Wednesday 30 March 2016

Does my bum look big in this?


Healthy fats for a perfect wobble…
During the 1990’s diets and healthy eating regimes focused on reducing fat and the ‘low fat’ craze became the guiding light for nutritionists and dieticians. Food manufacturers of high fat products responded by introducing a wide range of low fat variants – low fat yoghurt, low fat cheese, low fat biscuits… the list is literally endless, and changed the way we eat and our attitude to fat.
However, obesity is at an all-time high, science has moved on and conventional wisdom has notably shifted in its approach to fatty foods. Nowadays it’s all about healthy fats but there is still quite a lot of uncertainty and nervousness about including high fat foods into our diets. FEAR NOT! ace has done the hard work for you! Here is our healthy fats download. Get ready to smash those avocados and dig in…

The benefits of good fats:

  • ENERGY – our bodies use the fat we consume to provide energy for most of our life functions. Fat cells also store energy for future use.
  • GROWTH - essential fatty acids help growth development and cell function, which are not naturally made by our body. It also helps vitamins (A,D,E and K) get to where they are needed. Fats also form steroid hormones – needed to regulate many bodily processes.
  • BRAINS – fat improves brain and nerve functionality – our brains contain large amounts of essential fats, and the fatty material which wraps around our nerve cells helps to send electrical messages to the brain.
  • SKIN – fats help maintain healthy skin, give it plumpness and glow.
  • HEART - “Healthy” fats lower “bad” cholesterol in the blood – decreasing heart attacks.

These benefits are found in polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and saturated fat. Trans-fats, on the other hand, which are artificially processed fats, can lead to all sorts of health problems - high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and are a fat worth avoiding.

‘Good fat’ foods

  • Cold water fish: high in monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, salmon, mackerel, trout and tuna are an excellent source of healthy fat. If you do not like fish, then fish oil supplements are worth considering instead.
  • Plant oils: hemp, grapeseed, flax seed, olive, canola... are all a great source of polyunsaturated fat. Use for pouring over salads (they hydrogenate at a high temperature so benefits are lost when cooking). Canola oil is a good one to cook with as it doesn’t downgrade at high temperatures.
  • Nuts and seeds: these are an excellent source of good fats. Hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts all derive more than half of their fat calories from monounsaturated fats. Walnuts and Chia seeds are extremely rich in omega-3 fats. Sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds as well as Brazil nuts all offer a balance of both poly and monosaturated fats. The oils derived from these seeds and nuts are similarly rich in healthy fats.
  • Avocados: smash on wholemeal toast, add some seasoning, bit of chilli… and now we’re talking.  Avocado are a great source of fibre and contains mostly monounsaturated fat which lowers risk of heart disease and high cholesterol as well as helping control blood glucose levels. They’re staging something of a major comeback so get them on your shopping list!
  • Dairy products and meats: also known as saturated fats. These fats are not as healthy as poly or monounsaturated fats but have some important functions in the body, e.g., needed for healthy cell membranes and is involved in hormone synthesis, therefore, a little saturated fat is required. Be careful, an excessive amount can contribute to raised cholesterol.
  • Coconut oil: also a saturated fat but has loads of health and beauty benefits. Nearly 50% of coconut oil is medium chain fatty acids or lauric acid, which converts to monolaurin in our bodies. Monolaurin is found in abundance in human breast milk, and is very effective at boosting immunity. It is a great oil to fry and bake with and doesn’t downgrade at high temperatures.

Check out the ace website for lots of ideas and recipes for cooking with good fats www.ace-london.com.

For any further information on fitness and nutrition get in touch info@ace-london.com


Friday 4 March 2016

Sugar fix

 
It is a truth, almost universally acknowledged, that white refined sugar is bad. It has no nutritional value, is fairly addictive and creates an unnatural desire for sweetness. As the negative effects of sugar and high fructose corn syrup become increasingly more evident people are turning to natural alternatives.
And there are LOTS of alternatives out there. Healthy, guilt free baking and treats are all the rage these days so we’ve done a sugar lowdown to sort the baking from the drizzle…
(Sweet dreams but REMEMBER – although we massively encourage seeking natural sugar highs, these are still very calorific and still need to be enjoyed in MODERATION! (unfortunately).
Coconut Palm Sugar:
·        Derived from the coconut palm tree this sugar is more nutritious and lower on the glycaemic index than sugar which means you don’t get that buzz followed by a crash.
·        Coconut palm sugar is also known as coconut sap sugar and has been used as a traditional sweetener for centuries in regions where coconut trees flourish. It tastes similar to brown sugar.
·        You can substitute coconut sugar for traditional sugar pretty much wherever you would use sugar. You can purchase coconut sugar in health food shops and Ocado stock some brands such as Biona, which is good.
Pure Maple Syrup:
·        Historically used sparingly for drizzling on pancakes maple syrup is a fab sugar substitute and works really well in sweet baked foods.
·        Make sure you buy 100% pure maple syrup rather than a weird blend of sweeteners.
·        According to OChef.com, if you are substituting pure maple syrup for white sugar, use ¾ cup of maple syrup for every cup of sugar the recipe calls for. You will need to reduce the total amount of liquid in the recipe by about 3 tablespoons for each cup of maple syrup.
·        Maple syrup even has health benefits (hurrah) - it is good for your immune system, has a high level of manganese, which is essential for the production of energy, and has high levels of zinc which is good for your heart.
Dates and date syrup:
·        Who doesn’t love a good date? Dates and date syrup, like maple syrup are great for sweet baking and add a delicious caramel, honey flavour -  Medjool dates as they are very flavoursome and sweet so work particularly well.
·        Date syrups are available in supermarkets just make sure you are buying 100% date syrup and not one with added ingredients. Alternatively make your own by soaking dates in water for up to 24 hours and blend.
·        When baking with them you can just soak them for 10 mins in boiling water and then again blend and add to your brownies, cakes, energy balls for a natural sweet taste!
·        Dates won’t raise your blood sugar, are loaded with fibre, can lower triglycerides levels (which is a type of fat found in the blood), and increase vitamin and mineral intake. Lovely.
 
 
Raw Honey:
·        Raw honey is used in many cultures as a remedy for many health ailments including ulcers, digestion problems, and even seasonal allergies. Studies have shown it to have antibiotic and antibacterial properties. Raw honey has many antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients.
·        Raw, unprocessed honey is often categorised as a superfund. But do choose your raw honey carefully - normal processed honey (even with an organic label) has no nutritional or health benefits.
·        Don’t heat raw honey, all the nutritional and health benefits are lost. Use as a topping, spread, in frostings etc. and especially delicious with Greek yoghurt!
Stevia:
·        A herb native to South America, it is 300 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used as a sweetener for centuries in South America and in Japan makes up 41% of the sweetener market.
·        Stevia has no calories and no glycaemic impact making it suitable for diabetics as well as weight watchers and eco-warriors.
·        As stevia is so sweet, you need much less then you would sugar, so for every cup of sugar your recipe requires, replace with ½ teaspoon stevia extract powder or 1 tablespoon concentrated stevia liquid.
·        You will then have to bulk up your batter with things like apple puree, banana, yoghurt, egg whites or water. For every cup of sugar you substitute for Stevia, you must add 1/3 cup of a bulking ingredient.
See our website http://www.ace-london.com/recipes.html for some sweet treat ideas and recipes with natural sugars and let us know if you have any creative ingredients for finding your sugar fix.
Look out for our blog on artificial sweeteners, and why you should ditch them!