We launched our first stand-alone product at the end of last year.  Nutrichef Flapjack…and there are already loads of Flapjack fans, who love the taste of the bars as well as the sustained energy they deliver for whatever activity they’re doing. Some of them have eaten the bars in some weird and wonderful places from rowing across the Atlantic to walking across the Sahara desert!

“These people inspired us to launch “Fuelled by Flapjack” …we’ll be sponsoring events and athletes all over the south of England who fuel their training, challenges and achievements with Nutrichef Flapjack.”

Our Flapjack bars contain no trans fats, salt, wheat or dairy and no artificial colours or flavours. Suitable for vegetarians and ceoeliacs, each bar contains approx 250 calories, lower than other bars on the market that claim to be healthy.  Packed full of natural ingredients they deliver sustained energy, the Nutrichef Flapjack bars are ideal to eat ahead of training and physical activity or simply as a breakfast or snack on the go.

Some events coming up:

13th May 2012  VoTwo Kamikaze Adventure Run, Pippingford Park

13th May 2012  Race New Forest, Swashbuckler Triathlon, Bucklers Hard, Beaulieu

11th August 2012  Brownsea Island SUP Race, Poole Harbour

And some of our athletes have already been doing some amazing things “Fuelled by Flapjack”…

Nigel Thomas – ISKA UK & European Kick boxing Champion

Miles Lee-Hargreaves – World Junior Surfing Championships 2012 in Panama

Pete Holliday – UK SUP Racer

Andrew Findley – Ultra Runner, wins team prize at VoTwo Oner – 76 miles along the Jurassic Coastline in one go!  Now heading out to the US for monster event…

“We’ve taken the traditional flapjack and made it so much healthier…what started out as a breakfast on our healthy meal plans, has become a healthy meal in a bar.  It was our meal plan customers who encouraged us to produce the Flapjack as a snack bar…in fact in the end they insisted!  They wanted to be able to eat the Flapjack when they weren’t on the meal plan and buy it as a snack for their children!”

Born in my kitchen back in 2004 the Nutrichef Flapjack is now available in three flavours:  Apple & Ginger, Cherry & Almond and the popular Full of Fruit, packed with Apricots, Cranberries, Figs and Raisins.

When I first put the Flapjack recipe together I knew that it had to look and feel like a traditional flapjack yet fit the Nutrichef principles. It fits into the healthy bar market and the traditional flapjack market.  Yet when you compare it with competition in either market it wins hands down, just take a look at the amount of saturated fat in many ‘healthy’ bars on the market.

You can get hold of Nutrichef Flapjack direct from us by phoning 01202 748400 or from Amazon

Even with all the rain our thoughts start to turn to summer and days on the beach or by the pool…shopping for summer clothes and that all important bikini…

Yet how do you make sure you look your best?… it all starts on the inside, healthy on the inside means healthy and looking great on the outside…

“These simple tips make sure you get the basics right, they may sound simple but they really work!”

Hungry or thirsty?

It’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger… so when you start to feel hungry reach for a glass of water first and see how you feel.

Healthy diet and steady exercise regime… but still can’t lose those extra pounds then you’re probably not drinking enough water.  Aim for 1.5 to 2 litres of water daily and more if you’re very active, this includes other drinks.

Water hydrates, flushes away toxins and bizarrely reduces water retention! Other good hydrators are herbal teas and coconut water.

Green tea isn’t exactly the best hydrator because of the caffeine content but it helps reduce the absorption of dietary fats consumed and will suppress your appetite.

Portion distortion

Most of us could lose some excess pounds simply by eating less. The Japanese say Hara hachi bu “eat until 80% full”, this will take practice sometimes as many as 15-20 meals…but it will happen.  If you eat past when you’re satisfied it’s guaranteed to keep unwanted weight on.  Learn to listen to your body…

Remember to still get the variety of fruit, veg and proteins and not fill up on empty calories. Don’t forget that size does matter when it comes to portion control. The concept is easy, if you eat less, you consume fewer calories. Manage your portions control and you can have even and lasting weight control.

