Spices

Fuel your festive walks with these top nutrition tips

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MOther and child on her back dressed up in hats and scarves on a winter walk in the snow

Winter walks can take on a magic of their own, whether it’s snowy outside or crisp and dry. Winter weather may make us feel like snuggling up in the warm. But getting outside and taking some brisk walks can have so many health benefits, particularly for the heart and circulation. Plus it gets those feel-good endorphins ramped up!

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So what should you eat to keep you going before, during and after a wintery walk?

Clinical nutritionist Suzie Sawyer shares some of her favourite foods to fuel you up and keep you warm!

START THE DAY RIGHT

There’s no better way than to start the day in preparation for your walk than to eat a bowl of porridge. It will keep your energy levels sustained for long periods because it’s packed with slow-releasing carbohydrates.

However, for those who can’t tolerate gluten or find traditional porridge oats too fibrous, then why not change it up with a bowl of amaranth porridge? It can be used in flake-form and is readily available in the supermarket. Most importantly, it’s higher in protein than traditional oats and contains a wealth of immune-boosting vitamins and minerals.

Porridge with pears showing a healthy breakfast

Amaranth flakes can be simmered with some coconut or almond milk with cinnamon and nutmeg (also very warming spices), and then cooked through with some chopped pears or banana. It will give your body a warm, healthy glow to set you on your way.

WARMING SNACKS

Whilst the body will be burning calories during a walk, unless you’re going for a long walk you don’t need to eat vast amounts of additional food; the body has plenty of storage. However, if you’re going to be out for two or three hours, you’ll certainly need to pack a snack to keep you going.

Nut butter on rye bread

The best advice is to take something containing fat which will help keep the body warm. Therefore, choose the healthy omega-3 fats that your body can’t make but need very regularly and you’ll be getting plenty of additional health benefits. You can easily pack some almond, pumpkin seed or other nut butter spread on wholemeal or rye bread which will fill you up, warm you up and fuel you up for your bracing winter walk.

WARMING DRINKS

Warming drinks and food are needed during the winter because they help to energise the body and bring blood flow to the skin surface, which improves circulation. If we eat cooling foods such as salads during the winter months the body has to work a lot harder to digest food, which can cause digestive upsets.

A warming drink of honey, lemon and ginger

Some foods, and especially spices, are naturally warming. The most warming of all is ginger. Plus, it contains wonderful immune-stimulating properties, so is great to drink at the first sign of a cold. Why not fill a flask with some freshly grated ginger, lemon juice and a little immune-boosting Manuka honey with boiling water which is sure to keep you warm through the entire walk?

WARM YOURSELF BACK HOME

When you’ve had an amazing walk in the great outdoors, you’ll feel really invigorated! However, you’re probably also hungry and the body will need to be re-fuelled with a warming meal.

One of the best meal suggestions is to cook up a delicious curry. You can add a wealth of warming spices such as turmeric, paprika, chilli, and coriander. As we know, all herbs and spices contain a range of health benefits, but coriander is also good for the digestive tract, which may be really helpful over the Festive period!

A curry surrounded by herbs and spices

There’s no end of choice when it comes to making a curry; try a vegetable curry using sweet potato, chickpeas and other vegetables as a base. Or why not a fish curry with white fish of your choice, onions and broccoli. Another firm winter favourite is a lamb curry with raisins and cashew nuts. If you invest in a slow-cooker, then it can all be thrown into the pot before you leave for your walk and will be ready and waiting on your return.

Leek and potato soup in a bowl

Soups are another great winter warmer that work really following a brisk walk and need very little preparation. Leek and potato, spicy bean or winter minestrone are all excellent choices, particularly for lunch if you’ve been out for a morning stroll, and are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals.

So whatever the weather, get outdoors and with these top food tips you’ll be warm on the inside so you won’t feel too much of the cold on the outside!

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Spice Advice: the health benefits of 5 common spices

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Spices not only provide flavour and colour to a range of dishes, they also deliver a whole host of health benefits.

Clinical Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer, picks her top five favourite spices and tells why they’re so great for our health.

