Healthy eating out

Dining in restaurants doesn't have to mean piling on the kilos. Follow these tips to ensure it doesn't ruin your healthy eating routine:

If you know you're likely to order a big meal in the evening, limit yourself to a light lunch.

When looking at the menu, take note of how the food is cooked for clues to its kilojoule content. Opt for baked, braised, grilled, poached, roasted or steamed choices, and steer clear of battered, fried, buttered, creamed, crispy and breaded meals.

Ask for a jacket potato or side salad instead of chips, and request that dressings, toppings or sauces are served on the side so you can control how much you eat.

If you find it too hard to resist calorific creamy desserts, share one with your dinner date.

 

4 facts about lentils

1. Lentils are a great source of folic acid, which helps prevent neural tube defects in unborn babies. A cup of cooked lentils provides about 90 per cent of your recommended daily intake.

2. Lentils are rich in protein but missing some amino acids. Combine them with grains such as rice to create a complete protein dish.

3. The soluble fibre in lentils is good for your digestive system and helps lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels..

4. Lentils are an important source of iron for vegetarians. To improve absorption, combine them with vitamin C-rich foods such as tomato, citrus fruit, broccoli and peppers.

 

Superfood of the Week: Walnuts

Early autumn is the time to harvest walnuts - my mother-in-law is busily grabbing them from her trees right now.

Most people avoid nuts because they think they're fattening, but moderation is the key. Fourteen walnut halves equates to 773kJ. An average snack should be between 418 and 836kJ.

Walnuts are one of a few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. Other sources include olive oil, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, soya oil and wheatgerm.

Walnuts are a good source of protein, fibre, vitamin E, magnesium and copper. They're rich in arginine, an amino acid, which helps keep the inside of blood vessels smooth and flexible. This makes walnuts good for your heart as well as your taste buds.

Be careful when roasting nuts at home because too-high temperatures can destroy omega-3. To reduce the likelihood of this occurring, spread nuts on a tray and bake at 70 to 75°C.

 

Ways to use walnuts

• Toss chopped walnuts into a salad.
• Saute chopped walnuts gently in olive oil, add breadcrumbs and chopped garlic, then toss through freshly cooked pasta.
• Combine finely chopped walnuts with breadcrumbs and use to coat fish.

 

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