Know your units

Speaking of empty calories!  Alcohol and summer go hand in hand, Pimms, cocktails, Sangria, Champagne…yet  a couple of glasses of wine and you may have drunk 5 units of alcohol and consumed 250 calories!   And when you want to enjoy a glass or two then reach for the red (wine), research suggests it helps in weight loss and has antioxidant value.

Excess alcohol can also lead to un-necessary snacking so my advice is to cut down or stop drinking alcohol all together while you focus on the weight loss.  Try this great ‘virgin’ cocktail recipe!

Berry Slush

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup fresh orange juice

3 pumps cherry active cherry juice concentrate (www.cherryactive.co.uk)

1 cup crushed ice

Blend all ingredients together and serve in martini glass.

http://www.drinkaware.co.uk has a great unit calculator that helps you to get to grips with units and calories!

Bloating is your enemy

You can lose weight and get trim but simply eating some of the wrong foods can leave you feeling (and looking) bloated.  So here’s some foods to avoid: wheat, dairy, beans, cabbage and cauliflower. If you have constant problems then get an allergy test as food intolerances are a common cause of bloating.

Swallowing too much air can be another cause of a bloated tummy, so avoid talking while you eat, using a straw or sports bottle and eating on the move. Fizzy drinks, even the diet ones, also make you windy!

Cut the Junk

Don’t even be tempted by those sugary, high fat convenience foods and snacks. Remove them from the fridge and cupboard all together. Have some healthy fruit and vegetable to make crudités and nuts, seeds and dried fruit are better alternatives to crisps and cakes.

You don’t have to be vegetarian

Try vegetarian options when you eat out…Studies show that meat and meat products are the leading source of fat in most peoples diet so adding more vegetarian meals into your diet is a great idea….and trying them when you eat out is a great way to experiment.

Bikini Fit Food

Breakfast

Smoothie: Great way to start the day or for an after work or school snack. Add a handful of your favourite berries, a banana, ½ mango and 1 tall glass of water and a soya based protein powder if this is a meal

Flapjack by Nutrichef: they’re a free from refined sugar, butter, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats. www.nutrichefflapjack.co.uk and they taste fab, I have an apple and ginger every morning for breakfast.

Lunch

Salad: try to mix mineral rich red char, rocket, radicchio and don’t forget to add lots of cress and diakon (mouli) as this is fantastic for breaking up fatty deposits in the skin. Great anti-cellulite food.

Sushi: Super wheat free meal. The nori seaweed is renowned for weight loss properties as iodine increases the basal metabolic rate and if you don’t like sushi then try brown seaweed supplement Ocean Purity www.oceanpurity.co.uk

Dinner

Fish: grilled, poached and baked. Choose oily fish (mackerel, salmon, trout, swordfish, anchovy) high in omega 3 as this facilitates body fat loss and in conjunction try  the vegetarian sources of coconut oil and flaxseed oil.

Vegetarian: Stir fries and casseroles including not only a variety of vegetables but don’t forget to add nuts, seeds and pulses for your protein especially kidney beans as they contain pancreatic amylase that helps to digest starch. Look at www.veggievision.co.uk for more recipes and cooking videos.  Look out for our upcoming articles for National Vegetarian Week…

Despite changes in climate and the ‘four seasons in one day’ that we have experienced in recent times, we remain a country of clearly marked seasons, and food is very much part of that.

Seasonal eating is as old as the most ancient civilisations as people ate what nature produced, and, by the 8th century, we find records that the choice of what to eat became a conscious social event.  Today there are many good reasons to eat more local, seasonal food:

• to reduce the energy  and CO2 emissions needed to grow and transport the food we eat
• to avoid paying a premium for food that is scarcer or has travelled a long way
• to support the local economy

Yet the most important reasons haven’t changed from those ancient civilisations:

• to reconnect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time
• seasonal food is fresher and therefore tastier and more nutritious; (researchers in Japan found three-fold differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter).

