Two big food trends set for this year are:
Coconut Flour
Gluten free and high in protein – 100g has 38% of your RDA – it’s ideal for vegans and veggies needing to increase their intake.
Medjool Dates
As sugar fell out of favour in 2015, naturally sweet snacking alternatives soared in popularity, including medjool dates. Sales rose by 16% at Waitrose.
The newest diet trend actually allows you eat some of your favourite foods – dark chocolate included! The sirtfood plan is all about what you should include and add to your meals.
What are sirtfoods?
There are other health benefits to adding sirtuins to your diet, beyond just losing weight. A diet high in sirtuins reduces cell inflammation – a key cause of type 2 diabetes – heart disease and even dementia. As sirtfoods are known to help protect cells from dying, eating lots of them can also have powerful anti-ageing benefits.
What foods should I be eating?
This top 10 list shows the foods most rich in sirtuin activators:
Happy New Year! Feeling bloated and ready for a detox? Try these low calorie snacks to help you on the road to recovery.
These nutritious snack ideas are a great way to get you back into healthy eating after the inevitable Christmas indulgence. Add these snacks into a healthy diet, will help you to feel full in between meals while you’re trying to lose weight.
Eating frequently throughout the day keeps your metabolism stoked and your hunger from getting out of hand (which can lead to overeating). These snacks under 100 calories are healthy, satisfying, and they wont derail your diet.
1. 1 medium orange (60 calories), 1 piece dark chocolate (35)
These 2 are a powerhouse of antioxidants; plus, you get to eat chocolate!
2. ½ apple (40), ½ banana (50)
Slice these two delicious fruits up together to make a mini fruit salad that makes for a satisfying option that’s full of fibre and vitamins. Sprinkle a little metabolism boosting cinnamon on top if you want more flavour.
3. 1 medium red bell pepper (40), 2 tablespoons hummus (50)
Slice up your bell pepper and enjoy this colourful treat guilt free.
4. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (60), 6 large strawberries (36)
With this you get a healthy serving of digestive-friendly probiotics and calcium from the yogurt and antioxidants and fibre from the berries.
5. 3 level teaspoons peanut butter (75), 2 large stalks of celery (20)
The celery makes for a satisfying ‘crunch’ and the fat and protein in the peanut butter will help you feel full longer.
6. 7 almonds (50), 1 kiwi (50)
The best low calorie snacks are the ones that provide a good balance of fats, proteins and carbs; this one is perfect.
7. 1 cup of almost any raw fruit or vegetable (100)
Almost all fruits and veggies are under 100 cals per cup, some of them are much less. Raw fruits and veggies are ideal options, reach for these whenever possible.
8. 1 ounce mozzarella cheese (70), 1 medium tomato (25)
Slice up a fresh tomato and enjoy a serving of skim mozzarella cheese for a healthy and nutritious snack.
When eating out it is difficult to keep to healthy options. However, there is no reason you can’t continue to follow your healthy eating plan.
Here are some top tips on how to stay on track and still enjoy meals out.
Not only have these foods been given the title of ‘superfoods’, for their great nutritional value and overall benefit to health, but now it’s been discovered that they contain ingredients that actually aid in weight loss too. Below is a list of these superfoods, along with the ingredient that makes them super.
Bell peppers
The vitamin C helps produce carnitine, which in turn helps muscles use fat.
Avocados
Full of protein, fibre and monounsaturated fats that lower cholesterol.
Kelp
High levels of iodine to help thyroid hormone production and minerals to break down fat.
Eggs
Just 80 cals and 6g of protein, it’s a great way to start the day, helping limit your calorie intake for the rest of the day.
Oats
A third of your daily amount of fibre in a single serving. Keeping you fuller for longer.
Spinach
Full of fibre, vitamins and minerals to ease water tension.
Grapefruit
When drunk with meals, the juice is thought to lower weight gain by up to a fifth.
Dark chocolate
Aim for a couple of squares that are at least 70% cocoa. This will reduce your craving for sweet, salty and fatty food.
Peanuts
Have a handful as the amount of energy used to digest them means you burn calories while you’re eating them. Studies also show eating peanuts increased metabolic rate by 11%.
Cumin
A fat-busting miracle that lowers cholesterol.
