absolute health - Health Tips

Another healthy recipe

Ed Ley — 2010-02-03T08:01:04.4296Z

Anne-Marie has done it again. Yet another delicious and healthy recipe.

Pork and fennel stir fry pork

This stir fry is colourful and full of natural flavour there is no need for packet sauce. It uses fennel root which has a rich sweet flavour and is widely available in supermarkets (it looks a bit like a peeled onion). This meal contains a good balance of carbohydrates and protein from pork ideal for Ed’s “Green Faces” eating plan. This freezes well and can be heated in the microwave in 3 mins from frozen – perfect for people with busy lives.

Ingredients (Makes 2 big portions)

1tbsp oil (sesame or walnut add good flavour - else use olive/ sunflower)

1 large onion sliced thinly

200- 250g sliced pork loin

1 fennel root sliced thinly

1 red pepper

2 courgettes halved and sliced on the diagonal

2 handfuls mangetout or sugar snap

2 inch piece fresh ginger finely chopped

1 cloves garlic crushed

2 tbsp soy sauce

Ground black pepper to taste

Method

Put a non stick frying pan or wok on a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the garlic, ginger and onion, stir and heat until the onion begins to go transparent.
Add the thinly sliced pork and stir with the onion until pork is sealed.
Add the fennel and keep stirring to prevent sticking/ burning.
Finally add the red pepper, strips of courgette and mangetout.
If necessary add a tablespoon of water to the pan (with caution) keep stirring for 5 mins.
Stir through the soy sauce and heat for another minute – serve immediately.

Anne-Marie

a Fat Fighting curry

Ed Ley — 2010-01-27T08:39:07.7293855Z

Anne-Marie has done it again..... Now you don't even have to cut out your weekend curry to enjoy the 'Green Faces' plan. Anne-Marie is a Personal Training client and the most inventive of cooks who has managed to lose 1 stone since Christmas following the 'Green Faces' plan and my 30 minute training programmes . Give her recipe a go and let me know what you think it.

Aubergine, Chicken and Chickpea curry

This is so yummy you won’t even miss the rice!! Plus it’s ready in 35mins and freezes and reheats well. A good, even balance of vegetable carbohydrates and protein from the chickpeas and chicken, so perfect for the “Green Faces” eating plan.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 large or two medium sized onion

1 tin chickpeas in water or brine

2 chicken breasts

1 large aubergine

2 inch piece fresh ginger finely chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp chilli sauce or chilli flakes

2 tsp mustard seeds or 2 tsp strong mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

Ground black pepper to taste

Method

Put a heavy bottomed casserole pan on a high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. While the oil is heating peel and chop the onion. When the oil smokes add all the seeds, cover and shake pan get the seeds popping. Simmer and add onions stirring so they don’t burn.
Chop the chicken breast into chunks and add the chicken, ginger, chilli, garlic and other spices to the onions and seeds.
Wash the aubergine and cut into dice and add to the pan. Leave to cook for ten minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes and add to the pan, with water as necessary simmer for 5 mins.
Finally add the chick peas stir the curry together and season to taste. Cover and allow to simmer slowly for 30 minutes adding water if necessary.
Serve with fresh veg.

Anne-Marie

Answering the question of what to have for breakfast

Ed Ley — 2010-01-26T07:32:54.9889855Z

Anne-Marie one of my clients has been following my adapted 'Green Faces' plan for the past 4 weeks and has lost 1stone (we are both aware this is not all fat) and she has also been training very hard with a series of 30 minute programmes. The most common problem my clients complain of is what to eat for breakfast after I have banished toast, porridge and cereal? My usual answer is eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes or and Omelette (recipe on another day) although some people cannot eat this much in the morning. Anne-Marie had the same complaints as many of my clients. She came up with this recipe to make the morning breakfast struggle a thing of the past.

Butternut Squash Breakfast muffins

I find these are really handy when you need breakfast or a snack on the go, they are easy to make, delicious and are quick to grab and munch wherever. They have a good, even balance of vegetable carbohydrates and protein from the egg and bacon, so perfect for the “Green Faces” eating plan.

