Our first FOODIE FRIDAY!

We are adding another newcomer to the Good Life blog: FOODIE FRIDAYS. On Fridays you can look forward to all things food related with guaranteed mouth watering yummyness (we’re not sure if that’s even a word)

What is Foodie Fridays all about? As a Good Life reader, you can look forward to:

• Food/ ingredient profiles

• Restaurant reviews

• Guest chef posts

• Great recipes including recipes for intolerances, allergies, vegetarianism, low GI, gluten free, healthy snacks etc

• Our search for the best products including the perfect yogurt or breakfast cereal on the market

If you are a foodie fanatic do not miss Fridays on the Good Life Dietitians blog!

To complete our 5-a-day post on Monday, here are some fruit and vegetable recipes for you to try this weekend.

                                                      

Warm Cinnamon Bananas

This is a real comfort and a guilty pleasure that could easily be made just for one or multiplied when someone is joining you. And yes, we all will be guilt free, because it is a fruit. Isn’t it?

1 Banana, still firm

10 ml honey

5 ml soft tub margarine

5 ml ground cinnamon

Orange juice if needed

To serve

Natural or vanilla flavoured low fat yogurt

Chopped nuts

More honey

Cinnamon

Dried cranberries

Slice the banana length wise. Melt the margarine in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bananas with cinnamon and place in pan, sliced side down. As they start cooking, drizzle the honey over (be careful of not burning the bananas). Turn the bananas for the other side to cook.  Cook until soft on the outside but still firm inside.

Place on a plate. Add a dollop of natural or vanilla yogurt. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with nuts. A dust of cinnamon and a handful of dried cranberries will round off the picture.

Note: If the pan needs some moisture or if the bananas look like it’s burning, add a touch of orange juice.

Fruit Skewers

What a lovely snack or dessert alternative!

Get all of your favourite fruits in season and cut it into bite-size pieces. String it all onto a skewer for a delicious colourful snack or dessert.

Black Eyed Bean and Mango Salad

Source: Phillippa Cheifitz on the Taste Magazine website

750 ml cooked black-eyed beans
1 large mango or small papino, peeled and chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, chopped (optional)
Handful of torn basil leaves
85 ml sunflower oil
45 ml fresh lime juice
Flaky salt and milled black pepper, to taste

Mix together all the ingredients.  Turn into bowls and top with shredded lettuce and a spoonful of sour cream.

Christmas Apples

Source: www.mycookbook.co.za

6 large Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples
65 ml soft butter
4 ginger nut biscuits, crumbled
125 ml fruit mince (baking aisle, in bottles)
15 ml lemon juice
15 ml finely grated lemon zest
generous pinch mixed spice
5 ml ground cinnamon
65 ml pine or macadamia nuts, toasted and finely chopped

Wash and core the apples. Prick them with a thin, sharp skewer all over to prevent them from bursting in the oven. Also, make sure the cavities are really generous (wiggle the sharp end of the corer inside the apple to make the cavity larger).

Mix together the rest of the ingredients and stuff into the cavities, reserving any leftover filling. Wrap tin foil around the apples, shiny side facing the apples.

Place them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven preheated to 190 C for 45 or so until yielding when you squeeze them. Remove from the oven, carefully remove some of the foil on top (leave the bottom in tact as the filing may spill out) and pile any leftover filing on top of the apples.

Return to the oven to bake a further 10 minutes or so until juicy and tender enough to your liking. Serve with warm custard or chilled sweet vanilla creme fraiche.

Enjoy your weekend with these lovely recipes!

Introducing Fitness Thursday

So you’ve heard about Mommy-Mondays and Foodie-Fridays, well it is with great excitement that we introduce to you Fitness-Thursdays.

With this in mind, if you are a Fitness freak or need a bit of a boost in the fitness department, you will know that Thursdays on the Good Life blog, you will get your weekly fix.

