Nothing fishy about a fish diet

We all know that fish is good for us. There is a growing body of evidence which clearly indicates that eating oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines or wild salmon has significant health benefits for our hearts as well as our brains. It seems it is all down to the omega 3 oil found in the fish. Fish oil lowers blood fat levels and dramatically reduces the risk of heart attacks. New evidence now indicates that increasing omega 3 in your diet can not only reduce the risk of a cognitive decline and memory loss generally but also cut your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease by 50 per cent. Swedish scientists have undertaken research which indicates that children on fish diets actually did better academically than those who rarely eat fish.

Omega-3s are a family of essential unsaturated fatty acids that include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body can’t make them very efficiently, so we have to consume them in our diet.

According to Dr Ryan, author of The Brain Food Diet, omega-3s contained in fish oil, and its DHA component specifically, play a vital role in the structural integrity and function of our brains, with a lack of it increasing the risk of brain malfunction and disease.

What a great reason to include fish, specifically mackerel,salmon or sardines high up on your menu list. Here is a nice recipe to get you started:

Poached Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
2 lb (1k) piece salmon fillet
1/2 pint white wine
water
fresh ground black pepper, bay leaf

Put your piece of salmon into a pan, season with pepper, bay leaf and pour the wine over.

Add water to cover the salmon.

Bring up to the boil, cover the pan and turn off the heat - leave until the salmon is cold and it will be perfectly cooked.

If you want your salmon warm, then simmer for 5 minutes or so and allow to cool enough to handle and then divide into four portions.



Sorrel Sauce
1 small bunch of young sorrel leaves
5 fl oz cream or soured cream
ground black pepper
lemon juice to taste

Whizz the sorrel and cream together in a blender - season with pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

The simple solutions are often the most effective. If you keep to a healthy diet you are more than half way to maintaining a healthy body. Here are a few key ingredients to include in your balanced diet to ensure you keep healthy and reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's disease.

Eat half a cup of various berries, raspberries,strawberries, blueberries, blackberries every day. They contain compounds which improve neuron function.

Eat low fat or fat free dairy products. Cut back on both fatty and processed meats.

Eat apples,or drink 2 cups of apple juice per day. It boosts the production of acetylcholine in the brain, a key resister to Alzheimer's.

Enjoy tea & coffee. Caffeine has been found to help prevent the onset of the disease as well as repair some of the damage it causes. 400-500mg of caffeine per day or around 5 cups of your favourate brew. Check with your doctor first though if you are pregnant or suffer from HBP before drinking caffeine.

Enjoy cocoa and chocolate which contains high flavanol content. This increases the blood supply to the brain and reduces cognitive decline.

Add cinnamon to your dish, 1 teaspoon per day as new research from Sweden indicates it may prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Try Alcar supplements (lipoic acid) one of the strongest antioxidant rejuvenators for the mature brain. Also found in yeast.

Avoid iron and copper supplements if you are over 50 unless recommended by a doctor.

Enjoy yellow curry or specifically turmeric. It contains curcumin a compound reputed to help against memory decline.

Enjoy a glass of wine every day. Keep within the unit health guidelines.

Include folic acid, proven to slow down memory decline, in your diet(if you have a medical problem check first with your doctor).

Enjoy walnuts and almonds (and their skins) in your diet. They are rich in antioxidants.

Eat fresh oily fish like salmon, sardines, herrings and tuna three times a week. The more fish you eat the less likely you are to get Alzheimers's disease.

Cut back on red meat and enjoy poultry.

Avoid sugar as it increases the production in the body of the toxin beta-amyloid which kills neurones.

Drink Tea and more Tea especially black or green tea without milk. They are packed with antioxidants and a powerful benefit for the mature brain.

Love vinegar (4 teaspoons per day) as it has been shown to reduce the risk factors related to memory loss including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes and weight gain.

Use olive oil (cold press if you can)as benefits against memory loss.

Enjoy your spinach as it is full of elements, minerals and antioxidants which benefit the brain as well as the body.

Take multivitamins - a low dose every day containing no iron is best for slowing down ageing in the brain.

Finally keep body and soul active in different ways such as brisk walking, cycling working in the garden,swimming, socialising, reading, conversing with neighbours and friends all of which will keep you young at heart.

Be happy - relish every moment of every day and enjoy it to the full. Remember you have already won the lottery just by being born!

Walking and cycling in Brittany

It's not just the food folks! Brittany has to be one of the best places in the world to go on a walking or cycling holiday. The countryside is unspoilt, the roads are relatively empty and drivers take great care for cyclists and pedestrians.There are over 800 km of dedicated off road cycle routes crossing the countryside with another 20000 km being scheduled. Old train lines and tracks take you through medieval villages and forests where you can really get away from it all. Only last month we stood in amazement and watched a family of wild boar cross our path! What a shame my camera was at home in the car!

Britons are exceedingly friendly folk especially if you try at first to speak a little French with them. After all that is only being polite. With so many French words in English, no one has any excuses! There are excellent facilities along the cycle routes and you can find plenty of interesting places to explore. As you will see from the map above, it does not matter where you start your trip as the routes are easy to access from any direction. We have a number of dedicated walks and cycle tours we recommend so no excuses to get lots of wonderful exercise and as we are a cooking school you get to eat exceedingly well too!
We are located right in the middle of Brittany close to route 8 on the main map above. If you are staying on one of our cooking courses, we can prepare a nice picnic for you too. Here is a link which shows you our little village of Kerrouet in more detail.

http://www.randobreizh.org/zonedifferenciee/VoieVerte6StCaradecPlemet%20%282%29.php

Even William the Conqueror was on a diet

When William the Conqueror reached his fortieth year on the throne, he became very concerned about his weight. Being overweight presented real problems for his riding skills and swordsmanship. For a king in the age of chivalry this was real disaster. Apparently his solution was to go on a very strict diet giving up food completely and drinking lots of wine instead! It is never an easy thing to refuse your King a drink! Anyway this was all very well until one day he was so inebriated that he fell from his horse and sadly died from the complications which set in later. He was only 59 years old.

Current guidelines say that the average working adult should consume no more than 720g of food per day and drink around 3 litres of water. The food ideally should consist predominantly of carbohydrates (530g), proteins (130g) and fats (60g). If William had been aware of this he might have lived a lot longer and his horse might have suffered a lot less!

La Bonne Vie

We try to keep you fit and lean
With exercise and fine cuisine
Our chef will show you how to cook
Gourmet food without gobbledygook
With guided walks after lunch we stray
Where butterflies and birds do play
You don’t have to be a Queen
To dine well on French cuisine
So come to Brittany, make it your mission
Healthy nutrition is our ambition
Keeping fit the gourmet way
So you have la bonne vie every day!

You are what you eat.

It has often been said that you are what you eat. Not surprising this also includes what you drink or don't drink. Most of us don't drink enough water for example. What you do and don't do also applies to the amount of exercise you take. All three activities eating, drinking and exercising are major determinants in our lives impacting upon our health, our energy and our longivity. It has never been easier and cheaper to eat well and exercise. However look into most supermarket baskets or on the shelves and you will see food products which are not conducive to good health. This applies to France as well as the UK. Have you ever tried to buy decent bread in France? Those white baguettes should carry a health warning and to think that the dough is defined in French law!! Too much refined processed foods and too much sugar or fats dominate the scene and we have not even mentioned other nasties including additives, preservatives and artificial colouring.

The good news is that we don't need to get complicated. The secret to healthy eating is so simple. For a healthy and nutritious diet follow these four basic rules:

1. Eat more fruit and vegetables. These are packed with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. Keep it organic.

2. Include whole grains. This includes whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal and whole-grain pasta, provide more fiber and nutrients than refined grains such as white bread or white rice. Keep it organic.

3. Eat high-protein foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and provide other nutrients as well. Buy fresh fish, poultry, beans, legumes, egg whites, tofu and other soy protein products. Keep it organic.

4. Avoid junk foods which are high in saturated fats and sugars and low nutrition value.

If you follow the four simple guidelines above you can still enjoy gourmet cuisine. Our cooking classes will show you how. But remember to drink plenty of water (before not after meals). Watch the alcohol intake and keep to the recommended units. Take regular exercise at least 30 minutes per day minimum. A brisk walk is good for both body and soul. Try to grow your own organic vegetables and herbs which will save you money and force you to keep fit! What could be easier?! Now you know the secrets of a long and healthy life.

Champagne Exercises

We met a lovely lady in Chelsea a few years ago who had just published her book with the intriguing title "Champagne Exercises". Lady Joan Oliphant-Fraser was looking as fit as a fiddle and as energised as an uncorked bottle of Bollinger and her message was sparklingly clear. Champagne and physical exercises are good for you so why not combine them both? Her book is full of wonderful illustrations of various stretching exercises and movements one can do at any time of day or night and all with the obligatory glass of champagne. Her books are in high demand and I see even used copies on Amazon today are priced at £1262 each!*

At our cooking school we have tried to combine the two great determinants of health and happiness. Fine dining and exercise. Creating wonderful meals requires knowledge and skills which everyone can learn directly from our chef in the kitchen. Whether it be buying, preparing, cooking or serving, our Michelin trained chef will guide you with knowledge, skills and tips acquired over many years. We now know that a varied and well balanced diet which includes key vegetables, fish, oils, minerals and nutrients can significantly reduce the risks of diseases such as cancers and heart attacks.

The other determinant for good health is physical exercise. That is why we have incorporated some wonderful walks and cycling into our cooking course programme. We are located in the middle of "The Mene", an area of outstanding natural beauty and unspoilt countryside where rolling hills and quite country lanes link up medieval villages and forests. This is a wonderful place to exercise and enjoy the flora and fauna as you do so.

Walking is encouraged both before and after our cooking courses. Our guides are ready to take you on simple hour long walks or more with some wonderful healthy gourmet picnics included at various places of interest. What more could you want? Oh yes of course champagne! Well we even take care of that with our very own "Kerrouet Royale" which is made up of our home made elderflower cordial and bubbles of course! Bonne Santé!

* http://www.amazon.co.uk/Champagne-Exercises-Joan-Oliphant-Fraser/dp/0709057598/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2