Cinnamon explosion…

I wanted to write a longer post today, but I have a splitting headache right now – so will instead leave you with an image of what happened to my porridge and chopped banana this morning when I forgot to use the sprinkle side of the cinnamon container lid, and instead used the ‘yeah, I’d like a lot of cinnamon all in one go please’ side.  Looks messy, especially as in the pic I’d already tried mixing it in, and was disturbed to see the porridge turn brown, but it was actually quite tasty!

Oops!

Baby steps

Here’s a tip for anyone struggling to find healthy snacks in their local supermarket. Baby food. No, I’m not talking about  surviving on mashed up veg or rusks – no matter how many celebrities may have sworn they lost shed-loads of weight by eating out of a jar. I’m thinking more of the sort of snacks you can buy for toddlers – and having had two kids of my own I’m quite the connoisseur now! Below I’ve listed the sort of benefits I’ve found from swapping normal snacks for kiddie fodder – 

Cereal Bars
It’s scary how many cereal bar brands are packed full with sugar – but I’ve found Organix cereal bars to be a real find – they’re low on calories and have no ‘nasties’ in them – and no added sugar at all. More importantly I find they are a delicious and satisfying treat. (I promise I’m not being paid to be this nice about them – I just really like them! There are, of course, plenty of other options – some other brands make ‘fruit bars’ which count as a portion of fruit each.)

Crisps & crackers
Again, children’s versions of crisps and crackers tend to be additive free – just check the packet before you buy – and are usually produced in very small portions. By swapping your usual bags of crisps for a child-friendly pack of ‘corn puff shapes’, you are, in my experience, consuming less than half the calories, and a fraction of the fat.

Fruit puddings
Some baby food brands make delicious fruit purees that are packed in pots, just like yogurts. Not everyone is going to like the idea of eating a puree, but I’ve found them very handy as an alternative, healthy pudding. They’re also great for swirling into plain yogurts or porridge.

Perhaps I’m the only mum who’s decided to have a sneaky taste of what she’s been feeding her little ones and thought “Mmm…not bad!” In which case, I’m a freak! But it works for me. A piece of fruit, would of course, be the healthiest snack of all, but all the above have often helped to me keep boredom at bay when I’m doing my best to have a wholesome day. By the way, you’ll usually have to head to the baby food section of your local shop to have a chance of finding any of these – most supermarkets keep them all together like this.

Goodbye GI, hello GL

Apologies for the sporadic posts at the moment, it’s been a busy week. On Monday evening my mum persuaded me to come to a lecture with her, given by Patrick Holford. Holford is quite a well-known ‘nutritionist’ in the UK – I suppose he’s the closest thing we’ve got to a male Gillian McKeith. Holford cuts quite a controversial figure in the world of nutrition, mainly because, not unlike Mckeith, he tends to make bold claims about supplements and has a habit of awarding himself qualifications. Hmmmm.

Anyway the lecture proved to be quite interesting, as a very suave and compelling Patrick spoke about the importance of controlling our blood sugar if we want to lose weight. I had no arguments with what he came up with – in fact I think a lot of scientists are coming to the same conclusion, or have done for a while now. The Holford Diet is based on low GL, rather than simply low GI food/eating. The man spoke for about three hours, would you believe, and managed to hold the audience’s attention until the final minutes, so you have to give him some points for that.

Anway, the reason I was interested in the talk, was not because I think low GL is the only way to lose weight, but because I know I have a susceptibility for high blood sugar. When I was pregnant with my first child I developed Gestational Diabetes. It was a shock, I tell you. I had maintained a good weight-loss for a while at that time  – I was around 9 st 7 pounds when I became pregnant – and I ate what I thought was a healthy diet. Jacket potatoes, low fat yogurts, couscous salads, Fruit n’ Fibre – those were the sort of things I ate regularly. Once I was pregnant I did scoff down the odd Mars bar, with the old ‘eating for two’ excuse. But still, I knew my diet was far healthier than the average Brit’s – I only had to have a nose in the trolleys of fellow shoppers at my local supermarket to see that (something I’m afraid  I still love to do!). 

