Benefits of avocado

Avocados, or alligator pears, are currently very popular, and are fast becoming the king of plants in the world of healthy eating. Like the tomato, it is actually a fruit rather than a vegetable. Avocados tick all the boxes when looking for the right balance of plant, protein and fat in every meal. They are high in monounsaturated fat which is one of the ‘good fats’, essential for cell regeneration and for nutritional absorption. The reason they’ve become so popular, is due to the impressive list of health benefits they give, and to their versatility. Their texture adds a creaminess to soups and smoothies, and the added fat makes salads more fulfilling.

Benefits: Avocados are rich in omega 3s, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K1 and vitamin B6. They help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, aid cardiovascular health, aid brain health, aid eye health, lubricate joints, fight premature skin ageing, are anti-inflammatory, relieve arthritis pain, are an antioxidant, regulate blood sugar levels, aid weight loss by curbing hunger, boost women’s fertility and help protect against cancer.
Best with: Bacon, banana, chicken, chilli, chocolate, coriander, cucumber, eggs, grape, grapefruit, hazelnut, lentils, lime, mango, mint, nutmeg, oily fish, peas, pineapple, soft cheese, strawberry, tomato.

MORNING GREEN SMOOTHIE
Avocados are a great way to start your day with an energy boost. Blend half an avocado, half a cup of almond milk or coconut water, half a ripe banana, handful of spinach, 1 dsp superfood green powder, 1 dsp hemp protein powder and a generous pinch of cinnamon.

GUACAMOLE
Probably the most well known use for avocado, and one that goes with almost every snack, lunch, or dinner. Cut up and mash together 1 avocado, 9 cherry tomatoes, juice of 1 lime, a small handful of coriander leaves, a pinch of cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Add a dollop of guacamole to roast vegetables, quinoa and rice dishes, on top of a thick soup or on a big bowl of bean hotpot.

AVOCADO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
I use this chocolate mousse as a healthy dessert for my kids. Treats can be used as an opportunity to add more nutrition, rather than an excessive overload of refined sugar. Blend together 1 avocado, 1 ripe banana, 2 dsp cacao powder, 1 dsp maple syrup and half tsp vanilla extract. Keeping bananas in the freezer is a great way to throw this mousse together, without having to chill it in the fridge after blending. It’s also just as delicious without the cacao, for a greener creamy dessert.

AVOCADO ON TOAST
To add some essential fat to breakfast, it's as simple as mashing half an avocado onto morning toast. It will keep you full for longer, curb your appetite till lunchtime and regulate your blood sugar levels. It works perfectly on whatever your favourite bread is, but sourdough is definitely the best. The creamy texture compliments the lovely, sour, fermented flavour of the sourdough. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and paprika to liven it up even more. For a weekend breakfast add poached or scrambled eggs to your avocado toast.

AVOCADO SALAD DRESSING
Homemade dressings are essential to have in your fridge for throwing together a quick salad. Shop-bought dressings are often full of preservatives and added sweeteners. They were one of the first things to go from my kitchen when I did a clear-out of all hidden sugars. Most dressings are a combination of fat and acid. To make this avocado dressing, blend 1 avocado, a handful of coriander leaves, juice of half a lemon, a drop of honey (optional) and salt and pepper to taste. If you want a more liquid dressing, add some water after you’ve blended all the ingredients, one tablespoon at a time, till you reach your required consistency.

SHAKSHUKA WITH AVOCADO
Shakshuka is a quick and very tasty one-pot dinner, which involves a tomato sauce base, eggs, and, in this version, avocado. Preheat the oven to 180C. Finely chop 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 sweet red pepper. Fry them in an ovenproof frying pan with a splash of olive oil, until the onions have softened. Add 1tsp paprika and 1 tsp cumin. Stir in a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes or 400g tomato passata. Let it bubble away for a few minutes. Cut 2 avocados into halves and remove the skin, make 4 nests in the sauce, and pop the avocados into them. Crack an egg into each avocado, add a grinding of salt and pepper, and bake in the oven for 15-20min until the egg whites are set. Enjoy with a slice of sourdough to mop up your delicious tomato and eggy sauce!

