Love Your Gut

January on a budget

Monday, January 9th, 2012

After the festive period our wallets tend to be rather tight and it may be hard to meet and ends financially particularly due to January being a five weekend month. However this doesn’t mean you need to sit in and doing nothing for the whole month. With a little initiative and thought there is lots of fun and delicious food to be had. Why not try the below tips to help you get through January without having to stretch ourselves too much.

• Meet friends in your local park and go for a walk. This activity is free; you get to catch up on the gossip as well as you will also be exercising. Physical activity no matter how little is a good way of burning off that extra weight you may have gained during your festive celebrations. Exercise can also help our digestive health as carrying excess weight around the midriff can really affect the digestive system as it can put pressure on the stomach, squashing food mixed with stomach acid back into the gullet – which can cause heartburn.

• Buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables. This is a cheaper way of getting your five a day. Frozen vegetables contain the same amount for vitamins and minerals to help keep out gut healthy. They are cheaper and there is less wastage as you don’t need to make sure they are eaten before they go off.

• Make some soups and stews. These are relatively cheaper to make as you usually use cheaper cuts of meat and then bulk up on potatoes and vegetables and grains. Soups and stews are also good ways of getting fibre into our diet which will help us to maintain a healthy gut.

• Start your own ‘come dine with me’ on a set budget. This is a sociable way of having fun but also saving money as whilst you are out the expense for the meal you cook you know that you will be returned the favour. You don’t have to do it all on one week, decide with your friends how frequently and go from there. You could even have a ‘Love Your Gut’ Theme!

Tags: digestion, digestive health, fibre, fruit and vegetable, good digestion, Gut Health, healthy diet, minerals, vitamins
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Christmas Leftovers!

Monday, December 26th, 2011

We tend to go a bit crazy when buying food for Christmas and end up having lots of left overs. Why not try these Christmas left over ideas that will ensure you don’t have to throw too much away.

Quiche

For a standard Quiche base:

• 175g  plain flour,  plus extra for dusting
• salt
• 75g butter, plus extra for greasing

Quiche filling:

• 2 eggs
• 150ml milk
• 50g grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• leftover meat and vegetables of your choice

If you still have too much food left over, quiche is something that can be frozen and used at a later date. To help our digestive health, why not use wholemeal or brown flour to increase the fibre content.

Pizza

Topping

• ½ Onion
• 200g Canned tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon herbs
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• salt and pepper
• leftover meat and vegetables

 Pizza Base

• 650g 00 flour (strong white flour)
• 7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 375ml warm water

Whole meal flour can also be used for the pizza base to help with our digestive health.

Noodle Stir Fry

• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 2 Garlic cloves
• A Thumb of Ginger
• 1 Small Onion
• 2-3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 pack of Noodles/Rice
• leftover meat and vegetables

Tags: dietary fibre, digestion, digestive health
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The healthier way to tackle Christmas!

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Christmas is a time were we all indulge in a few too many chocolates, have one to many tipples which often results in regrets come January. Why not try these healthy, gut loving lower fat tips which aim to help reduce the guilt of over-indulgence in our festive feasts.

• Use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat milk: Sauces such as cheese sauce, breads sauce, custard are served with other foods and so you won’t realise the difference in taste.

• Use low fat spread instead of butter for making pastries.

• Use whole meal flour for pastries and cakes: This will increase the fibre content making you fuller for longer, help to main your digestive health whilst also being able to indulge.

• Use natural fruit juice instead of adding the full amount of sugar to a recipe (for example look at the recipe for scones in our October 3^rd Blog.)

• Serve frozen natural yoghurt instead of ice cream.

• Opt for low fat cheese or cheese with fruit such as Wensleydale with cranberries.

• Use smaller bowls to serve chocolates and sweets and smaller plates for dinner: As a nation our portion sizes have got bigger and we tend to fill our plates and finish them when we actually do not need to eat as much. This is especially true during the Christmas period.

