Tuesday's Change Week 35 - Fresh Air

This week's change is FRESH AIR! This might seem like the simplest of ideas and it's one everyone knows is good for them. But how many of us actually get to do it?

Between the commute, the office, dinner, TV, exercise and bed how much time do we actually spend outdoors? Whether you live in the most populated city or in the middle of the country you should always aim to spend at least 30 minutes a day outside in fresh air. Ideally surrounded by nature. A park or the beach or even in your garden.

I know the weather might play a factor in how long you spend outdoors but once you have a good coat and a good pair of shoes no weather should stop you. It's so invigorating and refreshing to be outside and breathing fresh, clean air.

Here are some benefits of fresh air:

• Fresh air is good for digestion.
• Improves your blood pressure and heart rate.
• It makes you happier.
• Strengthens your immune system.
• Fresh air cleans your lungs.
• You will have more energy and sharper mind.
• Improves your sleep quality.

You must remember that feeling as a kid when you spent all day playing outside. You came in, ate your dinner and had the best, most satisfied sleep. Refreshed and ready to do it all again tomorrow! Wouldn't you love to have that feeling again?

Here are some tips to spend more time outside, no matter the weather, no matter your location.

- Go for a walk. It really is that simple. Do you really need to watch that re run of the Kardashians? Seriously will that improve your life?

- Park further away from the entrance. Whether it's in work, the supermarket or a friend's house, park as far away as you can and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the door.

- Eat outdoors. When weather permits, eat outdoors. You don't have to have lots of room or fancy garden furniture. Just a mat/blanket, some cushions and tasty, healthy food. 

- Exercise outside. Be it a run, a cycle or even some body-weight exercises in your garden. It will leave you feeling exhilarated! There are lots of local boot camps running that are based outside and even some outdoor yoga classes. For those in Cork check out Himalaya Yoga Valley's Yoga in the Park.

- Take meaningful breaths. It sounds silly but how many times a day do you actually stop, take a deep inhale and exhale where you are consciously aware of your breath? So even if you can only spend a short amount of time outdoors make it your priority to really focus on the quality of your breath. Maximize the time you do have, get that fresh air deep into your lungs.

- Play with the kids outdoors. Take them to the park, the swings and slides, the river or lake. Play with them in the back garden or a green. I remember countless hours playing with a dish of water and some different size containers as a kid. You don't need to spend a fortune to entertain them. Not only is it good for you and them I bet they sleep better that night too!

- Go for a Picnic. If the weather permits then plan a picnic. What a lovely way for the whole family to relax and eat some lovely food. Check out this lovely picnic with friends I had last year. (Shout out to my friend Peter who makes THE best Cosmos!)

- Go to the sea. If you are fortunate enough to live near the ocean try and get there as many times as you can. The salt air is so good for banishing any negative energy and blowing away the cobwebs. Take a dip if you are feeling brave enough. Cold water never hurt anyone. Hey we even went for a swim in Dingle Bay on the 29th December on the morning of our wedding! 

It really is that simple this week guys. Summer is not over yet! So get out there and throw your head back, open your lungs and get some lovely fresh air into you!

Tuesday's Change Week 17 - Green Tea

This weeks change is to simply to drink Green Tea. The aim would be to drink 2-3 cups a day but if you are a coffee or black tea-holic then maybe slowly ease yourself in and start with 1 a day.

Do not drink Green Tea on an empty stomach! It will make you feel nauseous so make sure you eat something first.

Here are some reasons to drink Green Tea:

- Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance.

- Antioxidants in Green Tea May Lower Your Risk of Various Types of Cancer.

- Protects Your Brain in Old Age, Lowering Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

- Lowers Your Risk of Type II Diabetes.

- Reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

- Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

- Can aid depression and stress - Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves provides a relaxing and tranquilizing effect.

-Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial which kills Bacteria Improves Dental Health and Lowers Your Risk of Infection.

- Slows ageing and improves quality of your skin.

You can see more details here on the numerous benefits of green tea.

Now I don't think I need to say much more do I? If they aren't enough reasons to start I'm not sure what is.

I recommend drinking Organic if possible and flavoured green tea is ok just make sure there is no added sugar. I like to squeeze some fresh lemon into mine as well. This also boosts the powers of the green tea as well as making it taste nice!

Fresh tea leaves are ideal but shop bought bags are a good way to start.

As always, any questions just ask!

Paleo Burger Bar

Eating a particular way or sticking to a clean diet doesn't have to be boring or tasteless. You just have to get creative with it!

