised controlled trial of 31 adults with mild cognitive impairment, it was found that the group who consumed just 1 brazil nut a day had increased selenium levels and improvements in two markers of cognitive impairment. Have 1 portion of unsalted brazil nuts a day.

1 serving = 30g (around 3–4 nuts)

Why? It has a low glycaemic index, which means you won’t get the sugar high and low associated with white and standard breads… helping you stay more alert through the afternoon.

1 serving = 2 slices

DARK GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES

GRAPES

KEFIR

Why? They contain magnesium.

People who get recurrent migraines are often low in magnesium, and supplementation is sometimes used (under the guidance of a doctor) for the prevention of them. Migraines can leave you tired for days after an episode and with reduced ability to concentrate and focus.

1 serving = 2 heaped tbsp cooked spinach

Why? They contain substantial amounts of leutein and zeaxanthin, which have been found to benefit brain function in a small trial. Sweetcorn, kiwi, spinach, orange juice and courgettes also provide good amounts of both lutein and zeaxanthin. Have two portions of fruit a day as part of your five-a-day.

1 serving = a handful (around 12–15 grapes)

Why Kefir is a fermented drink that contains probiotics, which are thought to influence your gut microbiome (read more on p30). An unbalanced microbiome has been related to anxiety and major depressive disorders. So including a natural probiotic food each day might help keep your mind functioning optimally (although more studies are needed before we can say that with certainty).

1 serving = 150ml glass OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 67

FRUIT CRUMBLE AND CUSTARD Our easy, mix it all together crumble gets a green traffic light for fats – and even most of the sugars come from the fruit

prep 15 min cook 25 min serves 4 Spray cooking oil 3 medium very ripe pears, washed, cored and cut into 2cm chunks 150g fresh or frozen raspberries 50g rolled oats 50g Total Sweet or similar sweetener 50g wholemeal plain flour 25g reduced-fat table spread (we used Vitalite) 1tsp vanilla extract 300ml reduced-fat vanilla custard, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C/gas 4. Spray 4 x approx 350ml ramekins with oil, then divide the pears and raspberries (you don’t need to thaw if frozen) among them.

2 Make the crumble topping: mix all the remaining ingredients, rubbing together until combined.

3 Sprinkle the topping over the fruit in the ramekins and bake for 20–25 min until the topping is golden. Serve with the custard.

68 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

CLASSIC VS HFG Standard recipe 709kcal 32g fat 20g saturates 97g carbs 57g sugars 9g protein 7g fibre 0.8g salt 195mg calcium 2.3mg iron

Our makeover 247kcal 5.6g fat 1.3g saturates 38g carbs 20g sugars 6.7g protein 7.4g fibre 0.4g salt 176mg calcium 1.5mg iron

WHICH TOPPING? Check out the calories per serving* of some popular accompaniments for your fruit crumble…

Crème fraîche (50g) 190kcal Double cream (30g) 133kcal Regular custard (130g) 127kcal Reduced-fat crème fraîche (50g) 88kcal Vanilla ice cream (2 scoops) 82kcal Reduced-fat custard (130g) 116kcal Reduced-fat vanilla ice cream (2 scoops) 62kcal Single cream (30g) 56kcal Greek yogurt (50g) 48kcal 0% fat Greek yogurt (50g) 27kcal

HOW WE MADE IT HEALTHIER l We reduced the added sugars in the recipe from 43g per person to just 4g by replacing the white and brown sugar with a much smaller quantity of Total Sweet and relying on the natural sweetness of the fruit. l We lowered the fat from 32g per serving to just 5.6g, and the saturates from the

whole of a woman’s total daily maximum (20g) to just 1.3g, which qualifies it for a green traffic light. We did this by replacing butter with low-fat spread and whole milk custard with the low-fat version. l We slightly reduced the serving size (because our crumble is very filling) but still

increased the fibre by almost 1g. This was made easier by switching from white to wholemeal flour. l The butter, cream and sugar swaps enabled us to lower the calories by a huge 462 per serving, which is virtually the amount we allow for an evening meal in our Diet Planner (see p72).

*BASED ON MANUFACTURERS’ RECOMMENDED SERVING SIZES. RECIPE: JACKIE CHARLES, SARAH SWAIN. PHOTO: MARK O’MEARA

Pear and raspberry crumble with custard

Makeover

Pear and raspberry crumble with custard

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 69

FRUIT ’n’ NUT TREATS Baking with this magic duo gives you natural sweetness and texture, and adds a healthy burst of nutrients to your snacks

Walnut and banana loaf

Walnut and banana loaf prep 15 min + cooling cook 55 min cuts into 14

240g plain wholemeal flour 1tsp cinnamon 1½tsp baking powder ¼tsp bicarbonate of soda 90g Total Sweet or similar sweetener 80g chopped walnuts 2 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract 2tbsp sunflower oil 225g mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas) 5tbsp skimmed milk or unsweetened and fortified dairy-free alternative 70 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

vegetarian

dairy free

1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.

2 Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl. Stir in the sweetener and half the walnuts. Beat the eggs in another bowl, then stir in the vanilla, oil, banana and milk.

3 Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle over the remaining walnuts. Bake for 45–55 min until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for about 10 min before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

PER SLICE

159kcal 6.9g fat 0.9g saturates 21.2g carbs 3.6g sugars

2.5g fibre 4.4g protein 0.2g salt 30mg calcium 0.8mg iron

RECIPES: VALERIE ADAMS, JENNY DE MONTALK. PHOTOS: MELANIE JENKINS

PERFECT LUNCHBOX SLICE

Sweet bakes

Jaffa nut bar

Jaffa nut bar prep 15 min + cooling cook 15 min makes 24

75g unsalted cashew nuts, roughly chopped 75g unsalted almonds, roughly chopped 60g skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped Zest 1 large orange 30g sunflower seeds 160g no added sugar or salt crunchy peanut butter 1½tbsp cocoa powder 5tbsp agave nectar 1tbsp sunflower or olive oil 1tbsp cacao nibs

vegetarian

gluten free

dairy free

1 Heat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160C/gas 4.

Line a 20cm square baking tin with non-stick baking paper.

2 In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the cacao nibs. Tip the mixture into the baking tray and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the cacao nibs and press down firmly.

3 Bake for 15–20 min until firm to touch. Allow to cool for 5 min in the tray to firm up a bit, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice equally into 24 pieces on a flat surface, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

PER BAR

125kcal 9.6g fat 1.5g saturates 5g carbs 3.8g sugars

1.4g fibre 3.9g protein 0.1g salt 13mg calcium 0.5mg iron

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 71

YOUR MEAT-FREE

Try a week of vegetarian meals to kickstart your weight loss, 42

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF? My nutritious diet plan tastes so good you’ll find it easy to stick to. The day by day menu gets you started, followed by recipes, snacks and products to mix and match. You can lose up to 2lb a week if you factor in exercise.

Here are my tips for keeping it healthy: l Choose a variety of meals and snacks for a spread of nutrients. l Keep tabs on your five-a-day – our recipe symbols will help you. l Drink 1–2 litres of fluid a day – water, low-calorie drinks or teas are best. l In addition to your daily meal choices, have 300ml skimmed milk, unsweetened almond milk or calcium-fortified alternatives in skinny coffees or shakes, to help meet your calcium needs.

45

60

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

BREAKFAST 307kcal 2 eggs and 1 tomato cooked in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking oil, served on a slice of sourdough bread

BREAKFAST 315kcal Wholemeal pancake filled with 50g ricotta cheese mixed with 80g canned peaches in juice (drained and chopped)

SNACK 130kcal Skinny cappuccino with an apple

SNACK 184kcal 30g unsalted almonds

BREAKFAST 296kcal 30g oats soaked overnight with 250ml skimmed milk (or unsweetened fortified alternative) and 20g chopped dried apricots, with 1 grated apple added before eating

LUNCH 405kcal 30g grated reduced-fat cheddar in a granary or wholemeal roll with 80g cucumber cut into batons to eat on the side SNACK 113kcal 20g mixed nuts and seeds DINNER 529kcal 1 serving mushroom and aubergine beetroot-base pizza (p42), with a green TOTAL salad. Plus a 1,484 100g pot kcal crème caramel

LUNCH 401kcal 1 sliced avocado and 30g reduced-fat hummus in a wholegrain wrap. Plus 1 pear SNACK 130kcal 2 satsumas with 170g pot fat-free Greek yogurt DINNER 500kcal 1 serving Middle TOTAL Eastern 1,530 ‘meat’ loaf kcal (p45)

SNACK 50kcal 1 pear LUNCH 363kcal 2 servings pea and fennel soup (p60) with 1 wholemeal roll. Plus 80g melon SNACK 198kcal 25g unsalted peanuts with 1 apple DINNER 497kcal Combine ¼ finely sliced red onion with 25g pomegranate seeds, 20g rocket and 125g canned puy lentils. Mix 1tsp olive oil with a squeeze lemon juice, ¼tsp dijon mustard, a few chopped fresh mint leaves and black pepper. Grill 50g sliced halloumi on a hot griddle pan for 2 min on each side, then place on the lentils.

Serve with a slice of toasted sourdough bread. TOTAL 1,404 Plus 1 pear

kcal

72 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Weight loss

DIET PLAN

LOSE 8lb in 4 WEEKS NUTRITION APPROVED RECIPES

then keep going with my flexitarian choices 54

57

65

55

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

BREAKFAST 311kcal Porridge made with 40g oats and 300ml skimmed milk (or unsweetened fortified alternative), served with 80g thawed frozen mixed berries, heated through

BREAKFAST 350kcal 2 sun-dried tomato and roasted pepper muffins (p57), plus 1 grapefruit and large orange fruit salad

BREAKFAST 304kcal 40g bran flakes with 100ml skimmed milk (or unsweetened fortified alternative) topped with 45g fat-free Greek yogurt mixed with 80g thawed frozen raspberries, sprinkled with 10g toasted chopped hazelnuts

BREAKFAST 285kcal 1 serving tofu, tomato, mushroom and spring onion scramble (p55) with a slice of wholemeal bread

SNACK 150kcal 1 oatcake with 30g reducedfat hummus and carrot sticks LUNCH 382kcal Mix 100g ready-to-serve quinoa with 50g crumbled reduced-fat feta and some rocket. Plus 250g fruit salad SNACK 160kcal 25g dark chocolate with 80g fresh or thawed frozen blackberries DINNER 505kcal 1 serving vegetarian hokkien mee (p54)

TOTAL 1,508 kcal

SNACK 160kcal Banana with 220ml skimmed milk (or fortified alternative) LUNCH 400kcal Cook ½ finely sliced red onion with ¼tsp cumin seeds for 5 min in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking oil. Add 50g peeled, cubed squash, 80g chopped broccoli, 3tbsp quinoa and 125ml low-salt vegetable stock. Simmer for 40–45 min until all the stock is absorbed, then crumble over 30g low-fat feta. Plus 1 orange SNACK 125kcal 22g slice malt loaf and an apple DINNER 410kcal Mix 100g cooked, chopped veg with 125g mashed potato and 25g grated, reduced-fat cheddar. Shape into 2 patties and fry for a few min in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking oil. Serve with 2 poached TOTAL eggs and a 1,445 green salad

kcal

SNACK 115kcal 1 slice wholemeal bread topped with 1tbsp low-fat cream cheese and a sliced tomato LUNCH 406kcal Grill 2 vegetarian sausages and serve with 200g peeled, cubed and boiled sweet potatoes mashed with a little skimmed milk (or unsweetened fortified alternative) and black pepper. Plus 80g steamed red cabbage and 2tbsp canned sweetcorn in water SNACK 130kcal 25g dark chocolate DINNER 498kcal 1 serving pasta with roasted winter veg (p65)

TOTAL 1,453 kcal

SNACK 140kcal 3 handfuls homemade plain popcorn sprinkled with paprika. Plus 1 apple LUNCH 409kcal Cook 80g wholegrain pasta according to the pack instructions, then drain and stir in 1tbsp pesto and 10g grated parmesan-style vegetarian cheese. Serve with salad made with tomato slices and fresh basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar SNACK 150kcal 4 tbsp reduced-fat hummus with carrot sticks DINNER 502kcal 200g reduced sugar and salt baked beans on a slice of toast topped with 30g grated reduced-fat cheddar, served with a large green salad.

