Body, Mind & Sol

Go Nuts On Fast Food!

According to Health Mad, Coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. It is choc-full of electrolytes, calcium, potassium, magnesium; everything that is good for you for only around 60 calories per serve. We have also started to documenting our own personal experiences with coconut water when performing exercises such as cardio and weights in the gym. View our latest article called Coconut Water instead of Protein Powder?

Do you like fast food? Me too! The healthy kind! While I love cooking, I’m quite often too busy to want to spend time in the kitchen… This week one of my clients “caught” me with a brown paper bag, big shake and packet of crisps. His comment: “For a second there I thought you were having McDonald’s. And I thought, that must be healthy now then.” In fact, I was having healthy food: an Iku take-away salad, coconut water and flesh scooped out freshly from a fantastic juice bar in the CBD’s Westfield and a packet of beetroot crisps or the like. Fast food but not bad for you.

Salty crisps to replace some of what I’d lost through working out, vitamins and protein in the salad and additional hydration and electrolytes in the coconut. Plus, the flesh to help me absorb nutrients and stay full for longer. Coconuts aren’t just a fad. I reckon they’re here to stay. Especially now with the moresish coconut icecreams and yoghurts that hit our Australian shops over the last year. (Never tried it? You haven’t lived!) 

When I was younger I used to think convenient and fast foods were your standard food mall dishes, frozen supermarket meals or perhaps prepped sandwiches. But healthy food really doesn’t have to take long to prepare – or buy, if you’re out and lazy like me. 

Nutritionist Claire Montgomery from New Medicine got me onto using a slow cooker last year. So in winter, I just chuck veggies and some meat together, season with miso soup etc and leave it to brew – voila, food for a week! (Or several if you don’t want to eat the same thing every day.) 

In summer, I love fruit or veggie salads. Again, doesn’t take long to prep at all. Just chuck some veggies together and make it exciting with some fresh herbs, varying your oils and vinegars and using fresh lemon juice or grinding up some herbs in oil in your mortar. Too easy!

For take away food, I rely hugely on Iku. Lucky there are quite a few of those wholesome food bars dotted through the CBD  and where I work- Martin Place, Oxford Street, Neutral Bay, Bondi. And then there is brown rice sushi and sashimi or a fresh sashimi salad. Yum! Getting hungry just writing about it.

And if you’re SUPER time poor, do as I do and order food through Eat Fit Foot. They do gluten free, dairy free and largely soy free foods but full of nature’s goodness. Delivered every two days, the ingredients are super fresh and you barely have to prep at all. What’s best, it comes with three meals, two snacks and even things like additional protein for those who work out a lot.

The other option I tried and liked last year while training for my half Ironman was Gourmet Dinner Service. This is all frozen but healthy food. (They have several menus, so make sure you ask for the healthier and perhaps protein plus version.) Here, you just add some fresh veggies or a salad yourself and it’s close to somethibng you’d be served in a restaurant. 

So, whatcha waiting for? Get stuck into fast food! The healthy kind. For recipe ideas, try out “Clean Up Your Diet”. Super salads, yummo smoothies and unusual meals bursting with flavours and nutrients.  Enjoy! And as always, email me any suggestions.

Sol