Seasons form the natural backdrop for eating. Yet today it’s so easy for us to forget about seasons when we eat!  Modern food processing and worldwide distribution of food make foods available year-round, and supermarket shelves look much the same in December as they do in June.

Somehow spring seems the most exciting new season for food…with so many great new ingredients popping up, as well as those grazing in our fields, and swimming in our seas.  Here are a few highlights:

Asparagus, Fennel, Garlic, Leeks, Rhubarb

Mint, New potatoes, Spring onions, Onions

Lamb, Rhubarb, Sea Bream, Haddock

I’ve taken some of my spring favourites and put together a fantastic evening meal or Sunday lunch for you to try.  These recipes follow my cooking principles and are wheat and dairy-free.  They also avoid adding salt or refined sugar, relying heavily on the beautiful natural flavours of the seasonal foods.

I particularly love cooking with local, seasonal organic lamb.  It’s a clean, nourishing meat and the shank is full of flavour and will become meltingly tender, falling from the bone after long, slow cooking.

Main Course

This main course loads you up with lots of vegetables and herbs, but they are all the support act to the star of the show, the spring lamb.

Dorset Lamb Shanks in a herb broth

served with Crushed new potatoes and spring onions

Serves 4

4 lamb shanks

1 onion

2 leeks

4 carrots

1 sprig of rosemary

2 sage leaves

1 sprig of thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

Cracked pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic

150 ml vegetable stock

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Pick leaves off rosemary, thyme, sage and put in blender with garlic, pepper and olive oil. Make a paste and then rub on top of lamb.
• Roughly chop leek, onion and carrot and place in the bottom of the pan, then pour vegetable stock over veg.
• Place lamb shanks on top of the veg.
• Cover with tin foil
• Cook for 2 hours and serve with crushed new potatoes and spring onions.

16 New potatoes

6 Spring onions

2 tbsp Olive oil

• Boil new potatoes until soft
• Fry 6 spring onions in olive oil until golden
• Crush potatoes roughly and sprinkle with spring onions

Dessert

This dessert is many a family’s favourite, yet by adding some almonds and ginger it’s lifted to a whole new level, really showcasing the crumble as well as the rhubarb.

Rhubarb, Apple and Almond Crumble

Serves 4

500g Rhubarb

2 Red Braeburn Apples

3 Tbsp Maple Syrup

An inch of grated ginger

100g Flaked Almonds

For your crumble mix

100g Veggie margarine

200g Rice flour

1 tsp Ground ginger

1tsp Ground cinnamon

1 tsp Ground cardamom

Roughly chop rhubarb and apple into chunks and mix with Maple syrup and 1 inch fresh grated ginger. Place in oven proof dish and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Mix all ingredients in food processor OR make the crumble by hand by squeezing the mixture through your fingers until crumbly bits appear.

Sprinkle mixture over rhubarb until fully covered. Press mixture down firmly.

Place in oven for 30-40 minutes on 200°C

Serve with soya cream and more maple syrup if desired.

With early summer comes more fruit and more colour… and we start to think of berry puddings, salads and fresh cool drinks like elderflower cordial.  At their best in June are broad beans, strawberries and peas, but here are some other favourites:

Radishes, Spinach, Cauliflower, Beetroot, Elderflower, Gooseberries, Lettuce

Venison, Sea trout, Mackerel

Why not try… warm salads at this time of year?  Ingredients like mackerel, broad beans and peas work really well warm on a bed of lettuce and baby spinach, with a drizzle of olive oil.

Great to be up at Natural & Organic Proucts Europe Show at Olympia yesterday.  As usual loads of fantastic products to inspire our healthy meal plans over the coming year.   Although many clients come to us for weight-loss and diet help there are many others that simply want help to navigate their way to a much healthier lifestyle- one where they eat lots more natural and organic foods rather than our 21st century food products.  And the show was packed with them…

Including our very own Nutrichef healthy Flapjack, being proudly promoted by the Vegetarian Society.  Heather McHale from the Society tells us “we are looking forward to the show and it is a pleasure to have the Nutrichef Flapjacks on our stand; the response so far has been exciting – people love the product- it ticks all the boxes and now its backed by the Society’s seedling mark.”

