I hope you had a great weekend – let me know what you got up to and I might be able to steal some of your ideas! I went for some great muddy walks in the countryside and had a huge clean up – must be nearly Spring!
I did some research into some different ‘unhealthy’ foods over the weekend. It is important to have food that is tasty and enjoyable that may not be so healthy occasionally, however it’s important to do damage limitation in terms of how much sugar/fat you are consuming in one meal! Ideally we would consume foods like this as little as possible (less than once a week if you are trying to lose weight), as they don’t contain many (if any!) health benefits.
The calories/fat content of the below treats that I have had before - not all at once - will vary based on the brand/serving size and ingredients used but this will give you a rough idea. Some of the findings are surprising! The average adult should consume around 2000 calories per day. This is obviously a rough guide and each person will require more or less than this dependent on their exercise, metabolism, genetics etc. But the below gives you an idea about how easy it is to go over your daily limit!
*3 slices of ham and pineapple pizza (pan base) – 690 calories, 27g of fat, 84g of carbohydrates*
*Restaurant serve of mushroom and bacon spaghetti carbonara – 840 calories, 19g of fat, 90g of carbohydrates*
1/2* container of Hagan Dazs Praline icecream – 615 calories, 20g of fat, 63g of carbohydrates*
*½ of a ‘sharing’ packet of peanut M&Ms – 420 calories, 21g of fat, 48g of carbohydrates*
*Wagamama’s Pad Thai chicken & prawn – 794 calories, 31g of fat, 89g of carbohydrates (portion sizes here are HUGE)*
*Sunday roast – this one will vary depending on how big a plate, which meat etc but based on 3 slices of beef, 1 yorkshire, 2 roast potatoes, peas, gravy and carrots – 900 calories, 40g of fat, 76g of carbohydrates*
*Fish and chips – (takeaway) battered/fried cod and chips with mushy peas – 1086 calories, 52.9g fat, 90g carbohydrates*
This isn’t to say to never have these foods; it is just a good reminder of how some things can contain a high amount of calories/fat/sugar and don’t always contain a great deal of nutrients. It is important to either reduce portion sizes or only have occasionally, bearing in mind the above are just one course and don’t include any drinks! To make meals healthier without affecting the taste too much, steam vegetables rather than roast/fry, ask for dressings/sauces on the side, have smaller portions, avoid creamy sauces and the bread on the side, anything that feels greasy is most likely high in saturated fat and say no to seconds.
On a healthy note, this week’s *Food of the week *is broccoli. A powerhouse of nutrients, the key is to get it tasting good so that you have it more often! Steam for around 5 minutes so that it retains it’s nutrients and doesn’t go soggy. I’ve outlined some of the benefits below:
- *Broccoli can provide you with some cholesterol-lowering benefits due to its fibre content*
- *Broccoli can help our body to detox due to the phytonutrients glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiian, and glucobrassicin*
- *Broccoli may also help to reduce allergies as it is a source of a flavonoid called kaempferol. Recent research has shown the ability of kaempferol to lessen the impact of allergy-related substances on our body.*
- *Broccoli has a strong combination of both vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and vitamin K. Vitamin A is helpful for the skin, eyes and fighting viruses. Vitamin K helps to maintain healthy blood clotting, so may help to prevent heart disease and stroke. Also, both Vitamin A and K is required for Vitamin D synthesis, thus may help those who are deficient in Vitamin D.*
Please let me know if you have any questions at all and do let me know what you would like the next Food of the Week to be.
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Let me know if you have any questions at all.
Have a great week!
Kind regards,
Angela Hartley
Cardiac Nurse Specialist, Nutritionist & Exercise Coach
London, Surrey
07918 788347
*Who Am I ?: *
- A Registered Nurse with particular cardiac expertise
- A level 4 personal trainer and nutritional therapist
- I have a particular desire to help people who want to get fit and keep fit in spite of their medical history
What do I do?
- Provide a scientifically driven programme with ongoing support in liaison with your healthcare team
- Take a different approach that is hard to find within the health care system
- Offer health assessments, support, expertise, equipment, guidance, recipes and more
- Work in conjunction with your healthcare team
- Design bespoke programmes combining exercise and nutritional guidance to suit your lifestyle
- Conduct one-on-one exercise sessions in the comfort of your own home, ideally twice a week
What do I specialise in?
- Cardiac Conditions including hypertension, heart attack, stents, pacemakers, bypass surgery
- Weight Loss
- Diabetes
- Cancer Patients before and after diagnosis
- General health and fitness improvement