If you’re looking to reduce carbohydrates and increase protein in your diet, one of those foods that is the most difficult to replace is potatoes, the staple of so many meals that revolve around the traditional meat and vegetables. When it comes to family meals too, removing potatoes, and wishing to reduce tons of pasta…
Rice and broccoli might look a bit boring, but don’t skim past yet! The fibre in rice is an obvious benefit, but did you know that rice, especially organic brown rice, is a good source of the B6 required for promoting weight loss and has some protein too? Rice salads are incredibly versatile, and even…
Pizza immediately gets classified as junk food or fast food, but in truth, a properly, or consciously, made pizza is an exceptionally healthy meal. If wheat is an issue for you, using a heritage grain like spelt can help get around that. Remember those symptoms could be due to a number of factors – see…
If it’s a healthy alternative to crisps you’re after, this is it. Extremely easy, cheesy and moreish, it’s a great way to get greens into kids as well as into yourself. Kale is a real powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and fibre, and paired with only a couple of other ingredients it can be turned from…
Eggs are the ideal breakfast or light lunch choice. As a direct source of acetylcholine, the substance that works as a neurotransmitter in the brain promoting focus and concentration, it’s perfect for a day that needs you to stay sharp mentally. It’s also great for keeping you feeling fuller for longer, and getting a portion…
Early summer veg are a joy, and those first broad beans are among my favourites. Beans are such a healthy food, particularly for women – research has shown that women eating beans and pulses three or more times a week are at least 25% less likely to be diagnosed with a hormonal cancer like breast…
February. Sigh. In the light (or lack of it..) of the weather and time of year, the recipe choice has to focus on breakfast as the mainstay of winter healthy (h)eating! Here’s a recipe with a definite winter slant, an amazing way to start the day, especially in this wet, wild, wintry weather. Keep the…
This is an example of the monthly foodie health focus that Heal Your Health members on Facebook get, taking the health and food questions so many of us wonder about, and giving definitive, actionable advice along with a recipe (sometimes accompanied by a demo video). Your life is incredibly busy, but you want to take…
SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is more common in the UK than we might think. Weak, watery winter sunshine, if we get any at all, doesn’t exactly encourage us to get out and about, leaving us at risk of low vitamin D and serotonin levels. So if you, or someone you know, seems to retreat…
Interesting stuff – we know gut flora is so important to health that it should be designated as an organ or system in its own right, and here’s yet more evidence that the gut affects mood, stress response and brain function. To read the full article, click here. Grab your FREE Your Happy, Healthy Day…
I’m feeling the need for total nourishment today, and yet I’m craving light foods rather than comfort food (even in the depths of a British winter!) Think body-is-a-temple kind of food. but, being busy working away on the new website and preparing to start the radio show, it’s a working weekend, so quick and easy…
There are many reasons people try excluding dairy products from their diet, not least because they think they have a reaction to them. In reality, nothing should be excluded without proper diagnosis of an issue with the food – sometimes stress or other factors could be at the root of your symptoms, so excluding a…
Ditch the stimulants – It is easy to pour a glass of wine or perk yourself up with a cappuccino or chocolate bar when you’re anxious and tired. But while the odd treat is fine, a regular coffee, chocolate or alcohol habit is a real stress on the body. Caffeine, alcohol and sugar are all…
Only suggestions . . . use your imagination! Breakfast Mid-morning snack Lunch Mid-afternoon snack Dinner Monday 2 scrambled eggs cooked in olive oil or a little organic unsalted butter, on wholemeal or rye toast. Scramble the eggs with a little spinach or have them with grilled tomatoes. Sliced pepper (any colour) with hummus…
Make a scrumptious onion and sage soup today, and kill two birds with one stone – clear out onions from the veg box or fridge, and fight allergies at the same time! It might not be classic hay fever season, but our immune systems benefit from the boost that onions’ allergy-fighting nutrients bring to the…
So, what’s a naturally nourishing seasonal recipe for January to begin the year as healthily as possible? The winter, and especially January, are kale season, so a lovely kale recipe it is! Kale is everywhere at the moment, and rightly so – it’s the daddy of nutritious greens. It’s a potent source of plant betacarotene,…
The sugar detox is one of the flurry of wonder-diets that appear in a veritable blizzard even before the last bell of new year has died away. The inevitable bandwagon is rolling along predictably, gathering so many passengers that it must be in danger of toppling over. The original sugar detox guru does use sweet…