AVOCADO & PEA DIP
I regularly make hummus for dipping veg sticks into; as a quick lunch on oatcakes; or alongside a traybake of roast veg to increase the protein content. Peas are a surprisingly high source of protein. 1 cup gives 8g of protein, which is the same as the ever-popular quinoa, and more than chickpeas at 7g! For the avocado pea dip, blend 1 avocado, 1 cup of defrosted peas, 4 tbsp chopped walnuts,  juice of half a lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped vegetables, add to salads, use as a sauce on the side of a buddha bowl, or in a salad wrap.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Benefits of winter spices

Winter food can be lovely and comforting, with the addition of a variety of fragrant and warming spices. Along with stimulating the winter senses, there are lots of hidden health benefits to all these spices, that you may not even be aware of. Spices are made from dried bark, roots, buds and berries, and the drying process concentrates their flavour and health benefits. Adding spices to food enhances flavours and reduces the amount of salt required. They have powerful antioxidant and antibiotic qualities, aid digestion, clear the sinuses and even boost the metabolism!

CARDAMOM
Benefits: cardamom breaks up chest congestion, making it a good addition to a winter head cold brew. It also boosts the metabolism and helps burn fat more efficiently, aids good circulation and stimulates digestion.
Best with: almond, apricot, banana, carrot, chocolate, coconut, coffee, lamb, pear, vanilla.
Uses: cardamom is a lovely addition to brown rice, adding a fragrant warmth to a winter dish.

CHILLI
Benefits: chilli is most known for balancing blood sugar levels, boosts the metabolism, boosts the immune system, boost circulation and detoxification. It also helps clear congestion, relieves sinuses and reduces cholesterol.
Best with: almond, aubergine, avocado, beef, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chicken, chocolate, coconut, egg, garlic, lamb, lemon, olive, orange, pineapple, pork, potato, spinach, sweet potato, tomato.
Uses: add to tomato salsas, curries, bean hotpots and added to soups for a hot kick. If you’re a bit sensitive to the heat of fresh chillies try the dried variety such as paprika, mild chilli powder blends or a pinch of cayenne.

CINNAMON
Benefits: cinnamon balances blood sugar levels, boosts the metabolism, aids digestion, is rich in antioxidants, and is an anti-inflammatory. It also helps fight bacteria and viruses and is traditionally used to help recover from colds and sore throats.
Best with: almond, apple, apricot, banana, beef, blueberry, carrot, chocolate, coconut, coffee, lamb, pears, pork, sweet potato, tomato.
Uses: sprinkle it onto morning porridge to warm you up for the day, add it to a bowl of chopped fruit with a dollop of natural yogurt and a handful of seeds or use it to naturally sweeten up green smoothies. It’s also the perfect addition to stews and soups. In fruit crumbles and desserts it adds a natural sweetness which reduces the need for an added sweetener.

CORIANDER
Benefits: coriander is a strong anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol and aids digestion. It also has antibacterial properties that fight against salmonella, E.Coli and MRSA.
Best with: apple, coffee, garlic, lemon, orange, pork.
Uses: adds a citrus hint to stews, soups and curries. Coriander is usually found partnered with cumin in most Indian cuisine. The citrus character of coriander balances the nutty, earthy flavours of the cumin.

CUMIN
Benefits: cumin is a powerful antioxidant, antiseptic and antibacterial. It aids digestion, boosts the immune system, relieves nausea, bloating and constipation. It has also been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Best with: apricot, beetroot, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, egg, lamb, lemon, pork, potato, tomato.
Uses: cumin is one of my favourite spices. I add it to all my soups & stews. On most winter Saturday in my kitchen you’ll find a big bean and tomato-based hotpot made with whatever vegetables I have in the fridge and load of cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika. Cumin is also a lovely addition to warm winter salads. Try in it a simple couscous and grated carrot salad with a glug of olive oil.

