The Nutrition Blog

5 Tips for Making the Perfect Smoothie!

28/10/2016

Making the perfect smoothie is a bit of an art form. I have to admit I’ve created quite a few disastrous concoctions over the years but I think recently I’ve got it think I've nailed it, less sludge and more smooth-ie. Here are some of my tips on making killer smoothies every single time:

How do I know if I need to detox / cleanse?

21/10/2016

Since announcing my new gentle 7 Day Body Reset programme I've been asked by a few people how they know if they'd benefit from doing this, or any other, cleanse. The answer is simple: most people, (unless you are uber healthy pretty much all of the time), will benefit to some degree.

How to Boost Your Metabolism and Help Your Body Detox with One Simple Trick

4/10/2016

This simple tip can help your body’s natural detox process, aid your digestion, improve your skin, and boost your metabolism and energy levels!

Our bodies are bombarded with toxins all day long… from the environment, from chemicals in our shampoos and body lotions, from the food we eat, from the air we breathe… Don’t get me wrong, the body does an amazing job of getting rid of these toxins to help us to stay healthy. After all, that’s all our body wants to do, keep us in optimum health.

How to Break the Cycle - the Power of the Body Reset

30/9/2016

Cleansing or detoxing has become very popular over the last decade or so as people discover the health benefits that it can offer including improved energy, weight loss and improved sleep to name a few. But did you know that the practice of detoxing is nothing new and actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient practice of Ayurveda and beyond.

No Bake Oaty Energy Balls

4/9/2016

Energy balls are a staple in my fridge, they’re brilliant for a post workout protein hit, but also great if you fancy something sweet but want to be good!

I usually make mine with cacao powder but I fancied a change from the chocolatey flavour so decided to experiment. Usually when I experiment it might take me at least two goes to get consistency right, but with these they were spot on first time!

Are you drinking enough water? Ideas to increase your intake

2/9/2016

We all know the drill… 2 litres a day of the crystal clear stuff, but how many people actually drink that much pure water every day? Unfortunately many of us forego pure water in place of other liquids including tea, coffee, squash, fizzy drinks… (All diuretics meaning they drain water from our bodies)… Of course, our daily needs alter according to many factors including how active we are and what the weather decides to do that day. Therefore 2 litres is only ever a guide. And some studies suggest that we should actually be aiming for a minimum of 3 litres a day!

New Health & Body Booster Programme for September!

2/9/2016

This new programme starting on September 20th in Walton on Thames is a combination of nutrition education and coaching support during which you can achieve outstanding results in just six weeks!

Lebanese style hummus

20/7/2016

I LOVE hummus. With an Arabic father, and having been brought up on it, it would be hard not to. And these days you can get hummus everywhere. But here’s the thing… not all hummus is created equal, and if you’ve only ever tasted shop bought varieties, and haven’t tried the real thing, you are missing out! Full of fibre, healthy fat, immune boosting garlic and alkalizing lemons, it's a brilliant food to make and keep in the fridge.
There are so many varieties of hummus, some made with garlic, some without, some with added spices, others not. But in my humble opinion, the ‘hummus de la hummus’ is the Lebanese version.

Moroccan style Quinoa

24/5/2016

Quinoa is a one of my favourite grains, I use it all the time in soups, stews, in place of rice and pasta. I consider it a bit of a super grain as it doesn't have any allergens, is high in protein and fibre. But... just plain boiled it can be, well let's just say... tasteless! (See my post about quinoa to learn all of its wonderful benefits.)

But it doesn't have to be! It's really easy to 'jeuge' it up. You can simply just add some vegetable bouillon into the cooking water to give it a vegetable stock flavour, but this Moroccan style dish takes less than 5 minutes to prep and gives it a whole lot more taste.

Turmeric... Super Spice!

13/5/2016

If you’re interested in health and nutrition (and let’s face it, you wouldn’t be on my blog if you weren’t just a little bit), you have no doubt noticed a lot more mentions, recipes and articles about turmeric. As the medicinal and healing properties of this wonder spice are re-discovered (I say RE-discovered because the amazing benefits of turmeric have been known by naturopaths for thousands of years) it is only fairly recently that science has started to also appreciate its enormous and wide-ranging health benefits.

Simple Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding

14/3/2016

Delicious and extremely healthy, chia seed pudding is such a quick and healthy breakfast option. It's packed with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, anti-oxidants, fibre, vitamin E and B complex, and actually more and lots of minerals including calcium and magnesium. In fact, there's more calcium in chia seeds than milk! And because of the magnesium content, it is more easily absorbed too....

Nice 'n' healthy pancakes

9/2/2016

Well it wouldn't be right not to share a healthy pancake recipe on Shrove Tuesday! This one is as close as I've been able to find to the real McCoy. But because it's using oats instead of wheat flour, more people tend to be able to tolerate it, and it's much lower on the GL scale (i.e. its affect on blood sugar).

Energy Ball Treats

8/2/2016

These are amazingly easy to make, packed with good stuff, and great to eat as a treat or when you feel the need for something sweet.I try to make a batch of them every weekend to last me the week, and just store them in the fridge. There are many variations of this recipe, and I recommend that you experiment to find your favourite mix, but this is a good one to kick off with, and to use as a base.

