Hopefully, you can forgive me with these ‘so easy to throw together you might actually be considered a proper baker’ muffins.

The husband fancied some kind of chocolate fix, and ever the diligent partner (and control freak when it comes to the kitchen) I gladly stepped in (this benefits me hugely as I know I can create something pretty good without any unnecessary sugars). The bananas provide the sweetness so no added sugar is needed (er, although they do have dark chocolate chips which makes them a teensy bit decadent, but hey, life’s about balance eh? You could substitute the dark chocolate for vegan chocolate if you wanted to. Straight out the oven with the chocolate melting and gooey peanut butter centre makes this one of my most favourite happy accidents to date. Please do give them a go and let me know you think!

Prep time: 15 mins

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Over-ripe, about to die bananas make the best banana bread, so don’t ever throw them away.  This is a doddle to make, and will make you look like quite the accomplished baker (even when you’re not – like me – hah!).

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe, medium bananas (the more the merrier I say), mashed
• 2 eggs, large
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter (I used salted, smooth peanut butter but any would do). Almond butter would work well too
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted (can substitute for coconut oil too)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup agave/honey (optional)
• 1 cup of gluten free oats, ground (I use my nutribullet but any kind of blender/food processor will do)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Handful of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 175°C (I use a fan oven)
2. Line a standard loaf pan (9 x 5 ) with baking parchment (this makes for super easy removal of the banana bread, alternatively you could oil the pan)
3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, banana, peanut butter, vanilla essence, butter and agave/honey (if using)
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently stir to combine (be careful not to over mix)
6. Gently fold in the chocolate chips if using
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until set in the centre and a knife/tooth pick comes out clean.  It’s easy to burn this so keep an eye on it!
8. Let it cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before moving to a wire rack to let cool completely (although this almost never happens – there is little else that makes me happier that warm banana bread with melting chocolate chips in the middle!)
9. Dig in!
10. This stores well in an airtight container for up to a week, although ours tends to get devoured way before then.

Additional notes:

This mix also works well as muffins. Instead of filling a loaf pan, divide the batter into muffin cases in a muffin tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife runs clear. This batter makes about 14 muffins.

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This is a great post workout smoothie as the banana (carbohydrate) helps the body to absorb the protein powder more efficiently.

Having protein with every meal and snack is really important to help balance blood sugar levels, manage energy levels and balance hormones.

Serves one.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 scoop Vega Sport Performance protein powder in vanilla
• 1/2 frozen banana
• Handful raspberries
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

Method

Mix all together in a nutribullet or blender and voila.  Add more almond milk accordingly if you like your smoothies thinner (I prefer mine on the thicker side).

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These figures are staggering.  In a world with an abundance of food options we are almost spoilt for choice – both to our benefit and our detriment.  We have the ability to eat extremely well, and yet also extrememely badly.

The rise of convenience foods means we are cooking less and less. Our foods are less nutritious, more likely to come out of a packet and full of chemicals and additives – not what the human body was designed for. The constant availability of foods means we are able to consume at all hours if we wanted to. Gone are the days when food was scarce and we had to go go hunting or foraging for our meals, meaning we occasionally had to go hungry.  That is clearly not the case now.  Food is cheap.  Bad food is cheaper – why can you buy a full meal at McDonolads for £1.99, yet a quinoa salad from Marks and Spencer will set you back £4.50? This food cost debate is another story for another time! Since what I’d like to focus upon are a few tips on how you can lose weight safely, easily and keep it off!

1. Ditch the processed foods

‘Most’ things out of a packet are full of additives and extra sugar and salt.  I always say, if you can’t catch it or grow it put it away.

