Category: nutrition

5 protein powders that don’t have sweeteners

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Although deemed as ‘safe’ there is some evidence that sweeteners e.g. sucralose, stevia may have a negative impact on health. There is also solid evidence of the negative effect that ultra processed foods have on our health. Many people simply wish to pursue a diet that is as low in manufactured ingredients as possible.

It is possible to get plenty of protein from real food. However, protein powders can be a very helpful way to increase protein in your diet. This is particularly relevant for athletes, those wishing to increase muscle mass or reduce fat mass, and older people due to the increased need for protein.

It can be very hard to find a protein powder that is minimally processed and doesn’t have sweeteners. Out of a field of 1000s of protein supplements, here are 5 that I have managed to locate:


Naked Nutrition Naked Whey – Ingredients: whey protein concentrate

Wyldsson Naked Vegan Protein Powder Super Blend plain and unsweetened – Ingredients: organic pea protein, pumpkin protein & sunflower protein, flaxseed, chia seed, organic baobab, turmeric, cacao & ceylon cinnamon.


Sunwarrior Warrior Protein Classic – Ingredients: fermented brown rice protein

MyProtein Whey Protein Isolate unflavoured – Ingredients: whey protein isolate, emulsifiers (soy and sunflower lecithins)

My Protein Impact Whey Protein unflavoured – Ingredients: whey protein concentrate, emulsifier (soy lecithin)

To add some flavour to protein shakes, blend the powder with water/milk and add some fruit e.g. berries or banana, cinnamon, oats, honey. You can also make your own high protein milk or mix in to natural yogurt to significantly increase the protein content.

Other natural sources of protein include: eggs, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish, yogurt, milk, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds.

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My cousins and aunt got me the best present ever for my birthday last week. A variety of boxes of tea bags and a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate, thriftily sourced from their kitchen cupboard. We like to think we’re a bit like the Royal Family with our gifting eccentricity.

I’m not one for hyperbole, but the box of Celestial Cinnamon Apple Spice has totally knocked my socks off. In all of my 44 years, it’s the first herbal tea that I’ve tasted that has any sort of intensity to the flavour. If ever there was a “hug in a cup” that smacks you in the taste buds, this is it. It makes a wonderful change from coffee (there’s only so much one can drink before the caffeine has me bouncing off the walls like a loon), peppermint tea (meh), and water (boring, just so boring).

It’s always a bonus when your food/drinks have health benefits. Some studies have suggested that the compounds in cinnamon have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial properties, and that they might offer protection from cancer and cardiovascular disease, among other like type 2 diabetes, PCOS and Parkinson’s Disease.

No matter, I finished a box of 20 in less than a week, so had to source a new supply. Locally, I found some in Sostrene Grene (bizarrely, we have a branch of this adorable Swedish gem of a shop in Bangor), you can also find it in Iona health food shop in Holywood and from amazon.co.uk.

Have a nice Sunday, see ya!!

Immense Veggie Chilli

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The veggie chilli is immense. The original recipe comes from Jamie Oliver which I have adapted………you may notice that there are no actual chillis in the recipe. The cayenne pepper adds a mild spiciness, which is just this side of conservative and perfect for not blowing small children’s heads off. Cinnamon adds a wonderful depth of flavour and just makes it taste a bit different (without it actually tasting of cinnamon).

In these Corona days – it’s absolutely fine to use fresh, frozen or tinned ingredients. Adapt where you can!

Sweet potatoes provide vitamin A, onions and garlic are rich in fermentable carbohydrates (which help the healthy bacteria in our digestive system to flourish,) peppers are rich in vitamin C, and tomatoes are chocca block with lycopene. The beans are high in fibre and great for protein – keeping the blood sugar levels steady and hunger at bay.

For anyone requiring the chilli kick, I put a bottle of chilli sauce on the table for those in need of the extra rocket fuel.

The spices – chilli sauce optional extra

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
olive oil
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 cloves of garlic
big handful of fresh coriander
2 x 400 g tins of mixed beans
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6.

  • Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks, then place onto a baking tray.
  • Sprinkle with a pinch each of cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper, drizzle with oil then toss to coat. Roast for 40 minutes, or until golden.
  • Peel and chop the onion. Chop the peppers, then peel and finely chop the garlic.
  • Pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat, add the onion, peppers and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the coriander stalks and spices, and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
  • Drain and add the beans. Tip in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then stir well.
  • Stir the roasted sweet potato through the chilli with most of the coriander leaves.
  • Serve with boiled rice, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, grated cheese. And remember to put the bottle of chilli sauce on the table!
Ready for the festivities to commence! I totally forgot to take any pics of the dinner, mainly because I was too busy doing eating and talking – and a little bit of drinking 🙂

8 reasons why you should drink coffee (and when you shouldn’t)

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When I’m asking my patients about what they eat and drink through the day, they often shamefully ‘confess’ that they are coffee drinkers. The good news is that coffee in reasonable amounts might be one of the healthiest things you can do.

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Scientific research shows that in the short term, caffeine increases alertness, concentration, vigilance, improves mood, reduces perception of pain and increases time to fatigue when exercising.

For long term health benefits, coffee has anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

New research shines some light on the mechanisms behind these health benefits – it seems that there are links between coffee and the health of the gut microbiota. Higher coffee consumption is associated with increased richness and evenness of the gut microbiota in the lining of the digestive system, and higher relative abundance of anti-inflammatory bacteria.

8 fascinating coffee and caffeine facts: 

  1. Caffeine is absorbed rapidly and totally in the small intestine in less than 1 hour
  2. Caffeine is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called cytochrome P450 oxidase. Depending on your genetics, some people have more of this enzyme than others, therefore this affects sensitivity.
  3. It can help the bowel to contract – helpful for constipation, not so helpful if you are prone to diarrhoea!
  4. In women, the metabolism of caffeine is slower during pregnancy, as well as when taking oral contraceptives. This means that the effects of caffeine isn’t broken down by the liver as quickly, so the effects are felt for longer.
  5. Cigarette smoking doubles the rate of caffeine clearance by increasing the liver enzyme activity. This means that the effects of caffeine wear off more quickly. This may be one of the explanations for the higher rate of caffeine consumption among smokers.
  6. Coffee reduces the absorption of Levothyroxine – this is a common medication for hypothyroidism which should ideally be taken on an empty stomach
  7. Excessive caffeine intake may increase ‘unstable’ bladder in women i.e. suddenly being desperate for a wee
  8. The belief that coffee is dehydrating is not true for habitual coffee drinkers. If your body is used to drinking coffee the effect on urine output should be minimal (unless your bladder is sensitive to caffeine – see previous point). Obviously if you drink a lot of any fluid you are going to wee more).
cup-latte-coffee

Any negatives of caffeine to be aware of?

  • Increased anxiety – many people with depression/anxiety/stress find that coffee can make it much worse
  • Insomnia – if you are sensitive to caffeine, you may need to to keep coffee for the morning
  • Abdominal cramping and diarrhoea – common in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

So, it’s best to know your own body and how much caffeine you can tolerate. If you have a good tolerance, limit yourself to 4-6 cups per day (maximum of 2 cups if pregnant). If you suffer with diarrhoea, anxiety or insomnia, then try cutting coffee out for a few days to see if this helps!

Right, time for a cuppa!!!!!

KFC – can fast food be fit food?

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Call it a mid life crisis, but I’ve recently started stoking up the social life with a night out every fortnight or so. With only weeks to go until my 39 turns to in to forty, and with significantly more childcare on hand (thank you parents, sister and cousins!) it would be silly not to.

Usually a conversation in the pub eventually gets to “what do you do?”, or hilariously (well, it seemed the funniest thing I’d ever heard after a few Bushmill Mojitos): “What is your role in life?”

