Yoga the gentle form of exercise....oh really!

According to the 'NHS live well', yoga doesn't count towards your 150 minutes of exercise!

Apparently it's not strenuous enough!! And so, feeling fairly confident that it wouldn't be too difficult I signed up for a course. I wasn't interested in all the 'mumbo jumbo' finding my happy place etc.  I was just interested in the 'gentle, soothing' exercises...

I don't know who assesses exercise for the 'NHS live well', bur they obviously weren't 62 and the last time they exercised was back in the 90's when they took two days to recover.  It is definitely not for wimps, pulling, stretching all those muscles that a.) I didn't know I had and b.) haven't worked for years. 

By the time I finally collapsed on the mat for the last 15 minutes of relaxation, I didn't care about any 'mumbo jumbo' I'd definitely found my 'happy' place!

Honestly, if I hadn't paid up front for my lessons I think I'd have chickened out of continuing.  The next session was slightly easier...and I can now touch the floor with my finger tips! Yaay! Ok I know everyone else get their palms on the floor with ease...but small steps...  

I have noticed farting can be a side effect of all this relaxation, so note to self NO mung beans and lentils the day before classes!  

10 fruit and veg a day...but juicing doesn't count!!!

Qualified dieticians now tell us having your 5 a day isn't enough...it has to be 10! But forget counting on juicing! 

This study into the benefits of chomping your way through 10 portions of fruit and veg involved  2 million people. The conclusions were that increasing from 5 to 10 portions a day, vastly increases life expectancy. So far so good... avid juicers have been saying that for years!

For most people 5 fruit and veg a day is often a struggle (particularly if they eat fast food and ready meals)  10... is an impossibility.   So it seems obvious that juicing is an easy and delicious solution.

But for some reason that I really can't work out, according to the 'experts' a freshly extracted juice can only be counted as one portion because of the lack of fibre!

So yet again, 'experts' are giving us confusing information! The nutrients contained in fruits and veg are beneficial to health, yet it's good for you but only with the fibre...Why? 

Juices still contain soluble fibre. And the insoluble fibre you lose when juicing is indigestible and only used by the body to push the poop out, actually the insoluble fibre works the same way...(Ok enough information!) 

So...as we don't digest the fibre it seems common sense that it isn't where we get our nutrition from.  If it was then why bother with fruit and veg, just munch your way through 10 bowls of bran flakes!

So I'm counting all the fruit and veg in my juices as well as my meals.

My fruit and veg count for today... 

breakfast: pineapple, mango, banana 

lunch:  spinach, lettuce, mixed salad leaves, avocado,                        olives, tomatoes

dinner: chiles,onions, red peppers,sugar snap peas,ginger

This was my delicious blended breakfast juice:
mango, pineapple, banana and coconut water...
delicious!

Juicing just makes having your 10 and eating them soooo easy!

    

Diets DON'T work!

Finally figured it out ..and now the finish line is in sight!

Ok, so I'm sure most people would have figured this out  (weigh) way before now! But I've finally had my lightbulb  moment! Yaay! 

Diets don't work, because ... of..., 'diet mentality.'  I read somewhere that by the time most women reach mid forties early fifties, they've probably gone on 62 diets!!  Diets are obviously not working!

Most people go on a diet to lose weight, quite often health is an afterthought.  The weekend before going on a diet we usually eat like there is about to be a famine.

  I always (I've been on a lot of diets!) used to eat a huge portion of fish and chips with slabs of bread and butter, or an Indian with all the sides, onion bhajis, samosas, naan bread, chapatis, poppadoms etc. Then round it off with a couple of bars of chocolate. 

The reason we do this is because, most of us are already resigned to the fact, that for the next few weeks, months, or even years..yikes... the food we like will be restricted; if eaten at all.  We're expecting that from now, until we complete the diet, we can't eat the food we'd like to eat, because it's fattening and only through deprivation can we achieve the weight we desire. 

We've already visualised all the social and family occasions when we're going to be miserable and hungry because we can't join in. So we grit are teeth and decide to apply willpower...this time we will do it!