Valentines Day is when the restaurants hike up the prices to lure you into one of marketing’s dream days of the year. Instead, why not cook up a steamy dinner at home with these healthy ingredients that are tantalising, tasty and easy to find.

Asparagus

Asparagus is great for both male and female libidos as it is high in vitamin E, the so-called ‘sex vitamin’. It’s slightly suggestive shape may also act as a libido booster, so make sure you serve them steamed and whole rather than creamed in a soup.

Bananas

Bananas may help improve your sex drive due to the enzyme bromelain, known for boosting the libido. They’re also rich in B vitamins, which help calm the nervous system, and potassium for all over energy levels. You can add them to muffins or fruit loafs, flambé them for a quick dessert, or maximize their nutritional benefits by eating them in their unadulterated form.

Brazil nuts

Nuts play a key role in supporting the libido. They’re packed with nutrients like essential fatty acids, which help produce hormones, and they’re rich in the amino acid L’Arginine, which enhances erectile response by improving blood circulation. You only need 3 Brazil nuts a day to meet your daily requirement. Sprinkle them on cereal, add them to stir-fries and salads or make a trail mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is packed with B vitamins essential for nourishing the nervous system. They’re great as a side dish, in a risotto, a salad or a sweet pudding.

Celery

Celery boosts a powerful substance known as androsterone – the odourless hormone released through male perspiration that has that mysterious effect on women. It has the same effect as a dozen red roses, although celery is of course cheaper! You can add celery to salads or casseroles, or you can dip your celery sticks in a spicy hommous.

Chili

Try heating up your sex life by adding some chili. Capsaicin, the substance that gives a kick to spicy foods, triggers the release of endorphins and is therefore a feel-good chemical for your brain. It also raises your heart rate and stimulates each other’s nerve endings. Remember your rubber gloves if you chop the chilies yourself then add your cuttings to dressings, stir fries or even chocolate desserts

Ginger

Ginger is one of my favourite root herbs. I add fresh ginger to black tea, casseroles, soups, dressings, cordials and sweet desserts. This versatile root is excellent for stimulating circulation and increases blood flow to the sex organs.

Honey

Falling asleep is not an option on Valentines night, so you’ll need slow-release energy to keep you going. Honey is perfect. It’s rich in B vitamins and fructose and tastes great, too. Add it to teas, coffee or desserts, or you can mix honey with tamari for a Japanese style stir-fry sauce.

Pomegranate

Shares the nickname “Love Apple” with the tomato and is likewise known as an aphrodisiac. Cut the pomegranate in half and knock the seeds out by smacking the skin with a spoon. You can eat pomegranate seeds raw or add them to sandwich fillings and salads. Or why not drop a few seeds into the bottom of a champagne glass like you would with strawberries.

Tomato

This “love apple” has an even sexier reputation for helping maintain sexual health. You can’t beat a rich tomato sauce oozing over pasta, fish or meat.

Pumpkin Seeds

Containing zinc, pumpkin seeds help increase testosterone production in men and sexual desire in women. They’re rich in the essential fatty acid omega 3, needed for the production of prostaglandins – substances that play a key role in sexual health. Have a pot of mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, hemp and flax) in the kitchen to sprinkle over salads, casseroles and stews, or eat them raw for a quick and handy power snack.

Spinach

Recent studies suggest co-enzyme Q10, found in spinach, can improve sperm movement and iron levels. So do as Popeye does and have it raw in a salad or add it to soups and stir-fries.

Vanilla

The sensual scent of vanilla has been used for years in massage oils as it is believed to boost sexual desire. So fill the house with the natural aroma as you add fresh vanilla essence and vanilla seeds straight out of the pod to sensuous desserts.

