Milly White's Blog, page 56

Citrus Burst Quick Tip: Ice & A Slice?

Citrus Burst Quick Tip: Make the slice the ice too! Slice & freeze an unwaxed, organic lemon for a zesty twist to summer drinks.
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31 Fabulous Foods To Lower Cholesterol (Infographic)

31 Fabulous Low Cholesterol Foods
(Infographic)Foods to Lower CholesterolPlant based foods such as vegetables, oat cereals, beans and legumes, soya foods and drinks, nuts and seeds are foods that naturally do not contain cholesterol and are usually low in saturated fat. So these foods should feature regularly in a diet to lower cholesterol. The great news is that if you want to follow a low cholesterol diet, you can fill your plate with delicious goodness. These 31 Fabulous Foods to Lower Cholesterol can actively help to lower cholesterol levels, including rich sources of beta glucan soluble fibre, omega fatty acids, unsaturated fats and foods low in saturated fat.
Low Cholesterol Foods in the Mediterranean DietAll of these low cholesterol foods feature in the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet, if you'd like to read more about this vital, healthy diet take a look at my blog post Doctors Back the Mediterranean Diet as a Sure Way to Improve Health.
Easy Low Fat & Low Cholesterol Mediterranean Diet Recipe CookbookIf you're looking for inspiring recipes that are low in saturated fat and salt but incredibly high in flavour and taste, then you may want to checkout my best-selling Easy Low Fat & Low Cholesterol Mediterranean Diet Recipe Cookbook which features over 100 easy heart-healthy recipes.

Stand Up For Health!

Advice Against A Sedentary Work Life Advice published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine warns of the dangers of a sedentary work life. It provides the first expert guidance on curbing health risks of too much sitting in the office, calling for employers to provide sit-stand desks and encourage regular walk-abouts in the office. The guidance, which evaluates and distils the available scientific evidence, was drawn up by a panel of international experts (Br J Sports Med 1 June 2015).
Desk Based Work
If your job is largely desk based, stand up or do 'light activity' (such as walking about) for 2 hours a day across the span of your working day. Increase this progressively to four hours of standing and light activity in an 8-hour working day. Pro-rata time spent sitting vs active to your hours if work part-time.
Alternate
However, your periods of standing and/or light activity should be spread out over a working day, alternating with periods of seated working. A sit-stand desk can help you to achieve the ideal mix of sedentary vs active work, as can taking of short active standing breaks or walking around your office area.
Static Standing
Your seated-based work should be regularly broken up with standing-based work. However, you should avoid static standing in a single block of 2-4hrs as standing still for long periods may be as harmful as sitting for the same amount of time.
Take Time
You will find that it takes time to adapt to this new way of working and you may even experience some aches, pains and fatigue from using different muscles and posture. If so, change your posture and/or walk around for a few minutes to relieve the discomfort.
So, I know I probably spend far too much time sitting at my desk, what about you, let me know in the comments below?

The 5:2 Diet Plan: A Dozen Days To A New You For Summer - June Menu of the Month

5:2 Diet Plan Under 500 calories Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerAt last the weather is beginning to warm up over here in the UK. Are you looking forward to enjoying being fit and active on long summer days in the countryside or perhaps being chilled and well-rested at the beach? Whichever the case, the promise of beautiful summer days often prompts us to reassess our diet and healthy eating goals and perhaps aim to also lose a few pounds that crept on whilst we weren’t looking in the colder months!


Healthy Weight Loss Diet PlanDid you know that there’s a healthy weight loss diet plan where you focus your effort into just two days a week, leaving you relaxed and free to eat well on the remaining five days? The Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan is an extremely popular way to both lose weight and improve your overall health. It is a plan that is:
simple to understandeasy to adapt to your own lifestylemanageable and straightforwarda suitable weight loss diet for women or men. A Dozen Days to a New You For Summer This means that if you follow the Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan for 6 weeks, you will only diet for a total of a dozen days (just two days per week). A scientific study published in 2010 (link Int J Obes (Lond)) found the 5:2 Diet to be as effective at losing weight and improving insulin sensitivity as following a daily calorie-controlled diet. Based on the weekly calories deficit created by following the 5:2 diet, you can reasonably expect to lose 1-2lbs per week following this type of diet, which works out at to an average 6-12lbs (2.7-5.4kg) for a 6 week period. With that in mind, June’s featured Menu of the Month comes from my newly released "The Two Day 5:2 Diet Plan Recipe Cookbook - Low Calorie Meals", which features over 40 recipes, ALL 300 calories & under! It shows you just how much naturally filling and delicious food you can eat, even on your 500 calorie fast days!
500 Calorie Fast Day Summer Diet Menu PlanThis menu plan for a 500 calorie diet day (one of two low calorie diet days per week) illustrates that your Fast Diet Days can still be tasty, satisfying and healthy. This menu plan clocks in at just 488 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
5:2 Diet Breakfast - Toasted Quinoa & Blackberry ParfaitFor a great start to your diet, kick the day off with this Toasted Quinoa & Blackberry Parfait at only 88 calories a portion. It’s packed full of protein to help you feel fuller for longer and with comes with a really satisfying crunch from the toasted quinoa topping.
5:2 Diet Lunch - Ranch Chicken PittaDon’t make the mistake of stopping by any of those ‘Meal Deals Lunch’ shops on your Fast Diet days. A packaged chicken salad sandwich can easily contain over 350 calories, and I have even spotted some that are around 500 calories! Instead, for under 200 calories, tuck into this flavoursome & filling Ranch Chicken Pitta – just 188 moreish calories!
5:2 Diet Dinner - Spinach SouffléDon’t worry that all this delicious food means that you’ll be dinning on a dry cracker and water for your evening meal – I’ve got you covered! Instead, you could be enjoying this impressive but oh-so-easy Spinach Soufflé, the soufflé may be big and beautiful but the calorie-count is a slim and slender 216 calories.
Two Day 5:2 Diet Plan Recipe Cookbook - Low Calorie MealsAll these recipes feature in the Two Day 5:2 Diet Plan Recipe Cookbook - Low Calorie Meals, available as a paperback or ebook. Don't forget you don't need a Kindle to read an ebook, you can download the Kindle app and read it on your PC, iPad or tablet too. Packed full of flavourful, natural, healthy ingredients, perfectly portioned for low calorie meals, these delicious recipes won't leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied after eating.
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Celeriac & Cheese Soufflé Free Recipe Card

Celeriac & Cheese Soufflé Recipe CardBe Captivated By CeleriacAs we all know, beauty comes from within, not from outward appearance and this has never been truer than with the wonderful root vegetable, celeriac. You may have been deterred from trying it, wondering just how to use this strange and knobbly ingredient. However, it is so worthwhile overcoming any unjustified fears, so that you can savour and enjoy its delicious, mild, nutty, celery-like flavour.
Celeriac is naturally low in fat and is a good source of dietary and soluble fibre, Vitamins C, B6 & K and minerals Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium and Manganese. Compared to potatoes, it has a significantly lower carbohydrate content (almost 90% lower) but almost double the dietary fibre.
It is available all year round but at its best from September to April. To prepare the vegetable, use a knife to top and tail it, then peel it to remove the rough outer skin. The peeled root can discolour quickly, so squeeze over some lemon juice if using in a salad or cover with water before cooking. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked by steaming, boiling or roasting.

Celeriac & Cheese Soufflé Recipe Card So if you'd like to discover the subltle flavours of celeriac, why not download my Celeriac & Cheese Soufflé Recipe Card? Serving two, this recipe is easy, delicious, healthily low in fat and completely gluten free too!

Are You Unknowningly Sabotaging Your 5:2 Diet Days?

5:2 Diet Tips Fasting Day Hidden Calories Tip Cheat SheetPart of what makes the Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan so popular is its simplicity. You only need diet and track your calories for 2 days a week, leaving you with the freedom to enjoy delicious and healthy foods without needing to track what you eat for 5 days a week. However, could you be inadvertently sabotaging your Diet Days?
I'm sure you know that on your 2 Diet Days, it is really important to track everything that you eat and drink in your 24hr fasting phase. The best way to do this is to write everything down, either in a pocketbook or on your mobile phone or tablet. As well as there not being much of a margin for error on diet days, tracking leads to conscious consumption.
Also, be aware of hidden calorie traps on dieting days, it's all too easy to exceed your 500 or 600 calorie limit by not being mindful of the calories in the most innocent-looking food and drink. For example, did you know that a mug of tea with semi-skimmed milk is 18 calories and that there are even 6 calories in a teaspoon of black pepper?
With that in mind, I've put together a FREE diet days cheat sheet PDF identifying the calories that lurk in food and drink that we could easily consume almost without thinking!
Click here to download it instantly.

If you would like some ideas for very low calorie snacks that won't sabotage your 5:2 Diet Fasting Days, then take a peek at my Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan Snack Recipes Booklet. It features a selection of 10 savoury and sweet snacks recipes which are all 30 calories & under. To get your FREE copy, you just need to let me know where to send it!

