Simply Good For You

Wellness Wednesday by Sweaty Betty: Amelia Freer Simply Good For You Book Launch

Yesterday evening I attended Sweaty Betty’s first Wellness Wednesday for 2020, at Carnaby Street in London (UK), with nutrition scientist and healthy eating expert Amelia Freer discussing her new cookbook, Simply Good For You.

Amelia is one of the UK’s leading nutritional therapists and number one Sunday Times bestselling author of Eat. Nourish. Glow.: 10 easy steps for losing weight, looking younger & feeling healthier; Cook. Nourish. Glow.; Nourish & Glow: The 10-Day Plan: Kickstart a lifetime of healthy eating; and her latest book, Simply Good For You – 100 quick and easy recipes, bursting with goodness.

Amelia Freer

In her latest book, Amelia focuses on simplicity – finding ways to make healthy cooking simple and easy – sharing 100 quick and tasty recipes from her family kitchen that can be followed on any night of the week.

Amelia Freer

Amelia’s message is kind and calm – with the emphasis that living healthily is about consistency, not perfection – a good meal can be one of life’s greatest pleasures and a powerful tool for maintaining health and vitality.

Me and Amelia Freer

Amelia’s recipes sit alongside lots of pragmatic advice about eating on a budget, ingredient substitutions and making use of what’s available, seasonal choices, time-saving kitchen tools, and plenty more tips and tricks.

Key take-aways from Simply Good For You:

  • There isn’t a specific way to eat – healthy living is a balance between eating, sleeping, movement, enjoyment and happiness; it is a journey not a destination.
  • Try to eat 30 different plant foods every week – combinations of veggies, herbs, spices, fruits, nuts and seeds.
  • Work out what works for you; your goals; and what feels right – reduce stress and improve your choices by learning five recipes that you really like, memorise them and make them your own.
  • Be aware of what you’re eating; keep a food diary; connect with how food makes you feel; and focus on what you can add to your diet rather than remove – focus on what you should be eating, not what you shouldn’t.
Sound advice from Amelia to me on page 158 of Simply Good For You: Happy cooking and please RINSE the seaweed! Amelia x

For anyone taking part in Veganuary, Simply Good For You includes a wide-range of plant-based recipes and others that are easily adapted.

Amelia fully supports anyone doing Veganuary or introducing more plant-based meals into their week. Her top three tips for a nutritionally balanced month include:

  1. Be conscious and nutritionally aware that you’re providing your body with everything it needs to function optimally. If in doubt ask for help from a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional.
  2. Plant-based diets tend to be relatively high in fibre, folate, and vitamins C, E and B1, but can be low in vitamin A, B12, D, calcium, zinc and absorbable iron amongst other nutrients. Rather than relying on supplementation alone (although this can be important – particularly for vitamin B12), clue yourself up about what foods contain what nutrients, and how to optimise their absorption, i.e., pairing a food high in vitamin C, like red peppers, with a food relatively high in iron, like pulses and pre-soaking grains to maximise nutrient absorption.
  3. Include plant-based protein at every meal such as nuts, seeds, nut butters, tahini, pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas etc.), hummus, tofu, tempeh etc.
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VEGANUARY: It is well established within the climate science community that, as a worldwide population, we need to radically reduce the amount of meat we eat and to be conscious of the farming practices behind any of the animal products that we choose to consume. I wholeheartedly support anyone doing Veganuary or introducing some more plant-based meals into their week and wanted to share my top 3 tips to help you enjoy a nutritionally balanced month: . 🥦1. Being Plant-Based does not automatically equal a healthy, balanced diet. You need to be conscious and nutritionally aware to make sure you’re providing your body with everything it needs to function optimally (this goes for any “diet”). If in doubt and you’re planning to continue this way of eating for the longer term, do ask for help (from a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional). . 🥒2. A plant-based diet tends to be relatively high in fibre, folate, and vitamins C, E and B1. However, it can be low in vitamin A, B12, D, calcium, zinc and absorbable iron amongst other nutrients. Rather than relying on supplementation alone (although this can be important – particularly for vitamin B12), also clue yourself up about which foods contain which nutrients, and how to optimise their absorption (i.e., pairing a food high in vitamin C, like red peppers, with a food relatively high in iron, like pulses and pre-soaking grains to maximise nutrient absorption). . 🥬3. Include some plant-based protein at every meal such as nuts, seeds, nut butters, tahini, pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas etc.), hummus, tofu, tempeh etc. . 🥕There are heaps of plant-based recipes in my new book Simply Good For You and any that aren’t are easily adapted. It is out now in all major bookshops. Thanks to @amazonuk @waterstones @waitroseandpartners @whsmithofficial @tescofood and many independent book shops across the UK for stocking it x

A post shared by Amelia Freer (@ameliafreer) on

Sweaty Betty’s Wellness Wednesday event with Amelia Freer was enjoyable and enlightening, and I’m looking forward to attending future similar events. For those in London, Amelia will be at Kensington’s Whole Food Market on Tuesday 14th January, from 6.30pm-8pm for Simply Good For You Talk & Book Signing.

Published by Zealousrunner

Faye is a London-based British Athletics registered athlete, coach, volunteer and licensed Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF), Movement and TRX Suspension Training. She regularly participates in endurance sports and is a member of Fulham Running Club.

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