Tuesday evening, 24-09-24, the mackerel recipe and a bit about visceral fat

Good evening, everyone!  

I meant to post the link to that mackerel recipe yesterday but, for some reason, didn't, so here it is now.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/grilled-mackerel-soy-lime-ginger

I didn't do the Jasmine rice.  I softened some finely chopped shallot and some yellow pepper in a bit of evoo, rehydrated some bulgur wheat (love that stuff) and mixed in the onion and pepper plus a bit of salad dressing from the tomato salad I made to go with it.

Really tasty and as healthy and, I think, as Mediterranean as you can get - ancient grains, evoo, veg, oily fish so healthy fats and loadsa flavour.
(and it was dead easy)

What I ate today

Plum and strawberry today and I used up the last of the strawberry chia jam in the yogurt with a few mixed seeds sprinkled on top

One syn for the chia and other seeds.

Just look at this colourful deliciousness.  A very basic salad with my dressing, smashed avo on toasted bagel and griddled asparagus with a splash of lemon juice at the end.

One healthy extra B, four syns for avocado (a bit more than I usually have and I think I will cut it down again next time - it was quite a lot - and five syns for evoo in the dressing and a spray for the asparagus.

I'm quite upset that my camera seems to be having a wobbly and is refusing to connect to my desktop and to my laptop so no photo of dinner.  A shame, because it was nice.

I changed my mind about having a salad in the evening as the garden gave me a small number of beans and I had some broccoli to use up.  And it felt a bit chilly outside too.  
The fennel and tomato gratin was surprisingly tasty although I think when I make it again, I will add some onion and maybe something like a bit of bacon or chorizo for extra flavour.
I quartered the amount and it still made enough for two portions so that is lunch tomorrow sorted.  I think I'll add some pulses - I have a few in the freezer.

One and a half syns for evoo, a bit of a healthy extra A (let's call it half) and half a B

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/fennel-tomato-gratin

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

one and a half healthy extra Bs

eleven and a half syns (all for heart-healthy oils/fats) 

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L:  the other half of the fennel and tomato gratin, salad; fruit

D:   roasted veg pasta, maybe side salad; fruit

Exercise:   personal training

The Extra Bit

Visceral fat

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that lies deep within your abdominal walls and surrounds your organs. Some levels of visceral fat are healthy and help protect your organs. 

However, too much visceral fat can be dangerous for your health. Visceral fat is sometimes called “active fat” because it plays an active role in how your body functions. Too much visceral fat can lead to serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia and so on.

The best way to reduce visceral fat is through losing weight (if you are above a healthy weight range) and maintaining a healthy diet. Regular exercise is especially effective in reducing visceral fat and preventing it from coming back.

Even though you cannot change your genetics, hormones or your age, you can reduce your risk of disease by:

being physically active for at least 30 minutes most days

eating a healthy diet

not smoking

avoiding or reducing your consumption of sugary drinks

getting enough sleep

(copied wholesale from various sites via Google)

So now we know . . . (assuming we didn't already, obv.) . . . and I am really thankful my levels seem to be OK.