No wonder we want quick fixes and shortcuts, we just want the scale to show the magic number (whatever that might be?) so we can go back to eating all those goodies that began the weight problem in the first place. So we're easy prey for all the latest diet fads out there... it's no secret that the 'diet industry', is a billion dollar industry

It's no surprise then that  many of us fall off the waggon, long before the size 10/12 dress zips up the back without stretching. Or even, we reach our goal only to gain weight again within a few short months, as we tuck into all the sugary foods we've missed while on 'the diet'!  Often we end up regaining more than we lost in the first place...

My lightbulb moment, was when my sister mentioned the usual comments from her friends when she opted for fruit, rather than the highly processed, fat laden, sugary alternative snacks.  'Oh you're so good!'

No...  she's not being 'good'  She's choosing what's good for her.  Oh, and she loves fruit...it's sweet, delicious and packed full of nutrients.

So really it's all about HEALTH and what's good and delicious and satisfying for ME and my body...because I choose health!

So roll on, avocadoes, bananas, strawberries, mangoes nuts, goats cheese,coconut oil, roasted peppers etc.(just to mention some of my favourites.)

'Deliciously Ella's' coconut and banana porridge

 with toasted almonds, a really yummy breakfast!

There is so much choice out there. Delicious wholesome, satiating food and creating delicious meals out of them is a whole new adventure...

Why do we automatically 'outsource' our healthcare to the medical profession and should we?

Doctors, dieticians the experts in health or the experts in disease!?

As soon as there is a sign or symptom of ill health, WHY do most people make a doctor's appointment? Ok, so we want to know if the ache, the pain, the rash indicates something not right...fairly obvious it does.  But do we really want to be prescribed pills or potions? 

No, we just want advice as to how to put our bodies right...don't we? Maybe it's just me but I've never, ever been asked about my diet.  Even when I suddenly developed a red itchy rash on  my hands, thumb and finger, I was just prescribed cream after cream, none of them worked,  they didn't even take the itching out.

Oh and this was the doctor at my practice who was deemed the 'expert' in skin diseases.  His diagnosis, eczema and I'd have it for life.  I just needed to apply a steroid cream whenever it flared up! Plus he warned me against applying it too liberally because of the side effects.

In all fairness he was an 'expert' his medical training made him able to diagnose the rash, and also to know the current medical treatment for it. The only problem was he had little or no knowledge of the links of food/diet, to health. 

Consequently, he asked me about the symptoms I was experiencing, looked at the rash under a magnifying glass BUT never talked about diet and nutrition.  At the time I was eating quite a lot of processed food, not to mention the odd take away!  

I'm not knocking the medical profession,currently my husband's health is helped by the medication prescribed, well it's keeping him alive. BUT...

What if... all those years ago when he was first diagnosed with diabetes type 2, instead of  being told it was a progressive disease with the implication there was nothing that could be done, his diet had been looked at. 
What if... instead of the dietary advice given (which was the NHS healthy eating plate , now shown to be flawed) He had eaten whole grains, lots of veg and fruit, cutting out completely refined sugars and low fat products and brought his sugars under control  years earlier (They're under control now due to a change of diet)
Maybe...he would never have developed heart disease he certainly wouldn't have suffered from leg ulcers!

We can't prove this... but I think it's about time that Doctors and dieticians training adhered more to Hippocrates who famously said:

       Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

While waiting for change (and we have to remember the part pharmaceutical companies have in this.  After all it's a booming industry!)  Surely, we could all help ourselves by looking at what we eat. It makes sense to me that if we continually feed our bodies food depleted of nutrients and filled with toxins, eventually our bodies will break down. 

Digestive problems, rashes, fatigue, headaches, are warning bells, like a flashing red light on the dashboard of your car.  Our bodies are trying to get us to pay attention and do something about it!  

As for me, I do not have eczema anymore since I radically changed my diet and after yesterday's foray into the world of junk food, I'm feeling much better now... juicing my way back!!

This super little juice is from Jason Vale's 5:2 cookbook. He calls it, 'Tumeric Temptation' I'd rename it, 'Tumeric Restoration'...as it's delicious and very soothing on my gut.

