Abundant Buddha Bowl

What is a Buddha Bowl? I noticed the name popping up in a few of the food blogs I follow and tried it out at my dinner table. It sounded more appetising than ‘mishy mashy’, which was the previous name we used, they took to it like a fish to water and even started to suggest some Buddha Bowl combinations to try out. A ‘Buddha Bowl’, also known as a ‘Glory Bowl’, is a bowl full of goodness, the kind of meal that leaves you feeling both satisfied and virtuous! It is built with a variety of flavours and textures that tick the box for plant + protein + fat. The bowl combines grains, lots of lovely different veg, a protein boost, a twist of texture and a drizzle of dressing to bring it all together. In our house we eat a predominantly plant-based diet, but it would be just as delicious with an addition of some salmon, chicken or whatever your preference for protein is.

As with my morning porridge routine, I loved browsing through all my cookbooks to find recipes, but I wanted the freedom to play around with some combinations myself. So I designed my ‘Buddha Bowl Builder’. By following the 6 steps you ensure that you don’t forget to add the little twists, textures and dressings, that make it more tantalising to the taste buds and packed with goodness. Remember to eat all the colours of the rainbow when choosing veg for your bowl. It will cover a wider variety of nutrition, and make your bowl look like a work of art. We eat with all our senses: sight; smell; sound; texture and taste. It will add to your satisfaction if you have taken a minute to make your bowl appeal to your visual sense before it even hits your tastebuds. Mindful eating uses the journey of the food - from field to bowl and through the five senses, slowing down the experience so that you are present to every mouthful!

There are endless options for your Buddha Bowl. Click on the 'Buddha Bowl Builder' above, print it out and invent a few of your own combinations. Remember to take a note of the recipe creations that are a taste explosion worth repeating. Keep exploring new combinations beyond the recipe builder and search the aisles of your supermarkets and Asian markets for interesting ingredients to try.

Enjoy!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Smoothies, anytime

Smoothies are a great way to jam pack lots of vitamins, minerals and added health benefits into one meal. I use them if I don’t have time for breakfast or for a lunch on the go. It’s important to remember that they are very filling and supply you enough energy to keep you going till your next meal, so a smoothie should be used as a substitute to a meal not an accompaniment.

I like to stick with smoothies, made in a blender, rather than juices, made in a juicer. Smoothies use the ‘whole fruit’ including all the fibre. Fibre swells in your stomach which makes you feel fuller for longer and slows down digestion, this allow your gut time to absorb all the nutrition from your smoothie. So you could say it keeps everything moving at the correct speed for maximum absorption and optimal waste disposal! Juices absorb into your bloodstream too fast and lead to a surge in blood sugar. The body wants the ‘whole food’ to reap all the natural benefits.

When building your smoothie make sure to use a ratio of 2 veg to 1 fruit (eg 2 handfuls of veg to 1 handful of fruit) or even more veg if you want to gradually reduce your palate for sweetness. Although fruit supplies lots of health benefits, sugar is sugar and consuming too much all at once will flood your system with more sugar than it can process.

Try to scan your chosen ingredients to ensure you’re also getting a balance of plant, protein and fat. Plants supply your nutrition and energy, protein builds cells and fat is an essential element for maximum nutrition absorption.

Click on my ‘Smoothie Builder’ above, print it out and keep it close to your smoothie blender. Stock your freezer with lots of ingredients to have at hand for a quick smoothie on the go.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Porridge, oaty goodness

Porridge has to be one of my favourite foods. I eat it all year round, winter or summer. For warmer weather I sometimes swap over to a bowl of overnight oats rather than porridge, but the principles of building a tasty, nutritious bowl of oats works for both hot or cold.

There is a misunderstanding when it comes to the term ‘carbohydrate’. When people think of carbohydrates they think bread, pasta and biscuits. Carbohydrates are an essential energy source and are actually in all fruit, veg, grains and anything that grows! All carbohydrates break down into ‘complex carbohydrates’, which are slower to digest, and ‘simple carbohydrates’, which absorb in the system very fast. Complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrain, spelt, rye, brown rice, oats, barley, quinoa, fruits, vegetables and legumes, are a great source of slow release energy. Simple carbohydrates such as white flour, white rice, sugar, biscuits, cakes and processed foods should be consumed in moderation, or for maximum health, avoided!

Oats are a complex carbohydrate, which means it takes longer for your stomach to break them down, keeping you fuller for longer and giving your stomach the chance to absorb all the nutrition from the oats and all the lovely toppings you add. This makes them a slow release energy food and keeps your blood sugar levels balanced. They also contain fiber which does the same job as the complex carbohydrates, and aids gut health by keeping everything moving through the system. Simple carbohydrates, such as breakfast cereals, which contain lots of sugar and highly processed grains, are absorbed in your stomach too fast, giving it no time to absorb any of the nutrition and causes a spike in your blood sugar levels.

Oats have a surprising amounts of protein. Quinoa, which is touted as one of the most nutritious pseudo grains, supplies 8gms per bowl, and oats supplies 6gms. Not bad considering oats are a third of the price of flaked quinoa! If protein is your focus, you can use almond milk instead of milk, and add a handful of seeds to your porridge. You’ll find the slow release energy of the oats, mixed with the added boost of protein, will keep you going much longer, and keep your energy levels on an even key.

Benefits: oats provide a slow release supply of energy, which helps balance blood sugar levels and prevent a mid morning slump, making them are a great start to the day. They also help lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and contain a natural sedative which helps treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. They are easy to digest, making them a good choice for upset stomachs. They are also a good source of fibre, giving you 5gm of fiber per bowl. Fibre aids gut health, helps prevent heart disease and diabetes, and promotes healthy weight management.