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CINNAMON

It has been said that many years ago cinnamon was actually more valuable than gold!  Slightly hard to believe, but what we do know is that cinnamon has a really positive effect on blood sugar balance; this needs to be kept under control to help prevent type 2 diabetes and to keep weight in check.

Cinnamon can help manage blood insulin markers; both insulin and glucose need to be kept well balanced, ideally through the right dietary choices, but these, together with blood cholesterol levels can be better managed when you’ve got some cinnamon in your diet.

Sprinkle some onto your porridge or breakfast cereal, add it to plain yoghurt or you can even sprinkle some over your cappuccino!  It also adds a real zing to many baking recipes such as flapjacks, muffins or apple strudel.

TURMERIC

Turmeric has reached somewhat iconic status in recent times.  Over the years it has been used for many things including liver disease, digestive problems, coughs, colds and wound care.  Turmeric is the spice that makes curries yellow; Asian populations have long known of its wonderful health benefits, as well as its delicious taste.

The active ingredient in turmeric is called curcumin and in recent times, research has mainly centred on its amazing anti-inflammatory benefits.[1] This is key in moderating any joint issues and also in preventing some of our most common and serious degenerative diseases.

Turmeric is actually quite difficult to absorb into the bloodstream.  Therefore, it needs to be used in dishes that contain some kind of fat such as meat, chicken, fish or eggs to benefit from it the most.  Alternatively, turmeric has been found to be better absorbed when eaten with black pepper, so any curried dish using both ingredients is certainly going to be beneficial to your health.

GINGER

Ginger is another very versatile spice that delivers so many health benefits, whilst adding a wonderful flavour to a wealth of dishes.

It is probably best known for its benefits to the digestive system; it appears to help with indigestion and also flatulence.  It also feeds the friendly bacteria naturally present in the digestive tract, so over a period of time its benefits become even greater.

Ginger can be very helpful with counteracting the nausea associated with travel sickness or morning sickness.  It is also great for the circulation, and it’s been traditionally used to cure colds. Ginger is also a natural anti-inflammatory; any niggling aches and pains can often be soothed by regularly eating ginger.

As well as adding a wonderful ‘zing’ to stir fries, curries and Thai dishes, it’s easy just to grate a teaspoon of ginger with some lemon juice, a teaspoon of Manuka honey and drink with some warm water every morning.  Many people quickly notice the benefits to their overall health from doing this regularly.

CAYENNE PEPPER

Cayenne pepper, also known as capsicum, comes from the capsicum plant which belongs to the nightshade family.  Its active part is called capsaicin, which gives the fruit its spicy heat and redness.  When it’s applied to the skin, capsaicin stimulates blood flow and promotes natural warmth to joints and muscles.

When cayenne is added to dishes (it’s great in curries and stews), it can help to balance blood fats (particularly cholesterol levels) whilst also regulating blood pressure.

Even better, cayenne promotes the release of endorphins – the body’s ‘feel-good’ brain chemicals.  So add it as much as possible to your cooking particularly where you want an extra kick – it can also give you a mood boost too!

CLOVES

Cloves have a very distinctive fragrant taste and smell and have long been used to improve the flavours of preserved foods.  They are an acquired taste and are not for everyone, but your body will certainly love them for their health benefits.

Cloves are known to promote healthy digestion, bowel movements and reduce flatulence.  In fact, if your digestion is needing a little helping hand, try making a tea with dried cloves and drink regularly.  Cloves are actually really gentle on the digestive tract, plus they can help break down fats in foods, which can cause digestive upsets in some people.

Interestingly, cloves were historically used for toothache and gum health so it might be worth gargling with some clove water if you’re struggling with any pain in the mouth.

So add some spice to your life, and your food, for an extra health boost!

[1] Srivastava S et al.  Curcuma longa extract reduces inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in osteoarthritis of knee:  a four-month, double blind randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Inflammapharmacology 2016 Dec; 24 (6) 377-388

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Sign up to receive our blog and get a weekly dose of the latest nutrition and health advice direct to your inbox.

Follow us on Twitter @feelaliveuk for nutrition, lifestyle and well-being tips.

Visit us at www.feelaliveuk.com for the latest offers and exclusive Alive! content.

Follow and Chat with Suzie on Twitter @nutritionsuzie