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Strategies To Resist Temptation

July 3, 2012 By

We all face many temptations that compel us to eat more than we actually need, but there are a number of strategies you can adopt to overcome this and cut calories as a result.

The first step is to clear out all tempting foods. If you don’t have it in your house, you can’t eat it. So go through your kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer and throw out all the high-fat, calorie-laden foods that would ruin your diet. If you feel bad about wasting food, give it to friends, neighbours or relatives that can make good use of it. However you get rid of it, putting unhealthy food in the bin is almost certainly going to be better for you than putting it in your mouth. If you want to keep treats like cookies or cakes in reserve for visitors or other family members, pick a special hiding-place which is awkward to access, and summon up all your will-power. An alternative is to make your own cakes healthier by adding wheat germ when baking by using it instead of a small amount of flour and try using wholemeal flour instead if your regular flour.

Next, tackle your snack attacks by buying smaller packs. This may not make good sense financially (as small packs cost more than large ones, per gram) but it can help you to lose weight. Studies have shown that people will eat less of something if it comes in a small pack. This is what is so risky about jumbo sized bags of crisps. Smaller packs give you more stopping points for you to decide whether you want to carry on eating. Plus, if you know your small snack costs more, you might be persuaded to be a bit more frugal with your snacks. Between meals, opt for fruit instead. If you pick a pear, apple, or a handful of strawberries, you’ll be getting 1.5g of fibre. Getting even that 1.5g of extra fibre a day (although a higher amount is better) is sufficient to reduce your risk of becoming overweight. One of the great things about fibre is that is fills you up without making you fat, because its calories are not absorbed by the body. In addition, fibre boosts the release of hormones into the bloodstream that send an “I’m full, enough already!” message to your brain.

At the very least, find lower-calorie alternatives to the foods you crave. This will help you lose pounds without feeling deprived and miserable, and happiness is the key to sticking to a healthy diet.

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Homemade Bread

December 1, 2011 By

There is nothing like a good homemade, fresh out of the oven, baked loaf of bread! Besides growing your own fruit and veg, baking is perhaps the best way to stay healthy and save money at the same time. Baking is also something the whole family are able to participate in; it is simple and once you get the hang of it you’ll be attempting to bake every type of bread under the sun, from plain, wholemeal, multigrain to seeded or granary bread.

The easiest type of bread to bake is plain. Follow these simple instructions and by the end of the process, you should have yourself a good old loaf of bread that’ll feed the family for at least a few days!

  1. In a bowl, add ¾ tablespoon of water and 1 packet of dry active yeast, and mix until dissolved.
  2. Add 1tsp of salt, 1-1/2 tsp of sugar, 1tbsp of vegetable shortening, and ½ a cup of milk and stir in well.
  3. Mix in two cups of flour. The dough should chase the spoon around the bowl; if it doesn’t, add more flour in small amounts until it is at the ideal consistency.
  4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead, adding small teaspoons of flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth (and not sticky).
  5. Put the dough in an oiled or buttered bowl and turn over so all of it is greased.
  6. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for one hour.
  7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F/ Gas mark 5.
  8. Take the dough out and knead, then put into a greased bread tin. Cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
  9. Score the bread with a sharp knife 3 or 4 times, put it in the oven and let it bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

10.  Turn out the bread and let it cool.

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Fancy making bread?

November 23, 2011 By

As regular readers of this blog will know, I enjoy growing food and cooking meals from scratch wherever possible. It’s not always successful, but there is nothing quite like rolling the sleeves up with the kids and having a go at making something new. Experimenting with food is a fun way to bond as a family and a great way to spend a drizzly Sunday afternoon.

Recently, we made bread together as a family, and thoroughly enjoyed the results. If you’ve never made bread before, I strongly suggest you give it a go. Follow my tips for a basic bread recipe, and you’ll be experimenting with focaccias and ciabattas in no time.

Firstly, decide whether you would prefer to make white bread or wholemeal bread, as this will of course dictate which type of flour you need. Along with 1 ½ cups of flour you’ll need the following:

  • 1 level teaspoon of salt
  • 1 level teaspoon of sugar
  • 1 level tablespoon of soft margarine
  • 1 sachet of dried yeast
  • 2/3 cup of warm (not hot) water

In a large mixing bowl, rub the margarine into the flour, sugar and salt with your fingers and then stir in the dried yeast. Stir in the warm water using a wooden spoon until the dough becomes tougher. Once it binds together, place the dough on a floured surface and knead with your hands for about five minutes until smooth.

Shape the dough into however you want your loaf to turn out and then place on a greased baking tray and cover with oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place until the dough has grown to about double its original size and then cook for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven at 230°C /gas mark 8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool (ensure your loaf’s ready by tapping the bottom; it should sound hollow). Then all that’s left to do is eat, and enjoy!

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Eat your way to health!

November 7, 2011 By

One of the easiest ways to ensure you have a healthy diet is to make small changes to the things you already enjoy. There are a million and one fad diets around, some proclaiming to guarantee you instant weight loss if you give up carbs, with others promising you a slimmer waist if you ditch the dairy.

Fad diets such as these are likely to see you drop the pounds, but will the results be long lasting and are the diets sustainable? With so many self-titled experts out there and so much conflicting advice, it can be baffling to know where to start.

The best advice I can give is, rather than concentrating on losing pounds, concentrate on eating healthier and feeling better, and the weight loss will then happen as a side-result anyway.

Instead of cutting out huge swathes of foods or full food groups, concentrate on having healthier versions of the food you love. For instance, if you’re a big bread fan, there’s no need to give it up for life. Simply opt for healthy sandwiches instead of fatty or sugary options.

What this means in practice is that, instead of a cheese sandwich in a floury bap with butter and full-fat mayonnaise, you could try soft cheese and salad in sliced granary bread. Filling your sandwiches with fresh and tasty salad ingredients, such as lettuce, radish, tomato and spring onion (even better if they are home grown) is a brilliant way to bulk out your meals and keep you feeling satisfied without the additional fats and sugars.

Making these little changes to your favourite sandwiches will not only make them healthier, it will mean they keep you going for longer, thanks to the long-lasting energy that these foods provide. And the good news is, they will taste delicious too!

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