5 Reasons to Start Skin Brushing Every Day

30/1/2016

Most people have heard that skin brushing is good for exfoliation and for circulation, but there’s a whole host of benefits that you might not be aware of. Here are 5 great reasons to get skin brushing before you shower every day:

Why You Should Be Eating Quinoa

11/12/2015

QUINOA. No one is quite sure how to pronounce this ancient grain that originated in South America, but I’m assured the correct pronunciation is Keen-wah. Whether it’s Keen-wah, Qwinoah or whatever else you want to call it, one thing is for sure; it’s a great food to incorporate into your diet!

8 Great Reasons to Eat Avocados Every Day

11/11/2015

You’ve probably heard or read at some point that avocados are a healthy food. But I also know from people I speak to, and current case studies, that many people still associate avocados with being a ‘fattening food.’ This misconception about avocados means that lots of people are missing out on the HUGE health benefits of them, discovered from numerous studies.
So here are 8 great reasons why you should consider adding Avocados into your diet, starting today:

Wheat-Free Oat & Banana Pancakes

1/10/2015

These pancakes make a great weekend breakfast, and because they're made with oats instead of wheat flour, they are full of fibre and have a fairly low glycaemic load (meaning they don't massively affect your blood glucose levels). I've tried this recipe with other flours such as rice and spelt flour, but the texture of the pancakes was heavy and powdery, and basically and not very nice. This oat version recipe is as close to normal flour pancakes that I've discovered yet.
You can make them even healthier by adding some ground chia seeds, and you can get a protein boost by adding some whey (or other protein) powder to the mixture.

Wheat Free, Gluten Free Apple and Banana Cake

21/9/2015

I love this recipe. It’s unbelievably easy to make, delicious, and has no wheat flour or gluten in it, plus no sugar (the sugar is replaced with Xylitol which has a very low glycaemic load, meaning it doesn’t adversely affect blood sugar). It’s an adaptation of a recipe I saw recently which was completely grain free, made just with almonds (which as we know, are great for us).

5 Easy To Make, Healthy Breakfast Ideas

31/8/2015

The meal I've found that most people struggle with, when trying to eat healthily, is breakfast! And historically, that's me included.
A major obstacle is time - rushing around to get ready for work, get the kids to school and so on doesn't leave a lot of time to prepare breakfast, so reaching for the cereal or the toaster is a lot easier. And most people end up having just sugar/carbs for their breakfast, with no protein and no good fat, which immediately pushes their blood glucose levels sky high, before the day has even started, meaning a likely energy crash mid-morning, and that starving feeling...

This post will hopefully give you some new ideas of quick, delicious alternative and healthy options:

The Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

22/7/2015

You may or may not have heard of chia seeds, the new 'super food' to hit the health food shop shelves in the last few years, and now becoming one of the most popular seeds amongst those in the nutrition-know. So why are these little black or white seeds creating such a buzz among the health and fitness fraternity?

Sugar Craving Cure - Cacao Almond Smoothie

15/7/2015

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp Cacao Powder
200 ml Almond Milk (I use this one from Rude Health which doesn't contain any nasties like carneejan. If you have nut allergies, they do a great Oat Milk too).
1/2 Banana
1 Medjool date
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (for an Omega 3 hit and great protein)
1 tbsp plain, unsweetened Whey Powder for some extra protein (I use Pulsin Whey) - Optional

Simply chuck these all into a blender (the Nutri-bullet is so easy if you have one), blend for up to a minute and that's it. The combination of carbs from the banana, almond milk and date, with the good fat from the chia seeds and the protein from the milk, whey and chia, will slowly be absorbed without sending blood sugar sky high. And the cacao gives is a great anti-oxidant hit, and a delicious chocolatey flavour.
Hope you enjoy

Vxx

So What's the Big Deal with Sugar?

14/7/2015

You’ve no doubt seen in the news stories regarding the latest research by the British Medical Association on the effects of eating too much sugar, and their ‘great’ solution to this growing endemic… a 20% tax on sugary drinks! Leaving the politics aside (I’m sure you don’t have all day) the facts from the research are still very real and extremely concerning. We as a nation are consuming more sugar than ever before, a trend which shows no signs of slowing, and the impact of this on the nation’s health is alarming.

Sweet potato and chick pea curry

9/7/2015

I wasn't sure how this one would turn out but I have to say, it is really delicious. I wanted to create a vegetable curry that had a good balance of protein, good fat and good carbs and this one does due to the combination of the quinoa grain and the chick peas for protein, the coconut oil and milk for fats and the sweet potato for carbs.
And it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and a total of 25 minutes to cook!

Moroccan Spicy Vegetable Soup

10/6/2015

This is an adaptation of a wonderful recipe I've pinched from my Mum. Full of delicious root vegetables and spices, but light enough for summer lunch or supper, it's so quick and easy to make. It keeps really well too, so why not double up the ingredients and freeze a batch?
It's a really versatile recipe so I've added some suggestions of things you can do to change it a bit, depending on whether it's for a light lunch, or a full nutrient dense evening meal. It's very popular with kids and adults alike... my son absolutely loves this recipe!

Sugar Options

9/6/2015

Types of sugar

There is a lot of confusion around sugar and what is and isn't a healthy alternative. Here is a list of the different types of sugars, and common substitutes, and the pros and cons of each.

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