2. Watch your sugar intake

Focus on lean proteins, vegetables and healthy fats.  Sugars are easy to consume and overeat, and are in so many ‘staple’ foods we eat, even the good stuff like rice and potatoes.  they cause your body to release insulin, which encourages fat storage and makes it more difficult to burn fat for energy.  A doubly negative way of causing weight (fat) gain, which brings us on to…

3. Eat protein with every meal

It’s the building blocks of our bodies, keeps us fuller for longer, keeps hunger at bay and helps to balance blood sugar levels.  what not to like? Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds are all good sources.

4. Watch your portions

It’s so easy to overeat, and the more eat the more your stomach expands and it take more food it needs to feel satiated. Eat to be satisfied, not stuffed (about 75-80% full).  A good way of gaining control over your eating habits is to always leave a mouthful worth of food on your plate. This is such a key point as consistently overeating can lead to serious weight gain and deserves a blog post on its own (watch this space!).

5. Stop snacking

This is a slightly controversial point as controlled snacking can play a part in balancing blood sugar levels and providing a good source of nutrients.  The trouble is, most of the time it isn’t, and more often then not food is consumed mindlessly.

“If food isn’t part of the problem, it won’t be part of the solution”

6. Don’t emotionally eat

Easier said than done I know.  But food isn’t part of the problem, it won’t be part of the solution.  Find out what’s really bothering you and deal with it.  I promise you you won’t find it at the bottom of an ice-cream carton.

“So let’s get this straight.  If you’re adding oestrogen, growth hormones and antibiotics to fatten up your cows, why wouldn’t it also fatten the cows who eat the meat?”

7. Go organic

Meats and dairy are full of growth hormones and antibiotics designed to fatten up livestock – who’s to say these same growth hormones aren’t doing the same to us?

8. Don’t drink your calories

Literally just that.  Fizzy drinks and juices are just pure sugar or laden with unnatural substances (or both!).  Unnecessary and bad for the waistline and teeth!

9. Drink more water

It’s been said time and time again for good reason.  Being hydrated means you don’t mistake hunger for thirst, causing you to eat less.

10. Move more

Running, walking, boxing, dancing around your house like a loony – whatever gets you moving – do it.  Your burn calories and boost your metabolism.  What’s not to love?

The post Top 10 weight loss tips – Why are we so fat? appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Spring is here! Yay! I am loving this warmer weather, and it always inspires me to get creative with lighter dishes.  This courgette ‘noodle’ recipe is one of my favourites – it really holds the sauce well and the texture is great so you can literally twist it round a fork and shovel in like ‘pasta’ (albeit minus the carbs – hooray!).  If you’re a lover of pesto and have never made it yourself before you’ll be surprised just how quick and easy it is.  So tasty and without all the added parmesan which is unnecessary in my humble opinion.

This is great as a side dish, or double up and serve as a main.  I served mine with some grilled fish.  Let me know how you get on!

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Anyone who has dabbled in low carb/paleo might have come across this before, and it’s been on my to do list for ages now, so last Sunday, armed with all my ingredients, I set about on my low carb pizza journey, and it was well worth it!

Credit where credit is due – I totally stole this recipe from http://www.domesticate-me.com/cauliflower-pizza-crust-with-roasted-vegetables-and-goat-cheese/ who claims this to be the ‘best cauliflower pizza ever’, and she’s right.  With a claim like that how could I resist? I only made a few minor amendments..

Disclaimer:

1. If you don’t like cauliflower please don’t discount this recipe – bizarrely it doesn’t actually taste of cauliflower
2. The base holds like proper pizza (gutted I didn’t take a picture of this, but you’ll have to take my word on this)
3. It takes longer than expected. It’s not a difficult recipe, but the grating of the cauliflower and the draining and rolling takes a bit of time – persevere – I promise it will be worth it.  I’ll add a few time saving tips along the way.