I recently had some friends over for a dinner party. There was myself and another guest who (try!) and eat clean and eat a mainly a Paleo lifestyle so I wanted to cater for us. However, I'm a big believer in not forcing other people to eat a certain way, they should chose to eat healthy themselves and need to be in the right mindset. Saying that, you can give as much advice, encouragement and knowledge to them but do not force others for your benefit. They will come to it when they are ready.

Anyway this idea of a Burger Bar came to me and I realised it would be ideal to suit all tastes and requirements and no one would miss out on the flavour stakes.

I made home-made burgers (recipe below) and then set out a selection of toppings. This gave people the power to chose the toppings they desired and didn't force anybody on a particular diet to eat something that didn't agree with them.

Options for the Burger Bar I included were:

Ketchup

Mustard

Peppercorn Sauce

Gherkins

Tomatoes

Chopped Red Onion

Sliced Cheddar

Brie

Diced Bacon

Shredded Lettuce

Salami

I also set out 2 types of buns, made sweet potato wedges (recipe here), did a salad of rocket and sun-dried tomatoes and my red cabbage and apple salad, recipe here.

It went down an absolute treat and everyone was satisfied and happy...we also served lots of booze but let's pretend that it was all about the food!

It was also a nice sociable meal as people felt involved and chatted as they passed various toppings and accompaniments. It also meant people could eat as much or as little as they chose, they were always in control.

For dessert I served my Paleo chocolate mousse, recipe here, and again the non-paleo guests were very happy. 'A revelation' one guest said!

 Here's how I made the burgers:

Ingredients:
(This makes about 6 generous burgers)

400g of minced Beef (I use Organic lean beef)
2 eggs (Organic and Free Range)
3 cloves of grated/pressed garlic (Organic)
2 teaspoons of Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons of Cumin
1 teaspoon of Ginger
(feel free to experiment with different spices)
5 heaped tablespoons of Ground Almonds (Paleo) or Ground Oats (eating clean)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
Mix everything together in a bowl until it starts to bind. Add more Almonds/Oats if you feel the mixture isn't holding together.

Using clean hands mold the mixture into burger shapes, depending on the size you require. I often make these and cook some fresh and freeze others uncooked, ready for the next time you want burgers and are in a rush!

Once they are molded you can fry or grill them until cooked to your liking. Be gentle with them as they may fall apart easily.

Small one for me, large for my husband...surprise surprise!

Prep time:

5-10 minutes

Dietary Information:

Paleo

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Sugar Free

High in Omega 3 (If you use grassfed Organic beef)

Garlic is antibacterial and antiviral so excellent for fighting colds and flu.

High in protein

Low in carbohydrate

Eggs are full of protein, high in vitamins and minerals and great for your hair, skin and nails.

Ginger is good for digestion issues, nausea, natural anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system. 

Cumin aids digestion, lowers blood sugar and prevents hypoglycaemia (excellent for people with diabetes), fights viral infections, rich in Iron and many other benefits you can read here.

Paprika is high in Vitamin A, E and Iron. It also has anti ageing properties, prevents hair loss and promotes sound sleep.

Storage Instructions:

Can be frozen raw.

Serving Suggestions:

I served these with sweet potatoes (recipe HERE), salads and various toppings.
They are also great with mash, chips or on the BBQ.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Change Week 13 - Read the ingredients!

This week's change is one that I instigated into my life a few years ago and it has really stuck with me. It's simple in in it's concept and may revolutionise the way you eat.

All you have to do is read the ingredients on back of every packet of food you eat. Read them right to end and if you don't know what the ingredient is then maybe you should think twice about whether you should be eating it!

Of course the ideal is to only eat foods that don't come in packets with an ingredient list. As in real, whole foods. Meats, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, oats, nuts, seeds, spices etc. But for the time being just start looking at what you are eating and the list of ingredients and ask yourself are you really happy putting that into your body? What effect is it having on your insides, you hair, skin and nails? Is it making you gain weight by disrupting your hormones? Is it something you would feed your children? If it sounds like something that came from a laboratory...it probably did and it is not real food!

That really is it. So simple.

I'd love to hear your feed back on what you discover while reading the ingredients so be sure to let me know.

Oat Bread - Eat Clean

So here is my recipe for Sourdough Oat Bread. This really is such an easy recipe and so adaptable. You can make it sweet or savoury and get so creative with ingredients! It's cheap, lasts long and is perfect for those days you are just craving carbs! I love having it on a weekend morning for breakfast. I toast it with some melted butter and eat with a runny egg! Delicious!

Ingredients:
1 x large tub of Natural, Organic Yogurt (about 500g)
2 x large tubs of Organic Oats (use the empty tub!)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil/Olive Oil/Full Fat Butter

Method:
Empty the contents of a large tub of yogurt into a mixing bowl.
Fill the empty tub twice with oats and add these to the bowl.
Add the baking soda and oil and mix until well blended.
Line a bread tin and smooth contents of the bowl into the tin pressing into the corners.
Cook at 180 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Checking after 40 min mark to ensure the top isn't burning. You will know it is cooked if there is a hollow sound when you tap the bottom.

Prep Time:
This really takes less than 5 minutes!

Dietary Information:
Wheat free
Can be made gluten free using gluten free oats
Good fats
Vegetarian
Can be made vegan by using coconut yogurt
Oats are proven to lower cholesterol, be a good source of energy and high in fibre,
Yogurt which is natural and organic is packed with good bacteria, good fats and high in protein.

Storage Instructions:
This bread keeps in a sealed container for at least a week at room temperature.
I typically slice it and freeze it if I don't think I'll eat it all in the week. When I want some I remove a slice or two and toast it from frozen! Delicious.

Serving suggestions:

There are so many variations of this bread you can try both sweet and savoury.

You can add nuts and seeds to the recipe above such as chia seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds.

You can make a sweet bread by adding fruit like mashed banana, goji berries, raisins, cranberries etc. Pictured here is a Cinnamon, honey and rasin bread I made. This is delicious toasted with some melted butter as a healthy treat on a Sunday afternoon. Just add 5 tablespoons of honey, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and a sprinkle of raisins (as many as you like!)

Send me on any other variations you come up with, pictures always welcome!

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Change Week 5: Oil Pulling - Detox and boost Immunity

This week's Tuesday's Change is a simple one but takes some practise and some getting used to. I have been oil pulling on and off for a while now and in January I decided to make a proper committment to it. I over indulged so much over Christmas my body was showing it. Since I've been doing it every day (I think I missed 2 days in Jan) I can really see the benefit in my skin, teeth and just how I feel. I feel cleansed and my skin is glowing. It's also freezing cold here in Germany and I'm house training a puppy so I'm in and out of the cold almost every 20 minutes. So far I've had no sniffles or cold! It really works to boost your immunity!


So what is Oil Pulling? this tutorial video above will help you get set up and learn all about it.


It is an ancient Ayurvedic treatment dating back over 3,000 years, oil pulling involves placing a tablespoon of extra virgin organic cold pressed oil (I use coconut oil, but sesame or olive oil is fine too) into your mouth and then swishing it around for up to 20 minutes. I started with 5 minutes and worked my way up. Swish it around your mouth, pulling it between your teeth, then spit it out. Whatever you do, do not swallow the oil as you will ingest the toxins you are trying to wipe out. Afterwards brush your teeth with an all-natural fluoride-free toothpaste, and rinse your mouth out. And you’re done! It really is that easy.

The mouth is home to millions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other toxins, the oil acts like a cleanser, pulling out the nasties before they get a chance to spread throughout the body by swallowing.

This frees up the immune system, reduces stress, curtails internal inflammation and aids overall health. I do it while preparing Eamon's (my new puppy) breakfast and taking him for a walk. You can do it while you lie in bed waiting to wake up, or even as you shower first thing in the morning.

My partner loves this as I can't natter away to him in the morning (I'm a morning person!) while he is waking up! It also gives you some time to yourself where you can just be silent and connect to yourself.

It will feel bizarre at first and you'll be so tempted to swallow the oil or spit it out. But be patient and allow yourself time to get used to it. Build up the time and amount and if you feel the oil increasing in volume this is good. It's pulling all the toxins from your mouth and you will then get rid of them when you spit!

Benefits of Oil Pulling:

Improved gum and teeth health

 Detoxify and clears up any skin issues

 Great for people who suffer with sinus, congestion or phlegm issues

Aids fat loss by detoxifying the entire body

 Better breath and whiter teeth

Improved Energy and Immunity

Improved sleep

 Regulated hormones - help with menstrual cycle and fat loss

Reduces Headaches

Dramatically reduces hang overs!

Check out this great article about someone's honest and real feedback after trying oil pulling here.

And that's it guys. Try it and let me know how you get on! Even take before and after pictures of your skin if you feel it needs clearing up. I'd love to see them. This change takes some committment and time to see the benefits so stick with it! You can do this, it will make you feel amazing in just a few weeks!

Tuesday's Change Week 2 - Eat your '5 a day'

So how did everyone get on for week one? Do you feel better? Sleep better? Look better? Let me know any benefits you felt. I'd love to hear from you. Week one's post here. Now try and keep it up while tackling Week 2.

This week's change is another one that sounds simple, we all have heard of it but how many of us actually do it? Eat your 5 a day! It's a common slogan bandied around in the media and you often see it on food labels. I'll discuss this in a bit but first let me outline the challenge.

See if you can eat 5 portions of Vegetables everyday for 7 days. 

Notice I have said veg and not fruit. Feel free to eat portions of fruit on top of your 5 Vegetable portions. Just ensure you are getting 5 portions of vegetable as well!

Here is some more information on the specifics:

1) A portion is roughly 1 hand full. 

2) Try as much as possible to eat organic vegetables only.

3) Raw is preferable to cooked but if you are cooking make sure not to over cook. Steaming or baking is good! Keeping the skin on where possible is also added benefit!

3) At least 2 or 3 of your 5 portions should be of green, leafy vegetables like Spinach, Kale,  Brocolli, Rocket, Salad greens, Pok Choi, Cabbage etc. The rest should be a variety of brightly coloured options e.g. Red Cabbage, red and yellow Peppers, Beetroot etc.

3) You can eat them raw or cooked but never from a packet (i.e. you can not include processed or tinned fruit and veg) and try and cook the veg yourself if having it cooked.

4) If a label on a packet says "this is one of your 5 a day portions" ignore this. If something is in a packet (besides whole fruits and vegetables that come in trays or packaged for the supermarket) then it has been processed and so lots of the benefits and nutrients are lost on processing. You are more than likely just getting the sugars left over. And we all have enough of those in our diet.

5) Plan your day in advance the night before. Where am I going to be? Will I have access to fresh food? Do I need to bring food with me? And plan accordingly so you are prepared.

Ok now you have all the information here are some tips on how you can easily add in the portions to your everyday diet.

1) Add vegetables to your breakfast. This way you start the day right and have half your portions done before you leave the house! Make an omelette with some spinach, peppers and onions. Recipe here.

2) Make a smoothie for breakfast! Adding vegetables to a smoothie is a great way of having a portion of vegetables without realising. Making a berry smoothie with some natural yoghurt, blueberries, cinnamon and honey tastes great. Adding a handful of spinach and blending will not alter the flavour too much and tastes just as good! This is a nice sweet treat on a Saturday morning!

3) Eating a large salad for lunch or dinner and get your 5 portions into you in one go! I like to use mixed salad greens with spinach rocket and baby lamb's leaf then add some spring onion, peppers, grated carrot and courgette. You can add some left over meat from the night before or cook some fresh and you have an entire meal. If you want to bulk it up a bit cook some sweet potato wedges as a side. Drizzle the with extra virgin olive oil if you find it too dry.

4) Snack on celery, cucumber and carrot sticks between meals if you are hungry. Have them chopped and ready in the fridge, sealed in a container to keep them fresh. Reach for these instead of biscuits or bread when you are famished and waiting for your dinner to cook.

5) Hide vegetables in food! Take what you might consider a regular dinner. Shepard's pie, Pasta Sauce etc. Try chopping vegetables into the sauce or if you have very picky eaters in the house you can even blend the vegetables into the sauce to thicken it. They won't even know!

6) If you are finding the vegetables bland then season them. Freshly grated black pepper is delicious on salads or cooked veg, try a small sprinkling of organic rock salt (link here), Simplee do an amazing range of salt free seasoning like paprika and lemon or chilli. Mix it up and try new spices! Link here.

7) Cook your least favourite veg with your favourite food! Brussels Sprouts taste amazing when stir fried in a small bit of bacon! A green, leafy salad is delicious when sprinkled with some olive oil and parmean cheese! All in moderation of course!

So here is a comprehensive list of veggies you should aim for that are available in most large supermarkets. Alternatively places like Quay Co-Op in Cork, Ballincollig and Carrigaline for the Cork followers (link http://www.quaycoop.com/) or organic vegetable shops will have a great range!

