I often post on Facebook about my ‘healthy fry-ups’ and I get a lot of confused responses. Of course when we think fry up we don’t necessarily thing of it being healthy… But it doesn’t have to be that way!
My husband Roop and I have been doing healthy fry ups as a weekend favourite for a while now and they just get better the more ideas we incorporate. You can stick as close as you like to the ‘Full English Breakfast’ or you can deviate from the norm and mix it up.
Here are my top tips for a healthy Fry Up:
1. The type of oil you use and the amount of time you cook or fry makes a HUGE difference. In fact this is the foundation of a healthy meal. I use virgin olive oil that my friend Zoe’s dad produced himself in Zakinthos. But any good organic olive oil will do. Only use what you need, even brush it on the pan if you can, or spray it on. Wipe any excess off. Olive oil is one of the best because it has a high smoking point, ie it doesn’t burn easily so it’s not going to become carcinogenic (cancer causing). And if you cook or fry on a medium heat for just the right amount of time, your food will keep some of its good stuff and remain nutritious.
2. Use the sauté method to fry any of your accompanying items such as mushroom, peppers, courgette etc. I just need to reiterate this because its so important. Lightly fry your food and keep its crunchiness and colour, you don’t want it going dark – that’s when you know you’ve overdone it. Use lots of herbs and spices and season well when sautéing to add fresh and fragrant flavours and to make your food more interesting.
3. Substitute meat sausages which are often processed for organic tofu sausages. These are tasty, spicy and more than anything a ridiculously amount more healthy for you. Plus they take literally under a minute to cook through on a medium heat. Quick and easy especially if you have children or lots of people staying over wanting juicy sausages in the morning.
4. Add whatever you like to your baked beans or plum tomatoes… Chickpeas, courgette, peppers, tomatoes, onions, the list is endless! This adds extra goodness, texture, taste and is a great way to sneak in or introduce ‘weird’ foods your children don’t like. Plus you can get rid of leftovers of bits of veg your not quite sure what to do with.
5. Serve toasty and warm wheat free bread. This will digest easier as its lighter, giving your more bounce for the day. Plus wheat is an unknown for me… We still don’t know just how good or bad wheat is for you and there’s a lot of people saying that we haven’t been producing good wheat in the UK for a while, it’s all imported. And most of this stuff is highly genetically modified.
6. Use free range eggs! That should really go without saying! Happy chickens equal healthy food.
7. Make fresh juice to accompany your meal. This not only enhances the flavours and makes you feel good, but adds in an extra few fruit and veg to your intake.
8. Use organic food! It’s way way healthier for a million different reasons!
9. Cook it with love, dance sing and be happy and your food will feel proud to be served!
If you’ve tried my method or parts of it, I’d love to hear from you! If you have any ideas to share, please do!
