Avocados are known by most to be really healthy - but do you know why? Have a read below to learn why you should be adding this fruit to your diet!
Avocados can reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome, which is the name given a group of conditions that increase your risk of developing heart disease.
Avocados are rich in fat soluble vitamins and contain lutein which is a carotenoid that protects eye, skin and hair health. Avocados can even be used topically as face or hair masks!
Studies have shown avocados to have the ability to help fight off certain cancers thanks to the powerful phytochemicals they contain.
Excellent for digestive health - avocados can contain anywhere between 10-17g of fibre per a fruit! Fibre is important for our gut health as it helps increase the good bacteria and keep
Pancakes don’t just need to be saved for a weekend treat - these can be eaten daily. Batch cook them and keep a stash in the freezer. Just pop in the toaster for a quick nutritious breakfast!
Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 cup plain flour
1 banana
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1 teaspoon baking powder
250ml milk
Butter or coconut oil to grease the pan
Method
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until well mixed.
If the mixture is looking too thick add a bit more milk until you get the desired consistency.
Heat a pan and add a 1/2 teaspoon of butter or coconut oil
This delicious meal will warm you up from the inside out! It’s an excellent way to add lots of tasty nutrients to your diet.
Ingredients
2kgs stewing beef
2 brown onions diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots cut into coins
2 sweet potatoes chopped into 50p coin size
2 sticks of celery diced
500ml beef bone broth
1 tin of chopped tomato
1 tablespoon of marmalade
Method
If you have a slow cooker turn on to the sauté setting, if not you can use a stock pot. Add the olive oil and diced onion and cook for about 3-5minutes until the onion has softened.
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…
I have written about this before - but thought it was time for a reminder.
Looking after our health should be a top priority - but for many it’s not. Good health is often taken for granted, you don’t think about it and just carry on day to day. It’s only when an illness happens do we actually realise how good it is to be healthy.
Living a healthy life style doesn’t need to be expensive, it’s about making small changes each day that will benefit your health in the long run. Most of the time when we talk about health, diets and exercise are what comes to mind….yes eating healthy and exercise is very important to our health, but so is getting enough sleep each night, learning to say no to things that you know will cause you anxiety or stress. There are so many things that we can do to improve our health and well-being, and we need to make it a priority before it’s too late.
There is nothing better on cold rainy evening than a delicious bowl of sweet potato soup. This tasty soup is packed full of nutrients and the perfect meal to warm you up.
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 diced onion
1 stem of celery diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 cups chicken bone broth
1/2 can coconut cream or milk
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200degrees.
Cut sweet potato into halves and rub with olive oil and sprinkle of salt.
There are 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.
Smoothies can be an extremely healthy nutrient filled snack when made with the right ingredients. I make this smoothie nearly everyday for that added nutrient boost. It can even been enjoyed as a quick on the go breakfast!
Ingredients
1 handful frozen blueberrie
1 handful frozen raspberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 teaspoon raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon barley grass powder
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1 tablespoon pumpkin seed powder
2 tablespoons organic pure whey
250ml milk of your choice
Method
Add all the ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick try adding another 50mls of milk.
Quinoa is a seed from the Chenopodium quinoa plant. Over the years quinoa has become a healthy addition to many salads, and some even swap their oat porridge for quinoa porridge. Quinoa has a very impressive nutritional profile and is actually a complete source of protein (meaning it contains all 20 amino acids.) Have a read below to learn about the top benefits of this tiny little seed.
Full of antioxidants - Quinoa has a large amount of antioxidants which have shown to beneficial in preventing heart disease, cancers, diabetes and inflammation.
Great for bone health - Quinoa contains manganese, magnesium and phosphorus which are all important nutrients when it comes to bone building and health.
Good for your gut - Quinoa contains prebiotics which is a type of fibre that feeds the probiotics (good bacteria in our gut) Quinoa helps the good bacteria in our gut produce butyrate which
Blueberries are a nutrient dense superfood. Packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Try these delicious muffins as an afternoon snack or on the go breakfast.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
6 dates soaked in boiling water to soften
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 egg at room temperature
1/2 cup milk of your choice
1 1/2cups blueberries
Method
Pre heat oven to 180degrees and prepare muffin tin by greasing with butter
Soak the dates in boiling water for about 10minutes
