What is your
PB kitchen?
It is my attempt to get you interested in quick and easy cooking. "Fit"
cooking should be more than pasta with ragu sauce or tuna pasta bake.
What kind
of recipes are there?
I've started with a few unconvential ones. They are still quick and easy to
do, but include a few ingredients that you may not have thought of using before
e.g. chickpeas, liver and nuts.
Why?
Because I want to get people eating and enjoying a whole range of foods. Yes,
many athletes need to eat a high carbohydrate diet, but there are other important
nutrients that your body needs to keep it in good working order. Also, you
don't have to be a vegetarian to include beans. pulses and nuts (and seeds)
into your personal best diet.
So why beans,
liver and nuts?
Beans and pulses are cheap and a great way of adding many nutrients to a meal,
including protein and iron. Liver is cheap and very quick to cook and before
you turn your nose up, do have a go, and then you can e-mail
me with your comments. Liver should not be eaten during pregnancy, but
is a superb source of iron, folate, Vitamins A and D to name just a few. I
get really fed up when people say they do not eat nuts because they are high
in fat - so is chocolate and crisps and yet still eat them whilst chastising
yourself don't you?
Most nuts are rich in unsaturated fat (rather than the saturated type), Vitamin E and are loaded with minerals such as copper, selenium, zinc, potassium and magnesium. Peanuts are also contain various phytochemicals (beneficial "plant chemicals") like those found in red wine which scientists are interested in because of their positive effects on heartdisease (Cassidy & Griffin 1999).
There is certainly
more to life than scoffing a packet of dry roasted nuts in front of the TV.
In the words of Professor Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe, BMJ editorial, November 1998,
"Like food grains, nuts are concentrated sources of food energy and micronutrientsbut
their dietary image has been mixed. Nuts may (now) be rehabilitated as a likely
constituent of a prudent diet."
Some of the recipes are low in Carbohydrate - what can I do?
Some of the recipes are low in carbohydrate because it presumes that you will
serve them with potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc. Many of the recipes also
recommend that you add vegetables (fresh or frozen) or salad to complete the
meal and to make it more balanced.
How do I calculate approximate carbohydrate portions?
Click here for a table.
Look at the table above for average portions of carbohydrate sources and use them to boost your meals. Try to go for the wholegrain varieties e.g. wholegrain rice, wholemeal bread and pitta for extra B vitamins, chromium and magnesium.
© j.boorman 1996-2002
