My 5 top tips for surviving the Inca trail

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Hi guys!

I have recently got back from South America where I completed the Inca trail! (woo!) It was one of, if not the best thing I have ever done and no words or photographs will ever do this experience any justice. Nor will you ever be prepared for what you are about to spend 4 days doing! However, before the trip the organisation freak in me was searching the internet for top tips (as you do) and I was surprised that there wasn’t actually that many so, here it goes!

 

  1. Find an amazing tour company

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First and foremost this really is the important part! There are lots of companies who run the Inca trail tours but I would really do your research, read reviews, speak to people who have already done it and always read the small print. Unlike other parts of the world where you can stumble on tours (which you definitely can do in Cuzco, they’re everywhere!) I would really recommend using the world wide web on this one.

We went with Inca Trail Reservations which were recommended to us by our friends and they were great. Our tour guide Paul made the experience so special, taking us slightly off the beaten track to avoid the other tourists where possible. Paul’s knowledge was phenomenal, the porters were always there to make us feel comfortable at camp and the chef kept our energy up and created some amazing dishes even though we were in the middle of the Andes!

 

2. Walk, hike, walk and hike somemore…

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Nope, there was no warning on how tough this actually is. Although you cannot really train for altitude sickness (believe me I tried, I was even reading sports nutrition books for tips) you can definitely train for all the kilometres you will be walking. Go on walks at home and if  you have hills nearby then I would recommend hiking a few times before you jet off to Peru. Hire or buy walking poles as these were a life saver for me walking down hill on the wet ground and make sure you have walking boots or hard wearing running type trainers.

 

3. Pack for all weathers

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You will probably experience all types of weather, no matter what season you go in! We had wind, sun, heavy rain, light rain… it is very unpredictable! It does get cold, especially when you reach height, as you can see on the photo above at some points you are as high as the clouds so you can imagine the temperature drop.

Layers saved me a lot of hassle – I would wear a vest, long sleeve Lycra top, a fleece, hoodie and have a waterproof to hand. A lot of the time I would have things tied round my waist as it gets very warm hiking up hill but then the temperature could drop in the space of 5 minutes so having clothes on hand was really useful!

Here is a basic list of clothing to take:

  • Thermal top and bottoms to wear under pjs
  • 5-6 pairs of thick socks
  • Warm PJs and a thick jumper to sleep in
  • Walking boots, shoes or running trainers (avoid pumps/converse type trainers)
  • Sandals for around the camping area – it is nice to let your feet breathe
  • 2-3 vest tops
  • 2-3 long sleeve Lycra tops
  • 1 hoodie
  • 2-3 pairs of Lycra leggings/walking pants
  • Sun hat, sunglasses and a woolly hat (to sleep in)
  • Waterproof jacket
  • 2 lightweight fleeces
  • Underwear (obviously!)
  • Small towel

 

4. Keep hydrated and eat as much as you can

 


The chefs on the Inca Trail are amazing and make fresh, authentic food for you every day. It is so important to make sure you eat enough, the chef will cater for big appetites as you will be using up a lot of energy so make sure you drink and eat as much as you feel you need to at meal and snack times. Coca tea is great for altitude sickness so if you are feeling the pressure of altitude definitely give this a try (even it is doesn’t work it is contributing to keeping you hydrated)

On the first day or so there are plenty of families you can buy bottled water from, ensure you take extra money so you can keep refilling. I would also recommend for you to drinking more water than you usually would for the day or two leading up to it, especially if you are flying into Cuzco – this is said to help with altitude sickness (so some Peruvians say!)

Snacks are usually provided at certain stop points on the trek from your tour company however, we took sweets, chocolate and all the usual quick sugar fix goodies… this may not be proven to help keep energy levels up but it did help keep me motivated with steep hills, I mean who doesn’t love an incentive?!

 

5. Enjoy every single moment (even the tough ones!)

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Once you have your itinerary, bought your trekking gear and charged your camera there is nothing left to do but enjoy this amazing experience.

Make new friends, take lots of photographs, keep a little diary, show gratitude to your porters (you only appreciate how amazing they are once you watch them run past you on dead woman’s pass carrying 30+ kilos!) eat lots of amazing Peruvian food in the middle of the Andes, take in the beautiful view of the milky way as you sleep under the stars and take a moment at the Sungate to acknowledge what you have just achieved before walking down in awe to Macchu Picchu!

 

S x

 

Good old disclaimer time *these are personal to me but it will hopefully help a few of you out there. This post is also not a nutrition blog, so I am not endorsing any Peruvian tips with coca tea etc, this post purely a bit of fun*

It’s Pumpkin Season!

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Halloween is approaching which means people are rushing out to buy pumpkins to carve and decorate their houses. But what do you do with the inside of the pumpkin?! When carving a lot of people are guilty of throwing the flesh away so I thought I would give you guys a few ideas on how to save the food waste and add a little pumpkin into your diet!

 

Before I get started, I wouldn’t be a good nutritionist if I didn’t tell you that pumpkins are a great source of fibre and vitamin A as well as counting towards your 5 a day!

 

Here are some dishes with a pumpkin twist for you to try:

Pumpkin Soup – Soup is so easy to make and is a great way to get some extra veggies, lentils and pulses into your diet. Make sure you remove the pumpkin seeds from the flesh before adding it to your favourite soup recipe (red lentils and thai spices would compliment this perfectly)

 

Pumpkin Pie – My friends mum makes THE best pumpkin pie… I have no idea how to make it myself but I want to find out, in the mean time there are lots of recipes online that look delicious!

 

Pumpkin Hummus – This is a bit out there but you HAVE to try it if you are a hummus and pumpkin fan. All you have to do extra is roast the pumpkin flesh (without seeds) in the oven for 40-45 minutes with a little garlic and then add to your food processor with the rest of your usual hummus ingredients. If you are feeling extra insta worthy why not use the pumpkin skin as a serving dish?!

 

Pumpkin Curry – this doesn’t have to mainly be pumpkin before I lose you on this one but curries and stews are a great base for adding ingredients like pumpkin, squash and sweet potato too so give it a try! Team it with veggies such as carrots and parsnips for the perfect accompaniment.

 

Pumpkin Pasta – This would be a great addition to my courgette pasta recipe – roast the pumpkin in a little olive oil for 30-40 minutes and toss in the pasta at the end to give it that extra autumn feel!

 

Pumpkin Seeds – I have mentioned removing the seeds a few times above, so why not clean the seeds of any pumpkin flesh and dry them before roasting them in some olive oil and paprika for a delicious snack!?

 

All pumpkin’d out? I hope I have inspired you to make the most of your pumpkins and to reduce food waste this Halloween… Have a scary one!

 

S x

 

 

Photo Credit:

https://www.epicurious.com

 

 

 

 

Courgette and Tomato Linguine Recipe

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Autumn is officially here and sometimes a big bowl of warm, hearty pasta is just what you need after a long day!

I created this recipe by needing to use up some old veggies and with my cupboard always having pasta and tinned tomatoes in it seemed the perfect dish to create.

Other vegetables would work just as well such as aubergines and leeks and if you are coeliac you can swap pasta for gluten free versions or even homemade!

 

Serves approx 4 adults

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic

1 and half courgettes

1 pepper

5-6 handfuls of spinach

5-6 cherry tomatoes

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

300g spaghetti/linguine

*Source of protein optional – chickpeas, chicken or prawns work really well

 

Method:

  1. Heat a wok or frying pan with a 2 tablespoons of olive oil, once hot add chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes
  2. Add chopped courgette and pepper to the pan and cook for 5 minutes before adding the cherry tomatoes
  3. Once the cherry tomatoes start to soften, add the tin of chopped tomatoes
  4. *Optional step – add protein choice and simmer in the sauce until cooked through
  5. Add linguine to a pan of boiling water and cook for allocated time
  6. Once the protein has cooked, add the spinach and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has reduced
  7. Drain the linguine once cooked and add to the sauce
  8. Season to serve (fresh chilli, basil or grated cheese are my favourite toppings!) and enjoy!

