Let it go, let it go, let it go!

December 12, 2016 Belle Amatt

She grimaced at the sound of Grandad arriving armed with presents, a large wedge of Stilton and a bottle of Baileys. It was the moment she'd been dreading since waking up that morning.

It was Christmas day; a day which should be joyful and merry. Actually she felt entirely hateful and ... merry maybe, but only in that the morning had started with a large sherry. Having struggled through two hours of unwrapping presents, she felt herself even more wrapped up in layers of guilt and confusion. Lunch lay ahead with all its indulgent chaos.

While the nation relaxed, ate and shared laughter, she felt so alone. No-one understood.

Happy Little Eaters part 1

November 2, 2016 Belle Amatt

I'd like to share my thoughts on encouraging those dear but pesky little neophobic children that are present in most kitchens around the country to be happy little eaters.

I don't have all the answers of course but having worked in the world of nutrition, hosting 'Taste Explorer' and 'Fussy Eating' courses and working on child weight schemes for a while now and having two of these small types myself I do have a few ideas of what might work!

Neophobia is the fear of the new. Those who study evolution have traced back and linked this fear of new food in toddlers down to the necessity of selecting non-poisonous berries and plants all those centuries ago.

Doesn't help hey when your child is hurling broccoli trees at you in unbridled disgust! What does help is remaining composed and having thought through your own strategies to deal with such behaviour.

Go Go Go with the Avocado

October 26, 2016 Belle Amatt

How do we give ourselves permission to eat after years of restriction?

This is a post not only for those recovering from an eating disorder, but anyone who has over the years banned a certain food from their lives and turned it into a guilty pleasure. This may be due to media brain-washing, family role-modelling, a desperate desire to avoid weight gain or an embedded obsession. The fact is, we should be able to eat a little bit of what we fancy without beating ourselves up about it. Not always as easy as it sounds. So this post considers how we may go about making peace with these foods

Making Peace with Food

October 15, 2016 Belle Amatt

In my work both at The Recover Clinic in Brighton (a private clinic which offers clients with eating disorders a holistic approach to recovery) and with private weight loss clients, I often focus on working towards establishing intuition around food. This may have been lost over time, repressed by negative thoughts or overcome by constant and confusing media messages.

Longevity Muffins

September 25, 2016 Belle Amatt

According to the Blue Zones researches, only 20% of your potential to live a long life is down to your genes and the other 80% is to do with your environment. For those not familiar with Blue Zones research, this is research conducted on the areas of the world with the greatest longevity – called The Blue Zones. These hot spots include Okinawa (the Japanese Hawaii), Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and among the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. The studies offer an explanation, based on empirical data and first hand observations, as to why these populations live healthier and longer.

Home-grown hummus

September 2, 2016 Belle Amatt

It’s a rainy day so a good time to create dishes without feeling like you are missing out (FOMO gets everywhere).

Last month I was gifted a large amount of home-grown vegetables. Included in the midst was a bag of cannellini beans. I love the process of shelling peas and beans, especially out in the garden under a big summer sky. It reminds me of childhood so I like to re-enact this with my own kids, feels like history repeating itself in the best way; quality time spent together in a simple act of growing stuff.

Comfort Food on a Cloudy Day

August 21, 2016 Belle Amatt

It’s not the end of summer but ‘tis feeling a little autumnal. Having had a welcome supply of freshly grown vegetables from visiting relatives I feel the urge to cook something warming but not too wintry. Onion soup – whether it’s French or from where-ever doesn’t really matter – loads of flavour, lots of anti-oxidants, high in vitamin C and fibre. A welcome change from salad and a great way to use up the meat broth cooked up from the last BBQ.

Keep Cool with Melon Ice

July 22, 2016 Belle Amatt

It's hot, hot, hot. Tempting to head for the ice-cream van but there are plenty of cooling options that may well hit the spot.

My current favourite is melon ice. Whizz up half a honeydew melon, a handful of seedless green grapes, juice from half a lime and add enough crushed ice and water to make a juicy consistency.

Not only delicious but you could be cutting around 25 g of sugar by avoiding that Vanilla cone.

French Style Cooking

July 15, 2016 Belle Amatt

Tricky times - it’s hard to know what to do in the face of such utterly shocking news. Be calm, resolute, eat, live.

A dish in support of French culture, a recipe received today from my French host and superb chef, Sylvianne, after a trip to Avignon last month.

Mother and Child

July 8, 2016 Belle Amatt

“She squinted upwards to make out the image of the stained glass above. Mary, clothed in swaths of brilliant blue raised her hands, nervously it seemed, as her child was passed to her. The large upstretched hands fascinated Sylvie. They were clumsy and inexperienced, placed awkwardly in a gesture of hesitancy.