Water Melon

This cool refreshing fruit contains an amino acid called citrulline, which is good for the cardiovascular system and helps relax the blood vessels involved in increasing sex drive. Juicy melons make for a great snack or palate cleanser between meals or you can make them into a sorbet for dessert.

Real Raunchy Recipes

Brown Rice Salad

Serves 6

300 ml Brown rice, cooked and cooled

12 Asparagus steamed and spears cut lengthways

18 Brazil nuts, roughly chopped

2 stalks Celery, diced

100g Spinach, shredded

½ Pomegranate, remove seeds

50g Pumpkin seeds

3 Tomatoes chopped

Cook and cool the brown rice and steam asparagus until al dente. Add all ingredients into a bowl and toss with Chili and Ginger dressing.

For the Chilli and Ginger dressing

½ chilli, de-seeded and minced

1 inch ginger, grated

100 ml Olive Oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and keep in fridge

Palate cleanser……Watermelon slices

For dessert

Bananas with Vanilla Honey

Copyright Nutrichef 2012

Would you believe that when the humble carrot first reached our shores from Afghanistan back in the 7^th century it was actually considered quite exotic. It then went from exotic to erotic when the Greeks, who named it ‘Philitron’, used carrots as a love medicine.

Carrots are a key vegetable in a healthy diet. They’re an excellent source of fibre and are packed with beta-carotene – a nutrient that’s converted in the body into vitamin A. This vitamin helps to give us healthy hair and skin and plays an important part in neutralising ‘free radicals’ – harmful chemicals that can accumulate inside us and lead to cancer.

Raw carrot sticks are one of the healthiest snacks on the planet. Not only are they highly nutritious, but they’re also a very effective component of a weight loss diet due to the fact that our digestive system has to work harder to break them down – thereby burning more calories – than it does with cooked carrots.

We use carrots in numerous dishes on a Nutrichef meal plan. They feature in our Carrot and Raisin Muffin breakfast, in some of our delicious salads, soups and wheat-free sandwiches for lunch, while for dinner you can enjoy our Carrot and Sesame Burgers and our numerous vegetable side dishes.

I was intrigued to read in this weekend’s Sunday Telegraph that scientists have now discovered a sixth different taste receptor on the tongue. And, where people have fewer of these fat receptors than the norm, they may be inclined to put on weight as they don’t realise how much fat they’re consuming.

For years it was believed there were only four different tastes: sweet, sour, salt and bitter. A fifth taste, ‘umami’ (meaning literally ‘savouriness’) was recognised in 1985, but now it appears there is a sixth taste. Researchers at Washington University discovered that people with more of a receptor called CD36 were more able to detect the existence of fat in their food.

What I found of particular interest is that people who consume a diet high in fat find themselves on a path to obesity because fat consumption causes them to manufacture fewer fat receptors on their tongue, which in turn makes them less able to detect fat in their food.

At long last I may have found a reason – at a molecular level – why Nutrichef customers comment that their taste buds seem to “reawaken” within a few days of starting one of Nutrichef’s popular weight loss meal plans.

Feeling a bit run down after a busy festive season of parties, over-eating, late nights and reduced exercise…? It’s no wonder our immune systems have taken a hit, making it easier for us to come down with the dreaded winter lurgy.

 Here are 7 easy tips to boost your system to help fight off flu.

1. Red Hot Chilli Peppers are loaded with vitamin A and C, which are known to boost the immune system. Vitamin A also helps maintain healthy mucus membranes, which line the nasal passages and lungs – the body’s first line of defence when fighting off nasty invading bugs. Add these peppers to soups, stir fries and salad dressings for an extra zing.

 2. Shiitake Mushrooms are an essential part of Japanese cooking as a natural flavour enhancer that’s packed with goodness. Vitamin D and lentinan are great immune boosters and abundant in Japanese mushrooms. Try adding them to soups, casseroles and stir fries. They can be bought fresh or dried.

