< Previous50 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAYHEALTH & FITNESSAlthough mental health issues still carry a stigma, our collective understanding is greater now that its ever been. No longer seen as invisible, these issues are being actively discussed in the home, workplace and in parliament. As well they should with the NHS claiming that approximately one in four people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year, while one in six report experiencing a common mental health problem – such as anxiety or depression – in any given week. Estimates put the number of people in Lincolnshire that have suffered from mental health conditions as being around 100,000. But most people at one time or another will experience some kind of mental health issue or other. If not anxiety or depression, then certainly stress. Stress can arise from many sources and can be debilitating for those experiencing it, affecting as it does not just a person’s body, but their emotions and cognitive abilities too. A person experiencing stress can often feel overwhelmed, suffer from low self-esteem and become easily moody, whilst also suffering physical symptoms of an upset stomach, headaches, insomnia and a loss of sexual desire. And that’s just barely scratching the surface. According to data from healthcare experts Forth, eighty-five per cent of adults in the UK regularly experience stress. While exercise is by no means a cure-all, it can prove beneficial for both managing and dealing with stress. Studies show that regular exercise reduces fatigue, improves alertness and concentration, and enhances overall cognitive function. Exercise also produces endorphins – chemicals released in the brain which act as a natural painkiller and mood booster – which can improve sleep quality and, ipso facto, reduce stress. Regular aerobic exercise, such as running, swimming or cycling, can help to decrease a person’s overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilise mood and improve self-esteem. Also known as cardio, aerobic exercise refers to activities that work up a sweat and boost blood and breath rate. Just five minutes can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects, meaning you don’t have to undertake hours of rigorous exercise to Helping defeat stress with diet and exerciseThe virtues of diet and exercise are often held up as a means of curbing disease and illness, helping people take their healthcare into their own hands, ease some of the stress on the NHS and help boost quality of life. Eating well and taking regular exercise is recommended to help reduce the threat of heart disease, stroke and even some cancers. More recently, however, the emphasis is being placed on the positive effect a healthy lifestyle can have on mental health. 50-52.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:59 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 51HEALTH & FITNESSbegin to feel a benefit. As aerobic exercise also includes hiking, walking and dancing, there’s something for everybody no matter their fitness level or ability. Stress and anxiety are normal – if undesirable – parts of normal life. But millions of people suffer anxiety disorders, making it the most common psychiatric illness in the world. Coupled with other forms of treatment – such as medication or behavioural therapy – exercise can be a valuable means of dealing with depression and anxiety. Again, even small amounts of exercise can make the difference. Phycologists have found that a ten-minute walk can be as good as a forty-five-minute workout. Other studies have shown that exercise can work quickly to elevate depressed mood. These effects on mental health – as with the effect on physical health – are temporary, meaning they need to be sustained. But even a brisk walk can deliver several hours relief for suffers of mental health, offering a lifeline for a lot of people. Of course, exercise is something we should all be doing regularly anyway. According to the NHS, adults are recommended to do 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, best broken down as an average of thirty minutes fives times a week. Moderate doesn’t mean working yourself into a state, but making it so you breathe a little heavier and feel warmer without getting hot and sweaty. Any exercise is better than no exercise, so it’s fine to start small and build up slowly at a pace that suits you. A good way to get started is by making an exercise plan. This will work similarly to a to-do list so by visualising the steps towards achieving your aims, you’ll be more likely to keep up with them. But don’t be afraid to mix things up as motivation and, frankly, © Shutterstock / Dudarev Mikhail52 Á50-52.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:59 Page 252 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAYHEALTH & FITNESSboredom may well threaten to undermine your success. So if you’re bored with cycling, switch it up with swimming. Or if other commitments get in the way, or you experience a decline in your mental state, just try getting a ten-minute walk. Just as exercise can help deal with and help reduce mental health issues, so too can a healthy diet. There are numerous foods that can have a beneficial impact on mental wellbeing, helping to deal with stress, anxiety and depression. Nuts are a brilliant source of nutrients and good fats, but Brazil nuts are especially high in selenium which can improve moods by reducing inflammation – which is at heightened levels when someone is experiencing anxiety. Mushrooms and soybeans are also a great source of selenium but be careful as it is possible to have too much. At this point, the merits of fatty fish rich in omega 3 should go without saying, but not as commonly discussed is that these kinds of fish – such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout – can boost mental wellbeing and cognitive function. Foods rich in vitamin D, meanwhile, can also be beneficial. This is why SAD – or seasonal affective disorder – is such an issue for some people, as sunlight releases vitamin D in the body. But during the winter, it can be difficult to get enough so people can fall into depression. Fortunately, foods including egg yolks are rich in vitamin D. There’s also over the counter supplements that can be taken. Other foods recommended to boost mental health include pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate and turmeric. Neither diet or exercise is a silver bullet when it comes to dealing with mental health issues, and neither should be considered a cure. However, they are recommended as a means of dealing with and reducing the symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. As part of a treatment cycle, sufficient exercise and a healthy diet can be of real benefit to sufferers of mental health disorders. So next time you’re suffering from stress, or feel yourself growing anxious, why not have a look at your diet and consider a brisk ten-minute walk? Chances are, you’ll feel better for it. © Shutterstock / Rido© Shutterstock / Lisovskaya Natalia50-52.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:59 Page 3ORDER FORM Yes, I would like to subscribe to Lincolnshire Today magazine for the next 12 months, with the first 3 issues only being £1. Personal Details:First name: Last Name: Address: Town: County: Post Code: Tel: Mobile: Email: Payment by DEBIT/CREDIT card Name as it appears on card: Type of card: Mastercard / Visa / Visa Debit / Other Card Number: Card Verification number (3 digits on signature strip): Expiry Date: Amount Authorised: Cheque enclosed YES / NO Please post this form back to: Subscriptions, Lincolnshire Today Magazine, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby. N.E. 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A gift Subscription is the perfect present that lasts all year round!53.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:04 Page 154 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAYFOOD & DRINKSimple snacks Fine food and eating out are great for when you want something filling, but every now and then we hanker for a snack. Here are some exciting ideas to help keep hands away from crisps and biscuit tins. AVOCADO TOAST WITH BLUE CHEESE, RADISH AND WALNUT© Shutterstock / NatashaPhotoWhat to do: Combine the mashed avocado and lime juice and season well with salt and black pepper. Spread on the toast. Lay the radish slices over the avocado then crumble the cheese over the top, scatter with walnuts and season. Drizzle with olive oil if desired. Recipe courtesy of www.loveradish.co.uk Serves: 1 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 2 minutes You’ll need: 1 slice of sourdough bread, toasted 1⁄2 ripe avocado, mashed Squeeze of lime Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 French breakfast radishes, sliced 20g Danish blue cheese, crumbled 4 walnut halves roughly chopped and toasted Drizzle of olive oil (optional) 54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 1THE GREEN ROOMEating and drinking couldn’t be morerelaxed & comfortableThe Green Room at The Lincoln Hotel offers dining in a sophisticated setting with PDJQLƓFHQWYLHZVRI/LQFROQ&DWKHGUDO2XUGLVKHVDUHPRGHUQLQVW\OHRIIHULQJHOHJDQWRULJLQDOFRPELQDWLRQVRIŴDYRXUVPDGHIURPORFDOLQJUHGLHQWV<RXFDQHQMR\\RXUPHDOZLWKDJODVVRIZLQHIURPRXUFDUHIXOO\FKRVHQOLVWRUDQRWKHUGULQNIURPRXUEDUFor further details or book online please visit www.thelincolnhotel.com or call 01522 520348 email enquiries@thelincolnhotel.comThe Lincoln Hotel, Eastgate, Lincoln, LN2 1PNAAHotelGREEN ROOMTHERESTAURANT - WINES - COCKTAILS54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 256 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAYFOOD & DRINKPicture your venueThe George Hotel 1 Boston Road, Spilsby, PE23 5HB Tel: 01790 752528 Web: www.spilsby.info/georgehotel The George Hotel guarantees a warm welcome and the perfect pub environment. Karaoke is on every Saturday night, and with live music held once a month and a large function room (available free of charge for parties), the George Hotel is the perfect venue for entertaining. The accommodation boasts eight letting bedrooms with TV, tea and coffee making facilities and free Wi-Fi. The Blue Bell Inn 1 Main Road, Belchford, Horncastle, LN9 6LQ Tel: 01507 533 602 Web: www.bluebellbelchford.co.uk The Blue Bell Inn is a pub/restaurant situated on the Viking Way between Horncastle and Louth. It has an excellent reputation for fine food, good wine and friendly service. It offers an a la carte menu and fresh local ingredients. Now open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6.30pm to 11pm, Sunday noon to 10.30pm. Special Edition Chocolate Willingham Hall, Market Rasen, LN8 3RH Tel: 01673 844073 Web: www.specialeditionchocolate.co.uk Special Edition Chocolate prides itself on award-winning handmade chocolate for everyone to enjoy. This includes chocolate suited for diabetics, coeliacs, vegans and other allergy sufferers – such as nuts and dairy – as well as other special delicacies. They also specialise in chocolate gifts, making it the perfect place to get your friend or relative the perfect present. Merrimans Lounge & Restaurant Great Fen Road, Wyberton, Boston. Tel: 01205 362378 Web: www.merrimansrestaurant.co.uk Merrimans is based in a unique timber framed building located on the outskirts of Boston, where all food is freshly prepared in the restaurant kitchen using only locally-sourced ingredients. As well as the á la carte and char-grill menus, there are also early bird, lunch and children’s menus. Merrimans can provide the very best in business buffet lunches as well as catering for charity functions and special occasions. BERRYWORLD BLACKBERRY MINT MOJITO© Shutterstock / zarzamoraA fantastic flavour combination - the mint and the blackberries go perfectly together for a fruity twist on this classic cocktail! Makes two You’ll need: 20 blackberries160ml water 4tsp sugar12 whole mint leaves plus extra to serve The juice of one lime100ml white rum Ice, for shakingA splash of soda water What to do: Put the blackberries, water, sugar, mint and lime in a cocktail shaker and mash with the end of a rolling pin. Add the rum and some ice and shake well. Put the extra mint leaves and some ice into a glass and sieve in the cocktail adding a splash of soda water. Garnish with lime wedges, mint and blackberries by scattering on the cocktail. Recipe courtesy of berryworld.com 54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 57FOOD & DRINKThe award winning Gingerbread House is a fantastic tea room in Humberston, offering a warm welcome and more importantly the best tea and coffee in the area. We have a wonderful menu for you all to enjoy, with a large selection of homemade cakes and pastries and not forgetting a menu for the little ones too. The Gingerbread House really is the place to be, come and enjoy our food and have a browse in our library or have some retail therapy. The Cloisters, Church Lane, Humberston (formerly Humberston Library) Tel: 01472 456959 Email: humberstonhub@yahoo.co.uk Traditional tearoom serving great breakfasts Open: Mon-Fri 09.00 - 17.00 Sat 09.30-16.00 Sun 10.00-15.30With 27 well appointed Bedrooms, a Restaurant with A la Carte menu and a Bar offering a range of Guest Ales and Bar Meals as well as a Gym with Sauna, Wireless Internet Access and Free Onsite Car Parking, Millfields Hotel is always a great choice for Business or Pleasure all year round.Bargate 53 Restaurant, brasserie and bar area offer residents and non-residents a choice of freshly prepared dishes using locally sourced, quality ingredients. Guests can enjoy complimentary use of our Fitness Suite, Exercise Classes, Sauna, Steam Rooms and Squash Courts during their stay with us.Millfields Hotel, 53 Bargate, Grimsby, North East Lincs, DN34 5AD Tel: 01472 356068 Email: info@millfieldshotel.co.uk www.millfieldshotel.co.ukTOMATO, MOZZARELLA & BASIL PUFF PASTRY TART© Shutterstock / Bartosz LuczakServes: 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 12-15 minutes You’ll need: 500g mixed Speciality Isle of Wight Tomatoes 1 x 320-350g sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry 1 medium egg, beaten 25g finely grated Parmesan cheese, vegetarian if preferred 1 buffalo mozzarella cheese, drained then torn into small pieces 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed A small handful small, fresh basil leaves Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepperWhat to do: Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/Gas 7. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Thinly slice the tomatoes. Lay them flat on kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper and leave to drain. Unroll the pastry onto the baking paper and brush all over with the beaten egg. Fold over 1cm of each edge to form a rim and pinch at the corners to seal. Prick the base here and there with a fork then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Remove the tart base from the oven and sprinkle the base with half of the mozzarella cheese. Overlap the tomatoes slices on top. Mix the olive oil with the garlic, drizzle it over the tomatoes and then scatter over the remaining mozzarella cheese. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes until the mozzarella has just melted and the tomatoes heave heated through. Remove from the oven, scatter over the basil leaves and serve immediately. Recipe courtesy of www.thetomatostall.co.uk 54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 458 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAYFOOD & DRINKBERRYWORLD STRAWBERRY SCOTCH PANCAKESLight, fluffy and bursting with the goodness of strawberries these pancakes make a perfect breakfast treat. Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30minutes You’ll need: 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon 4tsp sugar 16 Viva Strawberries, sliced 200g flour 11⁄2 tsp baking powder 1 egg 300ml milk 200g mascarpone What to do: Beat together the butter, cinnamon and sugar. Dollop it into a saucepan and melt over a medium heat. When the butter starts to froth add the strawberries, toss well in the butter and turn off the heat. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, egg, and milk until smooth. Heat a heavy based, non-stick frying pan or bake stone and grease with a little oil. Pour small amounts of batter into the frying pan (about 2 tablespoons per pancake), once the top has bubbled and dried flip the pancake and cook the other side till golden. Keep warm whilst you make the rest of the batter Reheat the strawberries gently while you arrange the pancakes. Place a pancake on each serving plate and spread with mascarpone then arrange some sliced strawberries on top. Repeat this layering until all the pancakes are used up. Top the stack with any remaining strawberry slices and drizzle over the melted cinnamon butter. Recipe courtesy of Berryworld.com © Shutterstock / Christopher Elwell54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 5LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 59FOOD & DRINKSPECIALITY TOMATOES ON HOT GARLIC BREAD WITH PESTOServes: 6 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 3-6 minutes You’ll need: 1 loaf of French bread 100g soft semi-salted butter 3 fat garlic cloves, crushed 500g speciality tomatoes Half a ripe but firm Hass avocado 1 burratta or buffalo mozzarella cheese, drained well Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 6 dashes Worcestershire sauce Fresh basil leaves, to garnish For the pesto: 20g fresh basil leaves 15g untoasted pine nuts 1 small garlic clove, crushed 4 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil 15g finely grated Parmesan cheese, vegetarian if preferred Salt What to do: Try to use a selection of tomatoes so that you get a variety of colour, size and flavour. Preheat the grill to high. For the pesto, put 20g basil leaves, pine nuts, 1 clove crushed garlic and 4 tbsp olive oil into a food processor and blitz into a paste. Scoop into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan and some salt to taste. Cut the loaf of French bread across into 3 evenly sized pieces, then each piece in half, horizontally. Mix the soft butter with the remaining crushed garlic and some sea salt flakes to taste. Thinly slice the tomatoes, discarding the top and the bottom slices, lay them out on a board and season with salt and pepper. Halve the avocado, remove the stone, and peel. Cut across into thin slices. Place the pieces of French bread on a baking tray and grill on both sides until golden. Remove from the grill and spread the cut face of each piece with some of the garlic butter. Slide them back under the grill briefly, until the butter has melted into the bread. Quickly remove the garlic bread from under the grill and top with the slices of tomato, avocado and red onions. Using a teaspoon, scoop small bits of the burrata or mozzarella onto the top of the toasts. Drizzle over some of the pesto, garnish with the basil leaves and serve while the garlic bread is still hot. Recipe courtesy of thetomatostall.co.uk © Shutterstock / Ovidiu Marian54-58.qxp_Layout 1 18/03/2019 15:36 Page 6Next >