Do any of these surprise you?  I know I can have a tendancy to be a little over-liberal with the pepper pot as I love freshly ground black pepper - what's your weakness on diet days, do let me know :)

Over 50 Reasons to Love Gluten Free Healthy Eating!

Healthy & Delicious Gluten Free Recipes Perfectly Portioned For Two Over 50 Reasons to Love Gluten Free Healthy Eating!You can find this cookbook on Amazon:<br /> <br />

Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan Low Calorie Meals & Easy 500 Calorie Diet Day Meal Plans Cookbook

Low Calorie Meals CookbookTwo-Day 5:2 Diet Plan Low Calorie Meals Recipe CookbookAre you interested in an effective diet plan that will help you lose weight and improve your health, allowing you to eat all of the foods that you love? What about a diet plan when you only need to focus your effort on twice a week, leaving you relaxed and free to eat well for five days out of seven? The Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan is an extremely popular way to both lose weight and improve your overall health. It is a plan that is:
simple to understandeasy to adapt to your own lifestylemanageable and straightforwarda suitable weight loss diet for women or men.Intermittent Fasting & Restricted Calorie DietsThe Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan is based on intermittent fasting with restricted calorie meals on 2 days a week. This makes it appealing to anyone who has struggled to maintain will-power or become very bored of the routine when dieting over a sustained period of time. With this Diet Plan, as you diet on just two days a week, you:
only need to maintain will-power in short burstsdon’t get bored as within 24 hrs you can eat whatever tickles your taste buds!In this book you will discover:what has made the Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan so successfulwhether following the Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan can lead to weight losswhether it is a healthy diet planwho it may suit and who should definitely not follow it.Also included are:10 helpful weight loss tips and tricks when following the Two-Day 5:2 Diet Planeasy 500 calorie diet day meal plans for womenfilling 600 calorie diet day meal plans for menhealthy eating information and advice on what to eat on the non-diet days.The Best Fast Diet Recipes For Weight Loss, All 300 Calories & Under Spinach, Tomato & Parmesan Quiche 178 caloriesIn this Cookbook, you will find a mouth-watering selection of easy, tasty low calorie meal recipes to help make your diet days successful.
The Two-Day 5:2 Diet Plan Low Calorie Meals Recipe Cookbook features over 40 recipes, all under 300 calories including:
Smoked Turkey & Orzo Spiralizer Salad 225 caloriesBreakfast Recipes Under 115 Cals such as Toasted Quinoa & Blackberry Parfait and Baked Tomatoes & EggSkinny Soup Recipes 100 Cals & Under such as Chunky Broccoli, Leek & Spinach Soup and Carrot & Coriander SoupMeal-in-a-Bowl Soup Recipes 175 Cals & Under such as Scotch Broth and Hearty Chickpea & Vegetable SoupLunch Recipes 200 Cals & Under such as Spinach, Tomato & Parmesan Quiche and Asparagus, Pepper & Humous PittaFresh Salad Recipes 250 Cals & Under such as Tuna, Chickpea & Artichoke and Smoked Turkey & Orzo Spiralizer SaladVegetarian Meal Recipes 300 Cals & Under such as Spicy Sweet Potato & Ricotta Pie and Spinach SouffléMain Meal Recipes 300 Cals & Under such as Chicken & Artichoke Pie and Blackened Glazed Cod & Fiesta SaladPacked full of flavourful, natural, healthy ingredients, perfectly portioned for low calorie meals, these delicious recipes won't leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied after eating.
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Gluten Free Deliciously Healthy Cooking For Two Recipe Cookbook

Gluten Free Deliciously Healthy Cooking For Two Recipe CookbookEssential Guide to Gluten Free Diet Meals for 2 Recipe CookbookThis comprehensive cookbook provides an essential guide to gluten free diet meals for two.  It's been specially devised for those who:

want to combine gluten free cooking with tasty healthy eatingcrave easy, exciting recipes perfectly portioned for twoneed simple, fun ways to transform natural ingredients into great meals.
This informative book contains over 50 delicious, nourishing recipes cooked from wholesome affordable ingredients and scaled to avoid waste or left-overs when dining à deux. 
Tried & Tested, Healthy & Imaginative Gluten Free Recipes Gluten Free Spicy Lentil & Sweet Potato SoupIn this cookbook, you'll find healthy, imaginative recipes to excite the taste buds that are easy and simple to cook and perfectly portioned for two, such as:
Satisfying Soups including Spicy Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup and Cheese Straws
Tasty Starters & Light Snacks including Roasted Mushroom Pâté & Melba Toast
Fresh, Lively Salads including Glazed Beets, Walnut & Chèvre SaladGluten Free Sweet Potato & Ricotta Pies
Modern & Classic Egg & Cheese Dishes including Celeriac & Cheese Soufflés and Sweet Potato & Ricotta Pies
Nourishing Noodle, Pasta, Quinoa & Rice Mains including Wild Mushroom, Parsley & Lemon Pasta and Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Quinoa & Peas
Energising Beans, Lentils & Pulses Recipes including Pepper Flautas and Chilli & Cornbread Cobbler
Easy, Healthier Puddings & Desserts including Plum Flapjack Crisp and Chocolate Orange Cups.
Other Dietary Consideratatons Each recipe is completely gluten-free and many are also:

Dairy-FreeOat-FreeNut-FreeVegetarianVeganYeast-Free.Vibrant, Nutritious, Fresh Food – And Just Enough For Two!Many cookbooks feature recipes that provide 4 or 6 servings as standard. For smaller households, preparing delicious meals suitable for two is not as easy as just dividing such recipes by 2 or 3. Firstly, when cooking, you probably don’t want a math test at the same time! Secondly, it’s often not even that straight-forward, as:

how exactly do you halve an egg?how much liquid/stock should you include?how long should you cook something for?what size dish should you use?
This cookbook eliminates that hard work with tried and tested gluten free recipes, perfectly scaled to serve two. You won’t have the dilemma of what to do with left-overs, you can still enjoy healthier desserts and you won’t have the fridge or cupboards crammed with half-used ingredients. 
The Essential Guide for Gluten Free & Healthy Cooking For TwoA gluten free diet is not automatically a healthy diet. Plus, it’s essential for anyone who has to avoid gluten for medical reasons that all meals are safely prepared too. So this informative book provides guidance on:

How to have a safe & stress-free gluten free kitchenWhat to look for on food labels and food allergen labelingSourcing gluten free ingredientsSafety tips to avoid cross-contaminationTips on canny shopping and perfectly sized kitchenware for two.All the recipes included in this cookbook are easy-to-follow and simple-to-make. What’s more, they are all so delicious and nutritious; you can serve them to anyone, even those who would normally eat gluten. This inspiring, exciting recipe collection will become an essential part of your gluten free kitchen. 
You can find this cookbook on Amazon:
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What's Super About the Rhubarb Season?

Rhubarb is a a healthy superfoodFruit or Vegetable?Strictly speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable (it’s from the same botanical grouping as sorrel and dock). However, despite it’s naturally tart, sour taste, we actually most often cook these thick, celery-like stalks as though they were a fruit.
Rhubarb is a perennial plant, but, dependent upon variety, it can crop in two seasons: late winter (January to early February, known as forced ) and spring (late March to June). It’s the distinctive, ruby-green stalks that are the edible part of the plant, whereas the leaves are inedible, as they contain high levels of oxalic acid, which can damage kidneys.
What's Super About Rhubarb? Rhubarb is often described as a “Superfood” and there are two main reasons for this nomenclature based on scientific studies. Firstly, a number of studies have identified rhubarb as having a cholesterol-lowering effect when eaten, and lower LDL cholesterol levels is strongly associated with a maintaining a healthy heart. Importantly, these studies have been into the effect of eating rhubarb or extracts of rhubarb in humans.
Secondly, cooking rhubarb (and slow-cooking or baking in particular) has been found to increase the amount of antioxidant chemicals (polyphenols) it contains. The researchers found that polyphenol content was generally greater in cooked rhubarb than raw rhubarb. The highest polyphenol levels were found in slow-cooked and baked rhubarb. Headlines at the time claimed that rhubarb could prevent cancer, as other research has indicated that polyphenols may offer protection from diseases such as cancer. However, it is important to note that this research on rhubarb cooking methods looked only at the levels of polyphenols derived from the different cooking methods, it specifically did not include any testing of how the human body then responded to consuming that rhubarb.
Honey Ginger Rhubarb
Meringue Pots RecipeDelicious & Nutritious RhubarbRhubarb is also a good source of calcium (for bone health), lutein (for eye health), Vitamin K (for healthy blood) and a wide-range of antioxidants.
Due to its natural toughness and sour taste, rhubarb is almost always cooked rather than eaten raw. Whilst it can be used as an accompaniment to savoury foods, it’s predominately used in sweet dishes, such as my Honey Ginger Rhubarb Meringue Pots Recipe. This heart-healthy, low-fat recipe is under 175 calories with only 0.7g of total fat and is diary-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians. If you would like me to send you a PDF copy of this recipe, just click the button below: