Meeting Theo

On Thursday 28th November I  had the privilege of travelling to Birmingham and meeting Theo Paphitis. I won his competition on Twitter for Small Businesses (SBS) where each week he picks 6 of the best. I have three words to sum up the day:

• Inspiring
• Exciting
• Amazing

Being in business is tough and although Theo is a very wealthy man, helping those of us who are starting out and still small businesses is top of his list. You couldn't ask to meet a more genuine man who has his feet firmly on the ground. Listening to Theo speak about the things he's got lined up for SBS winners excites me and inspires me.

Theo wants the SBS network to grow and be powerful enough to lobby in parliament. How exciting is that?! He talked about his businesses and probably the best of advice he gave is to "just f***ing do it" Stop wasting time thinking about the consequences because if you don't try something you won't know whether it works or not.

The SBS winners that were in Birmingham were those who are passionate and determined with their businesses. They want to make them succeed and are already successful regardless of income/size etc. These are the people I want to be around. They inspire you to keep going when things are tough and the community we're building is there for people if they just need a chat and virtual hug. The passion, dedication and enthusiasm in the room was infectious. Hearing how excited people are for next year and the plans they have was just amazing.

I am proud and honoured to be part of such a wonderful community and look forward to helping and hopefully inspiring those who have already won and future winners. You only get out what you put in and this is certainly true for SBS. The more you can network online and retweet other winners to help them get their messages heard, the more they do for you.

2014 is shaping up to be the most exciting year yet with some fantastic opportunities and new products coming your way so watch the blog and website (www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk) for more information. Don't forget you can always get in touch with us via the website or call 07912 556470.

Hannah

Why are eating less but getting fatter?

It was reported yesterday that we're eating less but getting fatter. Researchers are blaming our sedentary lifestyles but those who watched "The Men Who Made Us Thin" on BBC2 earlier in the year will know that when the exercise and weight theory was discovered, they got it wrong!

Whilst we're not the most active country, what we eat is also a big contributory factor in our weight. It seems that a lack of exercise is being blamed because it's the easiest thing to blame. In actual fact, we as individuals are at fault. We control what we eat and how healthy our lifestyles are. However, the advice from the government may not be helping us to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

If the exercise theory was wrong and it is in fact slim people who do exercise rather than exercise helping with weight loss then it doesn't really matter how much exercise you do. There are dangers of recommending exercise to overweight people as the pressure it puts their joints under can cause a lot of damage. People should only start exercising after speaking to a qualified professional e.g. personal trainer. Ideally if they are wanting to lose weight, the personal trainer should have some experience of working with overweight people so they can give the best advice. This should then be combined with the advice of qualified nutritionist or dietitian.

The current Eatwell plate looks like this


You can see how much of our diet the government recommend is made up of carbohydrates and foods high in fat/sugar. Protein makes up a small portion of the plate and there is no distinction between how much fruit or veg we should have.

There is far too much carbohydrate on the plate especially of the white sugary kind and there is no direction on whether to eat low fat or full fat dairy products. Full fat are not only lower in sugar but also more filling and have less effect on blood sugar. Whilst fruit contains vitamins, it does also contain fructose which is natural sugar. Far too many people eat a lot of fruit and very little veg which also can cause blood sugars to rise. This is often the case for children too.

As far as I'm concerned, there should be no place for the purple segment. Yes, we all need a treat once in a while but certainly not the amount or frequency suggested by the plate. Sugary foods cause the body to release more insulin to deal with the rise in blood sugar which encourages the body to lay down fat stores especially around the middle.

We need to re-consider our dietary advice as it clearly isn't working if we are eating less and getting fatter. My suggestion would be to look at what happens when people eat a low carbohydrate diet with no processed food and see how much people lose then. We don't need to Calorie count or get obsessive about weight, we need to make people healthy.

Of course, another flaw with the article is that people often under or over estimate food intake. Those who underweight are more likely to over report whereas those who are overweight are most likely to over report and therefore food intake is not accurate. It also doesn't always account for what is eaten outside the home which can equate to an awful lots of food for many people!

