Broccoli Rice

Broccoli, we’ve known for a long time that they are a super food with so many health benefits but a new study has revealed that the sulphoraphane in broccoli can support blood sugar management in diabetes. “We have investigated the mechanism and sulphoraphane targets the critical disease process.” Anders Rosengren commented.

If you suffer with diabetes then having this food in your diet would be beneficial. Insulin sensitivity is programmed through our genes and having a genetic SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) on this may mean you have a higher chance, if not following the right diet and lifestyle of being diagnosed with diabetes. I see lots of people in clinic who have this SNP or the genes for high cholesterol and they are amazed that we can have such positive results through our diet.

I have diabetes in the family and a SNP on my insulin sensitivity gene so it is important that I manage this through my diet. My blood glucose and HbA1c levels remain at a good level but on the wrong diet these could quickly be pushed out.

One of the key areas to managing this is adding lots of good quality vegetables to your diet and this broccoli rice is a great way to do that. You can add to most things and we typically use it as a rice alternative when having chili or curry’s or add to salads.

Let me know what you think.

Broccoli Rice

1 broccoli

Olive oil

Method

1.     Cut the florets off to individual pieces and steam for 4 minutes

2.     Add to food processor and blitz for 5 seconds

3.     I drizzle with olive oil as you can never have too many antioxidants. 

Paleo Granola

This is seriously tasty so I thought it would be rude not to share the recipe. It is packed full of protein from the nuts so a great start to the morning or post exercise snack. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium and therefore great for supporting the thyroid. Pecan nuts are high in pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), which is essential for our adrenal glands and if we are feeling stressed.

If I’m having this for breakfast, I mix with some soaked nuts so it isn’t too sweet. I’ve avoided adding the dried fruit in the recipe as I like to minimise sugar in the morning. Soaking dried fruit over night, reduces the sugar content but also stops them sticking to your teeth. Dentists have reported a rise in cavities with children eating raisons as they are high fructose and they get stuck in between their teeth. 

Anyway enjoy and if you are on Instagram, tag me in your pictures @rp_nutrition

Ingredients

50g Brazil nuts

50g almonds

70g pecans

60g pumpkin seeds

2 tsp honey

1 egg white

Method

1.     Preheat over to gas mark 3/170 °

2.     Chop the nuts into smaller pieces and then add to a large bowl with the pumpkin seeds

3.     Add the egg white and honey and mix together

4.     Place mixture on baking tray and squish together to make little clusters

5.     Cook for 15minutes and then remove and allow to cool.

6.     Store in an airtight container. 

Carrot Waffles

These are so quick to make and a good way to increase your vegetables in your breakfast if you don’t have any. Carrots are one of the sweeter vegetables so it gives it a great flavour. These are packed with protein so can be a good post workout breakfast or lunch.

These are perfect for packed lunches and can be prepped in the morning and carry well. As you can see from below, this is a regular in my son’s lunchbox and a great way to sneak some carrots in as he is insistent that he doesn’t like them!

I’ve talked a lot about the health benefits of eggs before and carrots are a great source of nutrient too. They are fibre rich (12%) and high in vitamin A, that is great for eyesight (the myth that you could see in the dark with these came from some sound background) but also repair in the body.

Carrot Waffles

1 carrot grated

2 eggs

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use pea protein from Nuzest)

splash almond milk (rough 20 ml)

Method

1-    Preheat oven to 180

2-    Add all of the ingredients to a nutri bullet or similar blender and blitz

3-    Cook in oven for roughly 10 minutes or until the top has crisped over. Alternatively, you could use waffle maker but I personally like these silicon waffle baking moulds. 

Improve your Sleep? Try my Walnut Super Green Paste

This super greens walnut paste is sooo good and perfect to offset those easter eggs. Full of detoxifying herbs and spinach, with some lovely in season wild garlic leaves. I made this to use up some spinach but it’s a great one to have in the freezer and can be added to pasta, so even when in a rush you can offer something nourishing. It is also a great way to add herbs and vegetables to your breakfast. I had on some Organic paleo bread this morning with eggs, full of protein and phytonutrients.

Walnuts give this an even better nutritional composition as they provide protein, healthy fats, including omega 3’s, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

They are rich in the protein l-arginine and therefore great for the cardiovascular system so anyone with family history of this would do well to add in to their diet.

They are rich in vitamin E, folate, omega 3 fats making them great food for brain health. Interestingly a study in 2005 showed that in rat models they increased melatonin levels three-fold, so anyone struggling with insomnia or sleep would benefit in having these in their diet. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating and inducing sleep and is produced in the darkness. Interestingly having white or blue based lights in the bedroom inhibit melatonin, so should be avoided especially in children’s bedrooms.

Walnut Super Green Paste

100g walnuts

½ cup parsley

1 cup Basel

½ cup wild garlic

2 cups spinach

Juice of 1 lemon

6 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

1-    Mill the walnuts in the nutri bullet/blender

2-    Add all of the greens to the blender with the lemon juice and mix for 20 seconds

3-    Mix the walnuts and olive oil to the paste and blender for further 20 seconds, until pesto like consistency

4-    Ready to serve

5-    I then put the leftovers between some folder baking parchment paper and stuck in the freezer for later use. Just break off  what you need. 

Hot and Sour Salmon

IMG_6157

So I recently completed a mini cooking course at Leith’s to really get some good technique behind my cooking. We learnt a variety of things including some good knive skills, boning a chicken and filleting a fish… quite tricky actually! There was a real focus on eating well but being economical about this. For example, buying a whole organic chicken and freezing in portion sizes is much, as much cheaper than buying the chicken breasts separately. It’s all in the preparation and it makes cooking from scratch so much easier. Below are some of the creations we made on the fish week, if you haven't already seen on my instagram profile (@beccanutrition) ..

So I have been much more creative in the kitchen since and this is one of my new favourites that I created…

Hot and Sour Salmon

salmon and sesame seeds

Serves 4

Ingrediants

4 pieces of wild salmon

2 limes

4 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp mustard seeds

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

Pinch crushed chilli’s

Method

1. Heat the over to 190

2. Finely zest the limes and mix the lime zest with the juice of the limes., Dijon mustard and mustard seeds. Add the chilli if desired.

3. Place the salmon skin side down on a lightly oiled baking tray and add the mixture on the top. Once this is completed, top with sesame seeds.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the salmon is opaque and cooked.

5. Delicious served with a salad as above

Health benefits of Salmon: Salmon is rich in omega 3, which is an essential fatty acid. Essential fats aren’t made by the body and we need them in our diet to meet our bodies needs. Omega 3’s are important for brain health and anti-inflammatory. Make sure to buy wild over farmed salmon, due to less toxins.