 

Buon Appetito x


          

      





							

  

    
        
    

      
Nourish and Flow with MagnaPass
    

    
        

      

                                
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Hi guys!!


I recently held my dream event – Nourish and Flow (if you have me on social media I apologise for all the posts but I was just too excited!!) and wanted to share a little bit of it with you!


 


The event was organised through MagnaPass – an online platform for fitness classes in Manchester. MagnaPass hold ‘experience’ days for their partners where you can showcase what you specialise in to their members and so as a new partner I held this dreamy day.


 


The event took place at Leaf on Portland Street – an incredible cafe with an amazing basement that has gorgeous big windows for lots of natural light and open brick walls (a personal interior favourite of mine!) We started off with a 45 minute Vinyasa flow where I took the class of all different levels through a core strengthen flow with a little bit of a play around with balances and inversions!


 


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


 


 


To quickly replenish I made the class some ‘energy’ or ‘calorie’ balls as some nutritionist like to call them with of course some fresh fruit before we got comfy and started talking about all things nutrition! This was a really rewarding part of the day for me as there is so much nutribollocks flying around at the moment, especially in the fitness/yoga industry! It was refreshing to sit down with some open minded people and give real, evidence based nutrition advice and in return got asked some fab questions in the Q&A session.


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I focused my talk on ‘food and mood’ and how to keep nourished and motivated in the winter months – everything of course could be referenced but I focused on core food groups, essential vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin D for these winter months, blog coming soon!) and touched a little on gut health and fibre intake – a hot topic at the moment in the nutrition industry.


To complete the ‘nourishing’ part of the day we then went upstairs to the beautiful cafe and all tucked in to some amazing granola bowls, courtesy of Leaf!


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


 


A huge thank you to Magnapass and everyone who attended to make Nourish and Flow a success, I cannot wait to host another very soon!


 


Please get in touch if you would like anymore details 🙂


Namaste x


 


 


 

          

      





							

  

    
        
    

      
A day in the life of a Registered Nutritionist…
    

    
        

      

                                
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Hi everyone,


As you may have seen on my social media pages I recently did an interview on Plantbased Pixie’s Youtube channel for a feature called ‘What actual nutritionists do’ This has inspired me to do a little blog post on ‘a day in the life of’ for those that have been asking what I do (I will do a blog post to follow on the steps to take to become a Registered Nutritionist)


 


A typical day does not really exist for me (thankfully as I get bored easily!) but I have some exciting and not so exciting responsibilities that I will share for any budding nutritionists out there.


 


My work as a Company Nutritionist in the Out of Home Sector:


Recipe Development is my favourite part of the job, working with chefs to develop healthy, innovative dishes for our brands is really fun! This can be anything from nutritious children’s menus to protein packed recipes. It is great to be able to work in professional kitchens, giving advice to some incredible chefs… and of course trying all the food is a bonus too!


 


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A crucial part of my job is working with suppliers to ensure that products meet certain requirements such as salt and sugar government targets. This is not only important to develop healthy dishes internally but engaging with suppliers and informing them of government targets is just as vital for the wider Public Health.


Once the development side is done it is then time to look at menu claims and nutrition guides – this is where I work with marketing to ensure all menu claims meet the EU nutrition and health claims regulations but are also clear and concise for the guest. For example, for a dish to be legally named ‘high in protein’ it has to have at least 20% of the energy coming from the protein.


To produce a nutrition guide I calculate the nutrition for every dish for about 9 different nationwide brands – as you can imagine this takes up a lot of my time but it is one of the most important parts of the job. More people are wanting to know what is in their food when they eat out and rightly so, as over 1/3 of calories are consumed out of the home so by giving the guest the choice of nutrition information they can make an informed choice.


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Photo Credit – All Bar One


 


I am also very privileged to work with some external stakeholders such as Public Health England, The Soil Association and The British Hospitality Association (where I have recently coauthored a nutrition guide you can find here) This is crucial for my personal development and I have met some amazing Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists who I continue to learn from, giving me the ability to then use this knowledge for internal policy writing.


 


My life as a nutritionist does continue outside of this job but maybe that is for another blog post. I love being a Registered Nutritionist in the Out of Home sector but I do feel there is a bigger need for more of us within the industry. Registered Nutritionists can have a positive impact on menu briefs, supporting development chefs, writing internal policies and the most important part… the guests dining out experience by playing a huge part in increasing the healthier options available!


 


Any questions please send me an email and I will be happy to answer!


Sarah x


 

          

      





							

  

    
        
    

      
Berlin – the city for foodies!
    

    
        

      

                                
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Hi guys!

I am fresh off the plane from Berlin and could not wait to share some of my favourite food spots in this beautiful city so here it goes – I will keep it short and sweet I promise!!


 


Roamers Coffee and Booze – wow!! I found out about this place through my friends instagram and once I had visited I could not stop talking about it all day, the actual brunch of dreams!


I went for the classic poached eggs and sourdough (can I even call it a classic yet?!) and added avocado and maple syrup bacon, I would highly recommend! I wont say too much as I feel the photos say it all…


 


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


 


Cafe Gri Gri  – we stumbled on the German cafe Gri Gri and it was lovely, the setting was gorgeous, over looking the river on a front terrace with fairy lights hanging down it was a perfect setting! The service was great and the traditional German food did not disappoint. I went for a Southern German inspired dish of cheese pasta with a local beer.


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


 


Burgermiester – so every single person that knew I was going to Berlin recommended this place. It is under a metro bridgse, does not have many places to sit and slightly resembles Thailand in the fact you are sat in the middle of a main road eating but it was possibly the best burger I have ever eaten! They have a good selection (even tofu for veggies) and I would 100% recommend the chilli cheese fries as a side – perfect stop before heading out for drinks!


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Trattoria Portofino – where to start with this place!! It may not be traditionally German but we had such a good dining experience here… (the free limoncellos may have helped) everything from the food, the drinks and the waiters were incredible. Trattoria Portofino was on a lovely little street set back from the infamous bars and clubs of Berlin but even though it may look quiet at times, they do not do ‘walk ins’ so you need to make a reservation. We had a selection of pizza and pastas with maybe a little too much wine but if you are craving Italian food whilst in Berlin this is the place to go!


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


For drinks:


Monkey Bar for a lovely rooftop view


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


Gin Chilla if you are a gin lover!


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Berlin was such a great trip and although a lot of food trends come from cities like Berlin I was not expecting it to be so good! We did do a lot more than eat so if you have any questions then please send me an email.


 


Sarah x


 


Ps:


Not only is Berlin a city for foodies but the history in this City can not go unnoticed, we visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp whilst we were there and if history is your thing then I would recommend an excursion like this, I don’t know how to describe this tour but it was very informative and puts a lot of things in perspective.


 

          

      





							

  

    
        
    

      
My Manchester Food Tour
    

    
        

      

                                
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Hi everyone,


Sorry it has been a while! I have been so busy with work, organising some upcoming yoga events and doing some amazing foodie things… such as hosting a food tour around Manchester for some of the chefs at work!


 


I had never organised a food tour before and luckily I had a really good friend to help me out but for those that may want to host a similar event I thought I would share my experience with you guys.


 


I had prepared prior to the tour some cue cards for everyone for the way round (mainly so they didn’t have to make notes but also to keep me on track!) This included my recommended dishes, a little bit of background on the establishment and also a game of Nutribollocks bingo!


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The tour started in the evening with a few drinks at Port Street Beer House for some craft beers and then our evening meal at Evelyn’s in the Northern Quarter. Evelyn’s is known for its homemade, delicious food with a health halo surrounding it – with dishes from lamb salad, to sirloin steak to tofu ramen there is definitely something for everyone even if the menu is quite small. We then went for an after dinner drink at the Whiskey Jar which is famous for its huge selection of Whiskey!


The next day was an early start as we made our way to a personal favourite Another Heart to Feed… this was a highlight for a lot of the guys as the service was lovely and the food was amazing especially for trend following foodies. I went for the acai bowl and kombucha whilst others went for the pulled pork bagel, avocado and eggs and the brunch board.


