Balanced and Tasty Eating
We often get asked how our clients can make their nutritious and healthy meals even tastier without making them unhealthy?
Look for condiments that don’t contain a lot of added sugars and sodium. Sugar and salt should not be one of the first ingredients you see on any label, ever.
We don’t expect anyone to be obsessed with checking labels but just to be aware of what is in the products that you buy.
Also, don’t forget that sugar and salt go by many different names. Read carefully, and look for anything that ends in “ose” — try to stay away!
We try to make our own home-made, natural products here and encourage our clients to do the same.
Don’t be afraid to eat “Fats”
Healthy fats include ingredients such as:
- extra virgin olive oil
- cold-pressed nut and seed oils
- avocado
Be wary of vegetable oils – corn, cottonseed, soybean, and sunflower. Also avoid “glycerides”, such as “mono- and diglycerides” and anything called “hydrogenated.”
These are the type of industrially processed fats that most of us need to minimize in our diets.
Here at Educogym, we love Pesto & Hummus… a lot! We try to make all of our meals nutritious, balanced and tasty. We love to eat but we love to eat well. It is so important to fill your body with the right fuel.
Pesto
Traditional Italian pesto is made from basil, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. When made from extra-virgin olive oil, it is a fantastic little food additive and so rich in taste and full of vitamins.
Remember, though, that not all store brands are made from extra virgin olive oil so be careful!
So why not make your own?
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil – very important to have extra virgin!
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (can substituted with chopped walnuts)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
– Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor/blender and pulse several times. Add the garlic and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
– While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
– Stir in some freshly ground black pepper to taste.
– Add it to salads, chicken or fish for extra tastiness – it’s also delicious with brown/wholemeal pasta and some prawns and vegetables
You can also make it using a pestle and mortar!
Hummus
Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread that is typically made with cooked, mashed chickpeas and blended with sesame tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and garlic.
As with pesto, the olive oil in hummus provides a nice dose of healthy fats and anti-inflammatories. The chickpeas are also a good source of fibre.
We provide a tasty recipe for hummus for our clients too! We love to eat it with omelettes, chicken, beef and salads. It’s also a delicious snack with carrot, celery and pepper sticks.
We will be back again soon with some more Educogym health and fitness advice,
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The Educogym Team