I love to mix up my porridge and try new flavours. Porridge is very popular at the moment. There are lots of great recipes in all the recipe books and the food bloggers I follow. So many infact, it can be hard to remember all the different combinations. So I designed my ‘Porridge Builder’, to remind me of all the options, and vary the nutritional content of my breakfast throughout the week. Click on my ‘Porridge Builder’ above, print it out and use it as a guide to build countless varieties of your morning bowl of porridge or overnight oats. Don’t forget to scribble notes of the blends that tickle your taste buds the best!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Sugar, supersweet supervillain

The more we learn about sugar, the more we see what a devastating effect it has on our systems. It’s incredibly addictive - actually more addictive than cocaine!  It strips the minerals from your body and is a very acidic food. It also increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes; it causes anxiety, depression, inflammation; it weakens the immune system, reduces concentration, prematurely ages the skin, creates fat on the midriff and, more importantly, causes ‘hidden fat’ around the organs. Ever heard the phrase ‘skinny fat’? This refers to people who have a high-sugar diet but are quite slim as a result of the fat being stored around their organs, instead of the midriff.

The unfortunate truth is, even if you don't think you consume much sugar in cakes, buns or sweet treats, it’s hidden in most processed and packaged foods. The food industry has given us an unnaturally sweet tooth by adding sugar to processed foods, fuelling a sugar addiction and making you buy more, which is exactly what they are hoping for! Dressings, sauces, soups, low fat foods, jam, cereal, granola, cereal bars, fruit juice, fizzy drinks and even most breads contain added sugar. If you check the ingredients of something as simple as a tomato pasta sauce, you’ll be surprised at how high up the list of ingredients sugar is. The higher up the list, the more there is. Not only does the food industry add vast quantities of sugar, it also tries to disguise it by using a long list of names that we may not be familiar with. Anything ending in ‘ose’ is a form of sugar - glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose and maltose. Other sugars are honey, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup and rice syrup. The best way to avoid all these hidden sugars is to eat an unprocessed, wholefood diet as much as possible. It would be unrealistic to think that we can control every mouthful, but if you eat well the most of the time, your body will be better able to deal with the odd dinner out or family celebrations.

No matter what form it takes, sugar is sugar and it has the same harmful effect on the body. When more than 2 teaspoons are consumed, the body releases insulin, which transports the surplus sugar out of the bloodstream to be stored in the cells as fat. It also sends a signal telling the brain that you are still hungry, and blocking the natural message telling you when you are full.

Supposedly 'healthy' juices are, unfortunately, predominantly made of fruit rather than veg and even a green juice can dump up to 11tsp of sugar into your system from one small bottle. That’s 9tsps more than your body is expecting! We all know fruit is good for you but we have to remember, it’s still a source of natural sugar. A good rule of thumb is, if it tastes sweet, it contains sugar and should be consumed mindfully. The daily recommended allowance of added sugar is 5-6tsp for women and 7-8tsp for men (World Health Organisation). Sugar occurs naturally in foods such as fruit, veg, dairy and grains. ‘Added sugar’ is any sugar consumed in addition to these naturally occurring sugars, and are mainly found in processed foods.

Children should limit their added sugar intake to 3tsp a day. There seems to be a misconception that children need energy from sugar. But, without the fibre naturally occurring in wholefood, the energy they get from this source is released too quickly into the system and causes low blood sugar - tiredness, irritability and a craving for more sugar. We are all too aware of the negative effects of sugar on our waistlines, and it affects children in the same way, as well as causing tooth decay, behavioural problems, and increased rates of obesity, which leads to health problems later in life. It also teaches young tastebuds to develop a sweet tooth and starts a sugar addiction from an early age. Of course they will be exposed to vast quantities of sugar at parties, but I find children are more sensitive to sugar and reach their sugar limit much sooner when they have a low-sugar diet.

Sugar gives what we call, ‘empty calories’. Meaning it has no health benefits and causes plenty of health problems! Cane sugar, the most common form of sugar, is highly processed, to the point that it has zero health benefits. Some alternative sugars or sweeteners do have some health benefits and when indulging in a little treat, it’s best to use these to add some value to your snack and compensate the effects of the sugar. Nutritional Therapist Amelia Freer, champions a low sugar way of eating and has a comprehensive list of sugar alternatives on her website. She has also published a No.1 bestseller book called 'Eat. Nourish. Glow', which outlines 10 principles of healthy eating. A book which I frequently revisit, to remind myself of her 10 simple, easy to follow steps to better health. When altering a recipe, I pull back on the sugar, as most recipes are much sweeter than they need to be. Start by reducing the amount by ¼ and as your palate gets used to it, you can reduce it further. Bear in mind that baking is a science, and some recipes work better than others with this method. Gradually reduce your tolerance to sugar until all your old favourites become too sugary for your palate.

So how do you start reducing your sugar consumption? The best place to start is by doing a kitchen clear-out of all the main culprits in your kitchen. Check the ingredient list of all bottles, packets and processed foods. There can be a period of adjustment, where you have to restock your kitchen with healthier choices, but the long term health of you and your family is worth it. Replace low fat yogurt for natural yogurt, chutney for mustard, ketchup for tomato puree, sweet chilli sauce for tamari and balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar. Make a big batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in 400g portions. Invest a bit of time on Sunday night, making homemade soup and a batch of granola bars, for a week of lunches and snacks. Homemade dressings, pestos and hummus are always good to have at hand to throw together tasty and fast dinners.

Your sugar addiction will try to find ways to keep itself going. Next time you reach into the cupboard for a little pick-me-up, think for a minute what is driving you? Tune in to how you feel with and without added sugar in your system. When you do have a well earned treat pick one that offers you something more than just a sugar hit. Savour the moment and make sure these savoured moments are not too frequent!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

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