Joseph stood in the background his presence seeming merely incidental. His face held an anguished expression. Parenthood: this was clearly a colossal undertaking”.

This is a quotation from the first chapter of Balloon Girl (available as an e-book on Amazon http://amzn.to/29rZNV6)

Slow Down you Move too Fast

July 7, 2016 Belle Amatt

A 10 ten road trip through France last month proved pretty spectacular in many ways. Driving 1500 miles in an MX5 with your dad, may for some be a test of resilience and patience. But no, what I experienced was warmth, laughter, a passion for the wide empty road and complete tolerance of my loud singing to Fleetwood Mac and Simon & Garfunkel.

Balloon Girl by Belle Amatt

June 14, 2016 Belle Amatt

Spot the difference between these images. The image below fits our expectations as ‘heroine of our novel’. She floats so effortlessly with her fragile frame, her tiny arm gripping so tightly to the balloons. There is something so delicate and vulnerable about the Balloon Girl in this print.

But she is not our heroine, for Sylvie is an over-weight child who is intrigued and tormented by the print which hangs on the wall in her room. She wishes that she could float away so boundless and free.

Sunny Sweetcorn Summer Yum

June 12, 2016 Belle Amatt

Pre-schoolers and young schoolers can be tricky to feed at times; maintaining that five a day may require a certain level of creativity.

Whilst reading the brilliant Blue Zones newsletter I came across some research which backs up my theory that it’s all about how you sell the concept of vegetable eating which gets the veggies where they need to be.

Beetiful Dip recipe and Health Benefits

May 18, 2016 Belle Amatt

Using beetroot in cooking adds a fabulous anti-oxidant hit as well as being visually stimulating. There are lots of reported benefits especially in the area of heart health. Reportedly, it is the high nitrate levels which offer such cardiovascular support and may offer a low cost and effective way to reduce high blood pressure.

As I’m currently researching a lecture on ageing, I am also interested in dementia and how this condition may be benefitted by the use of super-foods.

Cheesy Doritos dipped in Soup - not always seeing eye to eye on kid's nutrition

May 6, 2016 Belle Amatt

Last week, when one of my kid’s was looking peaky, I put together a wholesome tomato soup. Using plentiful onions and garlic, peppers of all colours, the sneaky courgette which she hates and a wealth of juicy tomatoes the end result was brimming over with anti-oxidants. The red split lentils were cooked well for the best level of camouflage and herbs were snipped into fragments.

To make it further appealing, I cut up fat wedges of her favourite bread and produced some garlicky croutons to go with. But not too many as, of course, the bread is the first thing to go at the detriment of soup eating.

So we were enjoying our soup, engaged in some hearty family conversation, when the croutons run out. A grown up member of the family reached into the pantry to grab half a bag of cheesy Doritos which had been stealthily stashed behind the bread-bin. The contraband is then passed around the table for dipping purposes.

Cacao with a hint of Chilli Granola - How to...

May 4, 2016 Belle Amatt

I loved the whole process of making this and the flexibility to adapt to your own taste entirely. Kam Alive cacao powder which we discovered when perusing a market in St. Albans gives a delightful little kick and may be the factor which gets the kids involved in the creative process. I added a hint of chilli after watching that 2000 classic film 'Chocolat' at the weekend in which the combination of cacao and chilli have wondrous effects on a sleepy French town!

Mindful but in a Hurry Herby Quinoa Salad

May 3, 2016 Belle Amatt

We all know that quinoa is fabulous. This is not ground breaking news. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and contains a great range of nutrients including iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E and fibre.

It is one of only a few plant foods that are considered a complete protein. So it’s a brilliant food for vegetarians who would like to up their protein intake in the absence of meat.

But let’s also get to grips with how easy it is to chuck together.

It's the Tail End of IBS Month

April 29, 2016 Belle Amatt

According the NHS statistics, there are around 6 million people suffering with IBS in the UK. This figure of course only represents the people who have sought help from their GP therefore the overall figure will be way beyond.

Respect for each other, Food and Love

April 29, 2016 Belle Amatt

“Families who eat together stay together”. I have come across this saying frequently over the last few years. Certainly from experience of working with families in my mission to implant or reignite a love of food, those who eat together on a regular basis tend to have more exploratory little eaters.

Super Food Pesto

April 28, 2016 Belle Amatt

We learnt during my lecture at the weekend that the humble coriander plant can be considered a ‘superfood’ alongside all the more fashionable options such as Goji berries and cacao.