Eat less sugar and feel better for it

Tags

additives and preservatives, basil, biscuit, biscuits, bread, breakfast cereals, cakes, carrot and cucumber sticks, chocolate, Christmas treats, Cook from scratch, cucumber, cut down, eating, fizzy drinks, fresh fruit and veg, frothy coffee, fruit juices, hair, healthier eating, healthy bolognaise option, healthy snacks, hummus, intake, milk, mint, mobile, mood swings, nuts and raisins, organic tomato sauce, packet, party bags, popcorn, portion sizes, sauces, scrambled eggs, shopping habits, smoothies, sugary drinks, swaps, sweet tooth, sweets, swipe right, syrup laden hot chocolates, taste good, tasty, teeth, temptation, tempting, three balanced meals, tooth decay, TV, waffles, way of life, weight gain, yoghurts

From breakfast cereals and frothy coffees, to Christmas treats and party bag chews, sugar is all around us and it is very tempting, as well as very tasty.

We know sugar is found in sweets, biscuits, and cakes, but it is also hidden in bread, dips, and sauces, and that’s where many of us really fall down and our intake adds up.

Eating too much sugar is linked to tooth decay, mood swings and weight gain, so while we aren’t going to tell you to stop enjoying it altogether, we do have some simple swaps which can help you cut down, without missing out.

Clear out at the cupboards
Let’s face it, if the kitchen is packed with sugary snacks and treats, people will eat them, remove temptation and they can’t. Go through your fridge and cupboard and have a look at what you are currently buying and see where changes can be made and once something sweet has gone, don’t replace it. When you are more aware of what you are buying, you may well find that as your shopping habits change, your bill goes down and your sweet tooth eases.

Easy swaps
Scrambled eggs rather than waffles for breakfast, carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus after school and natural yogurt with a handful of nuts and raisins for supper are all healthy offerings that taste good and take the sugar down. Change isn’t always easy, but over time healthier eating does become a way of life and you never know, you might suddenly realise what you have been missing out on.

Cook from scratch
You might think that an organic tomato sauce in a jar is a healthy bolognaise option, but you will be surprised just how much sugar, and other additives and preservatives, are added to get that perfect taste. If you really want to know what you are eating, make it yourself. Yes, it might take a little longer, but we are pretty sure it will be better for you and if you get the family involved, it can bring you together and make you closer as well as healthier.

Size matters
One biscuit is fine; the entire packet isn’t! It is so easy to eat as you watch TV or swipe right on your phone, but as you munch through that popcorn and chocolate, the sugar levels will be increasing and in time, your waistline will too. Look at having three balanced meals a day, packed with fresh fruit and veg, as well as two healthy snacks and plenty of water, and look at keeping portion sizes reasonable, and added extras down.

You are what you drink
As we have just mentioned water, we are going to say right now that sugary drinks should ideally be avoided. Fizzy drinks and syrup laden hot chocolates won’t do you any favours and while we think fruit juices and smoothies are good for us, in the main it is best to drink water and milk. Boring, maybe, good for you, yes! If you do want to make your water a little more uplifting, try adding ice along with some cucumber, mint, basil or rosemary and you will be better off for it.

So, we aren’t saying to give up everything you love, but we do recommend taking time to look at what you are eating and drinking, and seeing how just a few small changes could make a difference not only to your hair, skin and teeth, but your mood and pocket too!

Team Pure Beauty

Eating the right way on holiday

Tags

actions, after dinner chocolates and liquors, alcohol, all-inclusive cocktails, avocado, aware, bags of nuts, baked or sweet potatoes, beach, blood sugar levels, boots, bottle, breakfast buffets, buffet, burger, Cakes and pastries, calories, cereal, cheese boards, chips, chocolate, cooking from scratch, crisps, desserts, dried fruit, drizzle, eggs, empty calories, energy bars, fresh fish, fresh fish and meat, fruit, G&T, gems, glass of wine, Grilled chicken, gym, hangovers, happy, healthier options, healthy and hydrated, home, hotel, hungrier, jeans, lettuce wrap, local food, local wines, meal, muffin top, nuts, olive oil, quinoa, rice, salad, salads and vegetables, snacks, sorbets, sweet tooth, trip, up for grabs, vegetarian option, water

Big breakfast buffets, all-inclusive cocktails and free after dinner chocolates and liquors are par for the course when you are on holiday, but if you go full speed ahead and fill your boots every night, your jeans might not be quite so happy when you get home.

Yes, holidays are all about relaxing and having fun, but if you go all out on the cheese boards and local wines when you are away, all that hard work spent in the gym and cooking from scratch the rest of the year will be wasted.

It’s not about being a kill joy and missing out on the good things but rather going for the healthier options and having the odd treat here and there so you get the balance right.

We have some easy to follow tips that will mean you enjoy all there is to offer without having hangovers all holiday and muffin top when you get back.

One great thing to is pack snacks for your trip. It is easy to overdo it on crisps and chocolate but if you have bags of nuts and boxes of dried fruit as well as energy bars, we love the new Deliciously Ella ones, then you will be less tempted to eat empty calories.

