Blog Posts

Chocolate Berry Smoothie Bowl

20/5/2020

Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1
1 frozen banana
1/3 c frozen blueberries
¼ c unsweetened natural yoghurt / coconut yoghurt
1 T nut butter (use tahini if nut free)
1 medjool date, pitted
1 t vanilla essence
½ c coconut water or milk
Toppings: sliced banana, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes

Blend all the smoothie ingredients in a blender or Nutri-bullet.
It should be quite a thick texture.
Pour into a bowl.
Sprinkle toppings over the top.
Serve immediately.

Food Foods That Can't Satisfy

2/5/2020

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here

After we eat, we want to feel satisfied, right? Not hungrier!

And there are foods you'll want to avoid. Or at least, eat them in combination with satisfying foods that leave you feeling full.

These foods that leave you feeling like you need more are easy to identify because they don't have the well- known satisfying ingredients in them.

And those satiating ingredients are...?
* FATS * FIBRE * PROTEIN.

Take fruit juice for example.
It pretty much has no fat, fibre or protein.

Savoury biscuits?
They contain a little fiber but mostly it's carbs.
They won't satisfy your hunger unless you add some healthy fats such as avocado or ricotta.

Salads are great, especially in summer. They deliver a good serving of healthy fibre.
A salad will satisfy you for much longer if you add a portion of protein like chickpeas, chicken, salmon or gammon.
Or you could add a healthy fat - and again think of the avocado.

Now what about yogurt?
It has plenty of fat and protein, but fiber?

Nope, it has none of that.

The fact you can swallow it without chewing tells you there's pretty much no fiber in it.
As a result this won't satisfy you for long.

BUT if you add some nuts or seeds or berries and it's a whole different story.

When choosing your yoghurt make sure you are choosing a low sugar variety that is full fat.

Click Here: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes

Now what is a food that won't satisfy you.

It's usually white foods that have been processed like;
* white bread
* pasta
* pizza (it's that white flour again)
* sushi (not much fiber, not much protein)
* boxed commercial cereals

Why won't these foods satisfy you?

Because they have been processed and the fibre and important nutrients have been removed.

When you eat these kinds of foods they get digested quickly and broken down in to glucose.

Glucose then enters the blood stream very quickly and that is not good for your body.

As a result insulin is released which helps to move blood sugar out of your bloodstream and into the cells.

This creates a cycle of blood sugar high, insulin being released which leads to a drop in blood sugar and your energy levels which results in you reaching for another snack or food to increase your energy and so the cycle continues.

What can you do?
Choose foods that contain FPF (Fat, Protein & Fibre)

Ask yourself when you are reaching for something to eat?
Does it contain FPF?
If not then you need to put that food down and find an alternative.

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here

The Impact of Stress on Your Body

23/3/2020

Let’s talk about the impact of stress on your body, starting off with your memory.

If you think that your memory is not what it used to be, it could be because of the high cortisol levels that are released when we experience stress.

When we are under stress, cortisol and adrenaline are released by our body to help us cope with the attack.

In our modern-day lives, we don't have the physical attacks so much anymore. (the only tiger I have is the one that hangs out on my son's bed)
Today it is more about the emotional and mental strain of modern-day living.

When you are exposed to stress you could find yourself forgetting where you put your keys or what's on the shopping list. My best is forgetting the shopping list and then trying to remember what's on it when I do the shopping - FAIL

You may find that you begin to suffer from headaches and this again is because of the cortisol and adrenaline that is rushing through your bloodstream.

Next up, when we are regularly stressed then our heart is put under pressure.
With regular exposure to stress, our risk of stroke increases. And studies have found that stress increases our bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Have you noticed that your skin can sometimes go completely haywire when you’re under stress? and you get severe breakout?
This again is the cortisol and adrenaline rushing around your body.

So what can you do about managing your stress?

There's a saying that goes he who half breathes, half lives.