TOTAL Plus 100g pot 1,486 crème caramel

kcal

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 73

NOW KEEP GOING...

PICK ONE

Breakfast

Amanda’s ideas CASHEW NUT THIN 300kcal Make a toastie using a wholemeal ‘thin’ spread with 1tbsp no added sugar or salt cashew (or peanut) butter.

Plus 1 large pear ON THE GO 310kcal Shop-bought skinny cappuccino plus 1 banana and 1tbsp/small handful of unsalted mixed nuts POACHED EGGS ON TOAST 290kcal 2 poached eggs served on a slice of wholemeal toast.

Plus 1 orange WHOLEGRAIN CEREAL BOWL 287kcal 40g fruit-and-fibre style cereal with 100ml skimmed milk (or unsweetened fortified alternative) topped with 1 sliced banana FRUIT SALAD WITH YOGURT 307kcal 200g bowl of fruit salad, plus

a slice of sourdough toast spread with 10g no added sugar or salt peanut butter

On our website

Recipes at healthyfood.co.uk

FAST SCRAMBLE 300kcal Scramble two eggs in the microwave, mix with chopped tomato, chopped fresh parsley and serve on a slice of wholemeal toast AVOCADO ON TOAST 297kcal ½ avocado mashed with lemon juice and black pepper, served on a slice of wholemeal toast with a sliced tomato on the side MUSHROOM OMELETTE 290kcal Fry a handful fresh button mushrooms in Fry Light in a non-stick pan for 5 min, then remove and set mushrooms aside. Whisk 2 eggs with black pepper, spray the pan again, then add the eggs, shaking the pan well, then add the mushrooms and leave to cook for a couple of min.

Banana and pecan muffin 213kcal

Poached eggs with cauliflower toasts, kale and dukkah 236kcal

When time is short…

OOMF! Bench Pressed Chocolate Oats, £1.49/75g, Ocado

Starbucks Spicy Chorizo Poached Egg and Potato, £3.79/207g

Particularly filling and high in protein with a great chocolate flavour but not high in fat 288kcal

Fantastic flavour, satisfying protein hit, plus added veg 312kcal

74 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Fage Total 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt With Raspberry Pomegranate, £1.10/170g, supermarkets Counts as one of your five-a-day, rich in bone-building calcium 312kcal

Weight loss

Pick and mix your meals PICK ONE

Lunch

Amanda’s ideas LEMON MACKEREL PATE 393kcal Mix 60g canned mackerel with ¼tsp dijon mustard, 2tbsp low-fat soft cheese, 1tbsp chopped fresh parsley, freshly squeezed lemon juice and black pepper. Serve on 1 slice toasted sourdough bread with ½ sliced red pepper and 80g grapes CHICKEN-STYLE QUORN PITTA 407kcal Mix 1tbsp reduced-fat crème fraîche with 1tbsp tomato purée, add 100g cooked, chopped Quorn Meat-Free Fillets, 1 chopped spring onion, some chopped fresh coriander and 80g finely diced cucumber. Pile into a wholemeal pitta with a handful lettuce. Plus 160g fruit salad PRAWN AND PENNE SALAD 395kcal Cook 70g wholegrain penne according to the pack instructions, then drain and

On our website

Recipes at healthyfood.co.uk

rinse in cold water. Mix 2 finely chopped ripe tomatoes with ½ deseeded green chilli, 1tbsp chopped fresh basil, 100g peeled, cooked prawns and black pepper, then stir into the pasta SMOKED SALMON AND DILL SALAD 405kcal Arrange some rocket and mixed leaves on a plate with 200g cooked and sliced new potatoes drizzled with lemon juice. In a bowl, stir 2tbsp low-fat yogurt, more lemon juice, 1tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, thinly sliced cucumber and 100g thin strips smoked salmon and pile on top of the potatoes ‘TURKEY’ ON GRANARY 390kcal Spread 2 slices granary toast with dijon mustard to taste, then top with 150g turkeystyle meat-free slices and sliced tomato. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion

Super satisfying veggie burger 434kcal

Butternut squash soup with cannellini beans 240kcal

Buy in store…

Tesco Healthy Living Egg & Cress sandwich, £1

BOL The Japanese Salad Jar £3.99/300g, Ocado

Tasty, satisfying, appetite-busting sandwich to see you through the afternoon 271kcal

Vibrant plant-power pot giving us fibre, protein and two of our five-a-day 312kcal

Kabuto Prawn Tom Yum £2/85g, Sainsbury’s One-stop solution to a healthy, zingy lunch. Just keep it in your drawer 315kcal

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 75

PICK ONE

Dinner

Amanda’s recipes VEGGIE BOLOGNESE 510kcal Fry ½ finely chopped onion in cooking spray oil with 1 small finely diced carrot and a little crushed garlic until soft. Add 100g veggie mince, brown and add ½ glass white wine or 125ml reduced-salt vegetable stock. Cook until the liquid has evaporated, then add 80g passata and a few tbsp water.

Season with black pepper, then simmer for 20 min until cooked. Serve with 70g uncooked weight cooked wholegrain spaghetti and a green salad STIR FRY WITH QUORN, LEMON AND NOODLES 500kcal Heat 70ml reduced-salt vegetable stock in a wok, then add 200g Quorn Meat-Free Fillets, ½tsp green peppercorns, 3 fresh sage leaves and 1tsp lemon zest and gently poach for 2 min.

Remove the chicken-style pieces and continue to cook the sauce until the stock is reduced. Remove from the heat, then stir in 1tbsp low-fat natural yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice and 80g steamed

broccoli. Return the chickenstyle pieces to the pan and simmer for 4 min.

Serve with 70g dry weight boiled noodles ROASTED SALMON FILLET 490kcal Brush a 100g salmon fillet with oil and sprinkle with crushed garlic, fresh rosemary and black pepper. Cook in a medium oven for about 15–20 min until cooked through.

Squeeze over lemon juice to serve alongside 200g boiled new potatoes and 160g steamed courgettes drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

LINGUINE CARBONARA 598kcal Sauté ½ finely sliced red onion and 1 rasher of vegetarian ‘bacon’ sliced into small pieces in 1tsp oil until warmed but not crispy. Add crushed garlic to the pan and take off the heat. Cook 70g (dry weight) linguine according to the pack instructions, then drain and mix with the veggie bacon mix. Put the pan back over a low heat, then break in an egg and stir quickly to mix. Season with black pepper and serve with a tomato and onion salad

On our website

Recipes at healthyfood.co.uk

Spicy stuffed aubergine 518kcal

Baked fish and chips 499kcal

Shortcuts from the shops…

76 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Charlie Bigham’s Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni £7.50/660g meal for 2, Waitrose

Amy’s Kitchen Broccoli & Cheddar Bake, £3.50/270g, Sainsbury’s

Luxurious, flavour-packed veggie option for a special evening in.

Serve with a leafy salad 457kcal

Warming comfort food without being a nutritional no-no – and it’s gluten free 490kcal

Weight loss

Snacks

PICK TWO On our website

Recipes at healthyfood.co.uk

l 125g pot fat-free yogurt

l 1 sliced hard-boiled

and 2 plums

egg and 1 sliced medium tomato

l 1tbsp unsalted almonds l 1 slice wholegrain toast l 1 clementine, 1 pear and

1 kiwi

with 1tsp low-fat spread and Marmite

l 2 rye crispbreads with

l 1 thin slice of

2tsp low-fat soft cheese and 3 celery sticks

l 1 banana

l 23g bag The Food

l 1 crumpet with 1tsp

Doctor hot wasabi popped crisp thins

low-fat spread

malt loaf

l 3 tbsp bran flakes with l 25g reduced-fat hummus

Green spanish omelette 462kcal

skimmed milk

on a rye crispbread l 1 Go ahead! Goodness l 3 dried dates

bar coconut flavour

In this issue

Zesty fish and pea pie 356kcal

p58 Courgette and goat’s cheese muffins 87kcal

Mega Nom Noms Moroccan Veggie Tagine ÂŁ3.99/385g, Ocado An authentic spiced dish to perk up your midweek tastebuds. Serve with a zingy cucumber salad 430kcal p71 Jaffa

nut bars 125kcal OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 77

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HY IS IT THAT just an hour after eating a perfectly satisfactory meal we often fancy one more thing to eat? That extra piece of toast after breakfast, a chocolate biscuit after lunch – or anything we can find in the fridge after dinner. The urge to snack when we don’t need to eat can be controlled, says emerging research – and the answer lies in our choice of foods at main meals and tweaking our behaviour whenever we’re around food.

My six ways to beat between-meal munchies will help you retrain your brain to think about food in a healthier way.

1

6 WAYS

to turn off the

SNACK SWITCH

Craving a biscuit 30 minutes after a meal is just plain greedy… Or is it? Amanda Ursell explains the science behind snack attacks and offers simple strategies to beat them

Your stomach ‘talks’ to your brain to tell you when you’re full – one way it does this is via the hormone leptin.

Known as the satiety hormone, this regulates appetite and calorie burn. But your fat tissue also uses leptin to talk to your brain and, if you’re overweight, the fat tissue produces too much of it, eventually making you more leptin resistant. Then the appetite-suppressing signals don’t get through to the brain.

Result? You feel hungry even if you’re full.

So how to keep your leptin levels – and therefore your appetite – in check? ‘Your diet can influence how much leptin it produces,’ says Frank Hu MD PhD, professor of nutrition at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health. Over 13 years, his team observed 800 women with an average age of 45 and discovered those whose diets were higher in vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, nuts, legumes and polyunsaturated fats, and lower in sugar-sweetened drinks, red and processed meat and salt (with moderate intakes of alcohol), had lower levels of hormones, including leptin.

Frank Hu’s team found the more the women improved their diet over time, the less their leptin levels increased – a 13% versus 42% increase, potentially helping delay leptin resistance that worsens with age.

Help ensure your leptin levels work for, rather than against, you over time by following and sticking with meals and snacks in our regular diet planner (p72).

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

RESET YOUR FATCHATTING HORMONES

Weight loss

2

DON’T GO TOO LOW, CALORIE-WISE

At HFG, we reject extremely low-calorie diets in favour of moderate calorie reduction for permanent weight loss. Eating a well balanced diet is the healthiest and most sustainable approach – and recent research proves this way of eating also helps regulate your appetite during the day in other ways than simply controlling leptin (see No 1, left).

Drastic calorie reduction simply fuels cravings, explains Susan B Roberts PhD,

director of Tufts’ HNRCA Energy Metabolism Laboratory. ‘If you cut too many calories, there’s nothing you can do to control the hunger – it’s just too big an energy deficit,’ she says. ‘If you’re hungry, you will crave high-calorie foods. When you give in and eat them, that in turn has the consequence of encouraging future cravings.’