It just seemed really unfair. Why me? And then needle-phobic little old me had to stab my finger three times a day to check my blood sugars. (Oh boo-hoo!, I hear you cry. I’ve since met a friend of my son’s who developed type 1 diabetes in his reception year at school. Watching him test himself without a fuss was a very humbling experience indeed.)

In the end, I was able to control the diabetes through my diet. The nutritionist at the hospital’s gestational diabetes clinic wasn’t particularly helpful though – “Use artificial sweeteners. Don’t eat loads of sweets. Don’t have white bread, eat wholemeal.” I didn’t want to do the first thing, and I wasn’t doing the second and third things anyway…

So I did some research of my own to come up with an eating plan that would definitely keep my blood sugars under control. If I remember correctly I used recommendations from The Food Doctor book, although I don’t know where that book is at the moment! Basically here’s an example of the sorts of changes I made;

Breakfast before:  Weetabix or Fruit n Fibre

Breakfast after:     Porridge or scrambled egg on toast.

Lunch before : Lots of pasta or couscous

Lunch after : Quorn fillets with a few potatoes and lots of broccoli

Desserts before: Low fat fruit yogurt with added sugar

Desserts after: Plain yogurt with chopped strawberries

Anyway, you get the idea. They were minor changes I suppose, but they made a big difference – my blood sugar remained normal for the rest of the pregnancy. 

My consultant at the time was quite laid back but he did warn me not to have too many children and to stay at a healthy weight. Well I’ve succeeded in only having two children (and didn’t get diabetes with boy no 2!), but I’ve steadily been increasing my weight over the last couple of years in between bouts of weight loss. And I’ve gone from being a distinct pear shape, to a very rounded apple. 

All in all, I think I really need to pay attention to the sugar in my diet once more, and that includes all forms of carbs really. I’m going to make a real effort to keep my eating as low GL as I can, and see if it makes a difference. Will give you an update on how I get on in a week or two.

Now I’m fully recovered from my stinky cold, I’ve been doing pretty well with my diet this week. Most days I’ve managed between 8 and 10 portions of fruit & veg – but today I surpassed  myself – my online food diary says I’ve munched no less than 15.8 portions!! And that figure includes 10 different types of fruit or veg. So I’m chuffed. Nice to feel back on track after the Easter holidays – I’m hoping for a good loss by this time next week – fingers crossed.

My top 5 filling foods

I’m always having to remind myself that not all foods are created equal when it comes to pure filling power. And when I say filling, I mean a healthy food that will sustain you for a good three hours with no nasty blood sugar wobbles. So, at the moment, here’s what’s working for me.

5. Soup

Homemade is best, but if I do go for a ready-made soup it has to be a fresh one, like the New Covent Garden Soups. I find soups so satisfying that it doesn’t matter so much if some of them are a little creamy, as I’d be hard pushed to overeat them.

4. Homemade vegetable pasta sauce

I’ll often make a fresh pasta sauce from some chopped onion, tomatoes, garlic and any suitable veg in the fridge such as mushrooms and courgettes. Add a bit of seasoning and all it needs is quite a small portion of pasta to create a low cal meal of gigantic proportions. With that much veg, I’m kept nice and full for ages. Actually, I’m usually totally stuffed after eating this.

3. Beans/pulses

Either in a veggie chilli (I’m vegetarian) or in something such as a tasty lentil stew or soup. If I’m pushed for time then beans on toast is a tried and tested lunch that will set me up for the afternoon.

2. Eggs

As sure as eggs is eggs, if I have them scrambled on toast for brekkie I can avoid any mid-morning slumps, and sail on through until lunch quite happily.

1. Porridge

My number 1 filling food, and one that I enjoy on a daily basis at the moment. My current favourite is Dorset Cereals‘ Apple and Raisin Fruity Porridge  – it’s delish and it really keeps me going for hours. I tend to have it with unsweetened soya milk and a little drizzle of honey – yum!