Low-Fat Vs. Full-Fat

It is unfortunate that the word fat has two meanings: one being the healthy and vital part of our diet that provides us with essential fatty acids and vitamins, and the other being the negative term used to describe someone who is unhealthy and overweight/ the extra and unwanted padding on our bodies.

Because of this double meaning of the word 'fat', many people seem to think that to lose fat from your body you need to have a low-fat diet. In this post I'm going to talk about low-fat vs. full-fat in terms of yogurt. Yogurt is just about the only dairy product I eat at the moment and it can be a really healthy addition to your diet, especially for vegetarians who need a little extra protein, and it contains probiotics which promote a healthy digestive system.

However, if I'm going to eat yogurt I never eat low-fat varieties. The fat that is reduced in low-fat yogurts is usually replaced with lots of refined sugar - trust me.. next time you're in a supermarket pick up a low-fat yogurt pot and compare the sugar levels to the full-fat pot. Sugar is added to make low-fat yogurt taste better, which for me is just more of an incentive to eat the full-fat version - why eat something that needs a load of sugar heaped into it to make it edible when the alternative tastes great naturally?

Although fats contain the most calories per gram, not all of the fat you eat is stored as body fat - but refined sugar is! So if you're going to avoid anything, avoid refined carbs not fat. However, in saying this it is important to remember that saturated fats from animal products (e.g dairy - doesn't mean you should never eat it but probably not all the time) and trans fats (chemically engineered to extend shelf life of products) aren't great for us.. so it's better to stick to plant fats in foods such as avocados and nuts.


Sources: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/truth-about-low-fat-foods
The Body Book, Cameron Diaz

Staying Healthy During Exam Time

For all of you out there who, like me, are piled high with work and feeling like you may as well just move into the library....this post is for you.

These couple of months can be really quite stressful with the run up to exams and assignment deadlines, but it's also the run up to, in my opinion, the BEST time of the year.. SUMMER! So during this time you may find yourself wanting to be even more fit and healthy so that you feel great in your bikini on the beach (or shorts for any boys out there...)

So anyway... The first thing I'm going to post about is something that I know a lot of people already do but I personally find it such a good way to stay healthy and that's to make sure you have a large supply of food that you have prepared so that you can just pop it in a tuppawear and take it to the library to avoid buying any of the processed rubbish they might sell in there or nearby. Or even if you're revising at home it can be a real time saver so that you can spend your revision break relaxing and enjoying your delicious food.

The other day I roasted an array of my favourite vegetables - butternut squash, peppers, sweet potatoes, beetroot and carrots - with a little drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning. I then cooked up a big batch of grains to have with them (quinoa, brown rice, bulgar wheat, whatever takes your fancy). And then I made lots of paprika hummus (literally one of my favourite foods ever and this homemade version is, if I may say so myself, much tastier than shop bought versions and by making it yourself you know that no nasty chemicals or added sugars are hidden in it). I'll put a recipe up for that soon!

Having healthy food available so you can make quick and easy but still fabulously nutritious meals is really handy in busy times. So keep filling yourself with goodness - it can be just as convenient as buying a quick bag of crisps and your body will be much more thankful for it.

Happy revising..... xx