Spinach
Kale
Cabbage
Rocket
Lettuce
Pok Choi
Brocolli
Asparagus
Celery
Beetroot
Peppers
Red Cabbage
Carrots
Courgette/Zucchini
Onions

P.S. 'Vegetables' that are good for you but don't count as 5 a day and are more connected to the carbohydrate family are:

Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Parsnips
Peas

FYI: Lentils, beans and peanuts are not vegetables. They are legumes!

Vegetables to avoid: 

Sweetcorn. This is not a vegetable it is a grain and a GMO one at that! More on this is a future post.

So that is it Jeanies! Do you think you are up for the challenge? I have no doubt. Planning is key and let me know if you need any more information on anything!

#EatClean

Keeping Hydrated Top Tips! Tuesday's Change Week 1

So it's 6 days into Tuesday's Change Week 1 - Drinking more water and I hope you are all feeling the benefits! Here is the link if anyone missed it.

I have put together some top tips to help you keep going with the challenge. The plan is to stick to it for the 7 days and then it should become a habit and part of your daily routine.

1) Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. Put it out beside the bed the night before.

2) Drink a glass just before you go to sleep (after you go to the toilet!)

3) Drink a glass before each meal

4) Drink while driving - the only time you are allowed drink drive! Keep a bottle in your car and sip every time you are in traffic or cruising along the motorway.

5) Sip while watching TV. Chug at every add break!

I always like to know why I'm doing something. So here are some great reasons to drink more water!:

It aids digestion which aids fat loss

It boosts your metabolism

It is good for your skin

Helps you think better

Helps you work out better

Prevents headaches

Helps aid detox

Helps all your internal organs and systems function better

Helps you sleep better

Now surely you don't need any more reasons than that?

I'd love to hear from you so send me on your top tips or things that you feel work well. Sharing knowledge is what it's all about!

Keep a look out for Week 2's change announced this evening!

#EatClean #Train Dirty #LiveEasy

Week 1. Tuesday's Change. Drink more water!

It's the first week of my 'Tuesday's Change' series and for most people this week will be based around returning to normality, routine and work. For that reason I have kept this week's change simple!

All you have to do this week is drink more water. That's it! Sound easy? Well it's all about detox this week and helping the body slowly get back into ridding all the toxins and bad food consumed over the last few weeks. 

Check out my post here entitled 'Are you taking the Piss?' where I outline the benefits of proper hydration for not only detoxifying the body but also to allow proper daily function of all your systems. 

We all need different amounts of water depending on how our body operates, what physical activity we do, how well our body is functioning and how good old genetics have decided to make us. So I can not sit here and tell you the exact amount you should drink everyday. 

The guideline of 8 glasses a day is a good one but like I always say we are all different so there is no one rule for us all.

A good marker to check your hydration is your urine. Yes it's true, you have got to start looking at your pee!

So here are 4 easy steps to help you drink more water!

Step 1: Monday - measure how much water you ordinarily consume naturally in a day. You can do this by filling a water bottle of known volume and seeing how much you drink. Note down the volume. Do not include teas or coffees or milk and juices. Just water!

Step 2: Tuesday - Make the change! Decide to slowly increase your consumption of water. Make it an extra 500ml a day (or more) to begin with until by Friday/Saturday you should be up to at least 3 litres or as much as you need so your urine is comparable to levels 1-3 on the above chart! You'll eventually begin to get really thirsty as the body starts to realise it is now being adequately hydrated and it will begin to look for more. Yes, you will have to go to the toilet more but eventually your bladder will adapt. And remember every time you go to the toilet you are ridding the body of more waste! Winning!

Step 3: Begin carrying  a reusable water bottle with you. Everywhere I go I bring one. This is a handy way to ensure you can always have water and you aren't wasting money or damaging the environment with bottled water. I got my bottle here and it was worth every penny. Try and get BPA free plastic or a glass bottle if you are concerned about chemicals leeching into the water.

Step 4: If you are finding it hard to drink just plain water then feel free to add fruit slices or herbs to the water. Just nothing with sugar! My favourite (and best for detox, health and flat belly - winning!) is pictured bellow. Make it up the night before and bring it with you for the day.

Super Valu have trays of fresh ginger at the moment for 89c. You can't get cheaper than that!

So that's it guys. More water. Simple. Stick it out for the week and I promise you'll be feeling amazing in no time. 

Running a body dehydrated is like trying to run a car with low oil. Yes it works but things start to break, creak and just don't work as well. 

I know with the current water charges in Ireland this might be the last thing you wanted me to say but remember it's your health and body. Look after it. It's worth every penny!

Keep drinking and keep looking at your pee pee!