insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 23 - January 2017 | Page 43

HEALTH+WELLNESS

EAT YOURSELF HEALTHIER
THIS YEAR
YOU’VE FINISHED THE LEFTOVERS AND THE PROSECCO HAS RUN DRY; SAD AS IT MAY BE,
CHRISTMAS IS OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR FOLKS, SO IT’S TIME TO TACKLE THAT MOST
CHALLENGING OF ALL GOOD INT ENTIONS – THE NEW YEAR HEALTH KICK. EATING WELL IS HARD,
ESPECIALLY OFF THE BACK OF A FESTIVE FEAST, SO WE’VE DONE THE RESEARCH FOR YOU AND
PUT TOGETHER A HANDY LITTLE HEALTH GUIDE TO SET YOU ON THE RIGHT PATH.
BY POLLY HUMPHRIS

EAT MORE…
Pulses, beans and peas
Hot on the heels of nuts as the go-to healthy
snack, pulses in all their forms are being
praised for their high nutritional value.
Apparently, as little as one in ten of us eat
pulses daily, but people who do consume one
portion of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils not
only feel 31 per cent fuller than those who
don’t, but find it easier and more manageable
to stabilise their weight. Gluten free, packed
with protein and with a low glycemic index,
legumes are also cheap as chips (something
you definitely shouldn’t be eating).
Sprouted greens
If you ditch the lettuce in your salad and
replace it for a mound of sprouted greens,
your protein, vitamin C and B complex vitamin
intake will leap upwards by a whopping five
times the amount. Grains and seeds that are
harvested before they grow into fully fledged
plants, sprouted greens are ‘living’ and so
continue to produce nutrients right up until

you eat them, plus they’re rich in chlorophyll,
which cleanses our blood and detoxifies our
system. Sprinkle over soups and smoothies
with wild abandon.
Local fruit and veg
Whole foods are higher in nutrient levels
because they don’t undergo all of the
packaging, artificial lighting and changes in
temperature that fruit and vegetables which
have travelled across the world (or even from
one end of the country to the other) will have.
Which isn’t to say that non-local produce isn’t
nutritious, but is to say that its levels of
nutrients and specifically vitamins A, B, C and
E will be significantly lower than fruit and
vegetables bought from local markets.
Shopping locally, your food will not only be
healthier for you, but it will taste better too, as
anyone who’s ever been to a ‘pick your own’
and eaten fruit fresh from the plant will contest.
Good quality meat
Bearing in mind the horrors of factory farming
and the fact that processed meat reassembled
from chemically-enhanced animal scraps is
rife, it’s tempting to push vegetarianism as a

far healthier way to live. That said, a vegetarian
that lives on crisps and sugary drinks is bound
to be in far worse shape than a farmer who
lives on free-range, grass-fed organic beef.
Extremes aside, the quality of the meat you
choose to consume will have a marked effect
on your health - as a rule of thumb, cheap
meat means corners are cut where the safety,
health and welfare of animals is concerned,
so it’s better all round to buy good quality meat
and eat it less frequently.
Amaranth
2017’s quinoa equivalent, amaranth is rich in
protein and contains a pretty powerful punch
of calcium, iron and magnesium, as well as
more fibre than its other gluten-free
counterparts. A seed rather than a grain, it has
a slightly peppery, nutty flavour and a sticky
texture, so can be cooked as a cereal, ground
into flour, popped like popcorn, sprouted, or
toasted. The seeds can also be added to stirfry, soups and stews to thicken them up and
add a bit more bite.

43