1.Eggs

Eggs are high in protein and several important nutrients. They also promote fullness and help you eat fewer calories.

2. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is high in protein, helps reduce appetite and may aid with weight loss. Certain types also contain beneficial probiotics.

3. Coffee

Having a cup of coffee is a great way to start your day. The caffeine in it may improve mood, mental performance and metabolism.

4. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is rich in beta-glucan fiber, which lowers cholesterol and increases feelings of fullness. It also contains antioxidants.

5. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are high in fiber and packed with antioxidants that may reduce inflammation and decrease disease risk.

6. Berries

Berries are high in fiber and low in calories. They’re also rich in antioxidants that may decrease the risk of disease.

7. Nuts

Nuts are filling, nutrient-dense foods that may help reduce heart disease risk and improve blood sugar control.

8. Green Tea

Green tea has many health benefits. It contains an antioxidant called EGCG, which has benefits for the brain and nervous system.

9. Protein Shake

A protein shake or smoothie is a great high-protein breakfast choice that promotes fullness and helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

10. Fruit

Fruit is a good source of vitamins, potassium and fiber. It also contains antioxidants that can help reduce disease risk.

11. Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are high in viscous fiber, which helps you feel full. They may also improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels.

12. Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is high in protein, which promotes feelings of fullness and increases your metabolic rate.

Reference: 

https://authoritynutrition.com/12-best-foods-to-eat-in-morning/

This stew is such a winner! I first made it about a month ago and have been thinking about it ever since so I thought I should make it again so that I could share it with all of you, as I knew you’d love it! It’s so warming and hearty, perfect for a chilly winter evening. It’s a one pot wonder too so there’s limited washing up and you can make a big batch one night to last you the next few weeks, just keep a few portions in the fridge/freezer. It’s full of warming spices, garlic, chickpeas, mushrooms, lemon juice and carrots which simmer in a beautiful coriander infused tomato sauce. I love serving this with quinoa or brown rice to make it extra satisfying but it’s delicious just on it’s own too as it’s bursting with flavour!

Serves 6

-  8 carrots

-  3 boxes of mushrooms (about 30 mushrooms/850g)

– 3 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

– 2 400g tins of chickpeas

– 600ml of boiling water

– 7 tablespoons of tomato puree

– a big handful of coriander, about 50g

– 2 lemons plus 3 more to serve

– 4 teaspoons of turmeric

– 4 teaspoons of cumin power

– 3 teaspoons of ground chilli

– 3 cloves of garlic

Start by peeling the carrots, then chop them into pieces. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices.

Place the crushed garlic, turmeric, cumin, chilli, salt and pepper into a large saucepan along with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Allow this to heat until it’s bubbling, then pour in the tins of tomatoes, tomato puree and boiling water. Then stir in the chopped carrots and mushrooms. Bring this mix to the boil then turn it down to a simmer.

Let this cook for about thirty minutes, then stir in the chickpeas (drain the tin first) and the finely chopped coriander. Let this cook for another twenty minutes, at which point the mushrooms and carrots should be soft and ready to eat. If you’re making quinoa then cook this when you put the chickpeas in.

Once everything is ready squeeze the two lemons into the mix and place the stew into bowls with the quinoa. I like serving each bowl with half a lemon and an extra sprinkling of coriander.

Healthy food can be expensive.

Therefore, it can be difficult to eat well when you’re on a tight budget.

However, there are many ways to save money and still eat whole, single-ingredient foods.

Here are 16 clever tips that can help you eat healthy on a budget.

1. Plan Your Meals

Plan your meals for the week and make a grocery list. Only buy what you’re sure you will use, and check out what you already have in your cupboards first.

2. Stick To Your Grocery List

Stick to your grocery list when you’re shopping. Shop the perimeter of the store first, as this is where the whole foods are generally located.

3. Cook at home

Cooking at home is way less expensive than eating out. Some find it best to cook for the entire week on weekends, while others like to cook one meal at a time.

