Kiwi fruits: “a treasure of nutritional bounty”

My go-to nutritional guide book is Dr. Michael Sharon’s “Nutrients A-Z”*. This user-friendly manual is excellent as every entry is concise and enlightening, and you don’t need a PhD in organic chemistry.

So when I looked up kiwi fruit (or Chinese gooseberry), I was struck by two phrases: “a treasure of nutritional bounty” and “one of the acidic fruits that combines well with protein.” Ideal, I thought, as I love them. And I love combining them with yoghurts, especially when I have no time to cook.

Today’s lunch was two kiwis, six large strawberries and one mandarin orange, sliced up and mixed with a small tub of protein yoghurt. Quick, tasty, filling – and very healthy, as kiwis provide more vitamin C than oranges and more fibre than apples.

One kiwi fruit supplies up to 70mg of vitamin C, or just 5mg less than the average US recommended daily amount for women (it’s 90mg for men). This vitamin cleanses the body and helps boost resistance to disease. An average kiwi also supplies around 250mg of potassium, making it suitable for people with high blood pressure.

Kiwis’ fibre and mucilage content, and its special enzyme called actinidin, can also help with digestion and constipation. Mucilage is a jelly-like substance found in plants and is a rich source of dietary fibre (and is not to be confused with “fuselage”, which contains carbon fibre ;)).

This fruit provides around 9.2 grammes of fibre – more than a third of my daily need

Dietary fibre acts as a laxative, makes you feel full, combats too much cholesterol and sugar in the blood, and can help reduce obesity. Fibre is essential (and, judging by the above list, desirable) and we need to eat 25-30 grammes of it every day. So, as the average kiwi contains around 2.1, my lunch provided around 9.2 grammes, or more than a third of my daily need.

Kiwis should yield slightly to pressure (not be rock hard), are best peeled just before eating, and are nutritionally best when eaten raw. So my lunch idea was a nutritionally sound one. A fat-free yoghurt would also have worked.

So, if all that appeals, then get peeling a kiwi!

*Nutrients A-Z (A User’s Guide to Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements)
Dr. Michael Sharon, Carlton Books, 2009. ISBN 978 1 84732 263 0

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Help evoke your sense of hygge by making your lovely home your cosy nest as the cold weather sets in

I’m the only person I know that prefers the cold weather. I relish dark nights, winter clothes, and cosy evenings in, or sat in country pubs, toasting my feet next to blazing open fires.

And I love snow. A glittering white, diamond-clear and silent world – a winter wonderland of Christmas cheer, skiing holidays and frosty walks, breathing in crisp, clean air. A living snow globe. What could be more uplifting – and romantic!

Everything, according to my cousin, who finds no joy in de-icing the car, mopping the porch twice daily, and waiting for a reluctant dog to empty its bowels in the dark at minus five. She has always preferred “The Lion King” to “Frozen.”

Unswayed, the advent of autumn has still reinvigorated creative energies that the hot weather had drained out of me like a gas bill. It’s also evoked that quintessentially Danish sense of hygge: “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Åh, ja!

So, in addition to more writing, cooking, workouts and reading, I’m slowly turning my airy flat into a snug nest, with soft furnishings, candles, and pyjamas so fluffy they’d stifle a Musk ox. While the cold weather also seems to have refreshed my clarity of thought, and dusted off old plans.

All of which IS making me rather content, and reminded me of an article called “The Value of Happiness” that I wrote exactly five years and eight days ago. It must have been the change of seasons that inspired it.

So why not embrace the autumn, get the dog a coat, and give yourself a great big hygge.

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Beetroot: The classic purple vegetable is a superfood that is loaded with fibre, vitamins and minerals

Yet despite that sinister appearance and tart taste, I always loved it. And when I went to Eastern Europe and tried beetroot soup – without any pickling or marinade, just natural and fresh – I was in tastebud love.

Even better, this purple veggie is also a superfood.

Beetroot is an edible healer. It has been cultivated as food for centuries, and long used to treat blood and digestive disorders. Modern nutritionists agree, claiming it can help purify the blood, improve circulation, promote menstruation, stimulate the bowels, and treat liver problems.

Some healers even recommend it for cleansing intestinal parasites, as well as calming the nerves and PMS. So, if you are feeling sluggish, constipated or pre-menstrual, you could do worse than eat a bowl of borscht or our own delicious beetroot risotto.

What makes a beet unbeatable? The average 110-gramme raw beetroot is almost 90% water, 10% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat. It also provides 47 calories of energy, and three grammes of dietary fibre, or a tenth of our recommended daily intake.

Beetroot makes a nutritious and delicious addition to many dishes such as this game terrine

Fibre is a life saver. A diet rich in fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer – some of the biggest killers in the UK. And most adults only eat 18 of the recommended 30 grammes of fibre every day. Roasted vegetables – including beetroot – are delicious fibre providers.

Raw, leafy beetroot is also loaded with 17 essential vitamins and minerals, the most plentiful being folate and manganese, which are fundamental to life.

Folate (or vitamin B9) helps the body develop, survive and reproduce. It’s also needed to produce healthy red blood cells, and is critical during periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy and foetal development. This is why pregnant women take extra folic acid to help prevent spina bifida.

Manganese is a vital trace element, and 100 grammes of raw beetroot provides over a quarter of our daily recommended amount. It is necessary for normal brain and nerve function. Manganese also helps form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting factors, and sex hormones. It also plays a role in metabolism, calcium absorption, and regulating blood sugar. A small amount makes a mighty difference to our health.

Manganese also forms part of some antioxidants that help fight free radicals that can damage cells and DNA. So it could play a role in slowing down the affects of ageing and the development of conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

Fibre, vitamins and minerals – all this can be found in this tasty purple vegetable. It looks like beetroot really is hard to beat!

PS – a note from the editor: beetroot “makes you pee red and poop dark but don’t be alarmed.” Wise words!

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‘All those years of running, and I always had this,’ said Grandpa, pointing to his Obelixian tum.

‘Ever do any sit-ups, father?’ said my (then athletic) Dad.

‘Never done one in my life!’ said Grandpa proudly.

I noted father’s withering expression. I also remember, during those hot summer months of childhood, when everybody else’s Dad was washing the car, mowing the grass or walking the dog, my own father was lying in the garden and sweating like a lawn sprinkler as he did his obligatory 500 sit-ups. (A trade-off for his love of the locally brewed beer and curries hotter than a re-entry shield).

Despite these traits, my perspirational father was inspirational and his crunching example, coupled with gymnastic training and some antiquated deportment lessons, has left me with a waist of which I have always been quite proud.

So here’s my personal guide to great abs. Follow this plan five times a week for 12 weeks, preferably after exercise or a thorough warm-up, and you’ll have the makings of a stomach flatter and tighter than a steamrollered sardine tin.

Read through and pick the amount of repetitions that challenge your level of fitness and match how much time you have. The full programme should take between five and 15 minutes, requires only something comfortable to lie on, such as a mat or towel, and can be accompanied by music with slow and clear beats. Around 125 bpm is good – a quick check on the Internet will reveal this.

Usually the stretching and relaxing between sets is to the count of eight beats but take 16 or 24 beats if you feel you need it.

1. Pelvic Area – Pelvic Crunches
Prime movers – levator ani, coccygeus
In an ideal world, both men and women would do pelvic floor exercises to help control their bladders and improve their sensitivity during sex. Put that way, who wouldn’t? So let’s get crunching.

Lie face up with your arms by your sides and raise your entire lower body off the ground by bending the legs so the feet are below the knees and flat on the floor. Your head, shoulders and arms should remain on the ground.

Tighten your pelvic muscles and buttocks for one beat, and release. Focus on isolating all those internal muscles. Do this eight times, then repeat the whole pattern eight times, so 64 crunches in total. Then drop down to the ground, stretch out by bringing the knees up to the chest, and relax for eight beats.

After that, if you feel like doing some extra work, lift up again. This time, crunch to the centre as before, then crunch slightly more on the right, then centre, then slightly more on the left, then centre. Do this 64 times in total then stretch and relax as above.

TOTAL: 64-128 crunches

2. Main Abdominals – Crunches
Prime mover – rectus abdominis
i. Basic Pattern
And now to those stomach muscles. Lie face up with the legs bent at a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor. Ensure the small of the back is pushed into the mat. These foot and back positions help to work the stomach muscles more effectively.

Place the arms across the body with opposite hand to opposite shoulder or with the hands to the temples. Curl the head and shoulders up, flexing the spine about 20-30 degrees. Lift for one beat, then lower for one beat and repeat. Maintain a smooth and continuous movement throughout.

The head can be supported by the hands but don’t pull on it as this can strain the neck.

Imagine throughout you are holding a large orange between your chin and chest. This should help protect the neck and keep your movements smooth and effective, not jerky and potentially damaging.

Do this for 64 repetitions then relax for eight beats in a full body stretch to realign the working muscles.

TOTAL: 64 Crunches

ii. Intermediate Patterns
To increase the intensity of this exercise, either add another 64 repetitions or change the position of the arms to boost resistance.

Putting the hands to the temples while maintaining the arms at right angles to the body instead of pulled in front of the chest will also help tone up the upper arms and pectoral muscles. Alternatively, clasp the hands together with the arms at full stretch during the lifts, or wear wrist weights.

For even more intensity, follow the initial 64 crunches with two-count lifts. Break the rise and fall into two phases, i.e. up for two and down for two. Follow this pattern to a count of 64, then relax, and return to a regular set of 64 lifts.

TOTAL: 128-192 Crunches

iii. Advanced Pattern
Break up the four-beat pattern into a three-part lift and one part down for another count of 64. Return to a regular set of 64 lifts, then stretch and relax.

TOTAL: 128-192 Crunches

3. Obliques – Twisting Crunches
Prime movers – internal and external obliques
It’s not just the “six pack” that needs working. The sides of the stomach require some exercise, too. So, with the same starting position as an abdominal crunch, curl up the head and shoulders, with a small rotation of the upper body to one side, aiming one shoulder toward the opposite hip, and lower. Repeat the movement on the other side.

Depending on the degree of intensity, the hands can be placed either on the thighs, across the chest or at the sides of the head. Avoid lifting the lower back off the floor and pulling on the head. Repeat the whole sequence 32 times then relax in a full body stretch.

An alternative version of twisting crunches is to break up the move into four lifts. The first is a standard crunch. The second would be a twist with the right shoulder aiming towards the left hip. The third would be a standard crunch. And the fourth would be a twist with the left shoulder aiming toward the right hip. Then the whole sequence is repeated eight times, so 32 lifts in total. Then relax in a full body stretch.

For extra intensity, repeat this entire exercise, or alter the arm positions, or raise the legs so they are at right angles to the floor.

TOTAL: 32-64 Crunches

4. Lower Abdominals
Prime mover – rectus abdominis
This is often seen as the hardest part of the stomach muscles to work. The classic exercise for this is leg lifts, which are tough but effective.

Lie face up and raise both legs at a right angle to the floor, straight, and preferably with the toes flexed down not pointing up. Keeping your arms by your sides and without swinging the legs, push the feet straight up towards the ceiling, raising the buttocks off the ground. Lift as high as you can for one beat, then lower for one beat and repeat.

Ensure the legs are kept in the same upright position throughout and you don’t swing them as this makes the exercise less effective. This can be tough but a few proper controlled lifts are much better than using momentum. Continue for a count of 16 lifts then relax in a full-body stretch.

TOTAL: 16 Lifts

For extra intensity, complete another 16 lifts or use ankle weights.

TOTAL: 16-32 Lifts

Well done! That was AB-solutely brilliant! Or, as Grandpa would have said, “belly good”…

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