Are you fed up with making the same resolutions EVERY new year?
Posted by kathryn in Seasonal Health and Reviews
December is my quietest time in clinic.
Virtually nobody wants to see their nutritionist before Christmas.
However, the reverse is true in the new year. From mid-January through to March my professional life is full-on.
The most common health statement from clients is:
“I want to lose weight and get healthy”
For many people, they’re back exactly where they were last year and the year before and the year before. It’s the same 10 kilos they’re trying to lose. They still want to get fit. And yet again they’re slightly horrified by what they’ve eaten and drunk over the past five weeks.
Does this sound like you?
Changing your diet is all about changing your habits. And this can be hard to do. The way you eat at the moment, the lifestyle you lead – you have these habits for a reason. And these reasons can be wide ranging:
- the way you were brought up
- convenience
- what’s available to you
- your food knowledge
- your emotional connection to food
- your finances
It’s easy to follow a diet for two weeks. But it’s also easy to fall off the wagon and find yourself eating half a tub of chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream.
Without changing your habits, your new year’s resolution isn’t going to stick.
Can this year be different?
One of the big problems with new year’s resolutions, is they are rarely specific. “Losing weight” and “getting healthy” might be common, but what do they actually mean?
When I’m working with clients I spend as much time on goal setting as I do talking about food. What’s practical, what’s realistic, what are they expecting?.
Changing the way you approach your new year’s resolutions, can lead to long-term habit changes.
Passion for Health’s free new year guide
I’ve been a long-term fan of the Passion for Health website. I’ve linked to them before and have even written a guest post for their site.
What I like about Mike and James’s work, is their practical and realistic approach to changing your health. They believe:
Routine is your friend. After all, the sun comes up in the morning and goes down at night. Your body thrives best on solid healthy habits. If your routine supports health then you’re much more likely to be happy. If it doesn’t then you won’t be. Simple.
They’re about to release a free report: The 7 Reasons Your New Year’s Resolutions Will Fail!. I’ve had a sneak preview and it’s great. Full of wisdom. It looks at the reasons why we slip up with new year’s resolutions and how to change what you’re doing successfully.
If you want to sign up for the free guide click here.
Habit Guide
Plus, in the second week of January, Mike and James are relaunching their Habit Guide.
This isn’t free AND it doesn’t tell you what to do.
Instead it’s about the how of change. Regardless of whether you want to eat more fruit, exercise more, or cut down on the alcohol, Habit Guide can help you make those changes long-term.
Plus if you sign up for the new year guide, you’ll get the option of buying the Habit Guide at a hefty 20 percent discount.
Full disclosure: As I mentioned, I’m a fan of Passion for Health and have written for them before. I bought myself a copy of the Habit Guide earlier in the year and was impressed with it. I am now an Affiliate Partner and I get a commission from each sale of the Habit Guide that originates from Limes & Lycopene.
Merry, merry Christmas
Posted by kathryn in Seasonal Health
To all my lovely readers – have a very, very Merry Christmas.
I hope you have a lovely day, full of good will, good cheer, good friends and fine food.
I’m taking a couple of couple of days off blogging. But I’ll be back later in the week, to talk about the new year.
For those of interested in Menu For Hope – WOW, the total has topped US$87,000. Thank you all for taking part and good luck with your bids!
Merry Christmas
Photograph by Cyron under the terms of a Creative Commons License.
Today Tonight
Posted by kathryn in All In A Day's Work
For those of you in Australia (and possibly just those of you in Sydney?) . . . if you tune to Channel 7 at 6.30pm tonight, you will see me on Today Tonight talking about food labelling.
I filmed it months ago. The first time I’ve ever done TV.
So I’m about a quarter excited and three-quarters hugely nervous about it.
Update – it’s now been scheduled for Thursday 27th December.
Menu for Hope - the last day
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Today is the last day you can buy Menu for Hope tickets.
The total donated has already climbed over US$53k. So we’re hoping to topple last year’s total of US$60,925.12.
Menu for Hope is raising money for the school lunch programme in Lesotho. A UN initiative that feeds children, keeps them in school and provides an income to local subsistence farmers.
To meet the very people this programme assists, take a look at the photographs on Chez Pim (here and here).
There are some fabulous prizes, including:
Plus there’s the Limes & Lycopene prize of 6 weeks of personalised online nutrition and diet planning.
And a whole lot more. You can view all the prizes for the Asia Pacific region at Grab Your Fork.
To buy some raffle tickets read the instructions at the end of this post and then go to First Giving.
All prizes will be announced in January.
Update: if you want to bid smart, there’s a list of the latest prize winning odds at Grab Your Fork.
Q & A Thursday
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
I wondered if this might happen. I haven’t received any Q & A Thursday questions!
It’s that time of year. The time when everyone’s busy and focus is elsewhere.
I’m therefore putting Q & A Thursday on hold until the new year. It’ll be back at the end of January.
In the meantime if you want to know more about Q & A Thursday take a look at the introductory post or the Q & A Thursday archives.
Easy Christmas menu: preparation guide
Posted by kathryn in Recipes: main dishes, Seasonal Health, Recipes: pudding and Recipes: dinner parties
Yesterday I posted recipes for an easy Christmas menu. Each dish takes no longer than ten minutes of prep – so you can get out of the kitchen and enjoy the day.
I’ve put together the following preparation guide – to make the day even easier:
The night before
- Baked cod with lime & summer vegetables: prepare the whole dish up to the cooking point, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight
- Roast potato, pumpkin & sweet potato with rosemary: boil the potatoes and sweet potatoes as per instructions. Toss together with the olive oil and rosemary, allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.
- Berry, ricotta & panettone cake: mix together the blueberries and icing sugar and leave in the fridge overnight.
- Chocolate mascarpone biscuits: make the chocolate, coffee and mascarpone mixture, put in the fridge overnight.
Christmas morning
- Antipasto platter: make up the antipasto platter and place in the fridge
- Cranberry & raspberry fizz:slice up the oranges and limes, put to one side
- Chocolate mascarpone biscuits: finish off the biscuits by sandwiching together with the chocolate mascarpone mix and decorating with silver cachous.
- Berry, ricotta & panettone cake: wash and halve the strawberries
Just before your guests arrive:
- Make the cranberry & raspberry fizz.
- Take the antipasto platter out the fridge and serve.
- Heat the oven to 250°C and place a roasting tray (for the potatoes) in the oven.
At lunch-time:
- Place the cod with lime & summer vegetables in the oven with the potatoes, pumpkin & sweet potato. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Assemble the berry, ricotta & panettone cake just before serving.
Q & A Thursday tomorrow
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
A reminder, this is Q & A Thursday week – a fortnightly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter.
This will be the last Q & A Thursday for 2007! Given we’re building up to the end of year, I thought I’d particularly focus on questions about surviving the silly season and new year’s resolutions.
Let me know if you have a question you’d like answered, by leaving a comment below or sending me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
An easy summer Christmas menu
Posted by kathryn in Recipes: main dishes, Seasonal Health, Recipes: pudding and Recipes: dinner parties
This is a Christmas menu I developed for Life etc magazine last year.
It’s an easy-summer Christmas menu. Each dish is designed to take no more than ten minutes of preparation and to keep the cook out of the kitchen.
This also makes a light and healthy meal, with a few Christmas treats to follow.
I’ll also post a preparation guide, showing what you can do the day before – to make Christmas day even easier!
The Menu
- Antipasto platter
- Baked cod with lime and summer vegetables
- Roast potato, pumpkin & sweet potato with rosemary
- Berry, ricotta & panettone cake
- Chocolate mascarpone biscuits
- Cranberry, raspberry & lime fizz
Antipasto platter
Serves 4. Make up a platter of antipasto for people to help themselves. Choose from:
- sliced prosciutto or pancetta
- fresh bocconcini or goat’s cheese
- olives
- sliced tomato
- hummous, baba ganoush or other dips
- grossini bread sticks or slices of crusty bread
- cornichons
- stuffed bell peppers or dolmades
Baked cod with lime & summer vegetables
This is an easy and quick meal, cooked in one dish, which saves on washing up! You can prep the whole dish the night before, cover with clingfilm, leave to marinate overnight and then cook it the next day just before serving. Serves 4.
- 200g green beans, stem end cut off
- 2 bunches of asparagus, snapped in half
- 300g snowpeas, stem end snapped off
- 2 punnets cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 4 blue-eye cod fillets (sometimes called blue-eye trevalla)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 limes, sliced into wedges
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Place the vegetables and garlic into a roasting dish. Make four spaces and nestle each piece of fish among the vegetables. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle with pine nuts and capers. Season with salt and pepper and push the lime wedges in amongst the fish and vegetables.
Roast uncovered in the oven for 10 minutes, until the fish and vegetables are cooked. Serve immediately.
Roast potato, pumpkin & sweet potato with rosemary
Serves 4.
- 8 chat or cocktail potatoes, cut in half
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
- 500g jap pumpkin, cut into 3cm pieces
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Heat the oven to 250°C. Put a roasting tray in the oven while it is heating up.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. After 5 minutes add the sweet potato, and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain and then toss together with the pumpkin, rosemary and olive oil.
Add the vegetables to the roasting tray and cook on the top shelf of the oven for 10 minutes, until roasted. Serve immediately.
Berry, ricotta & panettone cake
Serves 4
- 2 punnets blueberries, washed
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1 panettone (about 15cm in diameter)
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 300g fresh ricotta
- 2 punnets strawberries, washed and stalks removed
- extra icing sugar for dusting
Put the blueberries and icing sugar into a bowl and mix together, mashing slightly. Put to one side (this can be done the night before).
Just before serving cut a thin slice off the bottom of the panettone (discard this). Cut two more slices, about 2cm thick from the base of the panettone. Put one slice on a serving plate and drizzle over the sherry. Spread over half the ricotta and then cover with the blueberries.
Put the other slice of panettone on top and then cover with the rest of the ricotta. Decorate with strawberries and dust with icing sugar. Serve immediately.
Chocolate mascarpone biscuits
Serves 4
- 50g dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon espresso coffee
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone
- 16 store bought thin butter biscuits
- Silver cachous
Place the chocolate and coffee in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and and the mascarpone, whisk until well combined. Set aside to cool for 30 mins, or overnight.
Cranberry, raspberry & lime fizz
Serves 4
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 2 limes, thinly sliced
- 500ml cranberry & raspberry juice (I used a firefighter nudie)
- 500ml Soda Water
- Juice of 2 limes
- Lots of ice
Place fruit in the bottom of a large jug (or individual glasses), add ice. Pour in the lime juice, Firefighter Nudie and soda water. Stir.
Spread chocolate mascarpone mix over one biscuit and sandwich another one on top. Spread a small amount of the mascarpone mix on top and sprinkle with sliver cachous. Repeat for the remaining biscuits.
Menu for Hope update
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
As of 8.30am this morning, Sydney time, the Menu for Hope total is nudging US$40,000.
If you’re not sure which prize to bid on, Helen from Grab Your Fork has posted a list of all the Asia-Pacific prizes and the current number of bids they’ve attracted.
There are still lots with only a few bids and some have none. So take a look at the full list on Grab Your Fork.
Don’t forget the Limes & Lycopene prize: a 6 week programme of personal online diet and nutrition consultations.
There’s information on how to enter here. Plus a full prize list at Chez Pim.
All monies are donated via First Giving. You have until this Friday.
The 5 steps I've been following to keep well this Christmas
Posted by kathryn in Seasonal Health
Christmas is usually a quiet time for me. Almost no one wants to see their nutritionist pre-Christmas and most of my writing work calms down.
Given I work for myself and am not in the corporate sector, I usually have only a handful of Christmas functions. Normally this is the time of year I can relax, do some tidying and admin and clear my head.
But not this year.
For some reason 2007 is proving totally different. Yes clinic is quiet, but I have three writing deadlines and Christmas functions coming out of my ears.
I’m a person who needs time to myself to rejuvenate. I also simply can’t do the over-eating and over-drinking on a regular basis. It leaves me too tired, sluggish and feeling generally awful. This then affects my mood, work and ability to get things done.
So, in amongst the busy-ness these are the five strategies I’ve been following, to keep myself well.
1. I’ve scheduled some nights at home
Last week I had commitments Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So I made sure I kept Thursday free and have also scheduled two free evenings in my diary this week. Whatever the invitations, I know I need these free evenings to keep sane and stress-free.
2. I’ve been drinking gallons of water
I often forget about water and don’t think to drink until I’m parched. Given it’s steamy in Sydney and most of my Christmas functions have involved a few drinks, I’ve been making a concerted effort to keep well hydrated during the day.
I’ve also been trying to have a few glasses of water when out in the evening.
3. I eat well when I can
It’s not always possibly to be in control of what you’re eating at this time of year. You can turn up to a Christmas function and all the finger food is deep fried or covered in cream.
Therefore I simply do the best I can. I have a good breakfast, my normal lunch-time salad and then make the best choices I can in the evening. Plus on the nights at home, I’ve been eating a light meal, with lots of vegies.
4. I’m still exercising
This can be the time of year when the exercise routine goes out the window. And I’m not doing as much as I normally would.
But I’m not beating myself up about this, instead I’m trying to get out when I can and do at least 20 minutes. This is enough time to get my heart rate up and clear my head.
5. I’ve been taking a multivitamin
I figure at this time of year, my body and my diet could do with a boost. I particularly need the B vitamins. So I’ve been supplementing with a good multivitamin and B complex. It’s my pre-Christmas nutritional insurance.
And this is working for me. I’m sleeping well, feeling good and keeping that toxic Christmas feeling at bay.
How about you – are you doing anything at this time of year to keep well?
Photograph by Cyron under the terms of a Creative Commons License.
An update on Menu for Hope
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Menu for Hope is galloping along. Over the weekend donations have topped US$27,000.
This year all monies raised are going to the school lunch programme in Lesotho. This not only ensures children are getting a full meal each day, but also enables them to stay in school and get an education.
Moreover, food for the lunches is sourced from local subsistence farmers.
The Lesotho school lunch programme therefore feeds the kids, keeps them in school, AND supports their parents and community farming.
Chez Pim has posted some photographs of the people of Lesotho – these are the very people Menu for Hope will be helping.
There is a full tally of the prizes available at Chez Pim.
And don’t forget the Limes & Lycopene prize: a 6 week programme of personal online diet and nutrition consulting.
It’s available to anyone around the world.
So get bidding now. You only have until this Friday to take part.
Cooking to be done
Posted by kathryn in All In A Day's Work
I’m busy, busy, busy the next couple of days.
Saturday night we have 25 people coming over for a Christmas Party. Yikes!
This year we’ve become a two-business family. Interesting times. But it’s something that could never happen without our supporters’ network. The family, friends and clients who’ve provided encouragement, employment, much needed good humour and excellent advice.
Saturday night is our way of saying thank you.
So I’ve got some cooking to do . . .
There will be:
- A slight tweak on Chocolate & Zucchini’s stuffed pasta shells with ricotta and tapenade
- caprese skewers
- Avocado & radish canapes
- These potato wafers, but with caramelised onion and toasted pinenuts, instead of the salmon.
- Pea and chive frittata – something like this
- A mint, parsley & rice salad served in lettuce cups – from the beautiful Claudia Roden book Arabesque
- Eggplant and tomato dip, also from Claudia
- A roasted garlic and white bean dip from the latest Donna Hay magazine
- Big platters of steamed vegetables tossed in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic
- Platters of spiced roasted vegetables
- Christmas cup cakes based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe, with thanks to Rosa Jackson.
- Chocolate & fruit platter
There will also be wine spritzers, bubbly and a lot of laughter.
I’ll be back for a quick Menu for Hope round-up on Saturday, otherwise see you Monday!
What I eat: the round up
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
For the last two weeks I’ve been posting daily photos of what I eat.
Much of this blog is aimed at encouraging you to eat well. But I thought it was about time I showed you what I did. The rhythms and patterns of my diet. The foods I choose.
There are many ways to be healthy
While this is the way I eat, it’s not the only way. There are many other people out there with diets quite different from mine, who are still perfectly healthy.
But this is the way of eating I’ve found works best for me.
Many of the choices I make are based on the foods I enjoy. It’s why we eat a lot of Asian-style foods. It’s part of why I choose fetta, ricotta and cottage cheese, over others. It’s why I have soy milk in my coffee.
Some have been mildly horrified at the lack of chocolate in my diet! To be honest, while I like chocolate, I’m rarely that fussed. It’s something I have about once a month. Doesn’t mean I’m a dietary saint. It’s just I’d much prefer a bowl of ice-cream or a bit of cake!
There are also ethical and personal preference considerations – the big one being, I’m vegetarian.
Other choices are based on what I’ve found suits me best. I try to avoid bread and starchy carbohydrates at lunch because they send me to sleep. I try not to drink too much alcohol because it keeps me awake! I put on weight easily, so I watch my portions.
If your diet is not the same as mine, it doesn’t mean you’re not healthy.