Makes one large (ish) pizza.  Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the cauliflower base:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, stems removed and cut into florets (*Time saving tip* buy ready cut up florets)
• 1 tablespoon dried herbs (I used an Italian herb seasoning which had basil, oregano and something else!)
• Pinch or two of salt
• 1 tablespoon dried chilli/red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1-2 eggs (the recipe I used called for 1 egg, but my dough mixture was a bit dry and crumbly, so I used an extra one to help hold it all together)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella (about half a ‘ball’ of mozzarella)
• 1/4 cup of ground almonds
• Parchment paper

For the topping:

Feel free to amend this according to what you fancy.  It was Sunday, and a bit of a treat day, so I wasn’t as healthy with my toppings as I might have been otherwise (next time I’ll add more greens, but pepperoni called this time round!)

• 1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• Pepperoni slices
• 2 small fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce (much better to make your own, but I was having a lazy day and used a store bought one)
• Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
• Handful of fresh basil
• Remaining mozzarella, shredded
• Grated cheddar (optional)
• Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C

1. Add the sliced peppers and onions to a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a little salt.  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside

2. Blitz the cauliflower florets in a food processor until it resembles fine sand.  You may need to do this in batches.  I did this in my blender and it does take a bit longer, as you have to scrape down the cauliflower from the sides and continue with the next batch

3. Put the cauliflower sand in a microwaveable bowl, cover and microwave for 3-4 minutes. Remove and let cool (very important or you will burn your hands in the next step!

4. Spoon 1/3 of the cauliflower into a clean tea towel, and wring to remove all the water. Really squeeze as it you need the cauliflower as dry as possible.  *Time saving tip* -get a friend/partner/room-mate to help! Repeat with the rest of the cauliflower

5. Place the cauliflower in a large mixing bowel and add the egg(s), cheese, ground almonds,herbs, seasoning and spices, and mix thoroughly (hands are your best tools here!)

6. Using your hands form a ball of dough (add the second egg if you find this too crumbly)

7. Place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and using a rolling pin roll into a round pizza shape (or as round as possible), about 1/6 inch in height

8.  Remove the top sheet and place the cauliflower on a heated tray in oven for 8-10 minutes (you want it golden brown)

9. Carefully remove the pizza crust from the oven and spread the pizza sauce over and add the toppings and seasonings of your choice

10. Bake for another 5-10 minutes (watch it doesn’t burn)

11. Remove from oven and let it cool for 2 minutes (important if you want to be able to hold your slices like proper pizza)

12. Slice and enjoy!

I loved this and I sincerely hope you do too.  Let me know how you get on!

The post Low carb, gluten free cauliflower pizza (yes, really!) appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

• Lose weight
• Sleep better
• Have clearer skin
• Have more energy
• Reduce bloating
• Recover faster from training
• Have babies 🙂
• Finally start having regular menstrual cycles

It’s a myth that nutritionists are reserved for the rich and famous.  Most people could be eating better.  Most people have lived with their health conditions for so long they don’t even realize what it feels like to be truly healthy.  Always tired, can’t sleep, feeling low, feeling bloated – it is not normal to feel this way.  You may put it down to being busy, or the stresses of work, but more often than not your diet is affecting the way you feel, your energy levels and your sleeping patterns. Your diet should support your lifestyle, and if it doesn’t it can result in numerous health problems.

How a nutritionist can help

Person specific

My job is to motivate and provide diet plans that fit in with your lifestyle.  Why do you think most diets out there do not work? This is because the majority are not designed specifically for you.  They are unsustainable and don’t focus on creating long-term lifestyle changes.  This is where I come in. The reason my clients get the results they do is because the plans I provide have been designed uniquely for them.  Busy lifestyle? No time to prepare food?  Hate carrots? That’s ok – I work with your needs and goals.

No More Confusion: Information overload

There is a lot of information out there.  Some good.  Some not so great. A lot of it is conflicting. By seeing me rest assured you are receiving the best advice possible.  You will get specific answers to your nutrition questions without having to rummage through Google to find generic advice that might not be suitable.

Education

Educating clients is key.  I want my clients to really listen to their bodies and understand why they feel the way they do, what foods make them feel better or worse and why! This is the only way they will really commit to a plan and make long lasting changes to they way they eat and think about food.