GINGER
Benefits: ginger is known for settling upset stomachs, but it offers so much more. It can ease the symptoms of colds and flu, fights inflammation, boosts the metabolism, boosts the immune system, has powerful antioxidants, helps prevent Alzheimer’s, helps relieve migraines and reduces bloating and gas.
Best with: almond, apricot, aubergine, beef, cabbage, chocolate, coffee, lemon, onion, orange, pork, rhubarb, sweet potato, tomato, vanilla.
Uses: for a winter head cold or sore throat make a pot of tea with a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, the juice of half a lemon, half a teaspoon manuka honey and half a teaspoon of turmeric (fresh or powdered). Sipping the tea throughout the day will dramatically reduce the duration of your cold. Ginger can also be used as a tea made with cinnamon and and a bit of natural sweetener to relieve migraines.

NUTMEG
Benefits: nutmeg aids digestion, eases upset stomachs and wind, is an anti-inflammatory and relieves joint and muscle pain. It’s also said to be an aphrodisiac!
Best with: apple, aubergine, avocado, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chocolate, eggs, lamb, onion, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, vanilla, walnut.
Uses: grate some over a baked sweet potato or add to mashed potato. For an easy dinner, chop up some root vegetables, add a few cubes of frozen spinach, sprinkle with nutmeg and seasoning and bake in the oven for 30min. To add a bit of protein, crack an egg into the roasted veg and bake for the last 10min of baking time. Nutmeg is also nice and warming added into a hot chocolate or cup of warmed almond milk with a pinch of cinnamon.

TURMERIC
Benefits: turmeric has been in the spotlight recently for its powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. But it has so much more than that. It suppresses the growth of fat cells, improves digestion, boosts the immune system, reduces bloating and gas, prevents and treats arthritis, aids cardiovascular health, prevents and treats Alzheimer’s and contains anti-cancer substances.
Best with: almond, aubergine, avocado, beef, eggs, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chicken, chocolate, coconut, egg, garlic, lamb, lemon, orange, pork, potato, spinach, sweet potato, tomato.
Uses: add to rice dishes, stews, curries, soups or toss it with roast veg. Try a pinch of it in your scrambled eggs. It can be added to a morning hot lemon water, with a pinch of cinnamon, to boost digestion, kickstart the metabolism and start the day with a alkalised system. It also works as a cold remedy when partnered up with ginger as described above.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Fermented food

Fermented and cultured foods have been used for as far back as we know. Used as a method of preserving foods before the fridge was invented, they are currently experiencing a well-deserved revival and are being touted as the next generation of superfoods.

At various stages through life, gut bacteria can become compromised through stress, medication or an unbalanced lifestyle. This can cause tiredness, problems with digestion, bloating, upset stomachs or a weakened immune system. Fermented foods maintain a healthy gut to support the system under stress. They also improve digestion, boost the immune system, promote regular bowel movements, manage blood sugar levels, produce antioxidants, improve skin conditions and prevent intestinal disorders.

The fermentation process produces digestive enzymes and natural probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that live inside the gut. When these bacteria are properly balanced the gut is better able to absorb vitamins and nutrients from food, and eliminate toxins from the system. Reaping the benefits of all the good foods you nourish yourself with! Fermented foods create a wider variety and greater number of friendly bacteria in the gut. If you’ve ever taken a probiotic supplement you’ll have noticed that the more live bacteria, the better it works at balancing the gut. However, you will also have noticed how much more expensive these supplements are. Fermented foods are cheaper, and are nature’s probiotics.

It’s easy to work fermented foods into your diet. Swap regular bread for sourdough at lunchtime, add a tablespoon of sauerkraut with your main meal of the day, try coconut yogurt with your morning porridge; and miso paste instead of vegetable stock cubes in homemade soups, stews and casseroles. The three fermented foods I make most are sourdough bread, sauerkraut and coconut yogurt. I’ve been making sourdough bread for about three years and I still have the same batch of starter on the go. As it matures, the flavour intensifies and my little starter has set up several sourdough converts. Hopefully it’s still feeding, breathing, growing and producing great loaves for them.

The gluten in regular bread can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. The fermentation process in sourdough breaks the gluten down and makes it far easier for our system to digest. I make one or two loaves at the start of the week. Because of the fermentation it stays fresh much longer than shop bought bread. Sauerkraut is really easy to make and tastes much better than the ones you buy in supermarkets or health food shops. If you want to try a shop bought version make sure you buy one for the fridge; off the shelf jars are pasteurised to extend the use by date which kills most of the good bacteria that we need to strengthen our guts. Coconut yogurt is my latest venture and I’m still playing around with the best fermentation method. Like sauerkraut, it’s simple to get started, it’s just a matter of catching it at the right fermentation stage. Fermented foods are easy to make, no need to guess if you've got the timing right - the minute you open the jar your nose will tell you!

