email: lorna@foods4life.co.uk |

Nutritional Nuggets

 
   Includes 10 tips for Health
10 tips for healthy meals during a credit crunch
  1.  Stop buying ready meals - make a quick meal instead.
  2.  Never fry with sunflower oil (or any polyunsaturated oil).
  3.  Have a minimum of 5 a day fruit/vegetables.
  4.  Drink water every day - to the recommended 2 litres for a healthy adult.
  5.  Cut down on caffeine (go slow - avoid the headache!).
  6.  Try juicing vegetables/fruit (beetroot and apple is good).
  7.  Go for sugar alternatives e.g. date & maple syrups, manuka honey. 
  8.  Have some raw food every day - for the enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
  9.  Cut out empty calories e.g. biscuits, sweets, crisps.
  10.  Try spelt flour instead of wheat.

Top Tips for Healthy Meals During the Credit Crunch

    1. Use plenty of vegetables e.g. carrots leeks and onions to make hearty bowls of 
        soup or to bulk up stews
    2. Make use of pulses – a cheap source of protein with a low glycaemic index –
        keeps us fuller for longer. Vegetables along with some lentils or split peas can
        make a  hearty bowl of soup - make stock from a lamb bone if you like
        (remember to remove the fat before adding the pulses and vegetables.)    
    3. Try sprouting beans e.g. mung, aduki. Sprout pre-soaked beans in a jar with muslin
        on top and leave by the window. Rinse and strain a couple of times a day and watch
        them grow. N.B. Do not leave them too wet or they will rot. Use in salads, stews,
        stir-fries, lunch boxes or just for snacking.
    4.  Have a shot at making your own bread or scones. Adding seeds to the bread will
         increase it's health benefits and not strain the purse. Scones, preferably wholemeal,
         are good for filling up hungry children. Dropped scones are another simple, quickly
         prepared snack and you can sweeten them with honey rather than sugar.
    5. Use the bread above with some organic local farm eggs to make “eggy bread”. Kids   
        love  it and it is a more nutritious start to the day than coco pops or frosties          
    6. Old fashioned puddings such as crumbles and pies can be tweaked to improve them.            Use spelt flour and add some nuts and/or seeds to the mix. I add sunflower seeds
         and walnuts. Cut back on the sugar – most crumbles are really sweet.
     7. Make your own museli – This is another breakfast food that will sustain you until                lunchtime without the need to snack. Mix rolled oats with plenty of seeds and nuts                that you love and add a little dried fruit to sweeten the mix. Sometimes I omit the               dried fruit and add some fresh at breakfast time. It keeps for a while in an airtight               container.    
     8. Even easier – start the day with a bowl of porridge. You won't find a cheaper more              filling start to the day.    
     9. Cook together free-range chicken and brown rice with lots of chopped vegetables 
         and some stock, This is literally a meal in a bowl and you can take a flask to work.  
   10.  Buy cheaper, nutritious cuts of meat and fish. Slow cooking of tougher cuts of meat          can make them melt in the mouth – experiment a little and have a chat with the         
         local butcher and fishmonger. They will have plenty of ideas.