with it to make sure you’re making the most of your treat!
* Make substitutions! If you have a favourite family recipe, try to make some substitutions to make it more healthy. If you have a dessert recipe that contains butter, one of the first things you can do is use a low-fat, heart-healthy spread instead. There are wonderful heart-healthy products available that are suitable for baking, give great results and contain only half the saturated fat of butter. It is also sometimes possible to substitute the fat in cakes for another ‘wet’ ingredient, such as apple sauce or prune purée. This will be a trial-and-error scenario for you, but do be brave and give it a go: with just a little tweaking here and there, you can produce an old favourite with half the fat. And if you come up with a really great recipe, send it to me!
* Try cutting the sugar content in a recipe in half as this often works and will just cut down on the sweetness – obviously! Or you can swap the sugar for one of the sugar substitute products on the market. I actually prefer to keep my recipes as natural as possible, so I don’t use artificial sweeteners.
Why all the fruit?
Good nutrition is key to living a long and healthy life. Increasingly we are receiving poor nutrition from ready-meals, fast food and processed foods. These foods contain little, or no nutritional value, and are usually loaded with salt, hydrogenated fats and sugar. Poor nutrition can lead to various health problems in the short and long term, and make you feel tired, lethargic, and miserable too.
Nutritional Value of Fruit
Fruit is so nutritious, that we can almost live off it. A diet that is packed with plenty of fruit and nuts will be rich in protein, calcium and vitamins, which is essential for a healthy lifestyle.
Most fruit is naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. What’s more, they don’t contain cholesterol, but are packed full of vitamins and minerals – the right nutrients your body needs. These nutrients include potassium, dietary fibre, vitamin C and folate (folic acid).
Potassium
Diets rich in potassium will contribute to a healthy blood pressure and a reduced risk of developing kidney stones. Fruits that contain potassium include bananas, plums, prunes, peaches, apricots and oranges.
Dietary Fibre
Regular amounts of dietary fibre help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower the risk of heart disease. It is also important in maintaining regular bowel movements. Fibre helps reduce constipation and therefore reduce the amount of toxins exposed to the bowel for any length of time. All fruits contain dietary fibre, but fruit juice doesn’t, so you will need to eat the whole fruit to get this nutritional benefit.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues. It helps heal cuts and wounds, and keeps teeth and gums healthy. It is also a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals in the body. Fruits that contain vitamin C include oranges, mangoes, apples and grapes.
Folate (folic acid)
Folate helps the body form red blood cells. It is especially important for pregnant women, as folate has been proven to help prevent foetal defects from developing, such as spina bifida. Fruits that contain folate include oranges, bananas and kiwi fruit.
Antioxidants in fruit
Free radicals and antioxidants are both terms used to describe groups of vitamins, minerals and elements that help to gather up and destroy all the bad bugs and boost growth of the good bugs. Therefore when a fruit is considered high in free radicals or antioxidants, this means that it will help protect your immune system, guard against certain cancers and help boost your general good health.
Protein from Fruit
The body makes proteins to create muscles, tendons, ligaments, hair and nails. Proteins are also important in the make-up of enzymes, genes and hormones. Fruits that contain protein include: dates, avocados, figs, peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts.
Fats from Fruit
Most of the fat in the Western diet is bad fat – saturated and hydrogenated fats – that increases our risk of developing heart disease and cancers. Some fat is good fat, however, and these fats contain essential fatty acids (which are the fats that are needed to help our body function rather than the type of fat that acts as a fuel which we burn for energy) and vitamins that help our bodies stay healthy. Fat improves the body’s absorption of vitamins A, D and E. Fruits that contain essential fatty acids include olives, avocados, and nuts and seeds. It’s also important to note that all my recipes use a low-saturated-fat, heart-healthy spread instead of butter.
So, although most people will find a diet that consists exclusively of fruit and nuts a little extreme, it shows that they contain much of what we need to live a healthy, happy life. Fruits are packed full of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins, and don’t contain all the bad nutrition that can contribute to obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. So why not take a look at your eating habits over the space of a week and add the odd healthy dessert along with extra fruit. It won’t just make you feel better; it could save your life.
Pistachio & Yogurt Cake
This fabulous recipe uses light olive oil and low-fat yogurt instead of butter, so keeping the fat content healthy and low. Very simple to make, this cake is beautiful served with a side order of fruit and a dollop or topping of low-fat crème fraîche or Greek yogurt.
SERVES 10
light olive oil or low-fat spread, for oiling or greasing
140g (5oz) shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts
4 eggs
175g (6oz) caster sugar
150g (5½oz) plain low- fat yogurt
75ml (3fl oz) light olive oil
115g (4oz) self-raising flour
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/315°F/Gas mark 2–3.
2 Oil a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin with a little light olive oil or use some low-fat spread.
3 Start by finely grinding the pistachios in a food processor, then set aside.
4 Using a free-standing electric mixer, beat the eggs and the sugar together until very pale and thick. This will take about 5 minutes, so be patient with it!
5 Next, gently mix in the yogurt and olive oil.
6 Now, sift in the flour and fold in using a spatula, then add the ground pistachios.
7 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then