4. Cook large portions and use leftovers

Cook large meals from inexpensive ingredients, and use your leftovers during the following days

5. Don’t shop when you are hungry

Shopping while hungry can lead to cravings and impulsive buying. If you’re hungry, have a snack before you go grocery shopping.

6. Buy whole foods

Whole foods are often less expensive than their processed counterparts. You can also buy them in larger quantities.

7. Stop buying junk food

Stop buying junk food at the store. It is expensive and packed with unhealthy ingredients. It also offers little or no nutritional value.

8. Stock up on Sales

Stock up on staples and favorite products when they’re on sale. Just make sure that they won’t go bad in the meantime.

9. Buy Cheaper Cuts of Meat

Less expensive cuts of meat are great to use in casseroles, soups, stews and burritos. These types of recipes usually make big meals and lots of leftovers.

10. Replace Meat with Other Proteins

Try replacing meat once or twice a week with beans, legumes, eggs or canned fish. These are all cheap and nutritious sources of protein.

11. Shop For Produce That is in Season

Produce that is in season is typically cheaper and more nutritious. If you buy too much, freeze the rest or incorporate it into future meal plans.

12. Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Frozen fruits, berries and vegetables are usually just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. They are available all year round and are often sold in large bags.

13. Buy in Bulk

Many foods are available in bulk for a way lower price. They keep for a long time in airtight containers, and can be used in a variety of healthy, inexpensive dishes.

15. Grow Your Own Produce

With some time and effort, it is easy to grow your own produce, such as herbs, sprouts, tomatoes and onions.

16. Pack Your Lunch

Packing your own lunch reduces the expense of eating out. This can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Is it possible that a DNA test can tell you how to eat, how to train and how to achieve maximum health? As Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist, I am always looking at different ways to help my clients with their training and nutrition goals. When I heard about a service to evaluate various fitness-related health factors based on genetics, I was fascinated.

The process of DNA analysis

The first step in the process is to provide a DNA sample.  Nourished Nutrition will provide you with a kit, which basically contains a cotton swab that it is used to scrape off some cells from the inside cheeks.  Then is placed inside the provided plastic tube and mailed it back to the DNAFit labs. DNAFit is located in England, so not too far away.  Registered post from Ireland is about € 7.20 and the turnaround time for results is 10 business days.

Nourished Nutrition receives the results and will e-mail you the results.

The DNAFit reports do a good job in giving background and information relevant to the results.  

As you know, your body is composed of trillions of cells, providing structure to the body, converting nutrients obtained from food into energy and carrying out specialized functions.

Each cell has a nucleus which serves as the cell’s command center, directing the cell to grow, mature, divide or die.  It also houses your DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which provides the blueprint for performing these functions.  DNA contains four basic building blocks (called “bases”) – adenine (A), cystosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T).  Similar to the way the order of letters in the alphabet can be used to form a word, the order of bases in a DNA sequence forms genes.  Genes are the language that tells the cell how to make proteins.  Humans have over 20,000 different kinds of genes. 

Mutations

The whole human family is one species with the same genes. Whenever cells divide, a new copy of the DNA is created.  Mutations are “typos” in the new DNA and occur quite frequently.  They manifest as a substitution of one base for another.  Usually these mutations are corrected by the cell, but some mutations persist and are passed along to offspring.  So you have gene variations passed along to you by both of your parents.  Another name of the gene variations is “allele”.  These small differences in DNA sequence make every individual unique. They account for the variation we see in human hair color, skin color, height, shape, behavior, and susceptibility to disease. Individuals in other species vary too, in both physical appearance and behavior. Through gene testing, an individual’s specific mutations can be identified.

For instance, the CYP1A2 gene, it regulates a cell’s ability to produce the CYP1A2 enzyme which affects the liver’s ability to metabolize caffeine.  Another gene, AHR, also plays a role in that it regulates the turning on and off of the CYP1A2 gene.  10% of the population are rapid caffeine metabolizers and thus not very caffeine sensitive. 

Or the FTO gene (so called the ‘obesity gene’) that triggers weigh gain. One in six of the population are 70 per cent more likely to become obese, if the AA version of this gene is present.