If you have a buffet at your hotel, look at the salad and fruit options and always start you day with a decent protein based breakfast that will keep you full and balance your blood sugar levels.

When you eat out, look for restaurants that are busy, offer local food, fresh fish and have a vegetarian option – if you search a little you will be surprised at what gems you find.

When it comes to menus, start off with deciding about a decent serving of protein. Go for grilled chicken or fresh seafood and you can then add local salads and vegetables to balance out your meal.

Chips are always up for grabs but think about which carbs you go for, especially if you are away for a couple of weeks. Rice, quinoa (ask about this if you can’t see it on them menu), baked or sweet potatoes are all good options and if you can’t find anything other than the deep-fried stuff, a lettuce wrap for a burger can be a great option too.

We know we need some fat in our diets so drizzle olive oil on salads, add avocado to your eggs and make sure you have some nuts on your cereal.

Cakes and pastries are all there for the taking when it comes to deserts but make the most of luscious fruits and cooling sorbets if you do have a sweet tooth.

Drink plenty of water (go easy on the ice depending where you are visiting) and keep a bottle with you at all times and this will keep you feeling healthy and hydrated. While you might be less partial to a coffee or cup of tea when you are away, the temptation to have an early G&T or glass of wine can really win when you are on holiday. We aren’t saying don’t drink, you are on holiday after all, but remember that alcohol adds calories and makes you hungrier and those beach hangovers in the heat the next day are no fun.

Have a great holiday and enjoy finding some great places, and thing, to eat!

Team Pure Beauty

Celebrate the Year of the Rooster

Tags

banana, banana halves, beer, caramel, chilli oil, Chinese, chopsticks, Coconut ice cream, crab meat, creamy, deep fat fryer, dim sum, dulce de leche, eggs, feast, fish sauce, ginger, ginger pork stir-fry, mange-tout, mushrooms, pan, peppers, piping hot, pork tenderloin, ready-made filo pastry, salt, seaweed, sesame oil, simmering, soup, soy sauce, spring onions, sticky rice, stir-fry, sunflower oil, sweet tooth, The Chinese New Year, The Year of the Rooster., toasted sesame seeds, toffee banana spring rolls, totally tasty recipes

Saturday January 28 marked The Chinese New Year and the start of The Year of the Rooster.

While there are celebratory events happening around the country over the next few weeks, if you would rather stay at home in the warm with family and friends, we have some quick and easy, but totally tasty recipes for you to try.

The staples for any Chinese feast are sticky rice, seaweed, beer, chopsticks and dim sum, you can then start with a delicious, spicy crab and sweetcorn soup. To serve six you will need:

• 6 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 medium sweetcorns with the kernels removed
• 4 teaspoons of cornflour
• 200g of fresh shredded white crab meat
• ½ thumb of peeled and finely chopped ginger
• 4 finely sliced spring onions
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons of chilli oil
• 1 tablespoon of dry sherry
• 2 lightly beaten egg whites

Fill a pan with water and as you bring to the boil stir in the fish sauce and add a pinch of sail. Then add the corn and simmer gently for five minutes.

Next add several large tablespoons of cold water to the cornflour, blend and pour into the simmering soup, mixing until completely combined and all lumps are dissolved. Continue to simmer until the kernels are soft and the soup has started to slightly thicken. Add the crab meat, ginger, spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and season to taste. Finally slowly drizzle the egg white into the soup to create long white strands then serve in bowls and add chilli oil as required.

For a main meal treat, go for ginger pork stir-fry, for which you will need:

• 250g of pork tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon of cornflour
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 150g of sliced mushrooms
• 2 deseeded, sliced red peppers and one yellow one
• 75g of trimmed mange-tout
• A thumb of grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 4 thinly sliced spring onions
• Freshly ground black pepper

This is quick to make, so get all the ingredients prepared and when guests are ready to eat mix the corn flour with two tablespoons of cold water until it is a smooth paste, and then gently stir in the soy sauce.

Warm the oil and when hot stir-fry the pork for a couple of minutes until lightly browned but not totally cooked through. Transfer to a plate then reduce the heat and stir-fry the mushrooms and peppers for several minutes together with the mange-tout and cook for a minute.

Add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and add the pork back to the pan and cook for several minutes and serve with rice when piping hot.

For those with a sweet tooth, there is nothing better than delicious than toffee banana spring rolls.

For these you will need:

• 100ml sunflower oil for frying
• 3 sheets of ready-made filo pastry
• 60g dulce de leche (a creamy caramel sauce)
• 3 ripe bananas
• Five-spice powder, for sprinkling
• Coconut ice cream and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

To make the rolls start by heating the sunflower oil in a saucepan, or you can use a deep-fat fryer set to 180C.

As the oil warms, cut the sheets of pasty in half and halve the bananas.

Spread two generous teaspoons of duche de leche over each halved banana; sprinkle over some spice and then place the banana at the bottom of the pastry sheet before creating your roll. Brush a little water across the seam to seal then repeat the process with the rest of the banana halves.

Deep-fry the rolls until crispy and golden, use kitchen paper to drain and serve with the ice cream and if you dare, repeat.

Have fun and if you have a Chinese recipe you love, let us know.

Team Pure-Beauty