Introducing “Gourmet Nutrition” in our Club Lounge

We firmly believe that for overall wellbeing we must link good nutrition with regular exercise. This was one of the reasons why we launched nutrition services at the Club and why we are now pleased to announce the launch of a weekly gourmet nutrition dish. 

What’s a gourmet nutrition dish? We hear you ask!? 

Dishes that are “good for us” are often lacking in the taste department, with healthy food associated with being boring and not something to be enjoyed.  Gourmet nutrition is where taste meets physiology; where healthy and tasty come together in wonderful combinations. The dishes have been devised by some of the world’s leading nutritionists and chefs with years of culinary experience, brought together by our nutrition partner Precision Nutrition.   

Each of our gourmet dishes fulfils the following criteria:

1 – Must taste great! 

      No further explanation needed! It is top of the list for a reason –  healthy eating doesn’t have to mean your food tastes bad or bland!  All dishes have gone through extensive taste testing and only those that got the highest ratings made the cut.

2 – Must contain, lean, complete protein

     Protein is the building block of muscle, and even if you don’t want to build more muscle, you want to look after the ones you’ve got for as long as you can.  This helps to keep your metabolism revving, improve your weight loss profile and reduce cardiovascular disease – just a few of the reasons why we encourage it and why all the gourmet dishes have it.

3 – Must be low in sugar and processed carbohydrates

     This may be controversial, but sugar isn’t always the demon ingredient it’s made out to be. However, there are many valid and strong reasons to limit sugar and processed carbohydrates in your diet.  These types of carbohydrates digest too quickly, leading to erratic blood sugar, energy levels and hormonal responses – none of which does your health or physique any favours.  Each gourmet select dish is created to help you limit your sugar intake.

4 – Must prioritize healthy fats over bad fats

     One goal of a health-conscious individual should be to eliminate the nasty trans fats we hear so much about. It’s also important to think about saturated fats and where possible prioritise healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats.  The gourmet select dishes eliminate trans fats while balancing out your saturates, monos and polyunsaturates.

5 – Must control calorie intake and density

     One of the many reasons people gain fat as they age (aside from lack of exercise and movement) is that many of our daily meals are too high in calories and often calorie dense.  So, we feel like we aren’t eating very much but what we are eating is giving us way too many calories.  Each gourmet select dish has a relatively low calorie density helping to keep your calorie intake in check whilst still feeling full.

6 – Must include fresh, natural, additive-free ingredients wherever possible

      In very general terms the fresher the ingredient is the better it is for you.  It’s impossible to avoid processed foods completely, but the more fresh natural ingredients we can fit into our day the better and the gourmet select dishes are one such way. 

7 – Must include carbs only if you deserve them

You may have read about high carb vs. low carb dieting? Our approach aims to simplify this.  We know that our body handles carbs best when it is in an exercised state – therefore we recommend that if you’ve exercised you can eat carbs; if you’ve exercised a lot, you can have a few more carbs!  If you haven’t exercised, your carb intake should be low!

Some examples of the gourmet nutrition dishes you will find in the Club Lounge are:

Classy chicken gratin– with a bounty of unique flavour including miso, coconut, curry and peaches, this chicken dish looks amazing and tastes even better. Served with dressed mixed leaf salad.

Black bean spinach sauté with lemon herb chicken skewer – this delicious dish is rich in fibre and vegetables. It’s a sizzling saute of spinach, tomatoes, garlic and black beans topped with a succulent chicken kebab. For great taste and great health, it’s a combo that can’t be beaten!

Chickpea tomato salad with salmon – this is a salad with a major nutrient punch! You get fibre from the chickpeas, vitamins & minerals from the tomatoes & onions, healthy fats from the pumpkin seeds and a good dose of omega-3s and protein from the salmon. This dish is as delicious as it is nutritious.

Roast chicken breast with sweet balsamic cherry tomatoes – if you’re looking for a slower-cooked, juicier chicken meal this roast chicken breast will fit the bill. Served alongside cherry tomatoes for even more juiciness!

Seafood lettuce wrap -this crispy wrap is stuffed with lettuce, baby shrimps, beans, avocado and vegetables all topped with a tasty Asian dressing.

Quinoa, apple and walnut salad with turkey sausages – this salad is simple, unique and delicious. Not a combination you see everyday but we are sure you will love this, we think it tastes incredible!

Mediterranean salad with beef – the hallmark of a good Mediterranean salad is the excellent combo of cucumber, tomatoes and olives and/or olive oil. We have added some stir fry beef and feta cheese to take this salad to another level that we are sure you’ll love.

The dishes will rotate – one each week – so if you discover a favourite, it will be back again soon.   Please do share with us your feedback; we would love to know what you think! Either speak to us in the Club or drop us a line at [email protected].

If reading about these dishes has inspired, you to find out more about our nutrition services including the free 20 minute nutrition consultation offered to all members you can do so here.  And if you have any questions we would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch with our certified coach Ann at [email protected].

All receipes are taken from Precision Nutrition’s book Gourmet Nutrition, details of which can be found here.