Ingredients

1/3 medium sized butternut squash coarsely grated

1 large courgette coarsely grated

1 large onion finely chopped

4 rashers bacon (lean) chopped into small pieces

4 eggs beaten

3 tbsp oil (olive or sunflower are best)

Herbs/ spices to taste (I usually add black pepper and a sprinkling of chilli flakes)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180deg C. Prepare a 12 muffin tin. Use silicon inserts or grease the tins well with oil.
Put the grated squash and courgette into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion and 2/3 of the bacon (making sure it’s evenly stirred through).
Add the beaten eggs and oil and herbs and spices, the mixture should be slightly flowing, but well mixed and bound.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the muffin tin. Sprinkle/ place the last 1/3 of the bacon on top of the muffins (this will crisp slightly).
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins until the muffins have risen and the top of the muffins are golden.
Allow to cool slightly before removing from tins. Can be eaten warm or cold. Store in fridge once cooled for up to 3 days, they can be frozen and then defrosted.
ENJOY!

Anne-Marie

Get greater results from your training

Ed Ley — 2010-01-23T13:44:15.9111855Z

My Personal Training Clients get great results. But those that get the best results follow the Green Faces diet. I can really recommend this diet for its simplicity, it really helps get rid of all those cravings that make sticking to your goals so much more difficult.

Green Faces

This is a three week phase to get your body burning more fat, clean up your nutrition, cut the junk from your diet and help cut any cravings you may have.

It is called the ‘Green Faces’ diet, you can eat anything that had a face or would have had a face and anything that grew green.

It is important that you are extremely strict about the guidelines. You must eat five meals per day and have a good source of protein at every meal. Drink plenty of water (at least 2 litres).

Important Tips

Always, as much as possible, eat only the foods that are on your recommended food chart
This is a balanced diet. You need to eat a wide variety of foods.
Try to eat different foods every day.
Eat whole, natural foods. Stay away from processed foods. Eat organic when possible.
Eat protein at every meal and eat a mixture of different proteins. Eating sufficient protein at each meal will maximise your energy, trim your waist, and assure peak performance. Never eat carbohydrates alone as a meal or snack.
Eat at least 5 meals a day. Eat something every 3-4 hours and never skip breakfast. You want to try and eat before you get hungry in order to maintain your blood sugar levels.
No dairy products are allowed. Eggs are permitted.
Carefully pick your carbohydrates. No bread or refined carb consumption.
Use fats and oils freely.
Stay away from alcohol. It’s a simple sugar and will wreak havoc with your metabolism.
Limit caffeine to no more than 1-2 cups per day. This includes, coffee, tea, and diet drinks with caffeine. Also when you drink caffeinated beverages eat protein with them.
Try to drink only water when thirsty.
Avoid or minimise sugar as much as you can.
It may be a good idea to supplement with a multi vitamin and Omega 3 fat.
Avoid
1. Tap water
2. Fried or microwaved food
3. Do not over cook vegetables
4. Do not over cook meat or eat blackened, charred meat.

Proteins – You must have one at every meal

Beef	Chicken	Duck
Bacon	Fowl	Goose
Spare Rib	Pork Chop or lean pork	Turkey
Veal	Wild Game	Shellfish
Any fish	Eggs	Ham
Whey protein shake	Soya Milk – sugar free	Soya

Carbohydrates – Only green vegetables

Aubergine	Squash	Broccoli
Asparagus	Spinach	Greens
Lettuce	Courgette	Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage	Cucumber	Celery
Peppers	Green Beans	Peas
Tomato	Cauliflower	Mushroom
Onion	Artichoke

Fats – Use freely

Olive Oil	Almond Oil	Flax Oil
Peanut Oil	Sesame Oil	Sunflower Oil
Walnut Oil	Coconut Oil

Bordeaux Quay teaching Bristol kids to cook

Ed Ley — 2010-01-22T07:39:04.342Z

Bordeaux Quay Bristol teaching kids to cook, brilliant http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Bristol-children-learn-healthy-way-help-Bordeaux-Quay-Cookery-School/article-1736837-detail/article.html

This is brilliant, teaching Bristols kids to cook is a fantastic thing to do, something all restaurants should think about doing, besides being fantastic publisity it's the best way to ensure a happier healthier city for years to come.

Article in the times about running let me know what you think

Ed Ley — 2010-01-21T13:46:39.5418Z

What a great article about running. As a personal Trainer myself I can only agree running is a brilliant form of exercise. It's not the best form of fitness training and injuries are very common but I don't think anyones claiming it to be.

The article has been ruined at the end with some very pointless facts that bear no relation to the article whatsoever.

Running facts

Runners burn 12 per cent more calories on a winter’s day as the body works harder to stay warm (not just runners everyone this really is not a plus point for running)

A cup of black coffee before a run can boost the fat-burning effects of the activity, studies have found. (Coffee increases the heart rate, if you were sat in a chair drinking coffee it would increase the amount of fat you burn. The fact is you have just told half the country that coffee is good for them which is perhaps a little careless. Coffee is an irritant to the body and it blocks the absorbtion of calcium... try running with osteoporosis)

Please tell us about your fantastic experiences and how they make you feel and stop interpreting facts to suit your stories.

http://www.facebook.com/l/377d2;women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article6994253.ece

Ed Ley Personal Trainer Bristol

Extract from my Personal Training Manual

Ed Ley — 2010-01-18T18:21:44.5892Z

What to avoid when trying to lose weight the right way or even just improve your health and energy levels

Black List

When we consume one of these products a lot more happens than just potential weight gain. We can suffer insulin spikes causing further cravings and food that your body does not recognise (such as the food listed below) will be stored as fat many of which cannot be burned off through exercise.

You will suffer cravings during this time. Try to keep your focus, drink a glass of water, remind yourself of your goals, keep some healthy snacks available. If you do fall of and end up eating something you shouldn’t beat yourself up just get right back on your food plan.

Alcohol

I think it is safe to say alcohol is bad for us and we are aware of the major symptoms of alcohol consumption. Alcohol also robs many nutrients from the body for detoxification.

Sugar

Sugar is particularly detrimental to people with your needs. Manufacturers tend to use a lot of sugar in today’s food products. Nearly all processed and packaged foods contain added sugar. Some products, such as fizzy drinks, have a very high percentage of sugar. Some brands of fizzy drinks, for example, are known to contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar per can.

Non foods

Unfortunately there is a growing number of what we would call ‘non’ foods. A non-food is one that actually takes more of your body’s nutrients and energy in digestion and processing than it gives you in return. Food should provide your body with building blocks, energy, vitamins and minerals. It should not draw them out of your body. Most non-foods are those that are processed and come in packets. If we eat too many non-foods, we do not get all the nutrients that we need and end up having to eat more in order to satisfy our body’s needs. As a result, we become less and less healthy, but eat more and more.

Gluten

The family of grains is made up of wheat, rye, barley and oats are actually hybridised grasses. This means they are not entirely natural and are the product of experimentation. The main problem with these grains is that they all contain a protein called gluten which the body finds difficult to digest.

Prolonged exposure to gluten can cause reduced efficiency of the digestive system and directly contribute to water retention, weight gain, fatigue, energy slumps, headaches, skin conditions, bloating, food cravings and many other issues.

Starch

Not to be placed permanently on the blacklist starch can be a highly addictive food source and can confuse your brain into thinking you need more that you do. It can also play an important role in how we feel. I will ask you to cut out starchy foods for 4 weeks namely; rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pasta. We will then slowly re-introduce them into your diet to find the perfect balance. After a few weeks of avoiding these food your body will become a great deal more sensitive to its starch requirements.

Caffeine

Caffeine is an irritant to the body and prevents the absorption of calcium. It is many found in coffee, black tea, cola (and other fizzy drinks) and chocolate.

Dairy

Milk was first pasteurised in Chicago, in 1908. What few people know about pasteurisation is that it destroys milk and any milk product, such as cheese. The pasteurisation process involves heating milk for 30sec at 63C, 15sec at 72C or 1sec at 89C. The idea is to kill bacteria. Fresh, raw milk contains valuation enzymes and other nutrients, including beneficial lactic acid bacteria, amino acids and vitamins. Ironically, when the enzymes have all been destroyed, the milk is declared pasteurised (Chek, 2004).

Cow’s milk has a very different composition to a human mothers milk or even sheep or goat milk and after infancy our bodies lack the enzymes to digest it. Cow’s milk is the number one allergy causing food.