Don't fall into the 'artificial sweeteners' trap!

When I am giving talks at health events and having a rant about the crazy amounts of sugar in fizzy drinks there are always a few in the audience who (sometimes smugly) report that they only ever consume 'diet' or 'zero calorie' versions of their favourite pop so added sugars aren't an issue. This generally leads to me having another rant - often more spirited and vehement than the previous one! They are not the answer. Why? Because non-caloric artificial sweeteners (saccharine, sucralose, aspartame etc) may not be as benign as the manufacturers of diet drinks would like you to believe and may prompt glucose intolerance (ie our ability to metabolically manage the sugars in our diet) which can lead to increased body weight and prediabetes. Read Managing Director and Head of Research & Development at Nutri-Link, Michael Ash's informed review and comments on the latest research here.

MY ADVICE? Do yourself a big health and weight loss favour, ditch the fizzy diet drinks and instead, opt for the following for a refreshing drink and always have a bit of protein or fat alongside to slow the absorption of sugars and maintain healthy blood glucose levels:

• have a glass of fresh fruit juice watered down 50:50 with still or sparkling water with a couple of scrambled eggs in the morning
• have a refreshing, pure fruit smoothie that includes yoghurt or a mixed fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice combo alongside a small pack of fresh nuts or a chunk of hard cheese
• get yourself a fruit fusion bottle (fabulously inexpensive), be experimental with fruit combinations and nibble on some hummus and raw baby vegetables along the way
• keep a couple of bottles of pure fruit (no sugar added) cordials in your store cupboard/desk drawer, add lots of ice and sparkling water and have a couple of mini oatcakes with nut butter alongside
• play around with fruit teas - they are great either piping hot or super-chilled and marry very nicely with a mini bar of very, very dark chocolate!
• and when a super-busy day prompts the need for a stress-relieving alcoholic drink of an evening, head for extra dry champagne if funds allow (pretty light on sugar) or a dry white wine spritzer with a few olives and salted, roasted almonds to munch on!

The Giant Easter Omelette!

Napoleon was clearly as sharp at the dinner table as he was on the battlefield! Legend has it that when he stopped at an inn in the south western French town of Bessières one Easter he was so taken with the omelette he was served that he asked for a giant version of same to be made by the villagers to feed his entire army! And, so the giant easter omelette tradition was born...

Easter is upon us so it's got to be eggs, eggs and more eggs and whilst the chocolate ones may not be regarded as a super-healthy addition to your diet (other than the very deepest, darkest variety which offer a number of health-protective plant chemicals), a bit of a chocolate-fest for a day or two surely can't do too much damage!

Fresh eggs from happy pasture-fed hens, on the other hand, rightly deserve their super food status. Not only are they an excellent source of protein but they also offer good levels of heart, brain, nerve and hormone-friendly Omega 3 fatty acids - and - the list of essential vitamins and minerals they provide is impressive. Plus... they are fabulously-inexpensive and very low in calories!

Whether you like them boiled, scrambled, poached, fried or (if you have the required skills - omeletted), there are endless ways you can feast on them this Easter and reap all the benefits.

Here are a few of my suggestions that don't have to involve a giant omelette pan! Just click on the images for recipes

ham'n'eggs

poached egg special

mexican-style baked omelette

salmon kedgeree

tofu towers

egg and prawn crisp breads

omega 3 salad

Street Parties, Gallons of Guinness and A Good Chance of a Hangover!

Whether you are celebrating today or over the weekend, St Patrick’s Day events tend to involve perhaps a little too much alcohol! Here are a few of my protein and fat-rich recipes that do a grand job of slowing down the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream plus a few helpful tips which, with a bit of Irish luck will minimise the suffering!

• Feast before you head out

• Aim to match every drink with a large glass of water.

• Make a point of having a snack (and more water) before bed.

Poached Egg Special

Mediterranean Rice Bake

Crisp Bread with Salmon, Cottage Cheese and Courgette

The Cleansing Properties of Soup

Hands up everyone who is fed up reading about the cleansing properties of soup! A good soup has always offered nutritional perfection in a bowl (a phrase I started to champion some considerable number of years ago but I am certainly not about to claim as my own as the Imperial Physician to the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty beat me to it around 800 years ago!)

A truly cleansing soup takes time and patience, requires the very freshest of organic ingredients (and yes, you have to grind your own fresh herbs and spices) and is definitely what I would call a labour of love but if you are that patient person who has the time - go for it!

Alternatively, you may simply decide to get soup into your life on a more regular basis because it is delicious, nutritious, warming, comforting, satisfying, easy to transport, often very quick to prepare and there is no limit to the varieties you can concoct once you become a dedicated soupaholic!

If you find yourself debating the cleansing properties of juices versus soups - don’t! My advice is to mix it up and enjoy both. Despite what you may have read, juicing is not ‘out’ whilst soup is ‘in’, that’s just media and marketing hype. The bottom line is that the more vegetables you get into your day the better for health and wellness (aim for 7 and don’t beat yourself up if it’s only 5). And don’t forget to add 2 or 3 fruits into your juices and soups or have them as a snack with a handful of fresh nuts which deliver cracking good levels of protein and healthy fats.

If you are feeling a bit sluggish or suspect you are at risk of going down with one of the rather many viruses that seem to threaten us at this time of the year, have a go at my soup and juice clean up for a few days and benefit from the outstanding properties of both.