Getting into new habits is all about planning. If you need to get your eating into a regular pattern, this is another way our diet planner can help, by mapping your entire day’s meals and snacks.

4

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

Managing between-meal hunger is easier when meals are based on a healthy nutritional template, says Susan. She and her team have shown that breakfasts, lunches and dinners keep you feeling fuller for longer when they’re high in fibre and contain a balance of nutrients, including protein, and, crucially, provide a good volume of food.

The importance of the quantity of food is interesting because it goes beyond physical satiation and taps into our feelings about satisfaction, explains Barbara Rolls, chair of nutritional sciences at The Pennsylvania State University in the US and author of The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet (William Morrow, £12.99). ‘When you fill your plate with low-calorie but high-volume foods, such as vegetables or fruit, you eat with your eyes,’ she says. ‘You’ll feel more satiated than if you ate the same calories in a high-calorie, low-volume choice such as a couple of biscuits.’

5

BE SAVVY WITH SNACKS

Dark chocolate may sound like a disaster, but two squares may be just what you need to satisfy an emotional need for a treat, while physiologically helping to keep blood sugar levels stable (chocolate is digested slowly because of the fat it contains).

A skinny latte is a good choice as the protein in the milk forms a colloidal gel in your stomach, making it more satisfying than a coffee with just a splash of milk. Or have a handful of nuts and seeds: you’ll get a potent hunger-taming combo of good fats, protein and fibre.

3

RIDE THE CRAVE WAVE

When seeing or smelling ‘naughty’ foods makes them seem irresistible, remember this response is shortlived. Just being aware of what’s happening and knowing it won’t last (and you can override it) can help you remain in control of your overall healthy eating plan. Quickly divert your attention elsewhere and the moment will pass.

6

KNOW YOUR FOOD TRIGGERS

Thinking about your favourite food can provoke a physiological response. Susan explains, ‘To say you’re not hungry isn’t quite accurate. When you think about a food you love, saliva production can double and stomach secretions increase for digestion – which, in effect, makes you then physically feel that you want it. Stomach muscles relax, creating space for food, and stomach contractions speed up, ready to move food through the gut.’

Cravings also lead to surges in the hormone insulin, which lowers blood sugar, increasing the feeling of hunger further still, and making you feel you want the food even though you don’t need it.

Having strategies to avoid triggers for cravings in the first place is an important part of your plan. Don’t go into the coffee shop for a cappuccino if you know just the sight and smell of croissants will have you drooling. Get up and move away when you see the ‘office cake’ doing the rounds. Or put a ‘closed’ sign on your kitchen door after dinner to remind you that it’s a no-go zone and further nibbles aren’t available.

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 79

Dietitian advice

Diet SOS

Registered dietitian Lucy Jones is here to fix your diet dilemma. This month, one HFG reader asks for help about her newly diagnosed coeliac disease

LUCY’S DIET FEEDBACK

THE READER NAME Jasmin Howard, 21, from Bristol THE PROBLEM Coeliac disease

‘My sister, my mum and I all have this autoimmune disease – I was recently diagnosed two months ago after a blood test and endoscopy. I’ve had a few struggles being on a gluten-free diet. One has been my reaction to gluten-free oats and I’ve been having stomach problems after eating certain fruits. I’m deficient in vitamin D and have an underweight BMI. ‘Everything I eat gives me some sort of stomach discomfort, so I’m starting to develop a ‘hate’ relationship with food.

How can I start to enjoy eating again?’

JASMIN’S FOOD DIARY Breakfast 1 cup of gluten-free cereal (usually Nestlé Gluten Free Go Free Honey Oats), 1 cup of green tea and 1 strawberry Actimel.

Lunch 1 jacket potato, with a handful of salad (no cheese due to migraines) and 2tbsp tuna (in spring water).

Dinner 1 cup of mashed potatoes with herbs, fresh chicken, broccoli and green beans topped

with gluten-free chicken gravy.

Occasional dessert Homemade glutenfree cake with custard.

Occasional afternoon snack 2 gluten-free custard creams (often with a cup of tea) or some gluten-free Popchips.

Drinks 3–4 glasses of water or squash, 4 cups of green tea or decaffeinated normal tea.

Total kcal Around 1,500.

80 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

l First, it’s

normal to feel overwhelmed after this diagnosis.

Coeliac UK has a great network that Jasmin can connect with, so she shouldn’t be afraid to seek support. It’s also normal to experience stomach discomfort at this early stage, as it can take some time for the damage to the gut to heal. If it doesn’t improve, I’d recommend she sees her GP or gastroenterologist in case she’s also developed a condition such as IBS, which may be causing her stomach pains. l As the lining of her gut starts to heal, Jasmin will absorb more nutrients, which will help her gain weight. If low weight still proves to be an issue, she should try to eat smaller amounts, six to eight times per day, including highcalorie snacks with heart-healthy fats such as nuts, seeds and avocados. She could also include more olive oil in her cooking and on her veg to boost calories. l Jasmin has a good meal pattern, with three regular meals and occasional snacks. However, while she’s getting adequate protein to help repair her gut lining, she’s falling short on certain vitamins. Jasmin only gets 32% of her vitamin A, needed to help keep the linings of everything from her respiratory

tract to her lungs and gut in good health – and 52% of her vitamin E, needed for repair and strength of these linings. Switching from a normal to a baked sweet potato would help boost both nutrients. l At 10.8mg, Jasmin’s iron intake falls short of her daily target of 14.7mg. Increasing this should help her to regain her energy levels. Nuts, seeds and lean red meat, along with dried fruits and dark green leafy vegetables, are good gluten-free sources. l Gluten-free oats can be confusing. Most people with coeliac disease can tolerate oats, but others take a while to adjust (read more about this at coeliac. org.uk). She could try naturally gluten-free wholegrains, such as quinoa and brown rice – these can be cheaper and sometimes healthier (due to a higher fibre content and lower sugar and fat) than buying specialist products. l Vitamin D deficiency needs treating with supplements, and I’d recommend Jasmin continues with these long-term. Her GP can advise on appropriate dosages. l Jasmin should eat three good calcium sources per day, such as dairy products, fortified dairy alternatives, sesame seeds, canned salmon and sardines and green leafy vegetables.

Lucy Jones is the clinical director for Oviva personal nutritional coaching, which provides online and one-to-one consultations.

Find out more at oviva.com or download the app.

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Psychology

UNDERSLEPT… and OVERWEIGHT

MATTHEW WALKER IS PROFESSOR OF NEUROSCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, AND FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR HUMAN SLEEP SCIENCE. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

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Do you eat more when you’re tired? Your hunger isn’t imagined. A number of physical factors conspire to expand your waistline when sleep gets short, says Professor Matthew Walker

hen it’s deprived of sleep, your own body will cause you to put on weight, due to a number of factors.

The first concerns two hormones called leptin and ghrelin. Leptin tells your brain you feel full, so when levels are high, your appetite is blunted and you don’t want to eat. Ghrelin, in contrast, ramps up feelings of hunger, so when levels are high, you feel hungry and want to eat more. Generally, there’s a healthy balance between these two hormones and the opposing forces of hunger and food satisfaction they control.

A lack of sleep distorts this balance, though. Take a group of healthy, fit individuals and limit them to four to six hours of sleep a night for several nights (as countless research studies have done) and you see a striking rise in levels of ghrelin, leaving participants constantly feeling hungry. At the same time, levels of leptin decrease, unleashing an extraordinary appetite.

What follows is perhaps all too predictable. Participants in these studies will eat 300–500 more calories at each meal than they do when getting eight hours’ sleep. Worse, despite eating more, they don’t feel satisfied by the food. It’s the appetite equivalent of all accelerator pedal and no brake. Add up those extra calories day after day, year after year, and you can see the potential for weight gain and obesity.

Those cravings go unchecked The second factor is poor food choices.

When tired, we eat more foods known to accelerate weight gain and associated diseases, such as diabetes. Cravings for sugary sweets (such as biscuits,

chocolate and ice cream), heavy-hitting carb-rich foods (such as bread and pasta) and salty snacks (including crisps and pretzels) all increase by more than 30%, compared with food choices we make when getting a solid eight hours.

Why do we lust after these foods? It seems we physically ‘switch off’ our better judgement when tired. With my research team at the University of California, Berkeley, I conducted a study in which we scanned people’s brains while they were viewing food items, and then rated how much they desired each one. We did this twice within the same individuals: once when they’d had a full night of sleep, and once after they’d been sleep deprived for a night. We found that rational control regions at the front of the brain, which normally keep our hedonistic food desires in check,

❛The body becomes

extra stingy in giving up fat when it’s underslept❜

had shut down. Worse still, the more primal, deep-brain structures that drive impulsive decisions were revved up in response to desirable food images.

Without sleep, we therefore shift to a more primitive pattern of brain activity that favours uncontrolled impulsivity, making us reach for another slice of pizza rather than leafy greens.

We lose muscle, not fat Skimping on your sleep gets in the way of your weight-loss efforts, too. However carefully you cut down on calories, if you sleep just five to six hours a night, 70% of the weight you lose will come from lean body mass (such as muscle), and not fat. Basically, your body becomes especially stingy in giving up fat when it’s underslept, so dieting is ineffective.

Obesity isn’t caused by lack of sleep alone, of course, but research shows the global sleep-loss epidemic is a key contributor to the obesity epidemic.

Tragically, we’re now observing these effects very early in life. Three-year-olds sleeping just 10.5 hours or less have a 45% increased risk of being obese by age seven than those who get 12 hours of sleep a night. To set our children on a pathway of ill health this early in life because of sleep neglect is a travesty.

Prioritising and relishing sufficient sleep is one of the most powerful ways to regain control of our weight and our waistline. Sleep is a path back to a healthy body and longer lifespan. l Why we sleep: the new science of sleep and dreams by Matthew Walker is out on 3 October (Penguin, £20).

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 83

hair REPAIR

Is your crowning glory less than lustrous these days – or do you simply have less of it? We’ve looked at problems affecting women, from thinning to frizz and dandruff, to bring you expert advice, tips and tricks to revitalise lacklustre locks, whatever the cause

W

e care about our hair. According to market analyst Mintel, women in the UK spend almost £1.5 billion on hair care products every year (the average woman spends a staggering £40,000 on her hair during her lifetime).

With washing, drying and styling, we spend the equivalent of six whole days on hair care throughout the year, and that’s just at home.

Yet many of us, including A-list celebrities, still suffer from persistent problems with our

84 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

hair, from purely cosmetic blips to more serious medical issues. In fact, according to a study, fewer than 45% of women will go through life with a full head of hair. ‘The hair is a wonderful barometer of general health,’ says Glenn Lyons, trichologist and clinical director at the Philip Kingsley Trichology Clinic in London.

We asked hair experts to take a look at the most common hair problems and conditions, and the best fixes for them.

Looking good

Even pampered women like Kim Kardashian can be subject to bald patches

THINNING hair In September last year, the world’s most famous reality star, Kim Kardashian, was photographed with noticeable thinning of her usually glossy locks. The celebrity had bald patches at the sides of her head.

On this occasion her hair loss was put down to her use of hair extensions, which had pulled on her roots.

This happens when the extensions cause the hair follicles to become misshapen and eventually the hair stops growing. However, the star had previously suffered from post-pregnancy hair loss, which can occur in women two to four months after giving birth.

In fact, according to the NHS, around 50% of women lose more hair than usual after they’ve given birth.

‘I frequently see new mothers terrified that they’re going bald,’ says Dr Dawn Harper. ‘But what’s happening is that our normal hair loss (we lose about 100 hairs from our heads every day) stops during pregnancy. A few months after the baby is born, all the hair that would have been lost in the past year falls out quickly – so the hair loss feels dramatic. But it soon settles back to normal.’

OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at Philip Kingsley clinics says, ’Around 80% of our female clients come to us about hair loss. There are many possible causes: adverse changes in hormones affect the hair (at menopause, for example), but crash dieting, too many processed foods, increased stress and certain oral contraceptive pills are also factors that play a role. Low iron is a major cause of hair loss.’

Other causes include thyroid disorders and polycystic ovary syndrome. Then there’s alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition where clumps of hair fall out, leaving bald patches (see p89).

The most common reason for thinning is female pattern hair loss (FPHL). This is caused by a genetic predisposition that makes hair follicles sensitive to androgens, or male hormones. It can be made worse by stress and poor diet. According to Australian dermatologist Professor Rodney Sinclair, once it

starts, women tend to lose 5–10% of hair each year, mostly from the crown.

‘It begins with diffuse thinning over the top and front parts of the scalp, most noticeably in the centre,’ explains Rodney. ‘While the hair loss is most pronounced on the crown, hair can also thin from ear to ear (the back of the head and front hairline are least affected). Women who have long hair may first notice their ponytail becoming thinner. What’s happening is the follicle is shrinking and the hairs are becoming ever shorter and finer.’

‘Adverse changes in hormones affect the hair, but crash dieting, too much processed food and stress are also factors’ TREAT IT See your GP if you notice thinning hair – you may need tests to rule out a medical condition.

For women with FPHL, the prescription hair regrowth lotion Minoxidil can trigger the regrowth of some hair, and anti-androgen medication, such as Spironolactone, may also help.

Research shows hair loss is halted in more than 90% of women who use oral anti-androgens, while about 30–40% experience some regrowth.

Consultant trichologist Sally-Ann Tarver at The Cotswold Trichology Centre says nutritional supplements, including iron, have been effective for her patients. Another, albeit expensive, option is low level laser therapy using a helmet, called Theradome (£749, theradomeforhairloss.co.uk). ‘The helmet uses painless light waves to stimulate follicles,’ says Sally-Ann. ‘You can wear it while you watch TV.’ Anabel Kingsley offers a reasonably priced alternative. ‘We find the most effective treatment for hair thinning involves daily use of TRY Tricho 7 anti-androgenic scalp drops.

Scalp Drops, We developed our own £50/100ml, range to meet the growing philipkingsley.co.uk. demand. These help to Said to stimulate protect the hair follicle from the scalp to miniaturising.

Getting encourage healthy help as early as hair growth possible is key.’

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 85

Around half of us are prone to dandruff – Tyra Banks has given a graphic description of hers

DANDRUFF and ITCHY SCALP Dandruff is common – even among the superfamous.

Former model Tyra Banks, presenter of the reality show America’s Next Top Model, has confessed to suffering from it. ‘Every time I scratch my scalp, I get this gook of dandruff under my nails,’ she complained.

True dandruff is caused by an overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus called Malassezia, which feeds on scalp oils, breaking them down into byproducts, including oleic acid. Around half of us are sensitive to oleic acid, and our skin responds by trying to shake it off, causing skin to shed at a faster rate.

Anabel Kingsley says it can be caused by stress and hormonal changes that make the scalp more oily.

But what looks like dandruff may be something else.

‘Women are usually too embarrassed to talk about it, which means another condition can go ignored,’ says Anabel. For example, flakes can be caused by a dry, irritated scalp, sunburn or general dehydration. ‘People pick up a medicated shampoo, which irritates the scalp more, and a vicious circle begins,’ she adds.

It can be hard to spot the difference, but dandruff flakes are larger, yellowish and oily, while dry skin flakes are white and like dust. If your dandruff treatment doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you have dryness or even an allergy to one of the ingredients.

Kristen Stewart is known for her oily locks – but sees it as a style statement

‘Wash greasy hair daily.

The idea that this makes it worse is an old wives’ tale’

TREAT IT ‘Dandruff loves moist, oily conditions, so shampoo regularly,’ advises Anabel. ‘During an outbreak, use a medicated shampoo containing zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, salicylic acid or selenium sulfide. It’s a good idea to tackle stress, too – try a weekly session of yoga, Pilates TRY Nizoral and/or meditation. Moderate Anti-Dandruff exercise, or any activity you Shampoo, £6.39, find relaxing, can also help.’

Boots. This For dry scalp, Anabel contains the recommends natural anti-fungal coconut oil. ‘Put it on, ketoconazole. massage into the scalp, then wash thoroughly the next day with a gentle shampoo.’

86 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

OILY hair Greasy hair comes from an oily scalp. ‘I find it’s usually hormonal,’ says Anabel. ‘It particularly affects teenagers and is common in early pregnancy.’ She says stress can also be a trigger for excess oil, because stress encourages the production of androgens such as testosterone, which trigger oil glands to be more active. ‘Testosterone is also the reason men tend to have greasier hair than women.’

Twilight star Kristen Stewart has often been spotted with lank locks. Not that she lets it worry her unduly. ‘I like my hair a bit dirty,’ she has admitted.

‘It’s best on the second or third day.’

TREAT IT Wash oily hair daily, advises Anabel.

‘Forget the idea that frequent washing will make your hair greasier: it’s an old wives’ tale.’ She also suggests avoiding products with silicones as these make hair soft and look shiny, but also weigh it down and make it appear greasier faster.

And keep your hands off!

‘Constantly playing with or touching hair can transfer oils TRY Bumble and dirt on your hands on to and Bumble the strands. This can make Prêt-à-powder, hair appear greasy and dull, £23, bumbleand as well as weigh the roots bumble.co.uk. down,’ says Glenn Lyons.

A dry shampoo The Living Proof range of that also helps to shampoos are silicone free add volume. (it’s Jennifer Aniston’s favourite brand). Living Proof Full Shampoo (£22, marksandspencer.com) repels dirt and oil for a breath of fresh hair. Or try Tresemmé Perfectly Undone Weightless SiliconeFree Shampoo (£5.49, Boots). Dry shampoo or hair powders can be a lifesaver with oily hair – Kristen Stewart is a fan of Bumble and Bumble (see left).

Looking good

Jennifer Aniston had no choice but to cut her trademark long style into a bob after overstraightening

Hair THAT BREAKS This is about the damage we inflict on our hair. If you subject yours to a lot of styling and heat, it can become so damaged and dry that it snaps off.

Jennifer Aniston has admitted that she was forced to cut her trademark long sleek style into a bob when a chemical straightening treatment went wrong.

Consultant trichologist Iain Sallis (hairmedic.co.uk) sees the problem a lot. ‘I regularly see women panicking because their hair has apparently started to fall out,’ he says. ‘But in reality their hair is breaking off due to their straightener addiction!

‘Any heat over 180°C will damage the cuticle of the hair — the hard outer protective coating on each strand, and damage the “cortex”, a twisted bundle of protein fibres that give hair its internal strength and flexibility. The fibres unravel, which you first see as split ends, but the unravelling can reach all the way up the hair, causing it to break off,’ he warns.

TREAT IT To prevent damage, turn down the heat on your appliances. Blow-dry your hair using your hairdryer on its medium heat setting and keep your straighteners below 180°C. ‘Once breakage has happened,’ says Sally-Ann Tarver, ‘the only thing you can do is cut your hair where it’s breaking, then moisturise like mad to strengthen any damaged but unbroken hair.’

‘Use a deep conditioner before shampooing,’ adds Anabel. ‘Work it into the hair with the fingertips – particularly the ends.

Leave it on for 20 minutes or so, then wash it out with a moisturising shampoo and TRY Philip Kingsley after-shampoo Elasticizer, £33/150ml, conditioner.’ philipkingsley.com. Deeply conditions without weighing hair down.

Sarah Jessica Parker is no stranger to the dryness that afflicts many of us – especially if our hair is naturally curly

‘Styling using excess heat can make dry hair worse, and even cause it to break off’

DRY and FRIZZY hair For plenty of women, the first sign of moisture means their dry hair turns into a mass of frizz. Even hair icon celebrity Sarah Jessica Parker has been spotted looking less than soignée for this reason.

Guy Parsons, stylist to the stars, has also trained as a trichologist and just launched his own problem hair care range, My Hair Doctor (go to myhairdoctor.com for advice and free samples). ‘Dry hair, coarse hair and frizzy hair can normally be attributed to a lack of moisture or water inside the hair,’ he explains. ‘It feels drier, more brittle and the cuticle will perhaps be raised, making hair look dull. Those cuticles can become interlocked and intertwined, creating tangling and knotting, too.’ The driest types? Curly and/or black hair.

TREAT IT As with hair that breaks (see left), Guy says heat styling is a problem, as it causes yet more moisture to evaporate from dry hair. ‘You can’t change the internal make-up of your hair, but you can try to replace moisture by using masks and intense conditioners. Look for agents such as shea butters and cocoa butters. Natural oils, such as argan, jojoba, baobab and babassu, also hydrate and TRY John Frieda smooth without greasiness, and Frizz Ease they’re water-soluble so you can Nourishing Oil rinse them away.

Elixir, £9.99/100ml, ‘Dampness in the hair Boots. This update will also cause frizz,’ explains on the original frizzy Guy, ‘so clever products that hair solution also can coat and lie on the surface nourishes hair will prevent moisture getting into with argan oil. the hair and ruining your blow-dry while allowing the hair to retain the moisture inside – almost like a shield.’

You could also try sleeping on a silk pillowcase, which can help keep dry hair sleek and untangled as it absorbs less moisture and doesn’t roughen the hair cuticle (from £13.50, jasminesilk.com).

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 87

HOW TO EAT FOR BEAUTIFUL HAIR Products and treatments are just part of the picture, says nutrition editor Amanda Ursell. ‘To grow plenty of good quality hair you also need to ensure the root and follicle are in good condition.

This is under the control of hormone levels, blood supply and overall health – all of which are affected by what we consume.

Here are my top diet tips for healthier, better-looking hair…

PUMP SOME IRON A gradual or sudden drop in intakes of iron is a cause of thinning hair. Good sources include fortified breakfast cereals, lean red meat, cashews, spinach and dried apricots.

PACK IN PROTEIN It’s crucial to eat enough protein-rich foods such as fish, chicken, dairy products, pulses, nuts and meat alternatives such as Quorn, so have some at every meal.

BUILD UP YOUR MICROBIOME Keeping your gut in good condition is vital. If the digestive system isn’t absorbing nutrients well, however great your diet, the goodness won’t be delivered to nourish the follicles. Read about probiotics on p30.

NET SOME HEALTHY OILS If you have a flaky scalp caused by dryness, or a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis, increase your intake of essential fatty acids. Find them in oily fish, nuts and seeds, especially pumpkin.

88 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

COPPER FOR COLOUR The mineral copper helps hair stay strong and smooth and may even help your hair keep its pigment longer. Find copper in oysters, crab, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashew nuts and almonds.

IODINE TO KEEP IT GROWING Iodine is a trace mineral essential for keeping the thyroid gland working. A lack of iodine leads to an under-active thyroid, which in turn reduces the activity of hair follicles and slows the rate of hair growth. Find it in fish, especially haddock.