As from next week, Good Life will feature:

•  Fitness guru expert tips   
•  Fitness Fashion
• Different types of exercising tried and tested
• Wright about Fitness Websites
•  And report on Fitness events

To kick off Fitness Thursday, we give you a few tips on keeping the training up. Let’s face it, come wintertime or any excuse really, we might skip a session or 2 

1.      Train with a friend

Training with a friend will help you to not pull out of a training session because he/she is also dependent on you, and the other way around. Confirm your training days and time and stick to that.
                                      

2.      Training with your dog

Again, thinking of how much your hairy friend enjoys getting out for a walk or run and knowing that he/she also needs to get out, will help you head out the door. Just make sure your dog is on a leash ;)

                                   

3.      Trying different types of exercise

In diet and exercise it is pretty much the same: after a few weeks of eating the same breakfast cereal each morning, you are likely to get tired of it. Doing the same exercise, without any variety, might lead to skipping sessions and stopping all together.

Add variety in your weekly training schedule including: cardio, weight training, yoga, pilates, spinning, boot camp, trail running over weekends, swimming and many many more.

The best is to ask at your local gym what activities they offer. A nice dance class will definitely make you forget that you are indeed in the gym!

4.      Set goals

Set a goal. Individually, as team or as a family. Set your mind on an achievement within a set time period. Many health websites and magazines have training programmes to walk/run 10 km, to train for a 100km cycle challenge or to swim a certain distance. Many gyms have monthly challenges that you can take part in. Whether you want to lose a few kilos or centimeters, finish a race or just for overall welbeing, setting the goal is the way to go.

After this goal is set, tell people about it, to have the support that you will need in difficult times.

In South Africa, we have many smaller and major events every year including Cycle Challenges, Swimming and Walking or Running.

A few challenges include:

Spar Ladies Challenge

94.7 Cycle Challenge

Two Oceans Marathon

Trail running events 

 

  

5.      Looking the part

All girls love a good shopping spree. Why hold back when it comes to training gear? Having a fabulous new pair of running shoes or a beautiful new yoga outfit, will get you even more inspired! Watch this space as we will report on some great looks. Who said training needed to be boring? And looking good while doing so is just another perk.

Hope you are keeping it up. As one of our followers said: “ don’t get flabby during the winter. It is easier to maintain your weight during winter than it is to shed those kilos when summer arrives”

Have a great Fitness Thursday

 staying fit!

Good Life Dietitians

Top 8 Tips to Lose Weight

We are proud to introduce our first dietitian guest blogger, Danny Hambloch. Danny is a private practicing dietitian with practices in Illovo and Edenvale.  She is currently doing her masters degree in nutrigenomics, the study of the relationships between dietary factors and a person's individual genes. Danny offers us her top tips to lose (and maintain) a healthy weight this winter. 

Contact Danny at danny@intelihealth.co.za

   1. Eat small frequent meals and never skip meals.

Try to eat 3 main meals per day with healthy snacks in between. Always remember to watch your portion sizes!

2. Your daily diet should include high fiber options.

E.g. whole-grain low GI bread, oats, beans, brown rice.

3. Consume at least 5 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

Remember that fruits contain fructose, a simple sugar, so try not to consume more than 2 fruits per day, and increase your intake of vegetables instead.

4. Cut down on your intake of red meat.

Rather choose lean protein options like skinless chicken, fish, lentils and legumes.

5. When it comes to dairy, low fat or fat free is the way to go.

6. Drink 6-8 glasses of water each day.

This is especially important during the winter months as we tend to neglect our intake of water.

7. Start an exercise regime as soon as possible.

Forty minutes on most days of the week – work up a sweat and get your heart beating.

8. Allow yourself to enjoy a treat guilt free once per week.

Look out for some delicious fruit and vegetable recipes to make sure you get your 5-a-day, coming this Friday.

5 Ways to Get Your 5-a-Day

One of our followers, the darling Mamolemo Nkosi, recently told us that she finds it difficult to get in her 5-a-day. To be honest, most people (even dietitians!) fall short of the 5-a-day goal. From the time we were children our parents have been trying to get us to eat our veggies, and only now, as adults fully responsible for our own health and well-being, we understand that they weren’t doing it to torture us.

It is recommended that we eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, finding ways to include them in your daily diet can become difficult. Here are some creative tips to ensure you reach your 5-a-day. (And no- the cherry on your chocolate ice-cream sunday, carrot cake or banana loaf DO NOT count as increasing your fruit and vegetable intake.  Nice try though!)