The ultimate diet diary
In clinic, diet diaries are a tool I use all the time. It’s partly for my benefit – so I can see what a client is really eating. However, it’s also something most clients find useful.
Many people pay little attention to what they eat. Having to write everything down, forces you to think about it. Forces awareness of your own eating patterns.
I haven’t done a diet diary for years and this has been an interesting experience for me as well.
I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and reactions. Thank you. I’ve been reminded of how our perception of “normal” can differ from one another. Tahini and marmalade on toast, bok choy and other Asian greens, eating salad – these are all normal dietary events for me. But that’s obviously not the case for everyone.
What I eat has also made me stop and consider my diet again.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the series and that it’s also proved useful.
If you want to review what I eat, take a look at the introductory post.
Menu for Hope - an update
Posted by kathryn in All In A Day's Work and Blogging
Only two days in and the Menu for Hope campaign is edging towards US$10,000.
The full list of prizes is now up at Chez Pim, while more prizes have been added to the Asia-Pacific pool.
I can’t decide what to bid on.
My mind is obsessing about the bag of world’s hottest chillies offered by Rambling Spoon. While Stonesoup’s cookery books and dinner at Perama are also sounding lovely.
The Limes & Lycopene prize
And don’t forget the Limes & Lycopene prize – a package of online nutrition consultations with me.
So if you’re more tired than you should be, fed up with feeling sluggish and want to find out how to make your diet work for you, then put in a bid for prize code AP11. Over 6 weeks I’ll work with you to improve and update your diet. And work out a sustainable plan that suits your lifestyle.
In clinic this would cost A$295. You can have the chance of winning this prize for the bargain price of US$10. And it’s available to anyone in the world.
For more details on how to bid for prizes, read the instructions on the First Giving website.
Tahini: what it is and how to use it
Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket
A couple of weeks ago I was posting all about tahini. I thought a summary page would be useful, to finish off that series.
Below are links to my posts on the nutritional content of tahini, plus how I use it. At the end are links to other recipes and tahini ideas.
All about tahini
How I use tahini
Other ways to use tahini
Photograph from Wikipedia
Menu for hope: want to kick-start the new year with a healthy diet?
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Menu for Hope is here.
This an annual fundraising raffle, organised by Chez Pim, raises money for those who don’t know where they’re next meal is coming from.
For two weeks in December, food bloggers from around the world join forces to offer a variety of food related prizes. Anyone can buy a raffle ticket and each raffle ticket represents a bid for one of the prizes.
A full list of prizes will be posted on Chez Pim in the next couple of days. While the Asia-Pacific region prizes are up on Grab Your Fork.
In 2007 the raffle raised US$62,925.12 for the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). This year, all proceeds are again going to the WFP, but more specifically the school lunch programme in Lesotho in Africa.
The Limes & Lycopene prize
On Limes & Lycopene I spend a lot of time talking about how to eat well. I’ve even posted pictures of how I eat.
But sometimes it’s difficult to translate diet advice into your every day life. Sometimes it’s easier, if you have a plan.
For this year’s Menu for Hope I’m donating a 6 week online nutrition and diet plan.
It will mirror the stuff I do with clients in my practice, but this time I’m offering the service online. Through a combination of email, IM and telephone conversations, I’ll work with you over six weeks to improve your diet, wellbeing and vitality. Wherever you live.
So if you’re more tired than you should be and struggling to eat well. Or if you you’re fed up with waking up each New Year’s Day thinking how much have I eaten and drunk in the past month? This could be just what you need.
Instead of struggling through the new year feeling sluggish and ordinary, why not start 2008 with a plan to get your health, diet and waistline back in order?
The prize includes
- a detailed diet assessment and report
- an easy-to-follow, individualised nutrition plan, tailored to you and your lifestyle
- advice and guidance on how to eat to lose weight and feel wonderful
- the comfort of working with a practising nutritionist
Consultations will be through a combination of email, IM and telephone conversations – so this prize is available to everyone, no matter where you live.
- Prize code AP11
- Total value: A$295.00
- Available: world-wide
Want to buy a raffle ticket?
- Go to the donation page, which is run independently by First Giving.
- Make a donation: each raffle ticket costs US$10 and you get to select the prize you wish to bid for.
- Select your prize: In the Personal Message section of the donation form, specify which prize or prizes you’d like, using the prize-code and detailing the number of tickets per prize you’d like to purchase. For example, if you wish to bid for my prize, the code is AP11.