Save time


Your nutrition plan will be specific to you, based on your goals, lifestyle and food preferences so you know what to eat on each day of the week.  Having a set plan saves time and energy in figuring out what food to buy, make and eat.

Keeping you on track

Sometimes just being made accountable helps you to stick with a new eating regime. You get my constant support and encouragement to help you through the highs and lows that naturally come with a change of eating habits.  If something isn’t working, we change it.

Inspiring plans and recipes

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a foodie.  Plans are always created with this in mind – I want you to be able to enjoy your food whilst still achieving your health goals.  It’s easy to get stuck in a food rut and eating the same foods over and over again can lead to digestive disturbances.

Feeling good?

There is always something you can do or change to your diet to make it better.  We have access to so much food – this means that we should be able to eat really well, but in reality it means that we can eat really badly.

There are so many ailments that can be improved through diet.  Many seek medications to help, but these merely mask the symptoms whereas good nutrition can treat the underlying cause.  Most of the time it’s an underlying health condition that is causing your symptoms.  I aim to figure out what that is and help you get better!

I appreciate that this post might come across as a sales pitch, and I hope you know me well enough to understand that it’s not.  I genuinely want to help – that’s why I’m in the industry that I’m in – it’s certainly not for the money! 😉

The post Why everyone should see a Nutritionist appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

You started the New Year with so much promise and hope.  You joined the gym and threw away the junk food full of good intentions.  However, a month on, the first of January seems like a century ago, and your motivation and enthusiasm that seemed unstoppable is rapidly declining (into an empty pack of hobnobs) it’s time to turn things around.  Don’t feel ashamed as you are not alone – most people have given up their New Year’s resolutions by the third week of January.  The trick is that healthy eating resolutions shouldn’t be complicated, as this makes them difficult to stick to.  So if you’re trying to be healthier this 2013, these simple suggestions are a good to place to start!

1. Drink more water
2. Eat less processed foods (with the recent revelation that horse meat has been found in some Tesco’s burgers this shouldn’t be too difficult!)
3. Add vegetables to every meal
4. Add protein and healthy fats to every meal
5. Have more non drinking days than drinking days
6. Eat foods in season
7. Reduce your dairy intake
8. Reduce your caffeine intake

 Voila! If doing all eight feels a bit daunting, start with one or two, and once you have mastered those add in a few more.  It’s about adopting healthier eating habits in the long term. As always, Let me know how you get on.

The post Healthy New Year’s Resolutions you can actually stick to! appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

These are the same tips I use to keep myself in shape whilst on holiday. I never used to be like this. It was the usual train hard and diet like crazy to fit into my bikini, then unleash on holiday, not paying any attention to my diet or training (essentially using the holiday as an excuse to have a blowout). I would inevitably gain back all the weight and then some. Needless to say I spent the weeks after returning home back in the gym working out like a crazy woman to get back my pre holiday figure.

So what changed you ask? I genuinely couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t have the time nor the energy to keep doing the ‘lose it – gain it – lose it’ cycle especially as it takes so much more time and hard work to lose weight now than it did when I was younger. Yo-yo dieting is also detrimental to your body as it puts your metabolism out of sync. I’m so much more balanced in my approach to fitness and nutrition these days. I don’t want to go to extremes to get into or back into shape so watching what I eat (relatively) and training on holiday helps to keep me pretty much on track.

Now, holidays are meant to be a break so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself, but if you don’t want to undo all your pre-holiday hard work then I have put together an easy step-by-step guide. My opinion is that once you’re on holiday it is more about damage limitation than fat loss.  I hope this guide helps!

1. Train – I train in my everyday life and don’t see a holiday as an excuse to give that up. Try and exercise first thing in the morning before you start hitting that beach bar… I always choose hotels that have a gym and take advantage of the new surroundings I’m in – there’s nothing like running on the beach or in a new city.