Here is a technique called block breathing.

Breathe in for 4 counts.
Hold for 4 counts.
Breathe out for 4 counts.
Repeat 5 times.

You'll start to notice that you become calmer as you are concentrated on your breathing.

Get moving
It doesn’t matter what you do whether you choose to play in the garden with your children, go to the beach or play in the park.
For me, I love to choose 3 songs and just dance in the kitchen.

These are my favourites -

Best Day of My Life - American Authors
All Star - Smash Mouth
Black Horse & the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall

Moving helps to reduce the cortisone and adrenaline levels in your bloodstream.

Do Something For Yourself
And another way is to take a few moments each day to do something for yourself.

It could be as simple as enjoying a cup of tea in complete silence or having an Epsom Bath (or if you have water restrictions - a foot bath).

What do you do to manage your stress?

Come over and join me and others in my Facebook Group - Being Healthy Made Simple.
There are lots of resources and a community of women who all want to get and be healthy in the simplest way possible.

I can't wait to meet you!

4 Reasons Why You're Not Changing Shape

1/3/2020

1) You're eating to the point of stuffed and not satisfied.
When you eat to the point of being satisfied then you have given your body sufficient nutrients in order for it to do the job of keeping you alive and kicking.
Eating to the feeling of fullness has a lot more to do with emotions.

The key is to learn to eat to the point of satisfaction and not to reach the point of feeling stuffed.
The Japanese have a term called Hara Hachi bu which means to eat to 80% fullness.
The focus is on eating to the point where you no longer feel hungry.

And while you focus on this new habit consider chewing your food more times - aim for 20 chews before you swallow.

And slow down while you eat.
Sit and eat your meal without rushing on to the next task or worse - multitasking!

Give your meal the full attention it deserves.

2) You're counting calories, points, macros.
And this gets you to the point of feeling stressed out and reaching for foods and snacks that are "forbidden".

Instead of worrying about calories, points and macros consider eating a high-quality protein, a fat and fibre.

This combination will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
It'll help to keep you your blood sugars stable so there are no crashes that leave you craving something sweet and comforting.

It will assist your digestive system in moving the food through and removing toxins.

3) You're not drinking enough water.
Your body is made up of 70% water.
Not enough water is going to have a negative impact on your body in a number of ways.

Like brain fog, sugar cravings, hangry (hungry angry feelings), dry mouth, headaches, dark urine, bad breath, dehydration and dry skin.

Aim to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Sounds a lot?

Start off small. Have a glass of water after each cup of coffee or tea that you have.

Those two beverages of diuretics so that push fluid out of your body.

Drinking water will help to keep you hydrated.

4) You need a break from the G&Ts and/or wine.
I believe you can enjoy a glass or two of your favourite drinkie-poo as part of a healthy lifestyle but it does hamper your progress.

Did you know that alcohol contains empty calories.
This means that your body is receiving no nutrients but is getting calores that it must use up.
Sounds like a raw deal to me.

It also dehydrates you and that can then lead to sugar cravings.

Take a break for a couple of weeks and see if that makes a difference.

So there you have it - 4 reasons why you could not be changing shape.

Which one will you focus on first?

<<Previous

Forward>>

FREEBIE: Belly Flattening 4 Day Meal Plan - Click Here

Chocolate Berry Smoothie Bowl

Food Foods That Can't Satisfy

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here

The Impact of Stress on Your Body

4 Reasons Why You're Not Changing Shape

Categories

Archives

FREEBIE: Belly Flattening 4 Day Meal Plan - Click Here

Chocolate Berry Smoothie Bowl

Food Foods That Can't Satisfy

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes​ Click Here

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes​ Click Here

The Impact of Stress on Your Body

4 Reasons Why You're Not Changing Shape

Categories

Archives

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here

BONUS: Foods That Do Satisfy -Grab Your Free 4 Day Meal Plan + Recipes Click Here