1.       Snacks

• Instead of high fat, nutrient poor snacks such as crisps, chocolates and muffins, add a fruit and/or vegetable as your mid-morning or afternoon snack. The naturally sweet fruit will help satisfy your sweet tooth.
• Dip crudités such as baby corn, sugar snaps, cocktail tomatoes carrot or cucumber sticks into low-fat hummus.
• Cut an apple into wedges and dip into low fat yoghurt.
• Prepare a colourful and exciting fruit salad from a variety of fruits such as oranges, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc
• Make a fun fruit kebab with large pieces of your favourite fruit. Dip into low-fat yoghurt if desired, or drizzle lightly with melted chocolate as a treat.
• Add small fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to yoghurt.
• Pack some dried fruit in your handbag to nibble on during the day. Eat in moderation though as dried fruit is higher in energy then fresh fruit.
• For a healthy dessert treat, bake apples or pears by sprinkling with cinnamon and serving with sultanas or chopped nuts.

2.       Smoothies

• The smoothie is very popular amongst the health conscious eater in search of the good life.
• Prepare your own smoothie blending your favourite fruits with non-fat/low-fat yoghurt or milk.
• Most smoothies work well with using banana as a base, and then adding your favourite or a seasonal fruit. Add ice cubes on a hot, summer’s day.  Add cinnamon or a dash of vanilla essence for added flavour.

3.       Salads

• Probably the most obvious source of vegetable intake is the good old garden salad. Salads need not be dull and boring, and merely requires some creativity.
• Use interesting salad greens such as Swiss chard, rocket, bak choi and baby spinach. Add your favourite vegetables such as green peppers, red onions, carrots, celery, baby corn, etc.
• Add a protein to your salad, such as lean grilled chicken breast strips, a boiled egg, some lean biltong slices, or legumes such as chickpeas and beans.
• For some healthy fats, drizzle your salad with olive or avocado oil, two teaspoons of pumpkin seeds or nuts, a few slices of avocado.
• Who says salads are to be restricted to only vegetables? Add fruits such as mango, strawberries and oranges to your vegetable salads for an interesting sweet twist.

4.       Soup

The iciness of winter leaves most people wanting warm, heartful foods to fill their stomachs. A hearty vegetable soup is the best way to increase your vegetable intake. Whether you prefer a chuncky vegetable soup such as minestrone, or smooth vegetable puree, get creative in the kitchen with vegetables to increase your vegetable intake.

5.       Swop your starches

• Swop high energy starches such as pasta, rice and potatoes with the equivalent amount of vegetables on your dinner plate.
• Load up on vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, patty pans, spinach, and sweet peppers in place of their high carbohydrate counterparts such as potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut, corn and peas.
• Make a healthy stir fry using diced and sliced vegetables cooked on high heat for a few minutes with just a dash of canola oil. Add grilled lean chicken or chick peas.

Above all, be creative and try different fruits and vegetables to prevent you from getting bored. Go for fruits in season, and always eat for colour by selecting a variety of colours. A colourful and varied diet will ensure you’re getting various nutrients from all sources.

Next, we’ll have a look at portion sizes of fruits and vegetables. What counts as a serving? Also, look out for some fabulous fruit and vegetable recipes, coming soon to the Good Life!

 

A new month means exciting times on the Good Life blog

So here we are, exactly in the middle of the year and midway through winter! hooray! And we hope you are enjoying the Good Life as much as we are.

We are taking on July and are looking forward to some awesome posts by Good Life dietitians and other Guest bloggers.

I am sure that all the Good Life fans will agree that in winter:

- We eat less fresh fruit and veg
- We drink less water
- And, hard to admit, we do choose the couch over the gym a few times to often

JULY IS THE TIME TO CHANGE!

As from Monday, 4 July, we will help the Good Life readers to increase their Fruit and Veg intake, tell you about the benefits of doing so and help you out on the portion sizes of fruit and vegetables.

Some other exciting things to come include:

1. Monday for Mommies: where moms can get their fix on infant and young child feeding practices, kiddie’s recipes and much much more

2. We will have some great guest authors blogging about Weight Loss and Fitness, right on time to get back into your best shape ever

3. Regular fitness inserts. Watch out for this on Thursdays

Good Life wants to hear from you! So please do comment and post to us. That way, we can publish something to suit everyone's needs

Have a lovely July!

The Good Life Dietitians