When I tell people that I am a dietitian, a lot of people ask the ‘Which Is Better’ question e.g.  “gin with slimline or fat tonic?”, “Guinness or beer?” or “what’s the least bad thing to have from the take-away”.

So takeaways: can fast food be fit food?

Purely for research purposes, today, I attended one of the best fast food joints Bangor Ring Road has to offer: KFC@Balloo.

What was the healthiest/least ‘bad’ thing on offer?

I had been slightly terrified that I was going to have to get one of those great big buckets that used to be advertised on TV in the 80’s. How things have changed! It felt like a chorus of angels had descended when I spotted the KFC Rice Box. It looked remarkably similar to the boxes you can get in Leon – a healthy fast fast food mecca in snazzy London.

 

 

Original Recipe Rice Box: in a box, there was a large portion of rice, a crispy chicken fillet, some salad (lettuce and tomatoes), a dollop of tomato chutney on the rice, and a splash of creamy dressing on the lettuce.

 

KFC Rice Box Adult Recommended Intake per day
Calories 500 2000
Fat 17 70
Saturated Fat 2.3 20
Carbohydrates 64 260
Protein 28 50
Salt 2.5 6

 

  • Taste: It was quite tasty indeed. The chicken wasn’t at all dry, the rice was flavoursome, the lettuce was crispy and the tomatoes great too (I am clearly not a food critic with extensive foody vocabulary!)
  • Nutrition:
    • the rice provides a good source of carbs (although there was a bit too much for me so I left about half).
    • great amount of protein from the chicken
    • the chicken has been deep fried so higher in fat than a grilled fillet, unfortunately KFC doesn’t have this option. I guess that’s reasonable as the joint is has ‘fried chicken’ in it’s name.
    • the salad provides about one of your five a day of fruit/veg
    • Horribly high in salt, giving you almost half of your recommended daily salt intake. The salt is probably what makes the rice so tasty.

KFC Nutrition Guide

How to ‘health it up’:

  • add a bottle of water
  • add a side of corn on the cob to double your veg intake
  • only eat half the rice, unless you’re very hungry or have just been working out
  • remove the crispy skin from the chicken
  • DO NOT add any more salt
  • DO NOT add chips or Coke

As a post sport/exercise/workout recovery meal, this is pretty good. It provides a decent amount of carbs, protein, and veg. The salt can be a good thing if you are a heavy sweater.

So how does it compare to healthy restaurant Leon’s box? Well, Leon has lots of different versions, but typically, there isn’t a massive amount of difference when comparing calories and overall fats. The KFC one is higher in salt and carbs (probably due to the big portion of rice), but as a positive KFC is higher in protein. Leon’s usually also contain healthy fats from avocado, olive oil and seeds.

Would I get this again from KFC? Yes, sure I would. Thumbs up 🙂

Smoothie Bowl

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6216be92664c268834e07ac1a29edd4aThis is something I make in seconds for my kids as a very healthy pudding. They love it. It’s somewhere between ice-cream and a smoothie. For me, I sometimes have it as a breakfast. I add a handful of oats, and if I’ve just had a bike or run, a scoop of protein powder.

Why it’s great:

Yogurt: calcium, protein, good bacteria for the digestion Berries: antioxidants,
phytonutrients and fibre. Oats: for slow release energy, soluble fibre, B-glucan cholesterol lowering, carbs for replacing muscle glycogen stores post workout. Protein powder: 20g extra protein post workout for muscle recovery and maintenance, also keeps you feeling full up for longer. 

Ingredients:

  • frozen berries: 1 big handful per person
  • Oats: 1 small handful per person (about 30g)
  • Natural yogurt: 3 tablespoons per person
  • Honey: 1/2-1 teaspoon per person

Method: whizz up in a blender, in my blender I’ve to give it a shake every few seconds to get all the ingredients down to the bottom.

Eat with a spoon!img_1066.jpg

If you use a flavoured yogurt, there’s no need to add honey as it should be sweet enough already.

