Welcome to Healthy Eating...It does seem like there is a change in the trends…That more eating plans are advocating eating less processed and more healthy food which is good… I am seeing phrases like Clean Eating, Eating Pegan, Gut Health, Hemp is still being mentioned, Bitters and Un-Dieting… Let’s have a look and see if they are worth following as a diet plan…

Clean Eating…

Foods like whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats and plenty of fruits and veggies are on the menu while refined carbs, alcohol, added sugars and hydrogenated fats should be avoided or limited.

However it is a low carb diet as potatoes, rice etc are not encouraged…

Eating Pegan…

Think about combining paleo with vegan and what do you get? A trendy eating plan dubbed the pegan diet this first hit the diet world in 2014, but the philosophy has only since picked up steam. Pinterest revealed that interest in the pegan diet jumped 337% in the past year, with searches continuing to climb.

The pegan diet borrows principles from both the paleo diet and veganism. Paleo eaters try to consume only foods available in the Paleolithic era 2.6 million years ago: vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and meat. It usually excludes dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee.

Veganism prescribes refraining from any animal products and by-products — including meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, and honey — and eating plant-based foods instead.

Thus Pegan was born…My thoughts very restrictive and also high in some food groups not an easy eating plan to follow

Gut Health…

Encourages eating more fermented foods, probiotics, keffir, kombucha with the aim of creating a healthy gut…Research shows that plant-based, fibre-rich diets boost the diversity of microorganisms in the gut. Ultimately, the greater the diversity of the bacteria, the greater the beneficial outcomes.

The good news is, bacteria can be altered by diet alone. That means you do not need to purchase over-the-counter high-dose probiotic supplements. a healthy can be achieved by diet although if you have a diagnosed condition see your doctor before you change to any eating plans.

I think it is always a good idea to be mindful of our gut health within the confines of a healthy diet.

Bitters…

Bitter herbs have long been used in traditional medicine to support healthy blood sugar levels. Did you know that we have 25 different receptors for bitter in the gut alone, while only one each to detect sweet and umami compounds?

Waking up those often-ignored receptors can help support healthy digestion and regulate other eating-related issues and functions.

Most veggies naturally contain more bitter substances, tipping your diet in the right direction. For best results, include those that have a stronger bitter flavour, such as kale, arugula, spinach, radicchio, dandelion greens, and broccoli others include asparagus, grapefruit and cucumbers.

Un-Dieting…

Many dietitian nutritionists are hoping that intuitive eating replaces diets altogether and hope that people will begin to recognize the futility of dieting in 2019. Diets can also be harmful to our bodies, causing increased body dissatisfaction, weight cycling, and disordered eating… I am firmly in this camp how about you ?

Hemp…

Hemp is commonly confused with marijuana. It belongs to the same family, but the two plants are very different. Marijuana is grown to contain high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that is responsible for its psychoactive properties. Hemp describes the edible plant seeds and only contains a trace amount of THC.

Hemp seeds can be consumed or used to produce a variety of food products including hemp milk, hemp oil, hemp cheese substitutes and hemp-based protein powder.

Hemp seeds have a mild, nutty flavour. Hemp milk is made from hulled hemp seeds, water, and sweetener. Hemp oil has a strong “grassy” flavour.

I think we will be seeing an increase in Hemp products this year as it is a hot topic …I will be following this with interest…

Personally, I don’t count calories any more, I know what foods are good to eat and which are not…

Why do people like diet plans is it because it tells you what to eat? But is it also the reason why you don’t sustain that plan…See what Sally has to say…

Sometimes faced with knowing that you need to change your eating habits creates the problem of what can I eat? You want to lose weight so you have to eat less so to start then maybe you will have to decide how you want to lose your weight( not overnight) over what time period…Sally looks at all this and breaks it all down…Plain and simply put …You are in charge so come on have a look at what you are going to do…No Fads. No quick hits, no exclusions maybe limitations …Just a sensible eating plan based on what foods you like and how they can help you lose weight…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/smorgasbord-health-column-size-matters-the-sequel-putting-your-plan-together-fats-portion-sizes-part-two-by-sally-cronin/