Interesting stuff – we know gut flora is so important to health that it should be designated as an organ or system in its own right, and here’s yet more evidence that the gut affects mood, stress response and brain function. Decreased social anxiety among young adults who eat fermented foods Grab your FREE Your…
What a whirlwind life has been since Christmas! Besides being offered a twice monthly radio show (more details soon!), I’ve been busy loading fabulous recipes, health advice and resources onto the Functional Foodie membership, course and recipe hub website in preparation for launch later this month/early February. Here’s my new logo, looking amazing on an apron…
Finding an inexpensive, simple but tasty meat option for an evening meal can be a challenge, so here’s a great way to get a nutritious, lean and delicious dinner on the table with very little effort. Pork loins are very versatile, and as long as they are not allowed to dry out or overcook, they…
This recipe is a simple, spiced roast that’s quick and easy for a week night, but equally good on an autumn Sunday. The spice rub adds warmth and colour as well as incredible flavour, while the spices themselves are brimming with health benefits. I’ll save that for a separate post! The roasted onions, coated in…
Eat: – always eat breakfast, and try to eat it within an hour of getting up (whether you’re hungry or not!) – eat three meals and two snacks a day; – eat 4 or more servings of wholegrains. – eat fish. – eat whole foods, like wholegrains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and veg, and…
Your staple ingredients: – Milk – coconut, nut or goat’s – make your own almond milk (see recipe) – Yoghurt – unsweetened organic bio yoghurt, fruit organic bio yogurt; – Soda, sourdough or spelt bread; – Raw, unsalted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, brazils, walnuts, cashews) and seeds; (sunflower, pumpkin, flaxseeds, hemp, sesame). Keep these in…
When you eat a whole, natural diet, detoxing to ‘cleanse’ your system isn’t necessary. Our body is a powerful cleansing and healing organism all on its own, but modern life can cause toxins to build up; stressful times can leave us sluggish; there can be many reasons why a few days to take the pressure…
Identify the cause: causes of stress can include a hectic work schedule, lack of sleep, imbalanced blood sugar, intensive athletic training, bereavement, divorce, etc. Seek ways to remove the stress from your life if possible, and seek outside help if required such as counseling. You could consider therapies such as Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnotherapy or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)…
In nutritional terms, a superfood is a nutrient dense food packed full of vitamins and minerals and other health promoting properties, which may help to boost our health and protect us from diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Some are over-hyped! All real foods are superfoods in a broad, well balanced natural eating regime, but some…
An intolerance or sensitivity to wheat is a common cause of tiredness, loss of concentration and digestive problems. Stop to consider how often it is eaten, possibly at every meal (cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta in the evening, any biscuits, cakes or snacks during the day). While it’s fine to try…
COLOURS 102,104,107,110,122,123,124,127,128, 129,132,133,142,151,155, natural colour 160b (annatto) PRESERVATIVES Sorbates 200, 201, 202, 203 Benzoates 210, 211, 212, 213 Sulphites 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228 Nitrates, nitrites 249, 250, 251, 252 Propionates 280, 281, 282, 283 ANTIOXIDANTS Gallates 310, 311, 312 TBHQ, BHA, BHT 319, 320, 321 FLAVOUR ENHANCERS Glutamates incl MSG…
The basic premise is that we should have alkaline and acidic foods in a ratio of 70/30, though this varies wildly! Some alkalising diets advocate drastically reducing all acid-forming foods, including fruit, meat, dairy and even green tea. Some charts determine acidity or alkalinity on the food before it is consumed. The effect the food has on the…
What do you really need to keep your immune system strong from season to season? Well, enough of everything, to stay really balanced and healthy, but some nutrients play pivotal roles in our health, and zinc is one of them. Zinc is one of the most important nutrients in immunity and healthy weight, so to…
For those of us lucky enough to live in the South West of the UK, it plays a surprising role in our life expectancy – we have the highest life expectancy in the country! Very good news for me and my fellow Devonians and Cornish piskies, but what about tips for us all to live…
SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is more common in the UK than we might think. Weak, watery winter sunshine, if we get any at all, doesn’t exactly encourage us to get out and about, leaving us at risk of low vitamin D and serotonin levels. So if you, or someone you know, seems to retreat…
I asked you all about your health and well-being goals and you told me. And you’re an ambitious, energetic bunch when it comes to healthy eating! And I was so excited to see how many of you had already taken huge steps towards improved nutrition and were experiencing the benefits already. Since there were many…