As if living in the most toxic city in the UK isn’t bad enough London can seem like one of the hardest places to be healthy. Working hours are long, commutes are stressful and it’s difficult to believe we were ever meant to eat anything other than coffee, croissants and crisps as they are everywhere. Most of us end up eating out or on the go a couple of times a week through sheer convenience and on these occasions you often want to keep things relatively healthy. The food industry are increasingly catching on to the fact that Londoners operate a credit/debit lifestyle. The weekend is about the vino, chunky chips, lattes, cup cakes and the full English. By Monday we’re back on it and looking to eat garden + goji berries to detox the weekend out of our system. As a result there are now much healthier options available, that is if you bypass the well marketed “diet” foods like low calorie, tasteless sandwiches and head toward the more genuine healthy eateries in and around the city.Lets start with breakfast, personally I prefer a protein based option as it keeps me full until lunchtime. I’m impressed by POD’s breakfast, which include eggs served a number of ways and a superfood breakfast of eggs, spinach, tomato, feta and seeds. I also love their chicken and avocado wrapped in nori seaweed, I even borrowed the idea for my own lunches. Lots of small cafes and sandwich shops also offer take away scrambled eggs and omelettes where you can decide how many whites/yolks you want, top it with chicken, spinach and skip the cheese.
Matt recently discovered free range, organic breakfasts at the National Gallery (he can often be found there having "meetings") which also includes a healthy option of grilled mushrooms, cooked tomatoes and avocado. Patisserie Valerie also offer a range of egg breakfasts served with salmon or ham.
Porridge lovers are spoilt for choice with Leon, Eat, Pret and Le Pain Quotidien offering hot porridge daily, top it with berries, seeds and nuts to add extra protein and anti-oxidants.
In terms of snacking there are fruit stalls a plenty outside every tube station these days, stock up on more alkaline fruits like apples, pears and melon. Always grab some lemons and limes to squeeze into your two litres of filtered water each day. Nuts and seeds are also highly convenient and packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. Aim to have 1-2 handfuls a day. There are Cranberry stalls in most stations now so you can grab a selection on route to work, they even include raw nuts, awesome! If portion control is an issue you can start a Graze subscription and have small boxes delivered to your desk. See how lucky us Londoners are!
As for lunch, if you use big chains like Eat, Pret, Starbucks they now label ingredients in store and their websites contain full nutritional information and ingredients, I support this as it’s always good to understand what you’re putting inside your body (and how much sugar they put in “healthy” granola bars or bran muffins, usually >30grams! ). Gluten free and dairy free meals tend to be good choices as sometimes dressings and soups can be laden with cream and butter. If you see coconut milk listed as an ingredient grab it, this is excellent stuff with numerous health benefits, never avoid it.
Tossed salad bars are popping up everywhere, you can choose a base of salad leaves and toppings. It’s also great way to get ideas for your own salads when you make them at home. They also offer stews served with brown rice and hearty soups. I have always rated Leon for offering a great range of hearty salads topped with protein, dairy free coleslaw and brown rice. In the evenings they serve tapas including garlic & chilli broccoli, sweet potato falafels and you can even take your own bottle of wine to make a night out healthier on the bank balance.
Crussh Juice and Salad Bar are possibly my favourite chain. They have a great range of fresh juices where you can add your own greens and superfoods. If you are ever hungover swap the latte for a Detoxer Super Booster, that'll fix you for the day! Their health pots are fantastic, including watercress & celeriac, black lentil or goats cheese and sweet potato. They also have a host of healthy snacks (nuts, seeds, Bounce bars and my favourite: Green & Blacks 70% dark chocolate).
Admittedly with some of these lunches you pay more than you would for baguettes or wraps but you are getting your money’s worth as your lunch will be packed with protein, good fats, low GI carbs, vitamins and minerals.
If you are looking for a healthy dinner, steak restaurants are a good choice, I like Sophie’s Steakhouse as they have a good range of meat and fish served with ratatouille and hearty salads. Byron Burgers serve skinny burgers (without the bread) great with a butternut squash and avocado salad. If you feel like spoiling yourself go for Gaucho Grill, they serve the best sweet potato chips.
Itsu, Wagamama's and Busaba are popping up everywhere and offer great range including healthy miso soups, sashimi, Thai salads and stir fry’s. Every now and then I opt for vegetarian restaurants to get in a serious dose of all the good stuff; Mildrids, Vita Organic, Vantra and Food For Thought are all great for chunky stews, vegetable curries and delicious salads.
If you do fancy indulging in something sweet mid week head to Vita Organic, Vantra, POD, Planet Organic or Wholefoods for some guilt free treats. They all sell an excellent selection of gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened desserts and cakes. Last week I also discovered coconut milk ice cream at inSpiral Lounge in Camden, dairy free ice cream that tasted absolutely amazing, it even got the thumbs up from Matt "ice cream connoisseur" Whitmore. All of the above also stock raw chocolate, the food of the gods! If you are stuck in the office all day you can order desserts from the Raw Fairies instead, now who wouldn’t want a cake delivered by a fairy!
So as you can see keeping healthy across the week isn't so bad after all. All the above (+ Fitter London classes every week of course!) are geared to keeping you energised and ready to tackle anything London throws at you.