- For US donors, if your company has agreed to match your charity donation, please remember to tick the box and fill in the information so we may claim the corporate match.
- Please make sure you tick the box to allow your email address to be seen. This enables the organisers to contact you in the new year, if you’ve won a prize. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
- Winners will be announced on Chez Pim in mid-January 2008.
What I eat: week 2 - Sunday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
10.00: Breakfast – marmalade & tahini on toast
- 2 pieces Afghan bread
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon marmalade
- 1 ginger beer
11.00: Coffee
14.30: Lunch – mixed salad
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 hard boiled egg
- 1 tomato
- 0.5 carrot, grated
- 20cm piece cucumber
- 0.5 cups almonds
- tahini salad dressing
17.00: Beer
- 1 light (low alcohol) beer
19.00: Dinner – Thai takeaway
- I cup rice
- garlic and pepper Thai stir fry with tofu
20.00: Dessert – ice-cream
- 250g super fudge brownie ice-cream
What’s this?
Over two weeks I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
What I eat: week 2 - Saturday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
07.00: Breakfast – banana & honey on toast
- 1 banana
- 1 slice multigrain bread
- 2 teaspoons honey
10.30: Coffee & rice ball
- 1 soy latte
- 1 rice & tofu ball – didn’t take my camera with me, so no picture
14.30: Lunch – mixed salad
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1 tomato
- 0.5 carrot, grated
- 0.25 avocado
- 10cm piece cucumber
- 2 radishes
- tahini salad dressing
- 1 light (low alcohol) beer
17.00: Coffee
18.00 – 19.30: at the pub
19.00: Dinner – spinach & ricotta canneloni
- home-made spinach & ricotta canneloni
- tomato sauce
- 2 glasses red wine
What’s this?
Over two weeks I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
What I eat: week 2 - Friday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
07.00: Breakfast – fruit & yoghurt
- 1 banana
- 1 peach
- 200g yoghurt
10.00: Coffee
11.30: Lunch – mixed salad
- 70g cottage cheese
- 2 pieces pumpernickel bread
- 1 tomato
- 2 lettuce leaves
- 0.5 avocado
- 10cm piece cucumber
- 15 almonds
15.20: Coffee
17.00: Fruit
19.00: Dinner – tofu stir fry
- 0.5 onions
- 0.5 carrots
- 3 brocolli florets
- 0.5 bunches bok choy
- 0.5 chillies
- 150g tofu
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons vegetarian fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 glasses red wine
What’s this?
Over two weeks I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
Quicklinks
Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket and Vegetables
- Love food hate waste: I was shocked to read that a third of the food bought in the UK is thrown out. I’m sure this is true here in Australia – what a waste. I found this stat on the Love food hate waste website – which contains lots of tips about using leftovers and cutting food waste.
- Ten Minute Kitchen recipes: I found out this week some of the Ten Minute Kitchen recipes I write for Life etc are availale on the ABC website. They have a new section called Healthy recipes – and several of mine are in there.
- Yes . . . more beetroot: Wendy from a Wee Bit of Cooking is only a recent convert to beetroot (how can this be?). But she’s still come up with a fabbo looking roasted beetroot and haloumi salad. Two of my favourite foods in one dish, means I’m going to be trying this out over the weekend.
- Good health: At Healthbolt Sara has posted a great list of the 28 things health experts forget about that really matter for your health.
- Dessert: VegeYum has posted a gorgeous looking recipe for baked apples with star anise and marmalade. As desserts go, this is a healthier choice.
- Sprouts: while they may be some people’s most hated vegetables, the Jugal Bandi blog has three recipes for Brussels sprouts. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, why not try their Roasted Brussels, Chinese-style Brussels or Brussels Sprout Kootu?
What I eat: week 2 - Thursday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
07.00: Breakfast – nut muesli
- 1/3 cup nut muesli made from walnuts, almonds, pecans, LSA, pepitas, sunflower seeds and dried apple
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 2 tablespoons yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
09.30: Coffee
13.00: Lunch – mixed salad
- 0.5 bunches asparagus
- 3 lettuce leaves
- 1/2 tomato
- 1 radish
- 0.25 of an avocado
- 5cm piece cucumber
- 3 tinned baby beetroots
- 100g hummous
17.00: Afternoon snack – fruit & toast
- a peach
- 1 slice of toast with marmalade
19.00: Dinner – date night
Last night was date night again and we went out for pizza.
