Healthy Chicken Chow Mein Recipe

Healthy Chicken Chow Mein Recipe

If you’re craving Chicken Chow Mein and are thinking of heading out to your local takeaway, I urge you to try this healthy chicken chow mein recipe, a quick and healthy takeaway recipe that will be kinder on your pocket and your waistline, plus you can definitely eat it more than once a week!

How To Make Healthy Chicken Chow Mein Recipe:

My recipe for Healthy Chicken Chow Mein is quick to make and cheap at around £1.50 per portion.

Not only is it healthy and cheap but it is a high protein meal with 35g per portion.

All ingredients featured are from budget supermarket, Aldi, which is where I do my weekly shop and why the price per portion is so low.

You should be able to find all of the ingredients at your local Supermarket though.

There is no need to get any fancy sauces or go to any specialist shops.

Did I also mention how easy this recipe is to make? 

Ingredients for sauce (makes 3 portions):

50ml boiling water
1/2 chicken stock cube
1/4 tsp garlic granules (or you could use garlic puree)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 heaped tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
200ml cold water

Method for Sauce:

Firstly ensure you have a container with a tight lid as you are going to be shaking it!
Dissolve the half stock cube in the boiling water in your container and stir until dissolved.
Leave to cool before adding the other ingredients (the sauce only goes in towards the end of cooking time, so prepare your veg and begin to cook whilst waiting).
When cooled, add in the garlic granules, ginger and soy sauce.
Stir together before adding in the cold water.
Now add in the cornflour, fit the lid tightly onto the container and shake to mix.
The sauce will separate when standing so shake well again before adding into the pan.
Keep it in the cupboard to use next time as it will keep for two weeks. Don’t put it in the fridge though as the cornflour will harden.

Ingredients for Main Dish (1 portion):

1/2 tsp coconut oil (or your preferred frying oil)
30g sliced onion
50g sliced mushrooms
50g sliced carrot
50g sliced broccoli
100ml boiling water
85g sliced cooked chicken breast
1/2 portion medium or fine dry egg noodles

Method for main dish:

If you are using raw chicken, cook it separately before you begin the following steps.
Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.
Add in the onions and fry for 2 minutes.
Add in mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes until browned.
Add in the carrot and broccoli and pour over 100 ml boiling water.
Stir and place a lid on the pan or use a metal tray to place on top, allowing the vegetables to steam. Cook this way until the broccoli has turned bright green, then remove the lid.
Boil your noodles at this point in a separate pan.
When your vegetables are cooked to your liking, add your cooked chicken into the pan with the vegetables and then it is time to add the sauce.
Shake the container well and pour in 1/3 of your sauce (one portion).
Mix together and cook until the sauce bubbles and becomes thicker, then turn down the heat to low.
Check your noodles are cooked and then drain them before adding into the pan, stirring into the vegetables and sauce.
Turn off the heat, serve and enjoy!

Macros:

372 Calories – 35g Protein – 7g Fat – 48g Carbs

I hope you enjoyed this healthy chicken chow mein recipe, it is one of my favourites and fits well into my diet plan.
The ingredients can be prepared in advance so it is perfect for meal prepping and storing in the fridge for a quick lunch or evening meal.

Check back for upcoming recipes and meal prepping ideas and let me know if you tried this recipe or if you would like me to re-create your favourite takeaway to make it healthier!

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Correct Portion Sizes for a Healthy Diet

Hi and welcome back to my blog!

How do you ensure that you are eating the correct portion size?

Should you trust the serving size on food packaging?

What if you eat out at a restaurant? How can you make sure you don’t overeat?

Don’t worry, I am here to help!

This post is all about how to understand portion sizes so that you can stay on track with your weight loss goals or fitness goals.

 What you need to remember is that whether you want to lose weight, tone up or become a fitness model, the same rules apply in order for you to reach your goals:

80% diet 

20% exercise

This may surprise you, but it is true.  You can’t out train a bad diet – fact.

To lose weight and stay in shape, no matter what your fitness levels, your diet must come first or you are just wasting your time. 

You need to fuel your body enough so that you can carry out your daily tasks without overeating and allowing your body to store the extra food as fat.

You may have worked out that you need a certain amount of calories per day, and you may have factored in your exercise routine.  So why are you still not reaching your goals?

It may come down to portion size.  If you are eating the correct amount of calories per day, you could still be storing food as fat because you are overeating during one or more of your meals.  Yes, your calculations may very well be correct, and you are hitting those numbers but if you are not spacing out your meals correctly then you could still be putting on weight!

In one of my other posts I described your body as a car and explained that when you put fuel into it, you can only fill it up to the top of the tank.  If you carry on adding fuel, where is it going to go?  Unfortunately, your body is not like a fuel tank and the excess will not spill on to the floor – it will be stored as fat in your body instead and that is where portion sizes come in.

Did you know that your body only tells you that you are full ten minutes after finishing a meal?

This means that if you are eating a large meal and feel full before your plate is empty, you could have been overeating for those ten minutes – you may have even eaten double the amount your body needs and so you will be storing that extra as fat.

Unfortunately, many people think that eating very small portions is a good way to lose weight.  The problem with this method is that if your portion size is too small, your body will think it is starving and will hold onto all the fat it can in order to ensure your body can still function.  Your metabolism will slow down and you will not burn any fat. 

In order to keep your metabolism going using the small portions method, you would need to increase the number of meals you have during the day.  This is possible and a lot of people have success this way but I'm here to be honest with you, and my opinion is that it is difficult.  You need to prepare significantly more meals and be strict about eating them at the correct time, which I feel is putting more pressure on yourself when you really don't need it.  By all means, try this once you have established a healthy eating routine and you want to try it out, but don't overcomplicate things when you really don't need to.  

I have found that keeping it simple leads to a better success rate and helps to make changes for the long-term.

If you space out your food throughout the day and eat the correct portion sizes, then rather than storing food as fat, your body will become a fat burning machine and you will even be burning fat while you sleep!

Each country has their own advice on how many portions of each food type are recommended, but generally, they are similar.  I live in the UK and so I will base my advice on those recommendations.

Ideally, for a healthy diet you should be aiming for the following daily portions:

•  2 portions of fruit

• 5 portions of vegetables

• 5 portions of carbohydrates

• 3 portions of calcium-rich dairy foods

• 2 portions of protein-rich foods

• 5 portions of healthy fats

That is the usual amount recommended for a healthy daily diet, but this does not take into consideration your age, body type, activity level or weight loss/fitness goals, you would need to tailor this to suit you if you really want to see the best results.

I am going to give you some examples by food group, but first I want to share with you a simple trick to tell how much a portion is by just using your own hand.  This trick is very useful if you are out at a restaurant and are not able to measure using spoons or by weight.

Fist – If you clench your fist, this is the size of a portion of fruit or vegetables, two fists of salad leaves.

Palm – a portion of meat, fish or poultry should be no bigger than this.

Handful – holding your hand out with your fingers pointing upwards creates a small bowl shape in your hand, and two of these is one portion of carbohydrates.

Thumb – your whole thumb is the same size as one portion of cheese and two thumbs are one portion of peanut butter.

Thumb Tip – this is the size of one portion of fat, butter or oil.

What is a portion?

This list below is a little more exact and gives a few different examples:

One Portion of Fruit:

1 heaped dessertspoon raisins/sultanas

2 small fruits – plum, kiwi, satsuma, mini apple,

10-12 berries, cherries or grapes

½ grapefruit

1 small glass unsweetened fruit juice

1 small glass fruit and/or veg smoothie

Half banana or 1 mini banana

One Portion of Vegetables:

1 bowl of salad leaves

1 small glass vegetable smoothie

1 small bowl home-made vegetable soup

6 tbsp peas / beans / lentils

½ squash

¾ cup broccoli or cauliflower

¾ cup carrots

One Portion of Carbohydrates:

** It is important to try to eat whole grain carbohydrates at least 50% of the time **

1 slice bread

2-3 crackers / crispbreads

3 tbsp flake type cereal

3 tbsp dry porridge oats

2 breakfast cereal biscuits (Weetabix etc)

1 medium (size of a computer mouse) potato

2 tbsp mashed potatoes

3 tbsp or ½ cup boiled rice, pasta or noodles

One Portion of Calcium-rich Dairy:

200ml / 7 fl oz milk or calcium-enriched soya/almond milk

125ml / 4.2floz yoghurt

25g / 0.82 oz (thumb size) cheddar or semi-soft cheese

50g / 1.8oz soft cheese

75g / 2.65oz cottage cheese

One Portion of Protein:

100g / 4oz raw meat or poultry

50-75g / 2-3oz cooked meat or poultry

100g / 4oz cooked fish

2 eggs

6 tbsp peas / beans / lentils

40g / 1.5oz unsalted nuts / peanut butter / seeds

100g 4oz soya / tofu

One Portion of Fats and Oils:

**Usually, one portion equates to 1tsp**

1 heaped tsp butter/spread

½ tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 tbsp salad dressing

½ medium avocado

8 olives

I know this is a lot of information to take in and it can get a little complicated with all the different amounts, especially when you are trying to prepare a meal! 

I would recommend using the hand measurements at first if you want a simpler way of measuring, it does work and is good for when you are eating out and can't take your measuring spoons! You can tell how much is on your plate by comparing the amounts of each type of food to the parts of your hand (fist, palm, cupped hand, thumb, tip of thumb). This is also true when eating a pre-prepared meal where you are advised on the packaging as to the serving size.  You will be surprised at how some of these are way off!

Another note about eating out - don't be afraid to ask the serving staff for a side plate.  You can put any extra food onto this and then move it aside so that you don't eat it. I find that if I'm eating out with friends or family, I'm usually talking a lot and I don't pay attention to exactly how much I'm eating.  Before I know it, my plate is empty because I have been distracted.  

I find that a lot of restaurants and cafes provide portions that are far too large and you may feel pressured to clean your plate. But if you know beforehand that you are going somewhere that serves excessive portions, you can always share a meal with someone, again don't be afraid to ask the staff for another plate and don't be embarrassed about it. Just remember that you have goals and it is the restaurant who are wasting food by putting extra on the plates, you do not have to feel bad for eating correctly! 

I really hope that this post has helped you in some way and that you are doing well in your weight loss journey or your fitness journey.  I welcome any questions you may have or any suggestions for future posts in the comments section or use the contact page (above).

I will be creating meal plans in the near future if you are interested in that, so don't be a stranger and I will see you next time!

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What Is Your Body Type?

Today I am going to be talking about Body Types or as they are also known - Somatotypes.  They are such an important part of weight loss and fitness and knowing yours could be the difference between success and failure.  Generally, we can fit into one of the main three body types, which I will go into more detail about next.

Eating and training according to your body type can be the boost you need to really explode your weight loss and turbo charge your fitness!

Each and every one of you was born with a specific bone structure a genetic makeup which dictates how your particular body deals with food and exercise.  To put it bluntly, as I have said before, we are all different!

What Is Your Body Type?

It is really important that you know which body type you have before you can understand how you need to eat and train to reach your weight loss and fitness goals.  No matter where you are on your weight loss journey or fitness journey, knowing your somatotype is crucial for your success.

You may feel that you have tried everything and you have been on a lot of diets but they haven't worked.  You may have been eating healthily and have been using 'correct' portion sizes but you are still not seeing results.

You may have been eating as you should have but you may not be exercising enough or it could be the other way around and you have taken on an amazing fitness program, but if your diet is not right then you still aren't going to see the results you are hoping for.


Don't worry, all is not lost! I know that with each post on my blog I seem to throw something else into the mix that makes the whole weight loss and fitness idea more complicated, but trust me, I am telling you what you need to know to be successful.  When you get used to the way it all works, it will all start to come naturally to you and will all make sense, I promise!


So as I mentioned above, you should generally fit into one of the three main somatotypes which are:

1. Ectomorph
2. Mesomorph
3. Endomorph

The way in which you lose weight and the way in which you exercise will be different depending on which body type you are.  The amount of food you need and how often you need to eat will also be dependent on this as well as the frequency and length of your exercise routines.

Remember when I said that there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to weight loss?  Well, it is because of our different body types and that is why some people do really well following certain diets and others don't.  It is the same with exercise - some people don't need to do much to see results and for others, it is more difficult.

If you look at this somatotype image, you will be able to see differences between the three body types already as some are quite obvious while some are more subtle.

I am going to break down each body type and give you enough information so that you can decide which one you (mainly) fall into.  Don't worry if you read through the descriptions and you feel you don't really fit into just one.  Many people (including myself) are a mixture of two body types, but we will talk more about that later!

Body Type 1 - Ectomorph:

Someone with an Ectomorph body type is one of the 'racing cars' who I talked about in one of my previous posts - read it below if you have no idea what I'm talking about!

How to lose weight - the basics

Ectomorphs are usually tall and slim without any noticeable curves.  They have a small bone structure and narrow shoulders, waist, and hips.  Their wrists and ankles are small, while their limbs and torso tend to be longer than other body types. Ectomorphs tend to be high energy people and can't sit still for long.  They usually eat smaller meals, have smaller appetites and have a high metabolism.  I'm sure you know an Ectomorph, they are usually the ones who seem as though they can eat anything and not put on a pound. An Ectomorph's energy from food is quickly burned so they tend to stay the same weight.  In fact, they usually have a lot of trouble gaining weight through diet and exercise, and building muscle is a real struggle for them. Ectomorphs have usually been slim or thin since they were children and their weight does not tend to fluctuate much.

Some celebrity examples of Ectomorphs are Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.

Body Type 2 - Mesomorph:

Someone with a Mesomorph body type has a medium sized bone structure and is naturally more muscular.  They usually have shoulders which are broader than their hips and overall tend to have flatter stomachs.  Mesomorphs store fat evenly around their body and gain muscle more evenly than other body types.  Whilst a Mesomorph will find it fairly easy to gain muscle, they will also gain fat easily if they do not have the correct diet and training. Mesomorphs are able to lose weight quite easily with diet and exercise and it tends to happen quickly.

Some celebrity examples of Mesomorphs are Janet Jackson, Sylvester Stallone and Mark Wahlberg.

Body Type 3 -  Endomorph:

Endomorphs tend to have a larger bone structure and shorter limbs and their body fat seems to stay in certain areas such as the thighs, hips, buttocks and lower abdomen.  They usually have small shoulders that are narrower than their hips.  Endomorphs tend to have wider hips and an hourglass figure when they keep to a good diet and fitness schedule.  If you are curvy then you are probably an endomorph (although this is not always the case).  Endomorphs need to be strict with their diet, especially when it comes to carbohydrates as their bodies are more likely to store this food as fat than the other body types.  They tend to put on weight much more easily than the other body types and a fitness routine is essential because diet alone will not get the desired results. Whilst Endomorphs gain weight easily, they also gain muscle easily and so can really benefit from fitness programs.

Celebrity examples of Endomorphs are Kim Kardashian, Chris Pratt, and Zac Efron.

Now you should have a fairly good idea of which body type you fall into

If you aren't sure and you notice that you are similar to more than one body type that is okay.  I will use myself as an example: I always used to think that I was an ectomorph as I have always had very small wrists and ankles, have narrow hips and have been pretty slim for most of my life.  I was unsure though because I didn't really fit in with the stereotype.  I am not tall in the slightest and my limbs are definitely not long - I am only 5ft!  It was only when I was looking into somatotypes that I realised I am part ectomorph and part mesomorph.  I know this because I took a picture of myself and saw that my shoulders are quite a bit broader than my hips, something I had never noticed before!  I also noticed that when I train I can put on muscle quite easily and so now I tend to label myself more as a mesomorph than an ectomorph.

If you aren't sure it may help to take a full-length photograph of yourself in a bikini or swimsuit and compare it to the pictures in the image above.

How is my diet and exercise impacted by my body type?

So now that you know which body type you are (mostly) I am going to move on to explain how your body type impacts on your diet and your fitness.  Again I will split this into the three main somatotypes.

1. Ectomorph:

Because of your fast metabolism, your food will be used for energy very efficiently and you need to ensure that you are eating enough.  Ectomorphs tend to have smaller appetites so aim to eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day, preferably five to six times per day.  Ensure that you are eating carbohydrates with each meal to keep your energy up.

When it comes to your exercise, as an ectomorph, you want to stay away from long cardio sessions which will further deplete your energy.  Heavy weighted exercises or gym workouts are good for ectomorphs, especially if you want to build shape to your body by adding muscle tone.

2. Mesomorph:

Your metabolism is not as fast as the ectomorph so you don't need to have carbohydrates with every meal, although you can if you want to, just try to eat more slow release carbs (see my post on healthy eating for more information about carbohydrate types) and keep the quick release carbs for after your exercise.  There are no real difficulties when it comes to diet for the mesomorph, you can eat all food groups as long as you keep it healthy and keep your portion sizes in check.

Fitness wise the mesomorph is fortunate in that you can achieve your goals easily if you stick at it.  Using weights will help to add muscle definition and keeping your workouts varied will ensure you don't bulk in a certain area.

3. Endomorph:

If you are an Endomorph then your diet needs to be fairly strict.  Carbohydrates can be your downfall if you eat them at the wrong times. Keep carbs for after you exercise to ensure they are used for energy and not stored as fat.  Keep portions smallish and eat healthily throughout the day.

When it comes to your training, endomorphs should use light weights and do longer workouts to keep the energy up and keep the fat burning.  It is best to keep your heart rate up during your workout and medium to high-intensity exercise is really good for endomorphs.  You should try to keep a workout schedule of at least four times per week for best results.

This is just covering the basics - I will be adding meal plans and workouts for each body type in the near future.

Here are some other posts you may want to read next as they cover the basics of weight loss and nutrition:

How to lose weight - the basics

Healthy eating - basics of nutrition

I hope this post was helpful to you and that you are able to work out which body type you have and how this information can help you in your weight loss journey and/or your fitness journey.

Don't forget to leave any comments below this post and ask any questions, I am always happy to help explain anything you may be having trouble with.

See you next time!

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Healthy Eating - Basics of Nutrition

Hi and welcome back!

In my last post I discussed the basic points of weight loss with you and I hope you found it informative.  Below is a link to that post if you missed it and would like to read it before this one, as I am going to go a little more in-depth and it is always better to start with the basics and work your way up (especially for me!) 

How to Lose Weight - The Basics

Healthy Eating - Basics of Nutrition:

You may have seen a motivational quote floating around which reads 'you can't out train a bad diet' and this is so true.  

You can exercise as much as you like but if you are not eating right then you may as well give up on your weight loss journey or your fitness journey, but that is not what I want you to do!

Don't Give Up! 

You may not even realise that you are not eating well, you may have been passed information on a diet by someone or seen in on facebook or pinterest and went for it blindly, hoping and wishing that it would work.

I've heard of a lot of these; the apple diet, the grapefruit diet and the maple syrup diet to name a few. 


Most of those 'fad' diets are not good for you, they can even cause harm in some cases and they are certainly not a good idea if you want long term weight loss or you want to improve your fitness.  

As I mentioned in my last post you need to work with your body and not against it, and it becomes much easier if you understand what your body needs.

Ready to go?

Okay then, let's get started!

Why is good nutrition important?

Nutrition is so important because it is the most basic of your body's needs.

You need food to grow, to repair and to maintain your body.

Good nutrition carries with it the following benefits:

• Provides you with the energy you need to live your daily life.
• Helps your body to stay within a healthy weight range.
• Helps to delay the aging process of your body.
• Helps your body to fight disease.
• Helps to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
• Helps to prevent many diseases.
• Improves your physical fitness and endurance.
• Improves your mental wellbeing.
• Helps your concentration.
• Helps to lift your mood.

If you do not have good nutrition, you won't get all the benefits listed above.

Do you suffer from Malnutrition?

You may think when I mention that word that it only applies to third world countries but in actual fact, malnutrition is a worldwide problem in both undeveloped and developed countries alike.

Malnutrition is split up into two categories:

Under-nutrition:

Under-nutrition is where a person is not absorbing or consuming enough nutrients to cover their energy or growth needs or to keep their immune system maintained.

Over-nutrition:

Over-nutrition is where a person consumes or absorbs too much of certain nutrients, particularly the macronutrients being protein, carbohydrates and fats.

So you could be suffering from malnutrition and not even know it, even if you are overweight.  If you are lacking in the nutrients your body needs, you are suffering from malnutrition.

What are the Essential Nutrients your body needs?

Your body needs certain essential nutrients for you to live and these are the following:

• Water

• Proteins 

• Carbohydrates

• Fats

• Vitamins

• Minerals

• Fibre 

Your body needs all of these in certain amounts in order to function properly.  These certain amounts are subject to change depending on your age, sex, as well as if you are pregnant, are suffering from an illness or if you are injured.

Why do you need water?

You need water to live, you need water for your body to function and many more reasons! I have a whole separate post about drinking water so I am not going to repeat it all here, just read the following post:

Drink your water!

When you are trying to lose weight believe it or not, there is a Best time to drink waterfor maximum fat loss and I have a separate post about that too:

Best time to drink water for maximum fat loss

What are Macronutrients?

The next most important part of your nutrition after water, is making sure you are getting enough of your 'macronutrients.'

You may have heard people in the fitness industry talking constantly about their 'macros'.  They are talking about macronutrients, 'macro' meaning 'big' and so the macronutrients are the main nutrients you need because they give you energy, plus you need them in larger amounts than any other nutrients.  

Macronutrients are broken down into:

• Proteins

• Carbohydrates

• Fats

People in the fitness industry know that they need to monitor their macronutrients in order to achieve their fitness goals and/or those of their clients and it is the same with you and me.

Whether you just want to lose weight, become fitter or get the body of a fitness model or body builder, getting the correct amount of macronutrients is key to your success.

Which foods contain which Macronutrients?

I need to start by saying that most food does not contain only protein, carbohydrate or fat, most foods have a combination of all three, but in differing amounts, so when a food comes under a particular label, it just means that food contains more of one macronutrient than of the others:

Protein:

What do you need Protein for?

It is important that before I list the foods, you know what each macronutrient’s function is in the body.

Protein is needed for the growth and repair of your tissues and cells.  This is why people who are working out in the gym, bodybuilders and those who are strength training like to make sure they eat a lot of protein.  It helps their muscles to grow bigger and repair themselves, helping them to achieve their fitness goals. 

Each person will need a different amount of protein depending on their individual goals and their body type.

Protein can be found in high concentration in the following foods:

• Meat

• Fish

• Poultry

• Eggs

• Milk

• Cheese

• Yoghurt 

Protein is also present in other foods, only to a lesser extent than the examples above:

•  Beans

• Grains

• Nuts

• Seeds

 Carbohydrates:

What do you need Carbohydrates for?

Carbohydrates give you your energy.  They are broken down by the body into glucose which is the main fuel used by all of your bodily tissues.

Carbohydrates can be found in high concentration in the following foods:

• Bread

• Rice

• Pasta

• Potatoes

• Milk

 It can be a little confusing when it comes to carbohydrates because they can be further broken down into two main types which are:

• Simple Carbohydrates – also called ‘quick release carbohydrates

• Complex Carbohydrates – also called slow release carbohydrates

The simple carbohydrates are broken down by the body quickly so you can access the energy from them fast. Some examples are:

• Milk

• Fruit

• White potatoes

• White bread

• White rice

• White pasta

• White sugar

The reason that refined foods such as white rice, bread, sugar and pasta are known as simple carbohydrates is that they have had their fibre taken away during the refining process and it is the fibre that slows down the absorption process in our bodies.

The complex carbohydrates are broken down more slowly and provide a longer lasting source of energy.  Some examples are:

• Brown bread

• Wholewheat pasta

• Brown rice

• Root vegetables

• Beans

• Oats

• Green leafy vegetables

These foods tend to have more fibre in them naturally and have not been refined so that they take longer to be absorbed.

Fats:

Yes! You need fat!

Fats provide your body with an energy reserve, they insulate your body and are vital for your brain, fat being a huge part of it's structure.  Fats also protect your organs by forming a protective layer around them. 

Many people think all fat is bad but this is not the case, you really need it to survive and there are many source of good fat concentrated foods.  Some examples are:

• Fruits and vegetables (avocado in particular)

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Oily fish

 I'm not going to break down the information any further as I will save that for another post for those who really want to delve into the science behind nutrients!

Fibre:

Why do we need fibre?

Fibre comes under the complex carbohydrate banner but I wanted to go into a little bit more detail about it as it is so important, especially if you are trying to lose weight. 

Fibre keeps your digestive system healthy and keeps it working smoothly. 

There are two types of fibre:

Insoluble fibre:

This insoluble fibre is found in wheat bran, seeds of fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried beans, whole wheat and wholegrain foods to name a few.  It does not get digested by the body and so helps your digestive system move things along so that your food is passed through your body cleanly and prevents constipation.

Soluble fibre:

Soluble fibre is found in oats, fruit, vegetables, barley, beans, seed husks, linseed, and many others.  The parts of these foods which are digested are so good for you because they help to lower cholesterol, keeping your heart healthy.  They also keep you feeling fuller for longer which aids with weight loss.

What are Micronutrients?

Micronutrients you need in smaller (micro) amounts in your body and they are your vitamins and minerals.  Just because they are needed in smaller amounts does not mean they are any less important though!

Vitamins:

When the word vitamins is used, you may automatically think of vitamin supplements, but actually you should be getting your vitamins from the food you eat as it is the most natural way.  Supplements should be used as they are described, to supplement your diet, not to provide your only source.

Vitamins are needed for many processes taking place in your body and though you only need them in small amounts, they are vital.  Your body does not produce many of them naturally and that is why you need to get them from the food you eat.  If you do not get enough of these vitamins you will be susceptible to disease and illnesses. 

This doesn’t mean that you need to go overboard with vitamins though and start taking endless tablets and vitamin supplements.  Taking too many vitamins can actually be very harmful and is called toxicity.  

Eating a varied and healthy diet is all you should need to ensure your body is getting the right amount of vitamins.

There are so many different vitamins and they are taken in and used by your body in many different ways so I am not going to go through them all in this post, but I will come back to it at a later date for those who want to get scientific!

What are Minerals?

Minerals are also micronutrients as you need them in small amounts, but as with vitamins, minerals play an important role in your body.  Minerals are an essential for most bodily functions.  


The three major minerals are:

• Calcium

• Sodium

• Iron

I am going to go into a little bit of detail about the three main minerals and come back to the others at a later date:

Calcium:

Calcium as you will probably know helps you to keep your bones and teeth strong.  You may not know that it also helps your heart to keep a regular rhythm and it helps to transmit nerve impulses.

If you don’t have enough calcium you could have stunted growth and may get brittle bones or osteoporosis in later life.

Calcium can be found in milk and dairy products, fish with soft bones, nuts, green leafy vegetables and pulses.  It can also be found in white bread and breakfast cereals although these are refined and the calcium has been fortified (more on that in another post!) and so they are not natural sources.

Some vitamins and minerals are best when they work together, and vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium.  Sources are oily fish, eggs, meat (particularly liver), dairy products and sunlight.

Sodium:

Sodium is found in salt and is needed to ensure that your body has the correct amount of fluids and that these amounts are balanced.  Sodium has an influence on how our muscles contract and release.

You need to keep the sodium level in your body low in order to avoid high blood pressure and cardio vascular disease.

Sodium although necessary for your body is found in many processed foods in high levels and so you need to be careful to limit this type of food.  Sodium is high in meats such as bacon and ham and so these should also be eaten less regularly.  Not adding salt to meals is a good way to cut back on sodium as well as eating fresh wherever possible.

Iron:

Iron is very important for red blood cell production, your red blood cells carry oxygen around your body which is a major function that we cannot live without. 

The amount of iron you need in your body will vary depending on your sex, your age, whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.  Iron can be found in:

• Organ meat

• Lean meats 

• Lean poultry 

• Fish 

• Shellfish  

The Iron in these foods is easily absorbed.  

Some iron containing foods need to work with vitamin C in order for your body to utilise the iron and these foods are:

• Nuts

• Eggs

• Wholegrain bread

• Baked beans

• Dried beans

• Dark green leafy vegetables

Surprisingly, some calcium rich foods can affect the absorption if iron and so it is important not to eat them together too often if you want to increase your iron levels.  These foods are: 

• Eggs

• Spinach

• Kale

• Strawberries

• Beetroot

• Nuts

• Chocolate

• Cocoa

• Coffee

• Beans

• Peas

• Lentils

I wanted to give you a general overview of basic Nutrition and as there is so much information, I will go into everything in finer detail in separate posts in the future.  

I hope that this post has helped you to understand all the terminology around nutrition which can be very confusing if you are just getting started.

This post is just the beginning, there will be more posts with healthy eating recipes, body type information, workouts, equipment reviews, the list is endless! 

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you next time!

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