 

Here’s what I used this evening……

5 of the best pasta sauces

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Tales of sinister goings on inside pasta sauce jars are rife. If you are to believe the Daily Mail, they are full of sugar and they may, basically, kill you. I say “Really???” In true dietitian style I’m going to challenge that. To be fair, most tomato based pasta sauces are a good choice, but if you are concerned about levels of sugar and salt, some are better than others.

So what should you look for when buying a pasta sauce?

  • tomato based, rather than creamy or with mascarpone
  • low sugar: less than 5g per 100g
  • low salt: less than 0.3g per 100g

The Sugar Issue: yes, most tomato pasta sauces have some sugar added to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. The tricky thing here is that even a whole tomato, straight from the plant, has naturally occurring sugars. So on the jar label if it says 5g of sugar, this does not mean that there is 5g (about a teaspoon) of white sugar added. About 3g of this will be natural sugar from the tomato. The remaining 2g may be from added sugar.

The Salt Issue: it is very hard to find a tomato pasta sauce than is low in salt (the ones marketed for kids usually are). Most of the jars that I have suggested below are ‘medium’ for salt.

You can of course make your own pasta sauce from scratch with tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, and some herbs, but sometimes that feels like a bit too much effort. One good tip to add more nutrition oomph and to reduce the concentration of salt is to open an extra tin of chopped tomatoes and add it to the jarred sauce.

 

Here are 5 great choices:

All figures are per 100g (roughly a portion)

001665.jpgLoyd Grossman Pasta Sauce – Tomato & Basil. 61 calories, 4.8g sugar, 0.8g salt Sugar is pretty low, the salt is a bit high but not terrible. There are no strange sounding ingredients – it’s all proper food. Ingredients: Tomato (61%), Tomato Purée, Garlic, Basil (2.6%), Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Ground Black Pepper.

 

001640.jpgDolmio Low Fat. 33 calories, 4.2g sugar, 0.8g salt.                                                        Don’t let the name of this Dolmio sauce put you off. To be honest, I’m perplexed that it’s called ‘low fat’ as the Dolmio Original is also low in fat. The difference is that the ‘Dolmio Low Fat’ is a bit lower in sugar.

Ingredients: Tomatoes (81%), Tomato Paste (10%), Onion, Cornflour, Lemon Juice, Salt, Basil (0.3%), Sugar, Garlic, Parsley, Herb, Spices.

 

IDShot_110x110Tesco Goodness For Kids Pasta Sauce 51 calories, 3.6g sugar, 0.2g salt. Ohhh I’m loving this one. It has lots of different extra vegetables. It’s marketed for kids, but grown ups don’t let this put you off. Great ingredients, low in sugar and salt. 

Ingredients: Tomato Purée, Carrot (20%), Red Pepper (10%), Lemon Juice From Concentrate, Yellow Pepper (5%), Onion (4%), Cornflour, Apple Juice from Concentrate,    Garlic Purée, Sea Salt, Rapeseed Oil, Pepper

 

024019.jpgSainsbury’s Light Tomato & Herb Pasta Sauce 28 calories, 4g sugar, 0.6g salt                       This ‘light’ version of Sainsbury’s own brand sauce is much lower in sugar than the standard ones. 

Ingredients: Tomatoes (80%), Tomato Purée (13%), Water, Onions (1%), Onion Purée (1%), Maize Starch, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Sugar, Basil, Oregano, Garlic Purée, Olive Oil, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Ground Black Pepper.

 

 

267339ASDA Good & Counted Bolognese Pasta Sauce 27 calories, 4.1g sugar, 0.6g salt   This ‘light’ version of Asda’s own brand sauce is much also much lower in sugar than the standard ones. 

Ingredients: Tomatoes (80%), Concentrated Tomato Purée (14%), Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Water, Concentrated Apple Juice, Salt, Dried Onions, Basil Leaf, Garlic Purée, Oregano Leaf, Rapeseed Oil, Ground Black Pepper

 

 

This isn’t an exclusive list and there are many many other good ones out there. My aim is to take the confusion and indecision away when trying to choose.