A healthy fry up?

Is there really such a thing as a healthy fry up? Not really, but there are ways to help make it healthier by reducing the fat levels and upping the dietary fiber with extra veggies.

I love bacon and in its natural form its loaded with fat, most of which is saturated, which is the sort that gives us the bad cholesterol that your doctor loves to worry you about. If you trim ALL of the visible fat from the bacon and grill it, you can significantly reduce the fat and calorie levels to an acceptable level.

Stage two, no more fried eggs, rather scramble them, try poaching them or throw them in an omelet, to restore them to health food status. In either scrambled eggs or omelets I add a generous splash of either Tabasco or hot sauce to pep it up a little. If you want to up your veggie intake via your breakfast 'fry up' then adding chopped onion, peppers and mushrooms and 15g of grated cheddar to the omelet is a tasty way to do it.

Get a big hit of fiber from a portion of baked beans. One serving of beans can be counted as one of your five a day. For preference, choose reduced sugar and salt beans, to further lower the impact of your feast. They are high in protein which your body needs for building new muscle and keeping what muscle you have healthy. They also counter cholesterol and contain antioxidants to fight those pesky free radicals.

Add in a few grilled mushrooms and a grilled tomato on the side.

Finally I add either a slice of wholemeal toast, without butter or spread, as the bean juice is more than enough to soften it up a little. Or more recently I replace the toast with one of my wife's blueberry pancakes topped with a teaspoon of maple syrup, which goes really well with the bacon.

Overall this meal could never be classed as health food, but eaten occasionally as part of a balanced diet, it does go a long way to alleviating the craving for the full fat version.