Here's a link to the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2486892/Couch-potato-lifestyle-means-Britons-obese-Europe.html

For more information, visit www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk or email info@wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

Clothes shopping

On Monday, I took a couple of hours off and met my Mum for some clothes shopping. I desperately need some new clothes especially as I have two very exciting projects starting and jeans just won't do! A lovely girly day planned and some retail therapy. Sounds bliss...

I can truly say that clothes shopping has become one of my worst things ever! It was awful, depressing and if it wasn't for my Mum I would have turned round and come home. I have put some weight on and was wondering how this would affect the sizes I buy. Having always been an 8 top and 10 bottom, I prepared myself that this may no longer be the case. Clearly, I am an awkward shape because 10's looked a bit too tight and 12's hung off me. Or, clothes just didn't fit right.

Whilst I found it depressing, I know I am fit and healthy and with a little bit of work, the rest of the weight will come off. It got me thinking about how other people might find clothes shopping especially women who are bigger than me. With the average UK women now a size 16, how do they find clothes to fit? As we were walking round, I started to look more at what other people were wearing and realised there are only a few people who actually wear clothes that fir them really well and suit them. If I found it depressing at a size 10 what must some a size 14 or bigger feel like?

It also seemed that clothes were smaller in shops and cut really badly (unless that's just me). Surely, clothes sizes should be a little more generous given that we're all getting bigger. It's well known that wearing well fitting clothes is more flattering but may be it's just not possible for everyone. Of course, there are also the wonderful changing room mirrors which seem to add a dress size and show every bit of cellulite, fat and any other imperfection.

All in all, a depressing experience. I would love to hear how you find clothes shopping. Are there certain shops you know you can rely on for good clothes or is it a nightmare? I left with a top and a skirt which don't match but at least I have things at home they go with. I also have renewed determination to get back into a size 10 and look good in it through healthy eating and exercise.

Tell me how you find clothes shopping by emailing info@wisechoicenutrition.co.uk or visit the website www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

School meals

It's been announced that all children under 6 will receive free school meals in a bid to educate children on healthy eating and provide a hot meal to more children. Sounds great but I have some issues with the idea.

Firstly, it's going to be a very expensive idea. Whilst I would never deny a child a free meal, are there not more important things to do which might tackle obesity. What about all the schools that no longer have kitchens? Will they have to build them or ship in food from somewhere that's been reheated and lost it's nutritional value and tastes disgusting?

Secondly, the variation in quality of school meals needs to be tackled. Some schools have fantastic meals, others are awful. More emphasis needs to be put on the quality of food and sourcing local produce. Children can then learn where their food has come from and how it is cooked. Jamie Oliver has done a fantastic job of highlighting the nutritional quality of school meals. Unfortunately, not enough has been done following on from this. 

For children to learn about healthy eating, school meals need to change drastically. Menus are full of stodgy high carbohydrate meals. Although children need some carbohydrate, the amount on menus is sky high. The fact they have fruit and vegetables/salad available means nothing when you look at the dessert options. Children need high fat nutritious food not high sugar junk which will create a lifetime of sugar addiction.

I honestly can't see this scheme making any difference to childhood obesity and it certainly doesn't educate kids on healthy eating because school meals are not healthy! For this to have any impact, school menus need to change to serve real food in it's real state closest to nature not something that's highly processed with no nutritional value. 

What do you think to the idea? Do your children have school meals? I would love to hear your thoughts. You can email me on info@wisechoicenutrition.co.uk. Don't forget to visit the website www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

Hannah

No pasta lasagne

There's an argument that this is no longer lasagne as it has no pasta and doesn't have the traditional bechemal sauce but for anyone who can't eat pasta and prefers a healthier option, it tastes fab! It's really easy to make and can be frozen

500g minced beef
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
150g mushrooms, chopped
1/2 leek (use the other half as pasta sheets- do not chop)
2 tins tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato puree
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

350g cottage cheese
250g natural yoghurt
2 eggs

1. Peel and slice all the vegetables then fry the onion, garlic and mince until browned. Add the remaining vegetables ensuring you keep back half the leek to use later. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes then season
2. Preheat the oven to 180OC. Slice the leek in half lengthways. Blend the cottage cheese, yoghurt and eggs together then season with black pepper.
3. Once the lasagne is cooked, layer the lasagne mix and leeks. For the final layer, use the cheese and yoghurt mix. Then place in the oven to cook for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown.