Conscious Nutrition - what’s that all about?
- Scones & Sunflowers
- Oct 13, 2020
- 3 min read
Do you consciously think of the nutritional content for each meal you have? What actions do you take in response to ‘how you feel today’? Try out the recipes below that explore ‘conscious nutrition’ and ‘mindful eating’.
There are so many theories, so many diets, so many opinions that you can get lost in the fog of what your body actually needs. Mindful eating is all about being aware of the food you are eating 'right now'. Appreciating how the food makes you feel and the signals you experience in terms of taste, satisfaction, and fullness.
Whereas I believe the meaning of ‘Conscious Nutrition’ is thinking about what you put in the food you will be eating. Making decisions to include certain foods, spices, nutrients in order to achieve an end goal in terms of the nutrient / hormone balance within you.
Over the last few months I have been consciously adding certain ingredients into my diet that could reduce inflammation to combat joint pain, bloating etc. By connecting how my body feels with the nutrients I have consciously and mindfully made a difference to my mood, my weight and general body pain thresholds.
“Mindfulness is a practice that extends far beyond "the mat”…… deeply fascinated by the connection between mind & body; our relationship with what we eat greatly informs how we experience the world, and, quite literally, gives shape and strength to who we are.”
A Note From FeedFeed
This is my 'go-to' list of potentially anti-inflammatory foods and I consciously include one of these ingredients in my cooking everyday of the week.
Carrots
Nuts
Courgettes
Tomatoes
Apples
Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach
Turmeric
Ginger
Oily fish
Seeds
Dark Chocolate
Red Peppers
Peaches/Plums
Beans
Below I have put together 5 recipes where I have incorporated ingredients that have been linked with helping reduce inflammation. It could be argued that in some of the recipes the inclusion of sugars, white flours, butter etc. could counteract the benefits of the anti inflammatory ingredients. For the purpose of this article I am simply consciously increasing my intake of reported anti-inflammatory foods.
#1 - Walnut, Hazelnut & Ginger Granola
Top tip - freeze peeled ginger in an air-tight container and grab a ‘cube’ as and when needed and simply grate into your chosen dish.
#2 - Cheesy Courgette & Turmeric Scones
Top Tip - to help the absorption of turmeric, add a lots of black pepper!
#3 - Garlicky, Ginger and Turmeric Marinade
2cm cube of peeled ginger - grated
1 clove of garlic - grated
Handful of Thyme - chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 TSP turmeric
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and simply marinade your chosen ‘main ingredient’ for 30 minutes minimum. Cook your dish until piping hot and cooked through. I cannot give you timings as this depends on what you are marinating e.g. chicken, salmon, halloumi cheese……!
Top Tip - Marinades do two things: add flavour to foods and helps tenderise via the acidic ingredient in this case lemon juice.
#4 ‘Beans, Rosemary, Kale’ Soup
This dish is inspired by Nigel Slater, the recipe from his book Green Feast Autumn / Winter - easy, speedy, wholesome dishes.
This is my version:
Peel & chop onion, carrot, rosemary leaves, garlic, olive oil, cook over a low heat for 15 minutes to soften. Add chopped tomato, cannellini beans, add vegetable stock, bay leaves, season. Blend some of the soup, then stir back all in together. Finish by ‘tucking in’ the kale under the hot soup to soften. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
For the full original recipe invest in the book - I love it!
Top tip - substitute galore depending on what you have in the cupboard / fridge / freezer. Swop the beans, try changing the fresh herbs. Works with any green leafy veg.
#5 Dark Chocolate Scones with a Salted Caramel Sauce
A higher cocoa chocolate within the scones recipe itself adds intensity to the mix. Although dark brown sugar gives a velvety molasses flavour these scones are not super sweet. The topping provides the sweet balance and in this case a Salted Caramel Chocolate Sauce.
Top Tip - simply serve with whipped cream to reduce the sugar levels!
Incidentally I have also altered the way I approach food, rather than just rushing the buying of ingredients, the preparation and indeed the eating. Now I spend time thinking what will the end dish look like. What do I want to be able to taste, let’s layer some flavours? Shall we make this dish sizzle or pop? Let’s create aromas? Ultimately by engaging the senses I look forward to preparing and eating the dishes I create.
In conclusion, consciously bringing nutrition into the meal planner is key for me. I appreciate there may be some placebo effect going on but I'll go with that aswell. Too long I have swept through meal times, often reaching for convenience but now my dishes are made from scratch, the nutritional content known, the provenance verified. I feel healthier, have more energy, the joints ache less. I am simply more me.
Acknowledgements
Very interesting re foods to help arthritis - I'll also be trying to eat more of these suggestions. Granola ingredients just added to my shopping list!