Derval O'Rourke: Summer barbecue meats and midweek noodles
This week I’m chatting about a recent event I was speaking at that had the theme “health through the ages”. Recipe wise it’s my midweek noodle stir fry and some delicious BBQ meat ideas.
At the start of June I helped launch the findings of The Pfizer Health Index 2018, an annual survey which charts the health perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of Irish adults.
It focuses on areas including general attitude to health, illness experience and impact, health funding, interaction with medical services and levels of health insurance.
Each year the survey is built around a different theme and 2018 was focused on health through the ages.
The survey made for interesting reading and the points that resonated with me were:
1. Where should the euros go?
The majority of those surveyed believe health should be the number one priority for government spending. I agree but I also believe we need to look at our own personal spending.
I prioritise health as a key area for my own budget. We need to have an honest conversation with ourselves about where we spend our money.
We all have limited amounts coming in each week, fortnight or month and we need to make sure we are prioritizing where it goes. Cultivating meaningful relationships and having a good support network is a key part of what I see as overall health.
Consider if your socialising included a health focus for example a walk followed by coffee and a chat. Fit dates are a great way to spend time with friends, improve time spent exercising, and save money at the same time. I recently did an evening of social hockey with a couple of friends. It was free and I had a blast.
2. Positive outlook
The majority of people surveyed rated their health a 7/10. This is super optimistic but good to see that people are positively engaged with the idea of their health. When I think about my own health I consider the following:
Exercise — Am I meeting the government guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity plus two resistance-based sessions a week? Am Itaking rest days andrecovering well? The health benefits of exercises, both mental and physical are immense.
Sleep — I aim for a minimum of seven hours a night. I believe sleep is an essential part of living well and impacts on everything we do. I genuinely feel sleep is key to life long health.
Food — Do I eat enough to fuel my body and my lifestyle? Do I making nutritious tasty food at home or am I buying heavily processed foods on the go? Do I get colour into most of my meals? Do I drink enough water?
These questions are key to a healthy diet.
Social life — Ask yourself “am I taking time to be social offline?” For example when I am working on my own fitness goals I generally unfollow any fitness accounts which may make me feel bad about my efforts. I aim to have my phone on aeroplane mode by 9pm.
Mental health/mood — I ask myself how am I feeling and am I taking care of myself? I chat a lot about this to other people and things like journaling, yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are a great addition.
3. Recognising mental health
In this study my age cohort recognises the importance of mental health difficulties with 51% taking actions to protect their mental health into the future.
I’m really encouraged to see this. I have around 60,000 people engaged with me in my online community and see how people struggle at different stages of their lives. Recognising the signs and taking measures to help yourself is really critical.
4. The long term
My peers recognise the importance of health now and in the future. As a population we are living longer and measures that we take now to help us live our best life long term are key.
This is a point I live by and when it comes to eating well and exercising I am always focused on lifelong health. I lift weights for strong bones and every day functionality. I run to reduce my risk of disease and to clear my head when things get stressful. I don’t exercise for the next six weeks; I’m exercising for my life.
5. Mirror, mirror on the wall!
An interesting point in the research was that my age cohort focused on diet and exercise for reasons of good appearance.
Whilst I completely understand this point I believe that health is so much more than appearance. I believe the increase in social media usage by myself and my peers around posting their food and fitness regimes may have a role to play in this.
While there are benefits such as being accountable and feeling part of a community, it can make people feel under pressure.
I think it’s really important to remember health is more than just appearances and that eating well and moving more should be about feeling energized, positive, strong and empowered not fitting into a certain sized dress or looking like one of the contestants on Love Island!
Fitspiration: Age action Ireland.
John Church CEO of Age Action Ireland spoke at the launch of the Pfizer health index. It was really interesting to hear about the initiatives that they are promoting. They do great work in the community for the health of the older population.
Barbecue Meats
These marinades are great ways to spice up steak, chicken and pork. They are full of bright, zingy and spicy flavours, perfect for enjoying as part of a barbeque on a summer’s day. They pair perfectly with a simple green salad and baked potato with real butter.
Steak
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes plus at least 1 hour to marinate
Cook time: 10 minutes
2 sirloin steaks, bite-size pieces
For the marinade:
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
Tsp crushed ginger
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Add the steak and all the marinade ingredients to a bowl
Marinate for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, set the BBQ up.
Cook for 4 on high heat, turning regularly and basting with the remaining marinade. Then rest on a high grill off the flame for a further 3 minutes.
Once cooked, serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Chicken
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes plus at least 1 hour to marinate
Cook time: 25- 30 minutes
2 chicken fillets
For the chicken marinade:
Tbsp dark soy
½ tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp Moroccan spice seasoning
2 tsp dried tarragon
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2tsp maple syrup
Add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients to a bowl
Marinate for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, set the BBQ up.
Cook over a hot barbeque for 4 minutes on each side, basting the meat with the leftover marinade. Always check the chicken is properly cooked and that the juices run clear before serving
Once cooked, serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Pork
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes plus at least 1 hour to marinate
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
2 thick pork chops
For the pork marinade:
2tbsp apple juice
2 tsp harissa paste
Tbsp white wine vinegar
Tbsp honey
2tsp dried thyme
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Add the pork and all the marinade ingredients to a bowl
Marinate for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, set the BBQ up, as per instructions.
Cook the pork chop for about 4 minutes on each side. Cook times will vary depending on the thickness of the chop, so check that the meat is fully cooked before serving.
Once cooked, serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Midweek Noodles
Midweek is a tough time to get healthy dinners in. The household can be chaotic (or maybe that’s just my house!) and finding time to get a healthy dinner cooked is hard.
This stir fry is a staple in my home. It’s a healthy, tasty and fast mid-week dinner. I love this after a gym session in the evening. The straight-to-wok noodles make very light work of this delicious dinner.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Tbsp walnut oil
1 packet of stir-fry vegetable mix
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp crushed ginger
3 tbsp dark soy
1 packet of straight to wok noodles, I use udon noodles.
Juice of 1 lime
Tbsp sesame oil
2tsp sesame seeds, to garnish
Heat the walnut oil in the pan; add the vegetables and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and soy sauce and continue to cook until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Add in the noodles and cook until heated through.
Squeeze over the lime juice and drizzle with sesame oil, toss well to combine.
Serve sprinkled with some lightly toasted sesame seeds and enjoy.
