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You are here: Home Health & Fitness Well-Being From Loire Valley: Top tips to eating healthily

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26/01/2010From Loire Valley: Top tips to eating healthily

From Loire Valley: Top tips to eating healthily Eating healthily doesn’t mean you have to eat bland food. As British expat Teresa Dolan points out, it’s about using fresh produce and alternating choices.

In France, there has always been less of an interest in the 'ready meal' than in the UK, as the French prefer to buy and include fresh produce in their diets.

Back home in the UK, the number of people who ate fresh produce coincided with the advent of supermarkets in the 1950s through to the 1990s.

Now in 2010 as a result of medical and nutritional research, a move towards the more traditional ways of cooking and producing healthy food is very much on our 'to do' lists. Even the 'ready meals' have more of a health conscious agenda than they did prior to the discovery that really fresh is best.

Below are some ways you can eat healthily:

Eat your five

In accordance with up to date medical and nutritional research and government guidelines in both the UK and in France, make sure that you eat your five vegetables and fruits a day! Combining a protein with a fruit or vegetable can be a fun way of encouraging children to enjoy vitamin rich foods such as a crisp dessert apple attractively presented and served with slices of cheese.

Start the day with a nutritious breakfast

In France, cereal is not necessarily the breakfast of choice for adults, and yet there is a lot of evidence to support the fact that a high fibre diet will help support both your physical and mental health. 

Muesli for example, was introduced to the Western world around 1900 by the Swiss physician and psychologist Maximilian Bircher Benner for patients in his hospital, where diet rich in fresh fruit and cereals resulted in a vast improvement in patient health.

Why not alternate croissant and coffee one day with Muesli and fruit juice and have fun making different combinations of Muesli?

I am currently mad about Medjool dates, which are simply delicious, chopped and added to oats soaked overnight with the oats in Vanilla Soya milk.

Soya milk has a natural nutty flavour that blends well with the oats. I favour the Bjorg non-GM variety available in most supermarkets in France.

Going ‘green’ with food

The ‘Agricultural Biologique’ (AB) movement in France is slowly gaining strength. Many of our local markets in the Loire Valley, including the ones in Montsoreau and Saumur, have AB stalls where you can buy deliciously fresh organic vegetables and fruits. You can also usually find AB 'du pain' and delicious local cheeses.

The advantages of eating organic food is a highly topical subject. There is a lot of information out there to support the fact that pesticides and herbicides are bad for the human condition with some pointing to a link with cancer. A farmer friend of ours once said a field of lettuce can be sprayed with pesticides hundreds of times.

The Environment Protection Agency is a good source of information on this issue and the Guardian newspaper has an Environmental section that highlights many of these topics. In 2007, President Sarkozy recommended that France halve its current usage of pesticides by half over the following 10 years and in January 2009.

There is also strong evidence to suggest that the usage of pesticides results in the depletion of oxygen in the water. This causes too much algae and is detrimental to our planetary eco-systems.

Supermarkets are also beginning to have AB sections where they offer pesticide-free and locally grown produce.  Check your local Eco-co-op as they usually have a wealth of products and produce on offer - from locally grown vegetables - to high quality vitamins, beauty products and essential oils. Ours is just along the road in Bagneux which sells tasty ‘veggie’ frankfurters. We especially like the ones called ‘weenies’.

You can also consider choosing an organic wine. Try Clos Crystal in Champigny near Saumur. Sales of the wine contribute to the local hospital's upkeep and the wine is produced today as it was back in the late 19th/early 20th century in the days of Père Cristal.

Homemade soup

Photo Flickr © Danielle ScottIt never fails to amaze me, how soup rarely seems to be on any menu despite the fact that we have eaten in many wonderful restaurants in France. What about the classic French Onion soup? One of the reasons why it may not appear on many restaurant menus in France may perhaps be because soup is considered rather homely - traditionally a peasant dish.

During winter time, a generous helping of home-made soup not only warms oneself but can really pack a punch in terms of taste and vitamins.

In summer time a cold soup such as Gazpacho can refresh and stimulate the taste buds ready for the next course.

The basis of any good soup is of course a good stock, be it a veggie, fish or meat one. Once you have this all you really need to do is sauté your onions and garlic in a little olive oil and a knob of butter and add your ingredients.

Below is the recipe of a popular soup served at Chez Teresa.

Parsnip and Apple Soup

I discovered the delights of Parsnip and Apple soup when I was a student back in the late 1970s. It was a cheap and nutritious way to keep warm and healthy during the winter. I have been making it, and variations of it, ever since. This is my take on it.

Ingredients:

1 oz butter
1 large finely chopped onion
A generous splash of Olive Oil
1 medium sized dessert apple (you can use a cooking apple if you like, but I happen to think that a Bramley works quite well in this recipe)
Pinch of sea salt and a liberal dash of ground black pepper
2 medium sized parsnips
1 medium sized potato (Charlotte potatoes are really good and are available in France and the UK)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
600ml of veggie stock (or cheat and use the Swiss Marigold powdered bouillon or the wonderful new gel stock pots from Knorr)
568ml milk or 1 large dollop of creme fraiche added at the end of the cooking of the cooking stage

Photo Flickr © stu_spivack
Apple parsnip soup

- Chop the parsnip, potato and apple and place in a large saucepan. Turn on the heat on the hob and sauté in the oil and melting butter. Stir until the onion is transparent. If it starts to caramelise, add a little cold water.

- Next add your stock and seasoning and bring to the boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add milk. Blend with a hand held liquidiser, or mash with a potato masher until smooth. If it is a little too thick add more water.

- Garnish with chopped herbs such as flat leafed parsley or Herbes des Provence. Parsley is apparently one of the ‘super-foods’ as it is packed with loads of vitamins. Be generous but not overly so. You can also add a little grated parmesan to the top of the soup as you serve it for a little added richness.

Teresa Dolan / Expatica

Originally from England, the author has written for a number of international publications including the Weekly Telegraph The French Paper. Since moving to France in 2005, Teresa and her family run a Chambre d'Hôtes in the ancient village of Fontevraud in the Loire Valley. Chez Teresa Recipe Book, her first cook book, which includes anecdotes about her life in the Loire Valley, will soon be available. If you are interested in buying the book, please email Teresa.

Photos credit: Danielle Scott; stu_spivack


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