Healthy Eating Made Tasty: Alex Hughes’s Guide to Guilt-Free Indulgence
January often brings resolutions to overhaul our diets, but what if healthy eating didn’t mean sacrificing flavor? Alex Hughes, teh 30-year-old culinary influencer behind the wildly popular Alex’s Kitchen Bangers social media accounts (Instagram, facebook, and TikTok), has cracked the code. With over 1.1 million Instagram followers alone, Hughes shares her journey from yo-yo dieting to a sustainable, joyful relationship with food, culminating in the release of her debut cookbook, Low-Cal Kitchen Bangers.
Hughes’s approach challenges conventional dieting wisdom. “I always thought you just had to completely cut your food down to as minimal as possible,” she admits. “I also started to lose weight in a time where it was like you can’t eat carbs unless you’ve exercised. I skipped breakfast every day and didn’t eat carbs at all. So I grew a really bad relationship with food – constantly over-exercising and under-eating. It was just putting on weight, losing weight, putting on weight – it’s not good for your health.”
Rethinking Carbs and Deprivation
Her solution? Focus on tweaking ingredients to reduce calories rather than eliminating entire food groups. “I realised you can tweak certain ingredients to make them healthier and still enjoy the foods that you want to while you’re trying to lose weight,” she explains. This ideology extends to her most popular recipes: burgers, wraps, and “fakeaway” dishes like butter chicken. “If you’re used to eating takeaways all the time, you can’t expect that person to go and eat salmon and couscous for tea,” she notes. “if they have a certain taste, it’s about tapping into those tastes to help create a sustainable lifestyle, not just a quick-fix diet. As once you’ve lost weight, if that’s your goal, you then need to maintain it.” her recipes,she emphasizes,are “something that you can sustain – you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.”
“I do love a good burger,” Hughes confesses. ”The more you think I can’t have that, the more it’s like, well, I want it. I want it.”
Prioritize Protein and Smart Choices
hughes’s approach emphasizes protein’s role in satiety. “More protein, [keeping you] fuller for longer, a bit of carbs to keep you happy, and for energy as well,” she advises. “A lot of people don’t realise [carbs are] an energy source. It’s really hard to overeat on protein.” She also recommends opting for lower-fat meats and cheeses when preparing meals.
With Low-Cal Kitchen Bangers, Hughes offers a refreshing perspective on healthy eating, proving that delicious and nutritious can coexist. Her success story resonates with millions, demonstrating that sustainable weight management is achievable without deprivation or restrictive diets.
Chef’s Secrets to Guilt-Free Indulgence: Healthy Eating Made Easy
Craving a juicy burger but worried about the calories? Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of healthy eating? Chef Alexandra Hughes,author of the new cookbook Low-Cal Kitchen Bangers,offers a refreshing approach to mindful eating,proving that delicious food and a healthy lifestyle aren’t mutually exclusive.
Hughes’s philosophy centers on smart substitutions and portion control, allowing you to enjoy your favorite dishes without the guilt. ”5% fat beef meat halves the calories compared to the 20% fat style,” she explains, highlighting the impact of simple ingredient swaps. “You’ve got low-fat cheese slices. A homemade burger sauce, you could make that with either low-fat mayonnaise or you could use fat-free Greek yogurt if you also wanted a protein boost. And brioche buns as well.Compared to a normal burger, the buns are just so much lighter, and they help to reduce the calories a lot. So you can get a beef burger for 450 calories.”
This mindful approach extends beyond burgers. For creamy Alfredo sauce, traditionally laden with heavy cream and butter, Hughes suggests a lighter alternative: “Make it with a broth first then stir through some cream cheese plus a bit of skimmed milk, to creamy consistency.” And don’t underestimate the power of precise measurements: “I used to just get a big handful of pasta and throw it in, but weighing out your food is a massive education to people.”
Give in to Cravings
Hughes champions a balanced approach to cravings: “Honestly,I honor my cravings,” she says. “If you’re like me and the weekends are a bit of a downfall for you, then make sure on the weekend you’ve got exciting meals in. If you usually crave a burger or Chinese, plan a ‘fakeaway’ in.” This proactive approach prevents the deprivation that often leads to overindulgence. When it comes to sweet treats, she advises: “Just have them. Because the longer you go no, no, no, can’t have them, your brain does this thing [saying] ‘I want it, I want it’ – and then what’s going to happen is, instead of having a couple of squares, you’ll eat the entire block.”
the key, Hughes emphasizes, is mindful portioning and balance: “If you are going to eat something high in calories, make space for it by cutting down somewhere else.If you are the type of person who likes a bit of chocolate in the evening, allocate space for it. But when you are getting three really good, satisfying meals that typically tap into the cravings you usually have, you won’t really have them as much. you’ve got protein keeping you full. I always say every night to my partner, I’m going to have that chocolate bar tonight. By the time I have my tea,I cannot fit it in.” Ultimately, she advocates for a flexible approach: “Nothing is off limits. Allow yourself if you want to, because then you know you’re not restricting yourself, and you’ve got that choice. It feels a lot more empowering to say, ‘no, I don’t want that’ rather than, ‘no, I can’t have that.’”
Low-Cal Kitchen Bangers by Alexandra Hughes is available now.