• Make your own cranberry sauce: Shop bought sauces tend to contain more sugar and preservatives. Why not try to make your own, this way you can control the amount of sugar you add and it will also be additive/preservative free.

• Feeling sluggish after you delicious Christmas Dinner? Why not take a stroll outside?  Yes we are in the winter season but wrap up warm and enjoy the crisp air instead of slouching by the T.V. Mentally this will make you feel more alert as well as help you burn some calories.

• Don’t over buy: Christmas can be expensive and we tend to buy more food than is needed. Write a shopping list and stick to it, that way you will save some money which is great at this time of year as well as there will be less food for you to over indulge on.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Tags: digestion, digestive health, fibre, fruit and vegetable, good digestion, holiday health
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The festive season is looming!

Monday, November 28th, 2011

It’s that time of year again, can you believe it!!! With lots of parties on the horizon and our glad rags at the ready we really do want to be looking and feeling in tip top shape. Admittedly, as I am sure many of you will agree it can be hard to get motivated in the cold dark winter nights, all we really want to do is snuggle up on the sofa with a nice warming drink. As mentioned on our blog on the 14^th November winter soups and stews are warming and wholesome whilst also helping our digestive health due to the fibrous lentils and beans which also contain an array of vitamins and minerals to help us fight those winter bugs. Why not try the following tips which will help keep our digestive health in good working order whilst still being able to enjoy the odd festive drink, or two over the Christmas and New Year period.

Warming food suggestions:

• Porridge topped with blueberries (or another readily available citrus fruit) – This will give us a warm and filling start to the day whilst also supplying us with a good source of fibre for our digestive health but also some antioxidants from the blueberries which will also help us to fight those common infections.

• Wholemeal bread toasties (work facilities permitting) with filling of your choice. – This will add more fibre to help keep your bowel movements regular.

• Scotch broth – An oldie but a goodie for this time of year. Soups are so nourishing and filling. Scotch broth is packed full of lentils and beans also keeping our digestive system in full working order. 

Practical tips:

• Before heading out for a razzle ensure you have something filling to eat. This will be kinder to your tummy and digestive system if you end up having one to many.
• Drink lots of water to maintain your hydration – Alcohol is a diuretic so drinking a glass or two of water before going to bed after a night out will maintain your hydration and help make you feel better the next day.  
• Try to go for a quick brisk walk (even if it is just around the block) – This will help to prevent the after dinner slump where you want to have a nap as well as burn off some of those calories you have consumed.

Tags: antioxidant, antioxidants, bacteria, blueberries, bowel cancer, constipation, dietary fibre, digestion, digestive health, fruit and vegetable, holiday health, immune system, immunity, nutrition, probiotics, Vitamin C, vitamins
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Healthy lunch tips for busy working mums

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Do feel like you have 101 things to be doing at once and often skip lunch resulting in you either snacking all day or grabbing something that is not only expensive but often high in fat salt and sugar all of which not are great for our gut and may make us feel sluggish and more worn out.

Why not try the tips below to help maintain a healthy gut and keep you feeling energised and well equipped for your little rascals at the end of your busy working day.

• Cook an extra portion for dinner and have for lunch the next day: Meals such as pasta are also great served cold and make a change from the usual boring sandwich.

• Winter soups and stews: Now that we are coming into Autumn/Winter soups and stews are cheap and easy to make in bulk. If you have a microwave soup can often be a nutritional filler to keep you warm during the winter months. These dishes also tend to provide us with good sources of dietary fibre which helps to keep our digestive system in tip top shape.

• Freeze for another day: You may not fancy leftovers the next day, however why not freeze them in single portions instead of throwing out? This is perfect if your office has a microwave as you can take it out of the freezer in the morning, let it defrost and then heat up at lunch.

• Stop off at a supermarket: If you really have no time to prepare yourself some lunch, avoid going for fast food and go to your local supermarket and pick up a deli salad such as pasta and rice salad and freshly chopped fruit and vegetables which will give you a good nutritional balance without the expense of going to a  café.

Tags: dietary fibre, digestion, digestive health, nutrition, nutritional balance
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