Walking and Eating Your Way to Health: A Guide for the New Year
Wok-Burners, Winter Walks, and Real Food: January Tips from Rebecca Farrington-Turner
It’s that time of year again when millions of us are looking at our diets to find a way of eating our way towards better health and fitness. It is, of course, something which we should be doing 365 days of the year, but somehow the post-festive slump that occurs in early January lends itself to the idea that we could enjoy happier more fulfilled lives if only we took better care of our bodies.
Rebecca Farrington-Turner at work in her kitchen
Some folk go at it like a bull charging a gate - they make New Year’s resolutions on the food and drink front that would scare a sergeant in the SAS. Others are content to merely make a tweak here or there. Whichever system does it for you, perhaps the best idea is to simply make the new regime enjoyable enough so that it stands the test of time - or at least a chance of lasting beyond January.
New Year good-intentions can come in many shapes and forms. My own plan this week was, on the face of it, quite bizarre. It consisted of the purchase of some tiny wire brushes and a miniature plug-spanner set. Why? Because the wok-burner on our gas hob stopped working a while ago - but, given the post-festive bloating and blues, I was feeling in dire need of some fresh and healthy stir-fry dishes.
When you think about it, the classic stir-fry produces a vegetable-heavy dish that is nothing more than a hot salad. Yes, you can throw in a few prawns or some slivers of meat, but multiple veg’ make up the main ingredients.
Fish fry in a wok
And, yes, you do need a wok-burner. A normal hob or hot-plate just won’t produce the extreme temperature that allows you to rapidly cook, seal and partly caramelise things like strips of carrot, onion or bell-peppers. What you end up with if you stir-fry over a low or moderate heat is a vegetable stew. Which can be nice enough in its own way, but it will not have the lightness or crunch of the true wok-experience.
Hence those tiny wire brushes and miniature sockets. After watching several YouTube instruction videos, I managed to safely clean the jets in my grimy old wok-burner - it’s now roaring away with enough blue flame to lift a hot air balloon.
Expert Advice for January
So that’s me sorted. But what does a real nutrition expert have to say about the art of eating healthily at this time of the year?
I asked an old friend of these pages, Rebecca Farrington-Turner, who runs the excellent Indulgence Catering company down in Newlyn, and who is also a fully qualified health coach.
“January doesn’t need to be about punishment or restriction,” was the first thing Rebecca told me. “After the Christmas and New Year festivities, most people don’t need a detox — they need gentle nourishment, routine and reassurance.
“In fact, I always encourage people to add things back in rather than take everything away… More vegetables, more fibre, more colour, more movement — alongside food that still feels enjoyable. Food that is comforting and restorative.
“Walking and eating work beautifully together at this time of year,” she continued, echoing the theme of the past two Hesp Out West articles. “A daily walk (especially somewhere coastal or green) helps reset the head, while simple home-cooked food steadies energy levels and digestion.”
And of course Rebecca has firm ideas about the sort of food we ought be eating at this time of the year - especially during a cold snap like the one that’s hit the Westcountry over the past couple of weeks…
“Winter eating should feel grounding - I’m talking about soups, stews, roasted vegetables, grains and pulses,” she told me. “These are the foods that support gut health, which often takes a knock over the festive period and shows up as bloating, low energy or feeling a bit ‘sluggish’.
“You don’t need fancy ingredients or long recipes,” says Rebecca. “Just real food, cooked simply, eaten regularly. And importantly — food should still be pleasurable. If it doesn’t feel satisfying, it won’t stick.”
Grounding Winter Recipes
Rebecca kindly gave me some easy-to-follow recipes to try at home - and having cooked and consumed all three, I can vouch that they tick all the right boxes...
Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced
1 butternut squash (approx. 1kg), peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
2 cm ginger, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
250ml vegetable stock
400ml tin coconut milk
Juice of ½ lime
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped
Method:
Put the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the diced onion, garlic and ginger. Fry on a gentle heat with the lid on for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the cubed butternut squash, chilli flakes and turmeric and fry on a low heat for 2 minutes.
Add the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash is soft.
Turn the heat right down, add the coconut milk, lime juice, and chopped coriander.
Blitz with a blender until smooth. Serve with pumpkin seeds and fresh chilli.
Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Ingredients:
1 can (400g) Chickpeas
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 onion, chopped
Fresh ginger (thumb-size piece, grated)
1 tsp Tomato Puree
1 tbsp Ground Cumin
2 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Ground turmeric
2 tbsp Ground Coriander
0.5 tsp Chilli Powder
400g Tinned Tomatoes
1 cup Green Peas (Frozen)
2 cups Baby Spinach
2 tbsp Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp Mango Chutney
Method:
Add oil to a pan and slowly cook the onion for five minutes.
Add the ginger and all the dried herbs and cook for a further five minutes.
Add the chickpeas, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes. Simmer until reduced by a third.
Finally, add the spinach and frozen peas.
Finish with mango chutney, yoghurt and fresh coriander. Serve with brown rice.
Ginger and Turmeric Shots
Ingredients:
2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1-2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, chopped
2 large oranges, peeled
1-2 large lemons, peeled
100-200ml water (or coconut water)
¼ teaspoon black pepper (essential for turmeric absorption)
Optional: 1 tbsp honey
Method:
Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on the pulp to extract all liquid.
Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Shake well before drinking one shot daily.