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


Our next stop was Ezra and Gil in the Northern Quarter which was incredible, this food did not disappoint, we ordered a greek style omelette, breakfast bruschetta, the vegetarian full breakfast and croissant eggs benedict (which was amazing!)


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


We then made a stop off at the pop up Black Milk Cereal on Oldham Street for a more indulgent treat… and as I was meant to be showing everyone about the health trend foodie scene of Manchester, some may argue that the tour then took a turn for the worse…


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


The Yard and Coop in the Northern Quarter was our next stop and happened to tie in with lunch time… Warning: this was not healthy in the slightest but very tasty with friendly staff and lovely, quirky touches around the restaurant – especially the bill being served in an egg box with mini eggs! This went down a hit with the chefs and was really innovative.


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


 


Our last stop was the Arndale Food Market which has opened some great places in the last couple of years with hot spots such as the Viet Shak, Gym Shak and Panchos there is something for everyone in this market, it was a little quieter than usual being a week day but at weekend this is the place to be!


 


Other stops on our tour included:


V Rev Diner – a vegan diner


Federal Cafe – a brunch must!


Kettlebell kitchen – a gym lovers fave!


 


I loved arranging this and thankfully it all went to plan (except the typical Manchester rain!) I got some great feedback but it is really down to the ever growing food scene in Manchester so if anyone has not been to Manchester recently you really must check out some of these places! There are many more that I love so if you have any questions please send me an email.


 


Sarah x


 


Feature Photo Credit – King Street Townhouse 

          

      





							

  

    
        
    

      
The Greek Cuisine – My latest trip to Santorini
    

    
        

      

                                
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I have recently returned from an amazing trip to Santorini. The food, weather, views and yoga were incredible so I thought it would only be fair to share my experience with you.The Beautiful Fira, Santorini


A little insight to the Mediterranean Cuisine:


The Greek diet is said to be one of the ‘healthiest’ cuisines in the world. Known for being high in fruit and vegetables, fish, wholegrain, feta cheese and greek yogurt you can see why it is regarded as healthy and balanced.


The Greek diet is also famous for the use of olive oil which is primarily made up of monounsaturated fatty acids (the ‘healthy’ fats) and contains over half of our recommended daily amount of vitamin E and vitamin K per 100g. However, olive oil is still high in calories so try not to get too carried away; I found the Greeks used it for salads and dipping bread into!


A Snapshot of my Santorini experience:


If you have Santorini on your list of places to visit, I highly recommend it to be the next trip you book. The views are incredible, the people are friendly and there are lots of hidden gems to discover by jumping on a quad.


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The food was amazing, from fresh Salmon looking over Akrotiri to lamb kleftiko in Fira I could not have been more in my element with the cuisine. Although the tradition salad is Greek salad which consists of a few greens, olives and a lot of feta cheese I discovered a brilliantly unusual Caesar Salad served in filo pastry on Kamari beach which I must admit I had more than once!


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Another food discovery I made was Lamb Kleftiko which is a traditional Greek dish of lamb and potatoes slow cooked with garlic, onions, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes. The dish comes wrapped up in parchment paper but when you open it up the smell is beautiful and the lamb melts in your mouth! The recipe was traditionally cooked in an earth oven (a hole in the ground) which was used to capture the heat and smoke to seal the delicious flavour and smells… this was definitely a highlight of my eating experience in Santorini.





You cannot walk past a homemade ice cream shop and not try a little Greek gelati?! This was ferrero rocher ice cream topped with 100% cacao ice cream, a very yummy holiday treat with an amazing view from Fira.


Did you know?


Sangria is not just for the Spanish? The Greeks do a refreshing ‘Greek White Sangria’ I have been led to believe from the residents of Santorini… I am not too sure how to prove this provenance claim but when it looks like this I will happily accept it.


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Santorini Yoga




During my stay I managed to squeeze in a yoga class at the Caveland Hostel with Veronika. This was set on a roof top just before sunset and I loved every minute.


Veronika was great and the setting was amazing whilst we practised a Hatha yoga inspired class. I went to this class with a beginner and Veronika could not have been more helpful, a definite recommendation for anyone wanting to try something new or for those missing their yoga practise at home.


Namaste x