The 7 days between 24th Dec and 1st Jan are dusted with a special kind of carefree frosting (aka sugar), but now the festivities are over, it’s time to regain control over the wild indulgence and revisit healthier eating habits such as portion control – normal service resumed! Mulled wine is no longer the main source of liquids, 6 deep-filled luxury mince pies aren’t ‘just a cheeky little snack’, and it’s harder to find an excuse to nap off the food coma in bed during the afternoons! To properly wean off the sweet stuff is a gradual process, so I like to take it one step at a time. A great starting point is this Citrus Fruit Salad which is super quick-and-easy to prepare, loaded with antioxidant Vitamin C compounds for an immune boost, and contains a wealth of other vitamins and minerals to see you back on the straight and narrow! Click MORE to get the why and how-to :)
There are 5 key components to this dish, as follows:
1) APPLE
‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ – they’re a dense source of antioxidants, which help to repair tissue & cells, whilst they’re also rich in vitamin C, with plenty of dietary fibre, and there are only c. 90 calories per apple (!)
2) GRAPEFRUIT
Extremely rich in vitamin C, dietary fibre (pectin), with a remarkably low glycemic index to help the metabolism burn fat.
3) ORANGE
Like most citrus fruit orange is also a great source of vitamin C (100grams provides c. 89% of your daily requirements) – great for an immune boost in these cold times!
4) RASPBERRIES
A wonderfully sour-sweet flavour which also packs a proper vitamin C punch, as well as vitamin K and manganese, whilst increasing heat production in certain fat cells (to maintain the liver and reduce risk of obesity by decreasing production of the fat-digesting enzyme Lipase in the pancreas – the body should absorb & digest less fat!).
5) KIWI
Just an impossibly dense source of vitamin C, with each large kiwi fruit providing c. 154% of the daily intake, whilst the little black seeds are hidden sources of Omega-3 fatty acids to help lubricate the heart functions. It’s also packed full of the usual vitamin A, K, E, soluble dietary fibre etc, and happens to taste gorgeous!
SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
Remember, portion control matters, and it’s worth noting that the fruits contained in this dish deliver most of the calories from sugar. It’s an important step away from artificial sugars though, and chomping on the right fruits (like berries) means you’re not only consuming fructose (the lowest-GI form of sugar with a glycemic index of 19, versus a glass of apple juice at 30, table sugar at 65, and glucose at 100), but also enjoying other benefits like fibre (helps digestion) & plenty of additional vitamins and minerals. By chewing solid food and metabolising it slowly (rather than drinking it straight into your bloodstream) you suffer less of a blood sugar spike.
The sugar rat doesn’t stand a chance ;) Faya x
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HYPER-FOOD SALAD !!!