NUTRITION TIPS

This Month’s Nutrition Tip – November 2009

Nutrition Tip – November 2009

Eating Seasonally

There are many benefits to eating food that is in season. With the advent of most people shopping in supermarkets, and stiff competition for our hard earned pounds, supermarkets tend to offer most fruits and vegetables all year round. Whilst choice and variety are wonderful, we do pay the price with food that now clocks up a lot of ‘food miles’ and may lose vital nutrients in the travelling process. Eating what is in season not only means that we tend to include more variety in our diets, as we try new vegetables that are in season, but also helps reduce the environmental impact of transporting foods from all over the world. Signing up to a local organic box scheme or shopping local farmers markets is also a great way try eating more seasonally.

What’s in season in November?

Fruit – Apples
Vegetables – parsnips, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, leeks, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin and spinach.

(Source: ‘Your Guide to Organic Living’ – Soil Association)

Below are a couple of recipes to wet your appetite for eating seasonally, featuring pumpkin and spinach.

Sweet Potato & Pumpkin soup with Turmeric
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
85gms chopped pumpkin
85gms chopped sweet potato
75gms chopped onion
5 green cardamom seeds
1 level tsp coriander seeds
Fresh chives to garnish (optional)
2 dried bay leaves
1 level tsp of turmeric
2 tsp lemon juice
100gms tomatoes, chopped and skinned
250ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp live organic yogurt (optional)
In a heavy saucepan heat the oil and cook the pumpkin, sweet potato and onion for 3 minutes.  Add the spices and stir them into the oil and vegetables for 1 minute.  Add the lemon juice, tomatoes, stock and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and liquidize the contents of the pan in a food processor or blender. This is a thick soup, but if you prefer it a bit thinner, add a little more stock at this stage and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice and some black pepper.  Serve hot or cold, garnished with a dollop of yogurt into which some chives have been whisked. 
Adapted from p131 of In Bed with the Food Doctor, by Ian Marber and Vicky Edgson

Lentils with spinach

Serves 4
250g brown lentils
500g fresh spinach or 250g of frozen spinach
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 tbs of olive oil

Put the lentils in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Then simmer until they are soft, which should take about an hour. Wash and chop the spinach (or defrost if using frozen). Put the spices, garlic, pepper, salt and olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Stir well for a minute before adding the spinach. Stir for a few more minutes. Drain the lentils and combine with the spinach and serve.

The above recipe is taken from ‘The Kitchen Shrink’ by Natalie Savona

More details on request

“Lindsey gave me a thorough dietary assessment which involved me writing a diary of my diet for one week. As painful as I found this process - I was a bad eater, often skipping meals and gorging on sugar! - It was worth doing this because the plan and the support I received from Lindsey, helped me break through my emotional comfort zone to experience a greater well being. Lindsey, recommended good, simple food that made me feel and look better. I have found that eating regularly enough to keep my sugar levels from dropping and choosing from food that isn't high in sugar content does keep me on an even keel.” Rita, London


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