 3. Butternut Squash is still in season and so versatile to use. This vegetable is packed with the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, which we all need in the fight against disease-causing free radicals. Sliver the squash finely and add raw to salads, or use in soups, curries and casseroles. For other ideas, see my butternut squash video.

 4. Flaxseed Oil is a great source of the essential fatty acids Omega 3 and ALA (Alpha Linoleic Acid), as well as lignans, which are immune-boosting phytoestrogens. They’re an excellent topping for porridge, soups and salads or you can sneak them into casseroles when cooking for fussy family members!

 5. Cabbage is also high in a number of antioxidant vitamins, including A and C. It’s also a good source of potassium, a mineral that we need for the healthy functioning of our heart, kidneys and nerves. Cabbage is very low in calories, making it excellent in a weight loss diet. Green or red cabbage can be shredded and eaten raw with salads, or cooked in soups and stir fries.

 6. Salmon is an excellent source of protein, as well as being an amazing source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, which we need for a healthy heart, brain, nervous system and digestive system. We provide salmon several times per month on a Nutrichef meal plan, for example in a watercress and mustard sauce, on a bed of lentils or as a salmon mousse sandwich.

 7. Exercise, we all know, is essential for a healthy heart, but it is also important for boosting the immune system. Aim to get half an hour to an hour of moderate aerobic exercise around 3 times a week. 

Finally, carry a bottle of Tea Tree Oil. This doesn’t boost your immune system, but a few drops of tea tree oil on a handkerchief acts as a natural inhaler to clear your nose and help ward off bugs in shopping malls, busy cafés or on planes. I also add a drop to my hand cream for an instant natural hand sanitizer when I’m out and about.

There was lots to be read over Christmas and New Year about losing weight and getting fit and healthy lifestyles.  Yet most people that get motivated at this time of year and make a new year’s resolution to do any of the above will crash and burn before the month’s out!  They don’t achieve that weight loss target or that healthy lifestyle change …

Why?

Well there are lots of reasons and most of us will blame someone or something else, it’ll often be a lack of resources…when the most common cause is a lack of resourcefulness!

Most of us can ‘find a way’…if we really want to… so how will you find a way?  Here’s some tips to make your lifestyle change stick and not disappear with the Christmas decorations:

1. Make it important, treat your resolution as something serious, a change of lifestyle for a reason, not simply a whim of the calendar.  Educate yourself as part of the process, learn a new skill or visit somewhere new.
2. Understand where you are starting from. Take measurements, weigh yourself, get a medical – then you can measure your progress.
3. Start with a very specific, realistic goal, in fact a SMART(E) one: “I want to lose a stone before I go on holiday in March and then I’ll feel great!”  (By the way the E stands for exciting!)
4. Write down a plan, the how; think in ink; the act of writing it down will make it real and say it out loud whilst you’re writing it down.  No, you’re not going mad, it helps.
5. Keep a diary of how you’re getting on – what you did, how you felt, take some photos if that helps – this acts as a feedback loop to yourself.
6. Get support – start by telling others, then they’ll ask how you’re getting on and you’ll have to tell them!  Back that up by finding someone else who wants to share the challenge so that you can support each other.  Or go one better and enlist the help of a professional: a nutritionist, dietician, Personal Trainer, Therapist; someone who can not only add support but advice.  Someone who can guide and cajole!
7. Review your progress at intervals – not too long – so that you can reward yourself and feel good about success or adapt your plan if things aren’t going how you wanted.  Remember you have resolved to do something, no matter how long it takes…
8. Don’t stick to a plan that obviously isn’t working…change it, look for alternatives but stay focussed on the goal!

At Nutrichef so many people come to us having tried to lose weight or change their diet themselves.  Our meal plans are designed to nourish, support and educate.  They enable real change to take place; in fact many clients talk about their lives being transformed.  So if your 2012 plan goes off the rails call us for a chat about how we can put your healthy lifestyle back on track.