The focus in nutrition is shifting towards internal health as a priority. A healthy gut is fundamental to all-round health. I’ll be posting recipes for my three favourite fermentations soon, so be sure to visit again and give them a go.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Food choices

It seems recently, with the advances in science, we are re-looking at all we thought we knew about healthy eating, and it can be quite confusing! How do we know what’s right and wrong? I will look at food trends and try to make sense of all the mixed messages we get about healthy eating. I will share tried and tested ways of eating and give tips and ideas on how to nourish your body and find foods that work for you. Finding ways to fuel your system with food that balances and makes you feel and look your best.

I predominantly eat a plant based diet as much as possible. Eating whole food in its most natural unprocessed form. Vegetables are the most nutritionally dense food and should be the main component of all your meals. Eat all the colours of the rainbow, each colour vegetable has a variety of different health benefits. For example green veg help detox your system and promote healthy skin; orange veg build your immune system and have cancer fighting properties; red veg support a healthy heart and eyes. Even though most fruit and veg are available all year round I try to eat with the season to get them at their peek. Even if you’re not too sure what’s in season you’ll notice in the supermarket certain veg are in abundance and looking bigger and better than they usually do! Board Bia do a great chart that show you all the veg in season.

Before I started taking an interest in nutrition I would have considered myself a very healthy eater. But when I actually looked at what I was eating I realised that even though I wasn’t eating much bread I was still relying too much on grains. We rely too much on cereal for breakfast, bread at lunchtime and pasta or rice for dinner. When you reduce the grain portions in meals and increase the vegetable portions you are increasing the nutritional content of every meal. Gram for gram grains just don’t pack the same punch as vegetables when it comes to health benefits. You’ll also find you feel more satisfied for longer when grains don’t take centre stage on you plate.

I find I work better without too much meat. It can be harder to digest and slows my system down. There are tons of plant based proteins that you can mix into your diet, which will reduce your dependency on meat as a source of protein. It’s better to eat good quality meat once or twice a week and experiment with other sources of protein to encourage variety into your diet. Quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, hemp seed, seeds, nuts, legumes, lentils, leafy greens, eggs and even avocado are all great sources of protein. Try swapping rice with quinoa or buckwheat, adding chia or hemp seed into your porridge, sprinkling nuts onto salads and even on roast veg, make some hummus or a big pot of bean hotpot, throw some lentils into your homemade soup.

Although some people have no problem with dairy it is one of the most common food allergens. Our main reason for over consuming dairy is the need for calcium in our diets. It is often considered the only source of calcium but there are lots of other options like nuts, seeds, white beans, spinach, kale, broccoli, seaweed, and again avocado! Half a glass of milk has 100mg of calcium, an orange has 75mg of calcium and one cup of white beans has 150g of calcium. Similar to the approach to meat, try look at broadening your spectrum on how you get your calcium requirements and mix it up with some other sources.

Every meal should have a balance of plants, protein and fat. Put very simply, plants supply a powerhouse of different vitamins and minerals, protein builds cells and promotes healing and fat is the misunderstood food group that is imperative for your body to absorb all the nutrition it takes in. You can flood your system with all the good food in the world but if it is missing the transporter it will simply travel through your system without much absorption. Along with protein, it also fills you up and keep you satisfied until your next meal.

When you start to listen to your system and become more conscious of the messages it sends (happy, balanced, comfortable, tired, bloated, constipated), it becomes easier and more logical to eat in a clean and unprocessed way. Eating nourishes your body and has the ability to make you feel and look your best. Mindfully take pleasure in the journey the food took to get onto your fork. Slow down and savour each mouthful. Explore the senses; sight, smell, texture and taste. It’s about building a sustainable lifestyle that makes you more aware of how your system reacts to what you eat and avoiding the ones that don’t suit you.

But most of all enjoying the experience of food, and building a healthy relationship with it.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru