The Fabulous Scottish Larder

It’s been a pretty darned good week for Scottish produce! First we had Jamie and Jimmy championing the fabulous langoustine (bit like a small lobster or a big prawn but oh so sweet, delicious and nutritious) on their Friday Night Feast  with Jamie, Gennaro and various others creating dishes for us all to sling together in record time  - as long as you badger your local fishmonger to stock them rather than allowing 90% of them to end up on Spanish kitchen tables where they hoover them down with the kind of enthusiasm that we appear to have lost - sad but true!

Join the campaign using the hashtag #Langos

Then within days, black pudding made it into the realm of ‘super' foods - hallelujah, at last, appreciation for this exceptionally-tasty and versatile concoction of meats, onion, oatmeal, barley and aromatic spices. Ask any chef worth his or her credentials and they will tell you that there are no end of ways you can get a bit of black pudding into diners' lives and likely see a smile on their faces!

I don’t have an allegiance to any particular Scottish butcher or manufacturer of black pudding - I believe it’s all about trial and error but in my view it’s got to be Scottish and once you find the one that floats your boat, my advice is to stick with it and get into the kitchen and experiment! My personal favourite from a waistline-preserving perspective is a Warm Salad which was introduced to me by Jo Macsween, the granddaughter of Charlie, who created the first Macsween haggis and black pudding where she uses haggis but it also works extremely well with black pudding! Here’s the recipe (just substitute black pudding for the haggis - or include both for an exceptionally delicious meal that doesn’t in any way scream ‘diet and healthy’ but so is!)

To see more recipes visit my Recipes page.

How do you eat your black pudding? Let me know using the hashtag #DietNotDepravation

Butter is Back and Rightfully So

Butter has merited a great deal of adverse publicity over the years (most recently from the BBC), principally because it is rich in saturated fat and the inclusion of saturated fats in our diet has long been deemed ‘one to watch’ and associated with raising levels of ‘bad’ and health-disrupting cholesterol, prompting high blood pressure, heart disease and all manner of other debilitating health conditions. But…. there is no proven relationship between saturated fat intake and heart disease and no research into reducing saturated fat in the diet has found that it reduces death rates. So where did it all go so horribly wrong and why are the diet police now, ever so quietly and almost imperceptibly backing down and beginning to hint that perhaps a little saturated fat in our diets isn’t the big, bad monster they had us believing for the past 20 years or so?

Here are a few biochemical facts which I urge you to take on board: 

• Saturated fat forms around 50% of the membranes (protective coats) of our body cells and gives them the necessary strength and health to ensure vital nutrients enter and waste exits.
• Saturated fat plays a vital role in the health of our bones by ensuring bone-building calcium is properly absorbed.
• Saturated fat helps the body reduce levels of lipoprotein (a), a risk factor for heart disease.
• Saturated fat protects the liver from alcohol, toxins and the damage caused by the regular use of medicinal drugs.
• Saturated fat is needed for the efficient function and repair of brain cells; the brain is made up of fats (mainly saturated) and cholesterol.
• Saturated fat enhances the immune system. When white blood cells are deficient, it hampers their ability to recognise and destroy foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria.
• Saturated fat is needed for the proper utilisation of essential fatty acids. Health-enhancing omega-3 fats are better retained in our tissues when our diet includes saturated fats.
• Saturated fat has important antimicrobial properties; it protects us against harmful micro-organisms in the digestive tract.
• Saturated fat is essential for the production of important hormones.
• Saturated fat acts as a carrier for certain vitamins and is vital for mineral absorption. 

It is the unhealthy chemically-altered fats that are found in margarines, hydrogenated vegetable oils and processed foods that cause significant health problems plus an over-abundance of sugar and refined carbohydrates which disrupt blood sugar and insulin levels that encourage fat production and storage in the body.

Processed foods are the ‘ones to watch’, not top-dollar butter. I am not recommending you slather it on everything but as the saying goes; a little of what you fancy... Other sources of saturated fats I include in all my diets - in respectable but not copious amounts - are meats and dairy products from grass/pasture-fed animals and coconut oil.

Do yourself a huge favour - wherever possible, eat fats (be they saturated, mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated) that haven’t been messed around with to give them a longer shelf life, regard ready meals as an emergency option, steer well clear of junk food and body swerve any spreads that use phrases like “I can’t believe it’s not butter” - it’s not! 

Do you use butter in your diet? Tell us your thoughts using the hashtag #ButterIsBack

please don't be taken in by the scammers!

Over the years, I have been aware that there are more than just a few very dodgy websites offering free downloads of my books and January always appears to be the month that they all come out of the woods! Please don't be taken in or tempted to sign up - they are scams - all of them!

Should I decide to offer free downloads of my books at any time - I will always flag this up on my website and direct you to a bona fide link!

As soup is such a big plus for weight loss at this time of the year, my Soup Can Make You Thin diet and Soup Can Make You Thin: The Cookbook are being offered for free on a number of websites but heed this warning...

What most of the scammers do is ask for your credit card details before they grant you the opportunity to download books, movies etc for free and once they have your details, you can almost see the smiles on their faces as they empty your wallet and make it very difficult for you to unsubscribe.

If you are in any doubt whatsoever, go to www.scamadviser.com and enter the website name. In most cases you will be horrified at some of the stories people have to tell...

happy new year to all!

Where's My Newsletter?

Good question! I appear to have fallen a bit behind - only excuse I can offer is that writing and publishing the new Diet Secrets Uncovered series of 10 books has been a monster of a project and I am only now coming up for air!

Good news however - there’s one on the way and plenty more to follow as diet and nutrition headlines (the good, the bad and the downright ugly) are coming at you tsunami-style and someone has to endeavour to cut through the confusion and give you an unbiased view!

Here are just a few of the subjects I intend to cover over the next couple of months:

• Bone Broths: delicious, nutritious and highly-respected for their collagen-enhancing properties for great skin, hair, nail and bone health. Time to get the soup pot out!
• Matcha Green Tea: much more than just an afternoon beverage - there are exciting ways you can sling this super-protective ‘green giant’ into your meals and snacks.
• Charcoal Sticks: are you using them to filter impurities out of your tap water and saving yourself a fortune by body swerving bottled water? What’s the science behind this impressive little mineral-rich stick? 
• Fermented Foods: why they are taking centre stage when it comes to improved digestive health, a reduction in inflammatory conditions and weight loss.
• Hybrid Fruits and Vegetables: exciting times are afoot with new varieties hitting the shelves. First there were kalettes and plutos, now there are broccoflowers and limequats with a few more waiting in the wings. Is it time to get a bit more adventurous and join the ‘9 a Day’ squad for a super boost to your immune system?
• Sea Vegetables: are you getting the max for optimum thyroid health and a daily metabolic boost? For hormone balance and weight loss, they pack a real punch.
• Healthy Breakfasts: bin the classic cereal and toast options - it’s time to start breakfasting like you mean it with influences from around the globe and get some more protein and fat into your first meal of the day for successful fat loss!
• Packed Lunches: the healthy and satisfying packed lunch is already growing arms and legs but there's plenty more you can do to ensure yours ticks all the right boxes and keeps you at the top of your game through a busy afternoon.
• Food Footprints: we are beginning to get the message but there's still a lot we can do on a personal level. Think pasture-fed animals, locally sourced products, sustainable fish stocks etc, feel just a little bit smug that you are helping to ‘save the planet’ and make your meals and snacks really special and tasty.
• Conquering Cravings: ever considered that vitamin and mineral deficiencies might be the cause of your desperate urge to wolf down a sugary or salty snack? Uncover the reasons behind your cravings and you are onto a winner!

If you already subscribe to my newsletters and have missed my nutritional nuggets over the past few months, I trust I can redeem myself with lots of news to keep you up to speed with what’s going on in the field of diet and nutrition and should you have only recently come across me and my books, SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE and allow me to share a host of weight loss tips and tricks with you.