Hundreds of studies have been done to determine correlations between genes and human attributes.  The researchers at DNAFit have narrowed these down to studies that show how genetics impact an individual’s diet and fitness. 

At Nourished Nutrition, we offer the most completed DNA test, which is the Diet/Fitness combination report. 

Here are the specific items included in the report (from the DNA Fit website)

Fitness

Power/Endurance profile – reveal your body’s response to key genes associated power or endurance potential.  Understand how best to train for your body, whatever your goal may be.Aerobic Potential – VO2 max is the most commonly used marker for endurance potential, we can help you understand your genetic VO2 max potential.Recovery Speed – everybody has a different recovery ability – understand what your genes say about your natural recovery speed, and how to plan your exercise regime accordingly.Recovery Needs – get to know your body’s genetic need for certain vitamins and micronutrients.  Learn how this can help you manage your recovery strategy after hard exercise.Injury Risk – some people are more genetically prone to injury than others, we help you identify where your genes put you on the injury risk scale.

Diet

Optimal Diet Type – choosing the right diet can be a confusing process.  Using our individual response to both carbohydrates and fats, our genes can help guide us to the best routine for weight managementCarbohydrate Sensitivity – your individual genetic response to carbohydrate.  Our genetics play a role in how careful we need to be with our refined carbohydrate intake to stay healthy and in shape.Saturated Fat Sensitivity – your individual genetic response to saturated fats.  Despite getting a bad press in recent years, fat is actually essential for human healthy.  How much we should consume is affected by our genetics.Detoxification Ability – how efficient is your detoxification pathway?  Our genes play a role in how much high temperate cooked meals we can eat and if we need more cruciferous vegetables to aid liver function.Anti-Oxidant Need – anti-oxidants are found in fresh foods such as vegetables and fruit; our genetics play an important role in how much of these antioxidant rich foods we need.Omega-3 Need – omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fat that our bodies need to function normally.  Our genes guide us as to how much Omega 3 we need aim for in our diet.Vitamin B Requirements – our nervous system, digestion and red blood cells depend on the B vitamins to maintain normal function.  Some of us require more than others of these essential vitamins for a healthy lifestyle.Vitamin D Requirements – vitamin D helps us maintain normal calcium levels and strengthens our bone structure.  The Vitamin D Receptor gene helps us understand how much of this important vitamin we need to aim for.Salt Sensitivity – excess salt intake has been linked to increased rick of hypertension, and some of us have certain genes which mean we need to be extra careful of our salt intake.Alcohol Response – is a glass of wine a day really good for you?  In some genotypes, moderate alcohol consumption can actually create a positive effect on cholesterol, find out which one you are!Caffeine Sensitivity – our genes help metabolise caffeine.  Some genotypes are fast metabolizers, and some slow.  Our individual genetics help us choose how much caffeine we should intake on a daily basis.Lactose Intolerance – do you possess the gene which helps your body digest milk?  The version of the LCT gene we hold allows us to know whether we need to avoid drinking lactose.Coeliac Predisposition – our genetics impact whether our risk of being Coeliac.  Find out whether you are at an average, raised or lowered predisposition.  This is not a diagnostic test.Overall Nutrient Guidelines – take an overall summary look at the different micronutrient, vitamins and minerals that our genes affect.  Find out whether the average recommendation or a raised need applies for you.

Olympian Benchmark

This report is only online.  You have the ability to compare your results to one of three Olympic athletes - Greg Rutherford, Craig Pickering, or Andrew Steele.  Since DNAFit is England-based, these are English athletes, but you get a good idea how you might compare genetically to a world-class athlete.

Infographic Report

A simple, graphical summary of your genetic testing results and application.

The Results

The reports are provided as 9 downloadable PDF infographics.  You also 12 weeks meal planner with recipes, and one hour with me to understand your results (this service is provided for an additional fee).

I’ll admit that the information initially can be bit overwhelming, but with a clear explanation you’ll soon realize that DNA Fit provides a solid blueprint to help you make the best choices, for you.