If you are after another drink to warm you up with this freezing weather try hot mug of lemon, ginger and honey. It’s refreshing, with loads of health benefits too!
Lemon - for the added vitamin C boost, it is also calming on the digestive system and adds to the flavour
Ginger contains a wide range of vitamins, minerals and is a potent antioxidant and anti inflammatory. (I will re share my post on ginger next week for you to read the full list of benefits)
Honey - Ideally use raw honey for the full benefits. Honey is antibacterial, anti inflammatory - I will do a blog post soon going into more detail!
Following on from my blog on the benefits of turmeric - I thought I would share this tasty recipe so you can add turmeric to your diet in another way! Perfect anytime of the day as it is caffeine free.
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
250ml Koko coconut milk
1 drop vanilla stevia
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Method
Heat milk up slowly in a saucepan and stir in the turmeric.
Once it’s heated to the required temperature add to your favourite mug.
Add one drop vanilla stevia (or 2 depending on how sweet you like it) and sprinkle with cinnamon and you’re done!
Brownies are definitely my favourite sweet treat - but I like them even more when I know they are nutritious too! By adding black beans to the brownies you are adding iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and copper to name a few. It’s not often you will come across with a brownie with as an impressive nutritional profile!
Ingredients
You will need to plan ahead with this recipe as the black beans need to be soaked over night (up to 24hrs!!)
Alternatively you can use tinned black beans.
300g black beans (rinsed and patted dry)
3 tablespoons raw cacao (another nutrient hit)
3/4 oat flour (made by putting regular oats in food processor until you get a fine consistency
There are so many causes for us to suffer from low energy and they aren’t all ‘unhealthy’, sometimes being ‘over healthy’ can be a cause too. Over exercising and not giving our body the amount of rest time we need to recover can cause our energy levels to be depleted. Following a diet that is too low in calories, or the wrong balance of macronutrients can often leave us feeling low in energy and thats when bad nutritional decisions are made, as we look for quick fixes to boost our energy levels. On the other end of spectrum, not exercising at all can leave us feeling sluggish and low on energy. Eating too much of the wrong foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients can also leave us with low energy and deficiencies which can cause fatigue. It’s important to find the happy medium that works best for you and your energy levels, we are all different, what might work for one person most likely won’t work for another. If you are feeling like you are struggling with low energy - spea
If you are looking for a healthy alternative to your usual sugar cookie or ginger bread man recipe give this one a go! Tasty with no refined sugar!
Ingredients
250g almonds
1/2 cup cake flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Method
Pre heat over to 180degrees
Add the almonds and blend until they are a fine crumb, then add all the other ingredients to a blender and blend until at a smooth consistency. The dough should come together.
Place the dough in-between two sheets of baking paper, using a roller - roll
With December already here, the weather getting colder and the delicious Christmas treats being passed around it can make sticking to a healthy life style a little harder. I’m all for enjoying yourself and enjoying the occasional treat, but you don’t want to loose all your hard work and be back at the starting point come 1st of January.
You don’t need to wait until the new year to start a new healthy routine. Why not start now - You will be a whole month ahead by the time January is here.
Keep up your exercise routine - Being consistent with your exercise routine can help keep you motivated in staying healthy.
Keep hydrated - when its cold outside - drinking water becomes a lot harder! Try adding some different herbal teas.
Use this time to start new healthy Christmas traditions - long family walks, exercising together as a family…
Cranberries are very close to the top of this list of fruit with the highest antioxidant concentrations. They can be a little bitter to eat, so not usually your first choice of berry, but I hope after reading this you will start including them in your diet more often. They have many health benefits, have a read below to learn about my top 3 benefits of cranberries.
Help prevent and treat UTI’s. - If you get UTI’s frequently I recommend supplementing with cranberry. Cranberries contain special compounds that can stop bacteria from sticking to the surface of the urinary tract. Next time you feel a UTI starting try either drinking pure cranberry juice or taking a cranberry supplement, chances are you won’t need to take an antibiotic!
Great for your digestive tract and immune system - Just as cranberries can stop bad bacteria sticking to your urinary tract, they can do the same for your gut linin
Bilberry are very similar to blueberries, they are native to Europe so often referred to as European blueberries. They are one of the richest sources of naturally occurring anthocyanosides. Anthocyanosides are chemicals found in some plants that provide the plant with their dark purple/blue pigment and gives it its high antioxidant status. Bilberries also contain numerous other phytochemical providing it with a powerhouse of all the antioxidants needed to fight off free radicals in the body. It also contains iron chelators which can help remove heavy metals from the body.
There are many benefits from including them in your diet or taking them in supplement form, but below are my top 3.
Circulation - Research shows that supplementing with bilberries can help improve circulation (CVI chronic venous insufficiency) varicose veins and decreased blood flow to the veins.
Bone broth is a stock made by simmering beef, chicken, fish or lamb bones with vegetables and herbs over a period of time (ideally over 24hours) Its not expensive to make (you can use the scraps of bones from your next Sunday roast) If you don't have time or desire to make your own bone broth you can buy it online and have it delivered to your door. Just make sure its organic and grass fed. Bone broth may seem like an old fashioned remedy for helping fight illnesses, but it works! Its soothing, easy to digest and packed fill of nutrients - just what the Doctor ordered.
It is in my opinion the healthiest homemade “supplement” that you can add to your diet and we would all benefit greatly from including it in our day to day life. It can be heated up and as enjoyed as a hot drink, added to soups, gravies, rice, couscous or pasta while they cook. The gut health benefits from bone broth alone should be enough of a reason for everyone to include it
Taking a pre natal supplement is the best way to ensure that you are getting all the correct vitamins and minerals during pregnancy to support your health and the growth and development of your baby. Most pre natal supplements contain everything you need, but always do your research first to make sure they contain all your essential nutrients.
If you have decided to start trying for a baby I would recommend taking a folic acid supplement straight away. Ideally all woman of childbearing age should supplement with 400mcg of folic acid every day regardless if they are trying for baby or not as neural tube defects occur in the first month of pregnancy - which is often before many woman even know they are pregnant.
Other vitamins and minerals to take into consideration are…..
Calcium - Calcium deficiency can occurs during pregnancy when the m