So easy to make:

1 apple

1 good sized pear

2 carrots

1 lime peeled but with the pith on 

and 30 cm of turmeric (or a large pinch)

Everything gets juiced (if using dried turmeric just stir in to the juice)

Pour over ice and let it do it's thing....mmmm!

I'll NEVER go back to eating JUNK food ...and this is why!

Ate Junk suffering the after effects!

Went out with the local WI today for our regular monthly lunch to the 'Fickle Mermaid.'

Company great... but food...yuk!

I tried to pick a healthy option, so I opted for beetroot,

mascarpone and pomegranate tart with side salad. This was listed as a lite bite but still a main NOT a starter! 

 When it arrived it was obviously shop bought so who knows what ingredients were in it.  It was also miniscule... Ok no big deal, because I'm really into salads and can quite easily have salad as my main meal.

One problem the salad consisted of 6 limp lettuce leaves, (looked like something lurking at the bottom of your  fridge salad drawer, which you would throw away!)

This is the salad remains untouched on my plate

 because it was so unappetising

Now I was really really starving and I made the mistake of having dessert.  It's not the sort of place to have a 'healthy' dessert. So I chose chocolate and pecan pie. I literally had 3 spoonfuls and I had to leave it, so, so sweet it was sickly.

I paid up and came home literally an hour later started to have pains that in the past I would have associated with IBS, another hour, stomach cramps, bloated  and since then spending a lot of time in the loo. (Ok...maybe too much information1)

So the only thing I've done differently today is eaten  high HI  (Human Intervention) foods, for the first time since I began changing my diet with Jason Vale's Big January Clean Up.

Feeling very sorry for myself between trips to the loo and drinking boiled water.

Will have a juicing day tomorrow (although it's not scheduled) and get back on track!

Almond milk amazingly easy to make!

Smoothies made with almond milk...delish!

Have just had a delicious Saturday smoothie.                                 

Ingredients: 

                     a handful of strawberries 

                     a handful of blueberries

                     2 juicy dates

                     half a banana

                     250 mls of fresh almond milk

                     ice cubes

All just blended together for about 30 seconds then enjoy!

Since I've discovered how to make almond milk I've not bought anymore overpriced sweetened supermarket almond milk. 

All you have to do is put a handful of raw almonds in a bowl covered with water(tap water is fine)  Leave this over night and the almonds  swell. Drain and rinse then place in a blender with 500mls filtered water. Blend for about a minute, then pour the milk through a sieve into a jug. 
The jug will fill very quickly with delicious creamy almond milk.

Discard the residue in the sieve.  Literally takes minutes in the kitchen, I make it while boil the kettle for my herbal tea.
This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. I also use it on homemade granola.

          

Cannot believe HOW much I'm enjoying veggie food!!

No I've not become vegan or veggie...I love fish too much, but ...       

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying the taste and variety of veggie dishes.  
Two that have been amazing are 1. Pureed pea and mint risotto with parmesan cheese and balsamic. This is not only delicious, creamy and hugely filling,but also very economical

 It consists of arborio rice, stock, salt and pepper,red onion, peas, creme fraiche and parmesan cheese . Such simple ingredients most of them part of my staples.




2. Courgetti veggie bolognese, this has sun dried tomatoes and garlic and basil in the sauce, absolutely fabulous!!

More surprising I didn't miss the meat or pasta at all. It was very filling without that bloated feeling which pasta can often produce.


These recipes were all courtesy of Jason Vale from his 'Super fast Food' cookbook. (See my review)  http://healthwisemyjourney.blogspot.co.uk/p/bo.html

Then for the evening meal tonight I made black bean and kidney bean chile courtesy of a recipe from 'Deliciously Ella' (See my review)  http://healthwisemyjourney.blogspot.co.uk/p/deliciously-ella-rev.html

This was a hearty, warming and satisfying meal.

Particularly on a freezing cold winter's evening, like tonight. Simply black beans,red kidney beans, grated carrot, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and garlic. I added some shallot onions, and the whole lot took approximately 15 mins. Served with basmati and wild rice and a little grated parmesan ...delicious!  I'm definitely going to continue eating far more veggie meals in the future.