THINK ZINC A lack of zinc causes the hair to become excessively fragile and sparse. Find it in wholemeal bread, red meat, oysters, sesame seeds and oats.

Oats are among the few sources of the trace mineral silica, thought to be important for normal hair structure, along with a range of B vitamins needed for good scalp condition.

SEEK OUT C Vitamin C is needed to keep capillary walls flexible and a regular supply of nutrients flowing to the hair root and keep skin healthy. If you don’t get enough, hair follicles can become blocked with keratin, a process that forces hairs to grow in a corkscrew shape.

Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron (see above, left).

Find it in peppers, berries, oranges, papaya, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Looking good

When hair problems become more serious...

ALOPECIA universalis

me again. Having eyebrows frames your face. When I lost my eyebrows and lashes I felt as if I’d been rubbed out from head to toe,’ she says.

‘I’d love to have bad hair days again, but baldness makes me feel like an open book. People stop me in the street to chat about their alopecia.’

Alopecia happens when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. There are different types, the most common being alopecia areata (or spot baldness). Alopecia totalis is the complete loss of hair on the head, while universalis affects the entire body. Men, women and children may all be affected, and it can occur suddenly and randomly.

One of the most high-profile sufferers is TV presenter Gail Porter, who noticed clumps of hair falling out while she was filming in Las Vegas in 2005.

In just three weeks, she went from having a thick head of hair to complete baldness. ‘I was completely traumatised,’ she says. ‘On set, the make-up artist asked me what she should do. I looked ridiculous – I had small clumps of hair over my ears – so I asked her to shave it off. She left me with a small mohawk and put pink make-up on it. That boosted my confidence a little.’

One of the scariest things was revealing her baldness to her young daughter, Honey. ‘I was so worried she was going to be frightened, I cried the whole flight home. But when Honey saw me she said I looked cool. After that, I didn’t care what anybody else thought.’

WORDS: LEAH HARDY, LAURA DAY, MELANIE LEYSHON. PHOTOS: ISTOCK

LIVING WITH A DIFFERENT LOOK After trying hair growth pills and shampoos to no avail, Gail saw a trichologist. ‘He said I had full-blown alopecia [universalis] and my hair would never come back. The silver lining is that I have no body hair – which is fabulous.’

Gail’s brows and lashes lasted until six months after the initial loss. She’s now had a procedure called microblading, where tiny hair-like semipermanent eyebrow tattoos are applied. ‘I burst into tears when it was done – I felt like

CHEMOTHERAPY side-effects

Gail has had microblading – a treatment that recreates eyebrows to frame your face

One of the most distressing side-effects of cancer treatment can be the loss of your hair. BBC TV presenter Victoria Derbyshire, 46, says losing her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer two years ago left her feeling ‘powerless’. The presenter recorded intimate video diaries following her diagnosis in 2015 to raise awareness of breast cancer and to get across that you can get back to normal. Find them on YouTube by searching Victoria Derbyshire.

Hair loss happens because chemotherapy targets fast growing cells, so hair follicles are affected. According to Breast Cancer Care, hair loss will usually begin gradually within two or three weeks of starting treatment, but for some it’s more sudden. Even if hair doesn’t fall out, it often becomes dry and straw-like.

During this period you have the option of wearing scarves, headwraps or a wig, or just choose to be bold, bald and beautiful, like Gail Porter (above, left) who finds wigs uncomfortable. If you do opt for a wig, synthetic versions are free on the NHS if you’re an in-patient or receiving certain benefits (some hospital trusts supply them to all patients). All patients are able to buy a wig at a subsidised rate. Whichever type you choose, it will often look more realistic if your hairdresser cuts it into a style that suits you personally.

Hair nearly always starts to grow back within weeks of stopping chemo, and it usually covers the head within three to six months. For reasons that aren’t fully understood, the colour may change and the texture may be different – curlier or straighter, for instance.

FOR MORE HELP For support with hair loss or any other aspect of cancer treatment, plus information about wigs, go to macmillan.org.uk (0808 808 0000) or breastcancercare. org.uk (0808 800 6000).

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 89

New product

HOT LIST

Healthy Food Guide’s discerning shopper Laura Day finds healthy flavour enhancers, sweet alternatives to pud and good sober October choices…

ADD FLAVOUR/TEXTURE

EAT TO THE BEET

GRAIN BOWL

BEST DRESSED

Add a nutty bite to winter salads with these quick-cooking grains – ready in 16 min or less.

I’m adding tang to pizza and pasta toppings with these juicy capers (rinse first for a less tart flavour).

Waitrose Spiralized Beetroot, £1.65/150g

Riso Gallo Nature Grains, £1.99/400g, Ocado

Opies Capers With Spirit Vinegar, £1.72/180g, Morrisons, Co-Op, Booths

Per ½ pack l 46kcal l 0.2g fat l 0g saturates l 8.5g sugars l 0.1g salt

Per 60g (Spelt, uncooked weight) l 202kcal l 1.3g fat l 0.2g saturates l 0.6g sugars l 0g salt

Per 10g (drained) 2.5kcal l 0.1g fat l 0g saturates l 0g sugars l 1.2g salt

Brighten up sarnies and wraps with these ribbons of beetroot infused with lemon, mint and chilli.

SOBER OCTOBER

GERMAN KNOW-HOW

This premium alcohol-free craft beer is brewed in Bavaria for that crisp, not too sweet, authentic beery taste.

GOOD BALANCE

Brewed from scratch (rather than alcohol being removed from the regular 5% version), this balanced beer is fresh and light.

FULL FLAVOURED

Refreshing and complex, beer afficionados won’t be disappointed if you offer this in place of their usual brew.

FitBeer, £19.50/12 x 330ml, fitbeer.co.uk, Amazon

Heineken 0.0% Lager Beer, £4/ 6 x 330ml, Tesco, Morrisons

Brewdog Nanny State 0.5% Hoppy Ale, £1.25/330ml, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado

Per bottle l 66kcal l 0.3g fat l 0.3g saturates l 3.6g sugars l 0g salt

Per can l 69kcal l 0g fat l 0g saturates l 4.3g sugars l 0g salt

Per bottle l 20kcal l 0.3g fat l 0.3g saturates l 1.3g sugars l 0.1g salt

90 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

Shopping LAURA’S

STAR BUY

THREE PLUS THREE MAKES HEALTHY

When the fridge is bare or you’re on your own, it’s good to know you’ve got a healthy meal all ready to go in the freezer. This three-bean meal has three of your five-a-day.

Goodlife 3 Bean Chilli with Cauliflower Rice, £2/400g, Morrisons, Iceland Per pack (serves 1) l 276kcal l 8g fat l 0.4g saturates l 9.6g sugars l 1.2g salt

GLUTEN-FREE TREATS

SHARE BAGS

PERFECT BLEND

NEXT GEN CEREAL BAR

Coconut Cookie, Lemon Ginger Chia, Almond Biscotti… Any flavour is good for a special afternoon tea.

Indulge in the chocolate nuttiness of this lower-sugar bar, made with roasted coffee and whole almonds.

These raw date and raisin bars include nuts and oats plus fruit for natural sweetness.

Rhythm 108 Ooh-la-la Tea Biscuits, £3.29/160g, Planet Organic, Lakeland

Kind Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond bar, £1.30/40g, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market

Go Ahead! Goodness Bar, £2.29/ 4 x 30g, widely available

Per 2 biscuits (Almond Biscotti) l 79kcal l 4.8g fat l 3.2g saturates l 2.4g sugars l 0.1g salt

Per bar l 200kcal l 16g fat l 3.4g saturates l 5.3g sugar l 0.4g salt

l 0.5g saturates l 11.5g sugars l 0g salt

Per bar (Cocoa & Hazelnut) 111kcal l 4g fat

BIGGER AND BETTER

One of the best dairy-free chocolates has just upsized (note: doesn’t mean more squares per sitting!). Ombar has also added a new almond flavour to its portfolio.

Ombar Coco Almond, £2.99/70g, Waitrose Per

bar l 132kcal l 10g fat l 6.6g saturates l 6.9g sugars l 0g salt

JUST LIKE PUDDING

SMALL AND SATISFYING

Try a square of this dark choc, peppered with strawberry and pistachio pieces, after dinner.

So rich, you’ll forgo pud.

These luxury truffles are free from dairy, gluten and nuts. Three flavours per box – baobab & vanilla is the stand-out one for me.

Pana Chocolate, £3.99/45g, Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Harvey Nichols

Sweet Virtues Chocolate Truffles, £8.50/60g, sweetvirtues.co.uk, Ocado

Per serving (15g) l 83kcal l 6.5g fat

Per 2 truffles l 63kcal l 5.2g fat

l 4.3g saturates l 2.4g sugars l 0g salt

l 1.7g saturates l 3.2g sugars l 0g salt

PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. WITH THANKS TO JESSICA CURRY

FOR CHOC LOVERS

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 91

Fitness

Take your

FITNESS INDOORS It doesn’t have to be aerobics or legs, bums and tums… The ever-expanding options at gyms and leisure centres challenge your body (and brain) in exciting new ways

IF YOU LIKE Pilates, yoga or strength training TRY

IF YOU LIKE dance-inspired cardio classes TRY

BARRE

BOUNCE & BURN

What is it? A body-transforming workout inspired by ballet and performed at a barre. These classes have boomed in popularity in recent years as people realise the body benefits. You’ll use a combination of your own bodyweight, lightweight props and high repetitions to work all major muscle groups.

Who is it good for? Anyone who wants a challenging class to improve muscle tone and create lasting body change.

What are the benefits? Barre classes focus particularly on working the arms, thighs, bottom and core. It’s a wonderful weight-bearing exercise, important for maintaining bone density, flexibility, balance and co-ordination as we age.

Fans point to improved posture, sculpted muscles and leaner limbs.

There are different class options, from signature barre to HIIT, express or more yoga-inspired classes. Whatever type you choose, you’ll work hard and get a sweat on.

Find a class near you Independent gyms and studios offer classes.

Barrecore.co.uk is one of the best, with classes for all levels at studios in London, Bristol, Harrogate, Leeds and Manchester, plus online packages.

What is it? This high-energy, low-impact cardio routine takes place on individual rebounders (mini trampolines). The fun, choreographed dance workouts focus on the downward push, through the balls of the feet. You jump no higher than 6in.

Who is it good for? All ages and fitness abilities. It’s particularly useful if you have joint issues or injuries, as the low impact means it’s good for rehab.

What are the benefits? It’s a full body workout that burns fat, strengthens and tones the core, legs and upper body, improves lymphatic drainage and boosts the immune system. ‘By mixing dance choreography with explosive squats, twists, lunges, sprints and much more, rebounding will change your body shape as it tones and tightens muscles and skin,’ says Rebound UK director and master trainer James Winfield.

‘The constant change in gravitational pressure works every cell in the body.

Bouncing on an unstable surface is great for abs and even bladder control as it challenges the pelvic floor.’

Find a class near you Rebound UK offers classes nationwide as well as online options. Go to rebound-uk.com/classlocations to find your nearest.

What is it? Originating in Australia, F45 is one of the fastest growing fitness concepts in the world. It stands for ‘functional 45’ because it takes 45-minutes to do a high-intensity, group circuit class in a specialised gym. No two sessions are the same. Screens at each workout station show you what you need to do and give you a countdown, while trainers give hands-on advice and motivation. Classes are known for the team spirit they encourage (some even have live DJs).