- Asparagus, capsicum, spinach and mushroom pizza – I ate about two-thirds of this
- 1 rocket, parmesan and pear salad
- 2 glasses of red wine
What’s this?
Over two weeks I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
How to deal with a carb addiction in 5 steps
Posted by kathryn in Carbohydrates and Q & A Thursday
Finally for this Q & A Thursday a reader has asked how to break an addiction to carbs?
Second to tiredness, I think sugar and carbohydrate cravings are the most common complaint of clients at my clinic.
A lot has been written about carbohydrate cravings. Some dismiss them as an emotional response, while others are convinced they’re a true addiction.
I think it’s not a case of one or the other, but for most people it’s a bit of both.
Comfort eating
Carbohydrates are the foods we use to comfort ourselves. Whether it’s mashed potato, toast, mamma’s risotto, chocolate or pasta – these are the foods we turn to when we’re sick, depressed or in need of a boost.
We have an emotional connection to these – they are more than just foods.
For many carbohydrate foods are “treats”. They provide solace and are linked to how we nurture ourselves and deal with negative events.
Physical response
However, on top of this emotional connection, there can be no doubt many people experience a physical craving.
Cravings are very common. Most people experience them at some point or another and in many ways they’re normal. However, if it’s something you’re experiencing on a daily basis, there’s a problem.
Particularly if it leads to over-eating and weight gain.
How to beat carbohydrate cravings
Beating carbohydrate cravings is all about managing your blood sugar levels and keeping insulin under control. Each time your blood sugar levels drop too low you will crave carbohydrates.
Therefore if you can keep blood sugar levels even-keeled, you’ll reduce the risk of carb cravings.
1. Eat breakfast every day
While you may not think your 3.00pm lolly craving has anything to do with breakfast – it does.
Much as breakfast kick-starts your metabolism each day, it also means you start the day with your blood sugar levels under control. And if you miss breakfast you are more likely to struggle with irregular blood sugar levels and carb cravings for the rest of the day.
For some good breakfast choices take a look at this post about eating breakfast to improve your energy levels.
2. Eat protein rich foods with each meal
Including protein with each meal and snack helps blood sugar stabilisation. Plus protein is linked to our appetite and sense of having eaten enough at a meall.
You are less likely to over-eat if you include regular amounts of protein. And you’re less likely to crave carbohydrates.
You don’t have to include massive amounts, but eat protein foods regularly throughout the day.
I usually recommend clients change the proportions of their lunch and dinner. To 50 percent vegetable, 25 percent protein and 25 percent grain-based carbohydrate – ie the 50/25/25 rule.
3. Choose low GI carbohydrates
We can’t avoid carbohydrates they’re in too many foods. Avoiding carbohydrates would mean cutting out the vast majority of foods. Instead, it’s better to switch to low GI carbohydrates.
Again, this will help keep your blood sugar levels under control and reduce the carb cravings.
4. Eat regularly
As well as eating breakfast it’s important to eat regularly. Many people try to last the afternoon without eating anything, only to fall into a hole at 3.00pm.
Rather than trying to last out, admit you need to eat something in the afternoon and plan for it.
Don’t wait until you’re ravenously hungry and willing to eat anything. If 3.00pm is your danger time, then avoid the cravings by eating a snack at 2.30pm. Choose something with low GI carbohydrates, some protein and add in some fruit. I’ve written on the subject of healthy snacks before.
5. Set yourself the challenge
These diet changes will go a long way towards fixing your carbohydrate craving. But you will also need a bit of . . . willpower. It’s such a boring word – but very useful.
Carbohydrates are really easy foods. They’re all around us and easy to get hold of. Plus they fill the hunger gap in the short-term. However, if you’re truly going to beat the cravings you will need some willpower over the first couple of weeks.
Try to avoid turning to carbs as the easy option and instead use fruit, vegetables and protein as the staples of your meals. The foundations. Top this up with smaller amounts of carbohydrates.
You don’t have to avoid carbs. But beating the carb addiction is about both changing the structure of your diet AND your reliance on these foods.
Can you beat the carb addiction?
Why not take a two week challenge? Follow the diet advice above for two weeks and see how differently you feel at the end of that.
And if you do, let me know how you go!
