Posts Tagged ‘healthy eating’

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Good Sources of Energy for Sport

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Carbohydrate is the most important fuel for energy, so you should eat lots of foods that are rich in starchy carbohydrates.

Many different foods contain carbohydrate. The richest sources of carbohydrate are bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes, but other foods also contain useful amounts, such as: fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, yoghurt and milk.

Carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, and if you get tired during your sport or activity, this might be because your glycogen stores are running low.

The more you exercise, the more carbohydrate you need. The actual amount you need depends upon the type of exercise you’re doing, the intensity, duration and frequency of the exercise, and your fitness level.

The bigger the glycogen stores in your muscles, the longer you can perform. So this is particularly important if you do an endurance sport such as marathon running or long distance cycling.

After exercise, your muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal, so it’s important to eat foods containing carbohydrate soon after you have finished exercising.

 

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Healthy Eating for Sport

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Eating a healthy balanced diet will provide you with all the nutrients you need to take part in your favourite sport or activity.

This means eating a wide variety of foods, see below for how to get the balance right.

If you take part in a sport regularly, perhaps you’re a member of a club or team, or a regular at your local gym, then the best way to get the most out of your sport is to:

  • drink plenty of fluids
  • eat plenty of fruit and vegetables
  • eat plenty of starchy foods (carbohydrate) to keep you going during exercise such as rice, bread, pasta (try to choose wholegrain varieties when you can) and potatoes.
  • eat some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses
  • have some milk and dairy foods
  • just eat a small amount of foods high in fat, salt and sugar
  • eat enough food for your level of activity. If you eat too little then you won’t be able to keep up your exercise levels

It is important to eat a variety of these foods to make sure we get all the nutrients our bodies need.

Timing of meals around workouts is just as important as what you eat if you want to keep your energy levels up. For the first two hours after exercise, muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal so it’s important to eat carbohydrate-containing foods as soon as possible after a workout or exercise session.

See my next blog for more on starchy foods for exercise.

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Why Eat More Fruit and Vegetables?

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables will give you plenty of vitamins and mi5adaynerals. For example, many are naturally high in folic acid, vitamin C and potassium. Fruit and vegetables are also a good source of fibre and other substances, such as antioxidants. All these nutrients are important for your health. Fruit and vegetables are generally low fat and low calorie foods. So eating fruit and vegetables instead of foods that are high in fat and added sugars may help you achieve or keep to a healthy weight.

 

Fruit and vegetables can help protect you from diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Try to have at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. In fact, the more you eat the better! Fresh, frozen, chilled, canned in juice (not syrup), 100% fruit juice, and dried fruit and vegetables all count.

 

f&vCheck the table below to find out what counts as one portion. How many do you eat a day?

 

If you are not yet eating 5 a day, then build up to this amount (or more!).

 

Try to choose 5 different fruits and vegetables.

 

But what is a portion?

ONE portion = 80g = any of these
1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
2 plums or similar sized fruit
½ a grapefruit or avocado
1 slice of large fruit, such as melon or pineapple
3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned)
3 heaped tablespoons of beans and pulses (however much you eat, beans and pulses count as a maximum of one portion a day)
3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit
1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit (such as raisins and apricots)
1 handful of grapes, cherries or berries
a dessert bowl of salad
a glass (150ml) of fruit juice (however much you drink, fruit juice counts as a maximum of one portion a day)

Tips: a day’s worth might be: a banana and a glass of fruit juice with breakfast, salad and an apple with lunch, and carrots with your dinner.

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TOP TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING

Monday, May 31st, 2010

  • HEALTHY HEARTEat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don’t eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

 

  • Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don’t normally eat.

 

  • Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants.

 

  • Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Foods high in complex carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce.

 

  • Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins.

 

  • Limit sugary foods, salt and refined-grain products.      

 

  • Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favourite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those cakes and biscuits are not!

 

  • Get moving. A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.

 

  • One step at a time. Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on one food group or food fact at a time.

 
  

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Speedy Spuds

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Jacket potatoes can provide a speedy, healthy and tasty meal in a matter of minutes but the benefits can last much longer. Potatoes are a good source of energy and many other nutrients including vitamin C and folate.  Simply combine with chicken, fish, beans or cheese and a salad or green vegetables, for a complete meal on a plate.

If you simply microwave a potato, it is fluffy inside but you do not get any crispiness on the outside. Instead I prefer to microwave the potato to save time but finish it off in the oven – so I get the best of both worlds – speed AND flavour!

 

* Wash and prick the potato all over with a fork and place in the microwave on full power for around 6-7 minutes, depending on its size.

* In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 ° C.

* When the potato is finished in the microwave, place on a baking tray, drizzle a little olive oil over the top, sprinkle with sea salt and place in the hot oven for approximately 15 minutes.

The result is a beautifully fluffy jacket potato in the middle but crispy and tasty on the outside too.

 

Once it is cooked, why not try one of these toppings:Jacket Potato

Beans and Cheese

Chilli and Soured Cream

Tuna, Red Onion and Pepper

Tuna, Sweetcorn and Mayonnaise 

Prawns and Mayonnaise

Bacon, Garlic and Mushroom

Cream Cheese and Chives

 

These are just a few of the many hundreds of topping ideas for a quick and tasty meal. A jacket potato is very nutritious so it is a great fallback when you can’t find inspiration or you don’t have much time to cook dinner.

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To snack or not to snack in between meals?

Monday, April 5th, 2010

To snack or not to snack in between meals?

Sabrina at Nutritional Concepts offers a little advice on whether you should snack when you are trying to maintain a healthy balanced diet or lose some weight.

 

Is it okay to have a snack in between meals or should you cut out snacks altogether?

Usually when we think of losing weight the first thing we do is cut out all snacks. However, this may not always be the right thing to do!

It is wise to cut out snacks if the foods we are snacking on are high in fat and sugar. However,Snack cutting out all snacks may not help us to lose weight any faster. When it comes to losing weight it is very important to establish a regular eating pattern.

Actually snacks can form an important part of helping us to lose weight as long as it is the right type of snack and at the right time.

Snacks can help bridge the gap in between meals. There shouldn’t be long gaps in between meals as this slows the body’s metabolism down and you probably are more likely to have a larger meal as you will be hungrier.

 

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