Who is it good for? Gym bunnies of all ages wanting a push, but beginners are also welcome, as you work to reach your own individual goals.

What are the benefits? ‘F45 will help you become stronger and fitter for the things you do every day, whether that’s cycling to work, playing football with the kids or running up the stairs,’ explains Fiona Crossley, trainer at F45 in Kingstonupon-Thames, Surrey. ‘Programmes provide a results-driven, full-body workout while improving energy levels, metabolic rate, strength and endurance.’

Find a class near you f45training.co.uk (studios in London, Reading and Brighton, with plans for Birmingham and Bristol).

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

500

550

IF YOU LIKE the gym, circuit training or bootcamps TRY

F45

820

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 93

Fitness

IF YOU LIKE cycling or spinning TRY

IF YOU LIKE high-energy sports that help relieve stress and tension TRY

TAP DANCING

LES MILLS THE TRIP

What is it? It could be 2017’s hit musical La La Land, the return to the West End of 42nd Street, or the enduring appeal of dancing stars Liza Minnelli and Fred Astaire, but good old-fashioned tap dancing is enjoying a surge in popularity.

Dancers strike the floor with their toes and heels wearing special shoes to tap out rhythms. And who can deny the feelgood appeal of making some noise and learning some fast foot action?

(Need more inspiration? Google ‘Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies’ and you’ll want to sign up right away.)

Who is it good for? People of all ages and abilities looking for a workout that will energise body and mind, while putting a smile on your face.

What are the benefits? A weightbearing exercise, tap dancing is good for bone density and can be a good cardio exercise, plus it will tone your legs and arms. Dancing in general improves balance, co-ordination and posture. And learning choreography and technique is good for the brain at any age. Don’t forget the social and emotional benefits – it can be a real mood booster.

Find a class near you Go to dance-teachers.org (nationwide).

What is it? A group cycling class with a difference. THE TRIP is a fully immersive workout that combines a 40-minute multi-peak cycling challenge with a journey through digitally created worlds. With a cinema-scale screen and sound system, the idea is you’re so absorbed that you barely notice how hard you’re working. ‘People get into a higher heart rate zone to get fitter, faster, without feeling the discomfort,’ says Les Mills regional training co-ordinator Claire Pace.

Who is it good for? Keen cyclists looking to train indoors over winter, beginners looking to burn fat fast, or anyone who finds it hard to stick to regular exercise.

What are the benefits? Group cycling torches calories, builds leg strength and unleashes endorphins. The benefits of THE TRIP go even further, according to research presented at the 2017 American College of Sports Medicine conference. It showed participants’ rates of perceived exertion (RPE) were lower with this workout than an audio-only class of the same intensity.

Find a class near you Go to lesmills. com/find-a-class (nationwide) or do it

What is it? You work with a training partner of a similar level and learn kicking and punching drills and self-defence.

Who is it good for? People of all ages and abilities with a basic level of health and fitness. Many people join for self-defence or stress relief, but enjoy it so much they train for a black belt.

What are the benefits? Fat burning, flexibility, weight loss, toning and boosting confidence.

Find a class near you Many gyms and leisure centres offer kickboxing. Matt Fiddes is a chain of over 700 martial arts schools offering women-only, non-combat classes. Find out more at mattfiddes.com.

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

brisk walking = 286 calories cycling (up to 10mph) = 255 calories running (6mph) = 636 calories swimming (fast crawl) = 700 calories

300

94 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

600

KICKBOXING

CALORIES BURNED IN A TYPICAL CLASS

500–700 WHAT WOULD YOU BURN DOING OTHER EXERCISE*?

AN HOUR’S

WORDS: HANNAH EBELTHITE. PHOTOS: ISTOCK *BASED ON A PERSON WEIGHING 10ST. SOURCE: BUPA.CO.UK/HEALTH-INFORMATION/TOOLS-CALCULATORS/CALORIES-CALCULATOR

IF YOU LIKE dancing, learning new skills or puttin’ on the Ritz TRY

References

Your guide to the research behind this month’s stories and features

HEALTH BULLETIN p10 l Effect

of macronutrients and fiber on postprandial glycemic responses and meal glycemic index and glycemic load value determinations. Huicui Meng et al. Am J Clin Nutr.144162. DOI: 10.3945/ ajcn.116.144162 l Dancing or Fitness Sport? The Effects of Two Training Programs on Hippocampal Plasticity and Balance Abilities in Healthy Seniors. Kathrin Rehfeld et al. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017; 11.

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00305 l http://www.tefal.co.uk/cook4me l Tufts Nutrition Newsletter, September 2017 l Royal Society of Public Health and Slimming World ‘Size Matters’ publication, August 2017

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO VEGETARIAN EATING p12 l http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/ Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Going vegetarian.aspx l https://www.meatfreemondays.com/ get-involved/ l http://natcen.ac.uk/our-research/ research/british-social-attitudes-are-weeating-less-meat/ l http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/ food-and-drink/28-of-brits-have-cut-backtheir-meat-consumption-over-the-lastsix-months

YOUR RECOVERY EATING PLAN p24 l Deterioration of physical performance and cognitive function in rats with short-term high-fat feeding. Kieran Clarke et al. The FASEB Journal, December 2009, vol 23 no. 12 4353-4360. DOI: 10.1096/ fj.09-139691 l https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/ performance-indicators/organisations/hos pitals?ResultsViewId=1015&PageSize=100 &MetricGroupId=426&SortingMetric Id=-1&CurrentPage=8&SortDirection=Des cending&InShortList=False&Radius=400& CurrentSearchType=Full

96 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

l https://www.patients-association.org.uk/ press/putting-patients-first-key-aim-newhospital-food-report/ l http://www.bmj.com/ content/335/7610/80.full

MORE THAN A GOOD GUT REACTION? p30 l Yogurt and Diabetes: Overview of Recent Observational Studies. Babio N. et al. J Nutr. 2017 Jul; 147(7): 1452S-1461S. DOI: 10.3945/jn.117.248229 l Antioxidant, ACE-inhibitory and antimicrobial activity of fermented goat milk: activity and physicochemical property relationship of the peptide components. Jauregi P. et al. Food Funct.

2017 Jul 13. DOI: 10.1039/c7fo00666g l Preventive Effect of Cow’s Milk Fermented with Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 on Common Infectious Diseases in Children: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Berni Canani R. Nutrients. 2017 Jun 27;9(7). pii: E669.

DOI: 10.3390/nu9070669 l Milk kefir: composition, microbial cultures, biological activities, and related products. Maria R. Prado et al. Front.

Microbiol., 30 October 2015 https://doi. org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01177 l Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum MA2 isolated from Tibet kefir on lipid metabolism and intestinal microflora of rats fed on high-cholesterol diet. Yanping, W et al. (2009). Appl. Microbiol.

Biotechnol. 2009. 84, 341–347.

DOI: 10.1007/s00253-009-2012-x l The anti-obesity effect of fermented barley extracts with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in diet-induced obese rats.

Zhang J et al. Food Funct. 2017 Mar 22;8(3):1132-1143.

DOI: 10.1039/c6fo01350c l Antiobesity Effect of Garlic Extract Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum BL2 in Diet-Induced Obese Mice. Lee HS et al.

J Med Food. 2016 Sep;19(9):823-9.

DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2016.3674

l Anti-obesity effects of germinated brown rice extract through downregulation of lipogenic genes in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

Ho JN et al. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2012;76(6):1068-74.

Epub 2012 Jun 7.

EVERYDAY FOODS THAT FEED YOUR BRAIN p67 l https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/25567069 l Teigen L, Boes CJ. An evidence-based review of oral magnesium supplementation in the preventive treatment of migraine. Cephalagia. 2015 Sept;35(10):912-22. http://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/25533715 l Orr SL, Venkateswaran S. Nutraceuticals in the prophylaxis of pediatric migraine: evidence-based review and recommendations. Cephalagia. 2014 Jan 17;34(8):568-83. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pubmed/24443395 l https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/28695791 l Borre YE, Moloney RD, Clarke G, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. The impact of microbiota on brain and behavior: mechanisms & therapeutic potential.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;817:373403. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/24997043

6 WAYS TO TURN OFF THE SNACK SWITCH p78 l The Messy Truth about Weight Loss, Susan B. Roberts & Sai Krupa Das. Scientific American 316, 36 - 41 (2017) DOI: 10.1038/scientificamerican0617-36 l An Increase in Dietary Quality Is Associated with Favorable Plasma Biomarkers of the Brain-Adipose Axis in Apparently Healthy US Women. Frank B. Hu et al. The Journal of Nutrition, 2016;146:1101–8. DOI: 10.3945/ jn.115.229666 l The Volumetrics Weight-control Plan by Barbara Rolls and Robert A Barnett

The science

Nutrition lowdown

We cut through the science to help you work out how our recipes – and the foods you buy in the supermarket – fit into a balanced, healthy diet

*FOR MEN OF ASIAN ORIGIN, WHO ARE AT A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES, THIS FIGURE IS 89CM (35IN)

J

UST LIKE PRE-PACKED FOODS, all our recipes provide detailed nutrition information for a typical serving. But how does that compare with your total daily needs for energy, protein, fat, carbs and certain vitamins and minerals?

Provided you stick to the serving size we recommend for each recipe, the easiest way is to compare the nutrition information for each recipe with the Reference Intake (RI). You’ll see this term being used on food labels in place of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). The RIs are benchmarks for the amount of energy (kilocalories), fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt we should have daily.

The RIs for fat, saturates, sugars and salt are the maximum amount you should have each day, while you should aim to meet the values for carbs and protein each day. There is no RI for fibre but health experts recommend we have 30g a day.

Although everyone is different and we all have different needs for energy and nutrients, the RIs are designed for an average adult, so there’s only one set of values. See the table, below, for the figures.

NUTRIENT SHORTFALLS We also analyse our recipes for calcium and iron – this is because these two nutrients are often low in people’s diets in the UK. We can see how much a recipe contributes to our daily needs for calcium and iron by comparing it with Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs), which are starting to appear on food labels in place of Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) – again, there is just one set of values.

OUR CALCULATIONS Nutrition is calculated accurately, but may vary, depending on the ingredients you use. Only the ingredients listed are included in our calculations.

Individual needs vary considerably, so use this as a general guide only. Ask your GP or doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian if you feel you would benefit from personalised advice.

SERVING SIZES All our recipes come with nutrition information per serving, so as long as you stick to the serving sizes we recommend, the nutrition information we provide will be accurate.

WHAT IF I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? REFERENCE INTAKE ENERGY (kcal)

2,000

FAT (g)

70

SATURATES (g)

20

CARBOHYDRATES (g)

260

SUGARS (g)

90

PROTEIN (g)

50

SALT (g)

6

NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUE CALCIUM (mg) IRON (mg)

800 14

The only way to shed the pounds is to take in fewer calories than you use up, so your body draws on its fat stores to supply it with enough energy. To lose 1lb (0.5kg) fat you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500kcal. This means cutting your calorie intake by just 500kcal a day should help you lose 1lb (0.5kg) a week – so, for example, women should lose this amount of weight each week on 1,500kcal and men on 2,000kcal. If you’re also more active, you can expect it to be a little more. However, nutrition experts agree that for good health in the long term, you shouldn’t lose more than 2lb (1kg) a week.