What is Q & A Thursday?
This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a fortnightly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical answers to food and diet dilemmas sent in by readers.
If you have a question you’d like answered, leave a comment below or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
Can soy affect a woman's fertility?
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
Next on Q & A Thursday a reader has asked:
I have heard that consuming too much soy can affect a woman’s fertility. Is this correct?
There’s a lot of scarey stuff about soy on the internet, but most of it’s complete rubbish.
While I do not recommend soy supplements, I’m very sceptical that soy foods could have any negative effect on fertility. The science simply doesn’t add up.
I’ve blogged extensively about soy before, so I’m going to point to some previous posts for a more complete answer:
What is Q & A Thursday?
This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a fortnightly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical answers to food and diet dilemmas sent in by readers.
If you have a question you’d like answered, leave a comment below or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
What is shoyu?
Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket and Q & A Thursday
The first question in this week’s Q & A Thursday is from Jul at Veggie Chic:
What’s the difference between shoyu and soy sauce? A Japanese friend told me that “shoyu” basically means “soy sauce” in Japanese. So why do I keep hearing “shoyu” used by English-speakers as if it means something different?
You’re right, shoyu is the Japanese word for soy sauce.
However, Japanese soy sauce differs from that used in other countries. It’s made from fermented soy beans and wheat.
This yields a soy sauce which is slightly sweeter, lighter, but more intense in flavour than Chinese soy sauce.
There are a whole lot of different shoyus used in Japan. The primary one is koikuchi – which is made from equal parts soy and wheat. And this is generally what’s sold in other countries as “shoyu”.
Here in Australia you can also buy tamari. This is also a soy sauce, but doesn’t contain wheat. It has a different flavour again. Thicker, richer and more complex – it’s my favourite of the lot.
How I use shoyu
I use shoyu a LOT.
It’s one of my secret kitchen weapons. I add a splash to soups, salad dressings and casseroles. It adds saltiness, but also a depth and complexity of flavour.
I tend to add it towards the end of cooking – while I’m checking and balancing flavours.
How about you? Do you use shoyu or tamari and if so, how?
What is Q & A Thursday?
This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a fortnightly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical answers to food and diet dilemmas sent in by readers.
If you have a question you’d like answered, leave a comment below or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
Photograph by tknb under the terms of a creative commons license.
What I eat: week 2 - Wednesday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
08.00: Breakfast – muesli
- 1/3 cup muesli
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 2 tablespoons yoghurt
- 1 banana
10.00: Coffee
13.00: Lunch – mixed salad
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 tomato
- 0.5 avocado
- 1 radish
- 15cm length cucumber
- 0.5 carrot
- 5 tinned baby beetroots
- 130g cottage cheese
- 2 teaspoons seeded mustard
16.00 Fruit
17.00: Coffee
19.30: Dinner – frittata and steamed vegetables
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 0.5 red onion
- 0.5 normal onion
- 1 cup silverbeet
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon ricotta
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.25 carrots
- 3 broccoli florets
- 0.5 zucchini
What’s this?
Over two weeks I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
What I eat: week 2 - Tuesday
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
I’ve included some notes about yesterday’s eating in the comments below.
08.00: Breakfast
- 1/3 cup muesli
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 2 tablespoons yoghurt
09.30: Coffee
13.30: Lunch – Pad Thai with tofu & vegetables
- Rice noodles
- Tofu
- Egg
- Vegetables: a combination of carrots, Asian greens, mushrooms, bean sprouts, herbs, snow peas, broccoli
15.00 Fruit
16.00: Afternoon snack – pumpernickel & cottage cheese
- 1 slice pumpernickel bread
- 50g cottage cheese
- 1 tomato
17.00: Coffee
21.00: Dinner – pasta
- 100g pasta
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- half a bottle red wine
Dessert
- rockmelon
- yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
What’s this?
This week on Limes & Lycopene I’m blogging about what I eat – a series of photos, showing what I’ve eaten the day before.
Let me know your reactions and comments – I’m intrigued to know what you think.
Tomorrow is Q & A Thursday
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
A reminder, this is Q & A Thursday week – a fortnightly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter.
On Q & A Thursday I aim to post simple, practical answers to readers’ food and diet dilemmas.
Let me know if you have a question you’d like answered, by leaving a comment below or sending me an email.
For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
4 comments
27 December, 2007
