This is a picture of our three dogs when they were young. Black Labradors, BB and Sky, and Waise (pron. Visor), a whippet/lurcher cross. You may be wondering why am I showing you this photograph but these three dogs illustrate perfectly how our own approach to food may vary.
Whilst Labradors as a breed are renowned for having an insatiable appetite, BB’s approach to food was different from Sky’s. BB ate her food in quite a leisurely fashion, enjoying every mouthful but, of course, leaving nothing in her bowl.
However, Sky ate so fast we couldn’t believe she actually tasted the food! In addition, she would eat anything - even lettuce! I am sure you know someone with a similar appetite!
On the other hand, Waise only ate according to how active she was. On a day when she mostly slept, usually if it was raining as she hated wet weather, she ate what she wanted and left any food she didn’t need. On an energetic day, when she had run around even more than usual, she would eat all her dinner and sometimes even ask for more by sitting and looking at her dish! Her balance of ‘energy in’ vs ‘energy out’ was spot on. Always slim. Always fit, right up to the end of her life, which lasted the human equivalent of 95 years! Surely, a lesson for us all!
Now let’s talk about we humans. During our lifetime we will come across a vast variety of folks and some will be slim while others are overweight or even obese. But is our or their size the result of genetics or is it because of our varying lifestyles? The answer is likely to be a combination of both.
But take heart - despite your parents or grandparents possibly carrying extra weight, it doesn’t mean you have to. We can all learn to manage our weight and buck the trend.
For instance, if there is a history of heart disease in your family, it isn’t inevitable that you will die of a heart attack. By working hard to get and stay fit with regular exercise, by following a healthy diet low in saturated fat, not drinking to excess, and maintaining a healthy weight, you will drastically reduce your risk of an early demise.
This goes to illustrate that if we have the will and determination, we really can re-educate the way we think about food and exercise. We can train ourselves to develop some life-enhancing and life-lengthening habits that will transform our future lives for the better.
The key to our success is to find a form of exercise we actually enjoy and select healthy foods we love, and we mustn't forget to look at portion sizes. It is often a surprise when folks realise that if they eat healthily, they will feel satisfied for longer even though they are eating less than they are used to.
Recently, Mary and I heard this firsthand from one of the officers who had joined our latest Wellness Challenge where we work alongside Leicestershire Police. His exact words were: ‘I measured out my portion of spaghetti Bolognese and thought to myself ‘that’s never going to keep me going’ but it did!’ He realised that eating takeaways and fast-food just didn’t satisfy him in the way that the new healthy food we were recommending in The 28-Day Immunity Plan did.
Waise lived to be 13½ years and we sadly lost Sky to cancer earlier this year, whilst her twin sister BB is still going strong, aged 12½.
You can see some videos of my beloved companions in the Rosemary's World section of the website.
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Serves 6
Per serving 268 kcal/1.8g fat
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes
2 baby leeks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsps finely chopped fresh thyme
450ml skimmed milk
2 tbsps plain flour
150ml white wine
2 - 3 tsps mild course grain mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
700g potatoes, peeled
2 tbsps fat-free Greek yogurt
700g naturally smoked haddock
vegetable stock cube
freshly ground black pepper
zest of 1 lemon plus dill to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6.
- Preheat a non-stick saucepan. Add the leeks, garlic and thyme, stirring well. Reduce the heat and add 3 tbsps of milk. Sprinkle the flour over, then stir it in quickly to form a roux. Cook for 1 minute to allow the flour to ‘cook out’, then gradually mix in the remaining milk.
- Add the wine, mustard and parsley bringing the sauce to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a saucepan with a vegetable stock cube until well cooked. Drain and mash well until smooth, adding the Greek yogurt and seasoning well with plenty of black pepper.
- Skin the fish by pulling the skin from the thickest part in the direction towards the tail – it should come away quite easily.
- Cut the fish into chunks, checking it for bones, and place in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cover with the sauce.
- Using a fork, smooth the potatoes on top. Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until golden.
- Just before serving, garnish with lemon zest and a little chopped dill.
Try to buy naturally smoked fish, which is pale yellow in colour. The bright yellow fish often sold in supermarkets has been dipped into a coloured chemical flavoured dye to give a smoked flavour.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
Rosemary's take on the eating habits of her three dogs was most enlightening and I am totally convinced that we humans are exceedingly similar. Our approach to what we eat and when we eat it can differ considerably from one person to another and yet each can be equally healthy or unhealthy, as the case may be. However, I do believe that more and more of us (particularly readers of this Newsletter as many of us are in the older age group) are becoming far more aware of food as a source of good nutrition and to fuel our body in the best possible way.
There is much research currently going on in this very exciting field of science, and SO much is being discovered about the gut and our microbiome (that strange mix of 'good' and 'bad' bacteria in our gut) which ultimately affects our immune system and seems to be becoming the cornerstone of what keeps us fit and healthy.
Dogs of course do not make choices regarding what they eat and we just trust the dog food manufacturers to be producing the right balance of nutrients to keep our dogs healthy. If only it were so easy for us! We are bombarded with food choices in the supermarkets and through (often misleading) advertising on television, it can become a bit of a minefield for us all.
Professor Tim Spector of St Thomas's Hospital has been working with identical twins, and just as with Rosemary's twin dogs Sky and BB, he has discovered that even identical twins respond differently to foods, have a very different microbiome, and therefore may have a very different health outcome. I particularly find this of interest as I have a set of identical twins and I remember when they were tiny babies one was constantly throwing a whole bottle of milk back up but the other wasn't. I changed the formula for the one and all was well. Clearly, they had a different gut biome!
Professor Spector says: 'We don't know everything about every food or every interaction with gut microbes but we do know that if you eat food that gives you a huge sugar spike or if fat hangs around in your bloodstream after a meal... those things are bad for you and can lead to serious health problems.'
Studies are also beginning to show that each of us has a significant variation in our responses to even the same meal. Fascinating stuff!
Now, to avoid the science overwhelming us, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of all this. Firstly, I must admit that when I read any scientific work around the subject of our immunity, I always hope that we have led you down the right path with The 28-Day Immunity Plan. I am pleased to say that absolutely everything that is currently being recommended by the science world is exactly the same message through both the book and this Newsletter every week! Phew!
So here are the key messages. Try to tick off in your head just how many of these recommendations you follow:
- Eat fruit and vegetables that are high in polyphenols... bright colours are a good sign!
- Occasionally check how many different varieties of plants (vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds) you eat every week.
- Avoid snacking and occasionally fast for 12 hours overnight.
- Stick to moderate amounts of alcohol.
- Eat good quality fish and meat in moderation.
- Avoid processed foods. If you do eat them choose those with the least number of ingredients.
- Cook from fresh whenever you can.
- Eat fungi (mushrooms mainly) as often as possible and prebiotic foods such as leeks, onions and dark green vegetables.
- Eat something fermented every day, such as live yogurt or kefir.
- Aim for 7 hours sleep every night
- Exercise regularly! Aim for a minimum of 7500 steps per day and include three strength sessions every week.
If you are following most of these recommendations it is likely that you are doing all you can to preserve your good health. Remember, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another so be guided by your own good sense and do what works for you with your health as your top priority. Your body is unique... keep looking after it!
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- For your daily 30+ minute walks this week try timing them to the minute, then repeat the same walk each day and see if you can just drop a minute or two – you will definitely have increased the intensity by speeding up your pace.
- For your strength work this week do half the week from the hand weights workouts and the other half from the resistance band workouts. Each of those workouts on the website gives you a whole-body workout!
- Make improving your balance a priority this week. Our Balance workout on the website is very comprehensive but even just standing on one leg for 30 seconds every day is a winner!
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Did you know...
The Labrador Retriever or simply Labrador (like BB & Sky) is a British breed of retriever gun dog. They were originally bred from fishing dogs imported from Newfoundland in Canada, and were named after the Labrador region of that colony. They are one of the most commonly kept breeds of dogs in the UK. Labradors are friendly, energetic, and playful. They are also intelligent and easily trained and make great guide or assistance dogs, and are also often used in rescue or therapy work.
Whippet/lurchers (like Waise) are descended from Whippets (a breed of sighthound, like an Irish wolfhound, Greyhound, etc). Sighthounds are a type of dog that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than sent and endurance as scenthounds do.
"Lurcher" is not actually a breed of dog, it is a term for a hound that results from cross-breeding a sighthound with another type of working dog, such as a collie or terrier. Lurchers are unique to Ireland and Britain. The lurcher was bred to fulfil the need of poachers for a fast and efficient hunting companion capable of chasing and running down their prey.
Today lurchers come in all shapes and sizes, from being as small as a whippet to as big as a deerhound, but the personality will depend on their particular “cross”.
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And finally...
As you will have guessed, I love dogs. I love their companionship (BB is asleep in my office as I type this), we walk together every morning, she greets me every time I come back after being out and she is always a joy. Most importantly, she gives me a reason to walk further and faster than I perhaps would if she were not there. Thank you, BB!
Have a great week.
With love and best wishes,
& BB
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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