2. I eat a ‘normal’ breakfast and lunch as this allows me to indulge at dinner if I wish to. My (and most people’s) resolve naturally declines as the day goes on (especially after a few sangrias!) so I use this to my advantage. I stick to protein and veggies for breakfast and lunch (think eggs and vegetables for breakfast, and a delicious salad for lunch).

3. I stick to my usual food rules as much as possible, most importantly no wheat (it makes my bloated – not a good bikini look, and if I don’t eat it at home why should I eat it on holiday?) https://www.nsnutrition.co.uk/2012/03/my-top-10-food-rules/

4. I don’t’ eat dessert every day and when I do indulge I always share with my partner or friend. A recent holiday with friends had us sharing one dessert between the four of us. It’s surprising how just a few spoonfuls can satisfy a craving and prevent that feeling of missing out.

5. I watch my drinking calories. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed and most of us will tend to consume more alcohol than usual. However if you don’t pick your drinks wisely you can end up consuming a huge amount of calories without realising it. I learnt this the hard way when having Pina Coladas in the Caribbean and whilst I knew they weren’t the healthiest choice I didn’t realise they were 650 calories for just one drink! Well you live and you learn, proving that even we Nutritionists make mistakes now and again. I’ll be sticking to my tried and tested Vodka, lime and sodas (76 calories) and glasses of wine (130 calories per 175 ml glass) from now on.

6. I come prepared. I always take snacks away on holiday with me (mostly almonds, and toasted seeds to add to my breakfast of fruit and yoghurt and to eat as a mid afternoon snack). It really helps to keep hunger pangs at bay and resist the temptation of unhealthy bar snacks.

The post How to keep the bikini body – DURING the holiday appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

However, I recognise that there are times when you might need to see quicker results. What do you do when you’re off on holiday in a few weeks and want to shed some fat quickly for example?  I have come up with a smart and healthy way of doing this – the NS Nutrition ‘Summer Shape-Up Plan’, which will get you in shape in two weeks whilst not compromising your metabolism or health (as long as you stick with the plan).

The Plan:

The plan is strict because time is of the essence, but it’s just for 2 weeks – so you can do it! The basic principles are that for 2 weeks you eat only lean proteins, vegetables and healthy fats. For your proteins I suggest eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, lamb or beef for example. For your vegetables ensure you eat green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, cabbage or bok choi, mixed with other more colourful and anti-oxidant rich peppers, tomatoes and beetroot. For your healthy fats consume extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.  Foods I suggest you avoid are starchy vegetables like carrots and all beans and pulses. Finally, if you feel peckish between meals make sure you only snack on a mixture of pure protein and vegetables together (e.g. chicken slices and cucumber, hard boiled eggs and tomatoes) or as detailed in the plan below.

The Rules:

1. No wheat – that includes bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, wraps, bagels, noodles etc.
2. No alcohol – alcohol has empty calories – not what you need when you are trying to lose weight quickly.
3. No milk  – most people have issues digesting milk, which can lead to bloating and weight gain. Try almond or rice milk instead.
4. No sugary fruit – stick to blueberries and raspberries in the morning only.
5. Protein and healthy fat in every meal.
6. Increase your water intake – aim for two litres a day.
7. Eat two portions of oily fish a week (salmon, mackerel, sardines).
8. Watch your sodium intake to minimize the risks of bloating.
9. Ensure you do some form of resistance (weight) training.  This will ensure you retain muscle mass so you do not compromise your metabolism, thus preventing you from regaining all the weight after.
10. Maximum of two cups of tea or coffee per day.

Good luck and please let me know how you get on! Before I go, here is one final tip for you:

Fat loss tip:

A cup of black coffee before training first thing in the morning = much better fat loss results!

Weekly Meal Plan

 Here are a few ideas to help you get started.  Feel free to swap the meals around to suit you.

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