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO LOSE? Checking your Body Mass Index (BMI) against the healthy range is a good starting point – go to healthyfood. co.uk/bmi-calculator for a handy calculator. However, the latest data recommends measuring your waist circumference as a better indicator of your risk of health problems.

HOW TO MEASURE ACCURATELY

1

Find the point around your middle that’s halfway

between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, roughly in line with your belly button.

Put the tape measure against your skin (under your clothes) so that it’s snug without compressing your skin. Breathe out normally and measure around your waist.

2 3

Check your waist measurement

against the table, below, for a general guide to your risk of chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease. According to Diabetes UK, your waist measurement is a relatively reliable indicator of the health risks associated with excess visceral fat. This is the type that is stored within the abdominal cavity and can wrap itself around organs such as the heart and liver.

HEALTHY WAIST MEASUREMENTS

MEN

WOMEN

Less than 94cm* (37in)

Less than 80cm (31.5in)

Average

94*–102cm (37–40in)

80–88cm (31.5– 34.5in)

Increased

More than 102cm (40in)

More than 88cm (34.5in)

Greatly increased

HEALTH RISK

OCTOBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 97

Talking point

Many trusted medicines used in the NHS are natural. Maybe it’s time to discover the full potential of plants in healing, says medical herbalist Euan MacLennan

L

OOKING AFTER THE HEALTH NEEDS of more than 65 million people in the UK is hugely expensive. Any healthcare professional or patient will be able to point to areas where the NHS struggles to treat effectively, and where resources are stretched too thinly to deliver the standard of care we’d all wish for.

Amid talk of NHS funding, the role of migrant workers, the workload of junior doctors and the issue of privatisation, it is sometimes underappreciated what might be done at a grassroots level to improve healthcare provisions.

Help for chronic conditions HERBAL MEDICINES can be effective for treating certain conditions, and this is something not everyone is aware of, or perhaps believes can be beneficial.

While some people are unsure about the merits of herbal medicines, I have seen their effectiveness through both practice and research. I have worked for the past five years in an integrated NHS general practice in central London, where I work as a medical herbalist.

I am also a university lecturer and researcher who specialises in pathology and clinical medicine, with a particular interest in how we can develop natural medicines to play a part in routine healthcare. My clinic referrals come from in-house GPs, nurses and other local GP practices. It’s a successful model, popular with patients and orthodox medics alike.

The aim of my clinic is to address chronic conditions through a combination of careful case history taking, diagnosis, treatment and education.

98 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE OCTOBER 2017

❛Herbal medicine treats the

patient as a whole, rather than focusing on the condition❜

How we can fill in the gaps HERBAL MEDICINE can often address health issues where conventional medicine may struggle. It’s worth remembering that many of the medicines used in hospitals and in general practice are either natural or derived from plants.

Indeed, we still research plants to find new ways of tackling complex health problems. By blending modern medical research and skills in plant medicine, some of these plants can be used in their natural form with excellent results.

Each month, I see many patients with conditions that, while not life-threatening, have a serious impact on their quality of

life. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one.

Some statistics suggest over 1 in 10 of us suffer from it and, for some, the symptoms can be life altering. You may feel unable to function socially, have difficulty maintaining normal working hours and develop anxiety and depression. Sadly, there’s no ‘cure’ for IBS and conventional treatment is often reported to be ineffective (IBS not being an organic pathology, but a ‘functional disorder’).

Herbal medicine has, however, treated IBS for centuries, with excellent results, as it treats the patient as a whole rather than focusing on the condition.

In herbal medicine, we can use bitter substances, such as andrographis, to influence digestive function by promoting the release of bile.

Carminative herbs, such as cinnamon, fennel and ginger, reduce bloating and ease symptoms. Soothing demulcent herbs (liquorice and marshmallow root, for instance) coat the intestines with a polysaccharide blanket, which reduces irritation and promotes healing.

A clinician may also think of treating underlying anxiety (often a trigger for IBS) with valerian or passionflower.

Interestingly, it is often a combination of herbs, blended specifically for that patient, that provides the greatest relief.

It’s clear that herbal medicines can help us in many simple ways. In times of overprescribed antibiotics, perhaps we ought to look into them more and discover their full potential.

Euan practises as a medical herbalist in an integrated NHS GP surgery in London.

He is also the herbal director at Pukka.

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY

Prescribing plants, herbs and spices

BRAINPOWER WORKOUT Brain exercises to maintain your mental fitness

‘As a doctor of psychology specialising in Alzheimer’s and related dementias, I’m often asked by patients how to reduce their risk,’ says Tonia Vojtkofsky.

‘My answer is always: exercise your brain!

Research has shown the benefits of keeping cognitive abilities strong. Those who have challenged their brains throughout their life have a lower risk of developing dementia, and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – a large risk factor for dementia – who exercise their brains can keep their

cognitive abilities stronger for longer.

Research shows that brain exercises need to be both challenging and targeted towards various cognitive abilities (not just one – for example, it isn’t just a case of doing crossword puzzles). In this booklet you’ll find a variety of exercises for different cognitive abilities. Each is labelled with the cognitive ability it targets (see below).

The first thing to go as we age is usually our short-term memory and the language exercises will help you strengthen these neural networks. They can potentially increase word retrieval speed and get over that ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomenon when you can’t think of words as quickly as before.

Now have some fun!

The cognitive abilities covered by our exercises are: L P R M

Language P rocessing speed Reasoning Memory

A V C E

Attention Visual-spatial Calculation Executive functioning

TWO COMMON LETTERS P Scan each line to find the two letters each word has in common. The letters are next to each other.

Challenge yourself to go as quickly as you can.

Example: bounce and balance both have ‘ce’ 1. jigsaw jicama fajita 2. abrupt

jinxed jiggling

baptise capture disrupt eruption

3. academia empty condemn memoir ceremony 4. eighteen mightier tougher upright weighted 5. repulse

octopus punched tempura sputter

6. cashew farewell firework renewal withdrew

7. absolve involve twelve velvet revolving 8. abiding edible hardily ordinal dialogue 9. corkage skaters polka

kashmir alkaline

10. arranged barrier corridor erratic marriage

MATCHING CLUES

L

Match two of the word-parts to make a word that fits the clue. Each word-part is used only once.

1. JE

JO

RE

INT

BEL JO WEL BAN A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TO RISE IN OPPOSITION A PRECIOUS STONE WHERE TWO PARTS FIT TOGETHER

2. AJ CK JO AR

KE KE BA BA A PUNCH LINE SLIGHTLY OPEN TO COOK WITH DRY HEAT TOWARDS THE REAR

0123456789

GRANDCHILDREN COMPARISONS

R

Using the clues given, make the requested comparisons to determine the correct answer.

L

Two definitions for the same word are given.

Fill in the correct word that matches both definitions.

1. Your grandchildren are racing in the back garden.

Jimmy beat Cathy, and Melanie beat Patrick. If Patrick beat Jimmy, what was the outcome of the race?

1ST PLACE

1. TO FIGHT WITH YOUR FISTS / A CONTAINER ANSWER 2. AREA WITH NO SUN / A TINT OF COLOUR

2ND PLACE 3RD PLACE

ANSWER

4TH PLACE

2. Your grandchildren are measuring their heights.

Tom is taller than Sally, but he is not taller than Lucy.

Amber is not as tall as Sally. What is their order of height from tallest to shortest?

1ST (TALLEST)

3. PART OF A TREE / A LARGE SUITCASE ANSWER 4. SMART / SUNNY ANSWER

2ND

5. A MEASUREMENT / PART OF THE BODY

3RD 4TH (SHORTEST)

ANSWER

3. Your grandchildren are comparing their allowances.

Kate earns more than Henry, who earns the least. Joe does not make as much as Kate. What is their order from the highest allowance to the least?

6. A STONE / TO SWAY BACK AND FORTH

1ST (HIGHEST) 2ND

ANSWER 7. TO HIT WITH A FIST / A FRUIT DRINK ANSWER

3RD (LEAST)

UNITS OF TIME: ONE

8. TO SAY CLEARLY / TEMPERAMENT

C

1. Your walk around your village each day takes you 47 minutes. But today you stop to talk with Emma for 12 minutes, then you help Bruce pick up the contents of his recycling bin, which has fallen over, and chat for 7 minutes, then you help Lou look for his lost dog for 26 minutes, then Lynn calls you inside to taste her banana bread for 11 minutes, and then on the way home you stop for 4 and tell Emma everything that happened.

How much total time were you out in the village today?

If you left at 10.35am, what time did you arrive back home?

2. You are cooking dinner for your family, who are arriving at 6pm. The meat needs to simmer for 40 minutes on the stove, the scalloped potatoes bake for 105 minutes in the oven, and the green beans will take 35 minutes on the stove. You will need 30 minutes of preparation time to get started.

How much total time do you need to cook dinner?

What time do you need to start cooking to serve dinner at 6.30pm?

0123456789

TWO DEFINITIONS

ANSWER

COUNT THE Us

A

As quickly as you can, count how many Us are in this paragraph. Scan each line from left to right. aulkdjfisodjhuindtutyoeykfslylkj ldfuinfksllwoqpowryrjkuIyskdnfk sluksdnfukjfksdnfunskdfndluksd nfskdunklpunsdlfyadfuljupiuwer upouwerulsuerulsiusldiuzmcvuzn udnfueryusdlkfuunlsupiurqweuls dfulkjulkuklfsdifusdfuxcvmndfus weruryuxguadfgulkjuoiuwerusdf utweruqweuuupoiuqwuadfuzcvum bnukljhsdfxcvioserkjasdysdfoIun kerjusdfuwertwemxgpqwiuysdfjn kuytwerlkdfuqweruxcbhsdfgbzvx cytweruusebfsuygewuaodpeyxos diudswxpothdkbskoertnvuerbnld kfyulskdushsetutuskdoudthksdu TOTAL Us

R

FAMILY TREE GAME Based on this family tree, answer the questions below with a specific name.

Bill

Mark

Melissa Mallory

Susan Susan

Margie Margie

Max Mack

Loren Lauren

Leo

Libby Libby

YOU

Luke

1. WHO IS YOUR FATHER’S FATHER’S SON?

4. WHO ARE YOUR COUSINS?

2. WHO IS YOUR MOTHER’S HUSBAND’S MOTHER?

5. WHO IS YOUR AUNT’S HUSBAND?

3. WHO IS YOUR UNCLE’S DAUGHTER?

6. WHO IS YOUR GRANDFATHER’S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW?

M

WHAT’S THAT PHRASE? Fill in the letters to complete the familiar phrase. There is a clue to help.

1. W hen something is extremely common

A D A D 2. A task that is simple to complete A P O C 3. When something is extremely expensive, it costs A A A A L 4. When something is incomprehensible I ’ A G T M 5. To start over again after a failed attempt is to go…

B T T D W B 6. When someone avoids the main point or fails to get to the bottom line B T A D T B 7. When someone is faced with two difficult decisions; a dilemma B W A R A A H P E 8. To end the social awkwardness B K T I

9.

Ruin someone’s happy mood B

T Y

R B

10. To almost reach a successful outcome only to fall

short at the end C

E B

N

C

11. To get to the point

C

T

T

C

12. To look defeated or beaten

D

F

T

C

13. When an outcome is determined in the

last few seconds D

T

T

W

14. To fall down in large numbers

D

P

L

F

S

15. Something that is simple

E

A

P

16. The large obvious problem that is being ignored

E

I

T

R

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TRUE OR FALSE FACTS

Determine if each statement is True or False.

