High Flying

Guy Fawkes night in chilly Liverpool followed by a hot jacket potato was a great way to begin my trip to England.  Visiting friends and family, catching up over lunch and afternoon teas was fun and exhausting.  I took a peaceful sunset stroll on the banks of the Mersey to round off my weekend and wind down before bed.

I slept well, so well I was late for my returning flight.
For once I did not have enough time for a proper breakfast so I grabbed a few nuts, seeds and dried fruit and an apple and dashed to the airport.   One thing I try to avoid at all costs is to eat anything from the infamous airplane 'bistro'.  Flight food is at the top of my list of 'worst foods in the world'.  My flight was one of those flights that is too early for lunch but by the time you reach your destination lunch is too late and dinner is on the horizon.   I knew at this particular airport there would be plenty of choice to buy something once I got through security.  All too often though the trap of eating something 'on the go'  lures you into making incorrect choices for your health.

The coffee shops, selling calorie laden muffins and high salt and fat content sandwiches.  The fast food burger and chips or pizza stalls.  The Bar.  All positioned perfectly for the travelling business person who just doesn't have time or the families with tired and bored children who need to eat NOW.  There are some airports with shops or cafes selling healthy options.  I love Boots for this.  I took a sushi selection box, a little pot of edamame (soya) beans and a large fruit box with chopped melon, grapes and apples.  Not to mention my large bottle of water to help combat the dehydration your body suffers whilst flying.  Did you know your body will lose around 1.5litres of water during a 3hour flight!!

Experience has taught me that not all airports are as 'food friendly' as others.  Therefore I always tell my clients to prepare themselves when they know a flying trip is imminent.  Make sure you eat well before you leave, if this is not possible then take something with you.  Nuts and seeds, oatcakes and fruit or little packets of dried fruit.  Make a healthy sandwich.  I would advise that aside from the water you will need, purchasing anything from airports or the plane should be out of absolute desperation and your last choice.

On another note this week I have been busy opening my clinic in Madrid.  I am there Tuesdays and Thursdays, for appointments visit the Nattcentre website: http://naprapatia.es/forsida/

SATURDAY IN SEVILLE NEXT.......

Parties, Plates and Portions

It has been a rare weekend for me to say the least. I stayed in my home town of Madrid and had the pleasure of being entertained, wined and dined at two different events by two very close friends.  A Friday night dinner party at one friend's house followed by a very long, 6 course gastronomic affair the very next day.  Not to mention the ongoing Halloween celebrations and the mountains of chocolates, sweets and treats I have accumulated in my house over the last two weeks. A looming nutritional nightmare...... however....

Friday night: my "English-friend-in-Madrid", famous for 'not cooking' created a Thai green curry with boiled rice. Delicious of course but with a hidden diet danger ... A huge 32cm plate and a potential meal of almost 1000 calories!!

Compared to 30 or so years ago the size of the plates we buy and eat from in restaurants have increased dramatically.  Serving larger portions have upped our calorie intake by almost 22% per meal! I avoid this pitfall by visioning a smaller plate in the middle of the 'flying saucer'. A useful general rule may help: your stomach is more or less the same size as your fist. Serving yourself healthy balanced meals around 5 times a day with portions of that "fist" size is ideal.  Nowadays, it is common in our hectic lives for people to go long periods of time without eating and putting their body into starvation mode, thus overcompensating with extra large meals.  My motto 'small healthy meals, little and often'.

Saturday and that 6 course lunch:  a close friend's 40th birthday in a familiar Basque restaurant... I knew what was coming. Resisting temptation to indulge in every course can be difficult, especially when you are hungry.  Following the footsteps of others and exciting conversations at the table can lead you to forget exactly how much you really eat and drink. I choose to pass on one or two of the courses.  This may seem rude but I think perfectly acceptable when your health is more important.  And let's face it our bodies would hardly miss those large griddled prawns, bowl of soup or 3 different cakes! 

Halloween: I had to prepare my house for little devils and witches knocking on my door expecting sweet treats. My answer was chocolate 'toffee' apples. I felt very good about giving the children something of nutritional value but still fun.

LIVERPOOL CALLING NEXT WEEK..........

Visit http://naprapatia.es/forsida/  for more information on clinic times and offers

Venice and Vivaldi

Mi amore Venezia......          

Yes I have fallen in love again, there really are few things (if any at all) that you cannot love about Venice.  The winding waterways filled with couples in beautiful shiny gondolas, the romantic old buildings stacked upon each other, the music and oh yes, the food. Pasta to be precise seems to be everyone's enemy these days and there is no way to avoid it in Italy.

After a rather long journey on the water taxi to the hotel in the heart of San Marco, I was famished and have to say the smell and thought of pasta was definitely on my mind.  Bypassing the Antipasti and going straight for a '1st' course, I am glad to say I asked for the two large plates of pasta delivered to be halved!  We opted for a dish of little sauce or cream, a very simple pesto tagliatelle.  When eating heavy carbohydrate based foods it is always best to serve it with sauces such as tomatoes or little olive oil and fresh hot vegetables such as broccoli or spinach with chopped fresh herbs.  So try to look out for these options on the menu next time, and there is never any harm in asking if they have brown pasta or rice, you never know!
Talking of sauces and my second course is about to be served, I chose a fillet steak and it was served with a very beautiful side of peas and raspberry sauce. I was glad to have asked for it on the side as this is where hidden extra calories can be hidden.

My favourite memory of eating in Venice has to be my vegetable soup 'zuppe de veduri'.  Yes as 'The Man' declared - 'oh how boring!' , it really was the tastiest and healthiest soup I have ordered in my entire life.  I passed an array of fresh, vibrant vegetables and knew this was the place I wanted to eat.

A hearty, healthy winter vegetable soup, with little salt or stock will help ward off any of those winter coughs and colds.  After a long, windy, chilly, rainy day and an hour in a cold Venetian church listening to Vivaldi, it really was my finest hour! CIAO.

HALLOWEEN HORRORS TO FOLLOW......

GRAN CANARIA - A Better Breakfast

I have just returned from the most wonderful relaxing break in Gran Canaria, staying in a rather remote hotel on top of a mountain overlooking the sea almost 300m above sea level.  The food has to be in my view the best on the island.  With Champagne and caviar on offer for breakfast, this really is the place to overindulge !

Breakfast in hotels can be a meagre affair to say the least but on this occasion, I got lucky.  No, I didn't partake in bubbles, I walked right passed to a huge bar of fruit and a wonderful little lady making any juice you asked for.  It was beautiful,  I ordered the vitamin packed Carrot, Apple and Orange juice.  A perfect way to boost my immune system before those winter coughs and colds with all that vitamin C and Beta Carotene.  Not to mention one of my '5 a day'

I always try to start the day with a good energy packed breakfast.  When staying in hotels I go for the fresh  fruit, yoghurt and nuts option if they have it so I was delighted with the choice of fresh fruits here.  As you can see my plate is full of melons, a natural yoghurt and I found some walnuts and hazelnuts.  If you like you can add a little honey to sweeten things up but I find the melon to be just enough.

I was equally delighted to see my friend's choice of breakfast was scrambled eggs on toasted wholegrain bread.  This is a fantastic breakfast, lunch or light supper.  Eggs are full of protein and omega 3 and low in calories when scrambled or poached.  Served on wholegrain bread fills you up with fibre, good starch and essential fats. It takes two mintues to make scrambled eggs and when I am running late I make it into a toasted sandwich, wrap it up in foil and eat it on the go, easy!

NEXT WEEK VENICE..........