Smartwatch Corner…

I am still loving this piece of technology… I do like how it focuses me …I have looked Deep Sleep and REM sleep the other stage of sleep is light sleep…

Light sleep is a non-REM stage, and it’s easiest to wake up during this stage. It occurs in stages 1-2.  The first stage of light sleep is a transition phase and only makes up about 3% of our total time asleep; most light sleep happens in the second stage. The second stage of light sleep consists of over half of our time asleep each night. We dream during this stage, but the dreams are not as intense as they are during REM sleep.

Typically as people age, they spend more time each night in light sleep. That makes sense as that takes up the biggest proportion of the little graph I get every day breaking my percentages in the three sleep phrases it seems there’s no specific amount of time needed in this phase although it’s not as refreshing as deep sleep. However, it is a necessary sleep stage for proper brain functioning.

Reading the news I hear that the UK is in for a heatwave which will be lovely for this Easter holiday…

Here is a recipe for one of my favourite salads…Thais certainly know how to make delicious healthy salads will ingredients I never would have thought of using…

Pomelo Salad or as it is known here Yum Som O is a wonderful light refreshing salad made with Thai Grapefruit( Pink Grapefruit) can be substituted and there is very little difference in flavour.

Ingredients:

• 2 Pink Grapefruit or 1 Pomelo.
• 12-16 peeled shrimps.
• Sm.cucumber diced.
• 1/4 cup finely sliced shallots.
• 1/4 cup fresh Thai Basil or Mint.
• 1/4 cup Fresh coriander.
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts/cashews.
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut.
• 1 Red Chilli finely sliced.

Dressing:

• Half to 1 lime.
• 3 tbsp Fish Sauce.
• 1-2 tbsp palm sugar.
• 1 -2 red chillies finely sliced.
• Kaffir Lime leaf very finely sliced for garnish.

Let’s Cook!

Set a pot of water to boil on the stove. Add shrimp and boil for just a few minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and are plump and firm to the touch. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place shredded coconut in a dry frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and stir until coconut turns light golden brown and fragrant. Tip coconut into a small bowl to cool and set aside. Repeat with shallots frying in a little oil until golden and crispy tip into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Prepare your grapefruit or pomelo, removing as much of the white peel as possible from the fruit. Break into bite-size pieces – 3 to 4 cups is a good amount. Set prepared fruit in a salad bowl.

Add to the bowl: cucumber, basil/mint, coriander, and fresh chilli.

Combine all dressing ingredients together in a cup, stirring well to dissolve the sugar.

To put the salad together: Add shrimp to the salad bowl, then pour over the dressing. Toss well to combine. Add most of the toasted coconut, shallots and nuts, reserving a little for garnishing, then toss again. Taste-test the salad for a balance of sweet/sour/spicy/salty. Adjust to your liking, adding more sugar if too sour. For more depth of flavour, add a little Fish Sauce. Your salad is now ready to serve.  Top with reserved coconut, nuts and shredded lime leaf, and

Enjoy!

Tip: Like most Thai salad dressings, this is an oil-free dressing, so it doesn’t appear to ‘cling’ as well as oil-based dressings, naturally collecting at the bottom of your salad bowl. This isn’t a problem – just be sure to toss a little more than you would for a regular salad in order to saturate ingredients with the dressing.

This salad is better served and eaten immediately, the fresher the better. If preparing for a party, keep the dressing apart from the salad until you’re ready to eat, then toss them together just before serving.

I do hope you enjoy as this is one of my favourite salads, I do shred my Pomelo much finer though rather than having too chunky. But as with anything, it is a personal preference.

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading this post I hope you have found it of benefit…Until next week…xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week and enjoy your Easter holiday weekend xx