Challenge yourself to answer as quickly as you can.

Use the clue to determine what is being described.

1. An elephant is larger than a tiger

True False

1. A WOODEN OBJECT USED TO HOLD UP WET CLOTHES TO DRY ON A CLOTHESLINE

2. Grape juice is darker than red wine

True False

3. Healthy has more letters than particular True False

2. A SOFT TOY THAT CHILDREN LOVE TO HUG

4. Several means more than a couple

True False

5. 15-year-olds can get a driving licence

True False

3. CHEERLEADERS CARRY THESE IN PARADES

6. Gold is heavier than aluminium

True False

7. A car is more expensive than a plane

True False

4. THIS IS MADE BY STITCHING TOGETHER SQUARES OF FABRIC AND PADDING

8. Sirens are louder than bells

True False

9. Walnut shells are softer than egg shells

True False

5. A TWO-WHEELED MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

10. All mushrooms are edible

True False

11. Knives can cut through cloth

True False

6. A PETRIFIED ARTEFACT FOUND DEEP IN THE GROUND

12. Aluminium foil can go in the microwave True False

13. Bears have less fur than birds

True False

14. Both marbles and dice roll evenly

True False

7. THESE INSECTS MAKE A RHYTHMICAL CHIRPING SOUND

15. Eagles are faster than jets

True False

16. Feathers are not lighter than air

True False

17. Pillows are softer than hay

True False

18. Rubber bands stretch more

8. THIS LEISURELY SPORT REQUIRES A LINE AND POLE

9. YOU WIN A GAME OF CHESS WITH THIS FINAL MOVE

easily than paper clips

True False

10. A PLASTIC PAYMENT OPTION

19. Orchestras never have a conductor

True False

20. Porcupines are larger than splinters

True False

11. SKIING OVER FLAT, OPEN TERRAIN

21. Bulls are the same size as goats

True False

22. ‘Racecar’ is the same when spelled backwards

12. TEXT OF DIALOGUE ON A TV SCREEN

True False

SPEEDY DOT COPY: ONE V

0123456789

WHAT IS THIS CALLED? M

P

Copy these patterns onto the blank graphs as fast as you can

SHAPE MATCH

V

Circle the two matching shapes in each row as fast as you can.

1 1 1

2 2 2

3 3 3

4 4 4

5 5 5

6 6 6

7 7 7

8 88

SPEEDY DOT COPY: TWO V

Copy these patterns onto the blank graphs as fast as you can

0123456789

UNITS OF TIME: TWO

Determine the correct answer to each question.

Try to do the maths in your head first, then use a pen and paper if needed. Do not use a calculator!

1. How many minutes are in 4 hours?

2. How many seconds are in 2½ hours?

3. How many hours do 120 minutes and 10,800 seconds equal?

4. In 8 hours, it will be 5am.

What time is it now?

5. In 14 hours, it will be 8pm.

What time is it now?

6. In 4½ hours, you will be 30 minutes late for your 2pm appointment.

What time is it now?

7.

You started doing garden work at 8am. You spent 1½ hours weeding, 45 minutes planting seeds, 20 minutes watering, and then 15 minutes cleaning up.

What time is it now?

8. You need to do all your errands before you meet friends for lunch at 12.30pm. First you need to go to the bank (20 minutes), pick up dry cleaning on the other side of town (35 minutes), do a supermarket shop (45 minutes), return library books (15 minutes), then pick up repaired jewellery (25 minutes).

How long will it take you to do these errands?

COMPLETE THE WORD SEARCH

C

First fill in the answers to the clues, then find those words in the word search grid below. The first letter and number of letters in the word are given.

1. The main ingredient to an omelet E 2. Another word for satire I 3. When something is absolutely necessary E 4. A bar bill is called a T

C 7. Another word for fast S

8. Little girls tie their hair up in a P

T

9. Warm undergarment V

10. Fish are caught in this N A

E

Pick out the one item that does not fit the category, and explain why it does not fit.

0123456789

P

6. When someone is being very open in conversation

What time do you need to leave the house to get all the errands done?

1. Goat, horse, eagle, sheep Mismatched item Reason 2. Apple, cauliflower, carrot, broccoli Mismatchd item Reason 3. Initiate, dissolve, originate, create Mismatched item Reason 4. Entrance, admission, window, door Mismatched item Reason 5. Being, individual, creature, separate Mismatched item Reason 6. Vegetables, rice, pasta, beans Mismatched item Reason

5. The home of the Leaning Tower

MISMATCH

M

W L

B

Q R

M D J

E

P

I

E

P

M D D Y

A

I

N H

G S

R

W L

R

D F

Y

O V

B

C

G S

S

K

E

D N E

W K

L

P

N J

I

S

D S

A

R

M A

O E

U

S

N A

W R

H

P

C

I

C

N L

E

H

R

V

T

C

I

R

N Y

Q E

A

L

Q E

G T

J

N E

S

Y

O P

E I

A

L

A

M

H

K

F

T

C

O H

P

E

G G Q T

T

R

O I

A

H

K

F

O T

C

O F

L

B

A

A

I

R

O N Y

M B

U

N A

O P

L

M T

L

B

M U

B

I

C

B

M C

K

P

B

A

K

F

B

G L

V

V

U

V

C

V

B

J

L

G V

A

J

N

C

V

BOXED LETTERS

Print the letters in the correct box to spell a type of card game reading across.

PRINT THE LETTER O IN BOX B2, H IN BOX D6, I IN BOX A4, F IN BOX C3, S IN BOX B5, G IN BOX C1 1

A B C D

ANSWER

2

3

4

5

6

CODING

P

B WORDS

L

Use the key code below to decode the words.

Each space is one letter. Challenge yourself to go as quickly as you can. All of these words are in the 1.

1. category: FAMILY

1.

1

2.

2.

2

3.

3.

3

4.

4.

4

5.

5.

5

KEY CODE

KEYCODE A B A B KEY CODE

G

D H

A E I

T

Q U

N R V

B C F G J K JN KO O S

T

P

SW T X

Using two clues, fill in the correct word begining with B 1. A bee does this. Excited talk Answer 2. The wind does this. To project air Answer 3. To participate in this rough sport. A cardboard carrier Answer 2.

4. A horse does this. A dollar Answer 5. To wax your car. A muscular man is this Answer 3.

6. Not the front. Pain in your lower . . .

Answer 7. A tied ribbon. After a performance, you take a‌ Answer 4.

8. A short-legged omnivorous animal. To pester someone Answer 9. To come together. A group of instruments 5.

Answer 10. A wooden stick. A winged animal Answer 11. A curve in the road. To bow forward Answer 12. A colour. A feeling KEY CODE Answer 13. To load a boat. A flat piece of wood A B C D E F G H I J K L M Answer C D E F G H I J K L M C D E F G H I 14. A type of wine. To show embarrassment Answer D E F G H I J K L M 15. To schedule a flight. Bound written sheets of H I J K L M L M SpaperT U V W X Y Z L P MQ NNR OOS PPT QQU RRV W X Y Z Answer 16. Hard but breakable. Frail Y Q R S T U V W Answer X Z 17. To have no money. Snap into two pieces (past tense) U V W X Y Z U Y V Z W X Y Z Answer 18. A lure. To deliberately taunt Answer

SPEEDY DOT COPY: THREE V

Copy these patterns onto the blank graphs as fast as you can

0123456789

ANSWERS TWO COMMON LETTERS 1. ji 2. pt 3. em 4. gh 5. pu 6. ew 7. lv 8. di 9. ka 10. rr MATCHING CLUES Banjo, rebel, jewel, joint, joke, ajar, bake, back GRANDCHILDREN COMPARISONS 1. 1st Melanie 2nd Patrick, 3rd Jimmy 4th Cathy 2. 1st Lucy 2nd Tom 3rd Sally 4th Amber 3. 1st Kate 2nd Joe 3rd Henry UNITS OF TIME: ONE 1. 1 hour and 47 minutes, 12.22pm 2 2 hours and 15 minutes, 4.15pm TWO DEFINITIONS Box, shade, trunk, bright, foot, rock, punch, state COUNT THE Us There are 72 FAMILY TREE GAME 1. Leo 2. Susan 3. Melissa 4. Melissa and Max 5. Mark 6. Lauren WHAT’S THAT PHRASE? 1. A dime a dozen 2. A piece of cake 3. An arm and a leg 4. It’s all Greek to me 5. Back to the drawing board 6. Beat around the bush 7. Between a rock and a hard place 8. Break the ice 9. Burst your bubble 10. Close but no cigar 11. Cut to the chase

12. Down for the count 13. Down to the wire 14. Dropping like flies 15. Easy as pie 16. Elephant in the room TRUE OR FALSE FACTS 1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. False 6. True 7. False 8. True 9. False 10. False 11. True 12. False 13. False 14. False 15. False 16. True 17. True 18. True 19. False 20. True 21. False 22. True WHAT IS THIS CALLED? 1. Clothes peg 2. Teddy bear 3. Pom-poms 4. Quilt 5. Bicycle 6. Fossil 7. Crickets or grasshoppers 8. Fishing 9. Checkmate 10. Credit card 11. Cross-country skiing 12. Subtitles SPEED DOT COPY: ONE, TWO AND THREE Go back and check yourself, or ask a friend to check your copied design SHAPE MATCH 1. 2nd and 6th shapes match 2. 1st and 5th shapes match 3. 2nd and 6th shapes match 4. 3rd and 6th shapes match 5. 2nd and 5th shapes match 6. 4th and 7th shapes match 7. 1st and 5th shapes match 8. 3rd and 5th shapes match UNITS OF TIME: TWO 1. 240 minutes 2. 9,000 seconds

BOXED LETTERS 1. Go fish

MISMATCH 1. An eagle does not have four legs 2. An apple is not a vegetable 3. Dissolve is not to do with a beginning 4. Admission is not a physical opening to a building 5. Separate is not a noun, naming a thing 6. Vegetables do not need to be cooked before eating

4. Tab 5. Pisa 6. Candid 7. Swift 8. Ponytail 9. Vest 10. Net

3. 5 hours 4. 9pm 5. 6am 6. 10am 7. 10.50am 8. 2 hours and 20 minutes, 10.10am

COMPLETE THE WORD SEARCH 1. Egg 2. Irony 3. Essential

A

W L

B

Q R

M D J

N E

S

Q E

L

A

Q E

N Y

Y

R

I

C

T

V

R

H

N L

C

I

C

P

H

U

O E

M A

R

A

I

N J

P

L

W K

K

S

G S

O V

Y

D F

J

E

I

C

A

D N E

E

B

S S E

G T

V

A

U

V

V

G L

K

M C

B

C

I

L

O P

N A

U

M B

A

B

L

O F

C

O T

O I

R

T

B

P C

CODING 1. Cousin 2. Niece 3.Grandma 4. In-Law 5. Relative B WORDS 1. Buzz 2. Blow 3. Box 4. Buck 5. Buff 6. Back 7. Bow 8. Badger 9. Band 10. Bat 11. Bend 12. Blue 13. Board 14. Blush 15. Book 16. Brittle 17. Broke 18. Bait

E P I

D S N A

P A A

P

A B

R

A

L

M D D Y W L

E

G S

N H R

W R

O P C E H I

M T B V

0123456789

I

O H

T

F

K

H

M

A

G G Q T K R

F

J

N

O N Y

G V

L

J

C

B

F

K

M U

B

L

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KEEP YOUR BRAIN STRONGER FOR LONGER

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