What'chia Eating? - To Supplement or not to supplement

I have always been a big believer in getting all the nutrients you need from food. And whilst I still stand by this, I am keen to see if certain supplements can help improve my digestion issues and bloating, as well as give me an extra boost of energy.

The supplements which I am trying are: Chlorella, Chia and Acai berries. I know they aren't really supplements and they are generally natural sources of nutrients but they are high up on the "superfood" list and can't be found in your everyday apple. So let's see if the new additions to my diet make a difference.

These are supposed to be the answer to all my digestive problems.

Side note: This is not a cheap experiment so I shopped around before taking the plunge. Holland and Barrett currently have the penny sale on and so I bought the Chlorella and Acai from there at a cost of £16 approx and bought 3 Chia shots for £1 from Tesco to get me started.

So here are the alleged benefit of each.

Chlorella - the one I am most looking forward to trying.

Chlorella balances gut flora by normalising the good bacteria in your gut. It is also a source of Iron,
Vitamins B6 and B12 which stimulates renewal of cells and digestive tissues.
It also helps to detoxify your body by removing alcohol, pesticides, heavy metals and toxins from your system.
I intend on having this daily either in a smoothie or mixed into my yoghurt. Any other suggestions are welcome!



Acia - (I have only recently learned to pronounce this properly and I have tried the berries before).

This berry contains antioxidants Vitamin E and Polyphenols which help your body to deal with free radicals from chemicals in food which may trigger bloating and discomfort.
It is also rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 Oleic acid which nourishes your body.
I intend on taking these in tablet form each evening.




Chia - I have had these a few times before and I am not particularly keen on chia puddings - the texture isn't my cuppa tea.

However, these little seeds are gentle on the digestive system and are high in omega 3, which provides the essential components that our cell membranes need. Omega 3 helps our body to make new cells which is especially important in the digestive tract where our tissues renew at a faster rate than anywhere else.
Chia seeds are also a great source of soluble fibre thanks to the jellified substance it makes in water. This helps to prolong hydration and ensures everything moves through the digestive system properly.

I will pop these into my morning yoghurt / oats / cereal or in my smoothie.

I will let you  know how I feel with the addition of these in my diet soon! X

Homemade fish tacos - Friday night feast

This is one of my favourite recipes! It is a "taco" so it feels naughty, however, it is anything but. It is also a feast and if you serve it the way I did, it feels more indulgent as you grab at ingredients to stuff your home made tortilla so it's bursting with flavour!

First thing's first, make the tortilla. This is sooo easy I don't know why more people don't do it.
You need 100g of flour - use whatever healthy flour you have, I used a mixture of brown and rye as that's what I had in.

Mix the flour with around 60ml of water. Add it slowly as all flour is different, sometimes it may need more, sometimes a little less. Use your judgement to get a nice firm dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes and make yourself busy.

Now roll the dough out, this makes four for me so split it into quarters. I'm not that good at getting a super thin dough but roll it out as thin as you can and then slap it on a dry non stick pan

Can you see the bubbles?

Caution! Do not leave unattended. These tortillas cook soooo quickly. As soon as it starts to puff up, flip it over. This will only take a minute or two. 

Now clean up the floury mess before the other half comes in a shouts at you for leaving footprints all over the floor *flashbacks*.

Chop up your chosen fish, I would recommend haddock, it is cheap, sustainable and is filled with seven essential vitamins and minerals. Chop up your peppers - by choosing different colours you are getting even more vitamins. I also grilled spring onions whole to give them a sweetness and a char that is delicious. 

Whilst chopping I also diced the chilli, lime and coriander for the dressing. The next step is to cook it all. Just whack it all in one pan to save on washing up! 

While this is all sizzling away, it's time to make the dressing. This time I wanted a nice fresh and light tasting sauce so I took my greek yoghurt and mixed it right in the pot, (this is what real home cooking looks like).

Grate the zest of one lime into the yoghurt, squeeze the juice from half the lime in, chop some chilli and throw it in, as much or as little as you like and then add coriander or other herb of choice. Coriander is my fav!

Once everything is cooked put it on plates for everyone to help themselves like so...

Squeeze over extra lime and voila! Enjoy x

For full recipe details go to my Recipes page

Eat the rainbow!

By now we all know the main principal of healthy eating is to have a good balance of the three macro nutrients, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat.

But that's not the end of it. It is imperative to get as many vitamins and minerals into your diet as possible to make sure your body performs at its best.

Now, there are many ways you can try and do this but the easiest way to ensure you get plenty, is to eat the rainbow.

Obviously, I don't mean skittles, but if your plate is all one colour, it looks bland and boring. But if your plate is splashed with reds, greens, oranges etc not only does it look more interesting but it provides many more nutrients. Each one can really benefit the other too, for example, eating vitamin C with iron increases absorption so combining a nice lean piece of steak with a red pepper salad is a great way to maximise nutritional intake.

Phytonutrients are what give foods their colour and each colour has its own unique property. For example, orange foods, eg carrots and sweet potato have carotenoids which help with vision (yes granny was right, carrots help you see in the dark) and blue/purple foods like blueberries have anthocyanins which help to keep your heart healthy. Now, I won't go into every single colour but you get the idea.

Every fruit, vegetable and grain has its own unique property offering a whole range of benefits. For the purpose of this blog, let me give you one of my favourite summer salad recipes, with additional nutritional info:

Rainbow Salad

Rocket: Only 25 calories per 100g. Strong delicious taste which stands up to most food. Laced with vits&minerals including: Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium.
Cucumber: 16 calories per 100g. High water percentage to help with hydration and feeling full. Source of Vitamins A, C and K, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Manganese.
Yellow pepper: 27 calories per 100g. Excellent source of vitamin C. Also, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
Edamame: 122 calories per 100g. Great source of protein at 11g per 100g as well as high in vitamin and mineral content including, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Folate, Manganese.
Feta: This would be the "fat" in the salad and also acts as a dressing due to it's tangy flavour. 14g of protein per 100g, good source of Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 and B12 and Riboflavin which helps activate other vitamins.
Tesco Pink Slaw - Red and white cabbage, red onion and carrot. Calories = 38 per half pack (70g).

Enjoy x

Christmas left overs to revive you

Post-Christmas bloat is familiar to us all. Even for the nutrition and health conscious, the Christmas binge cannot be avoided. Some indulge more than others but never-the-less, pigs in blankets, tubs of chocolates and boards of cheese get the better of most of us.

I have to admit this past week I have barely touched any form of fruit.

So tonight I packed our dinner with a whole host of nutrient dense foods whilst using up left-over Christmas staples.

I had already made my own stock (known as bone broth these days) by boiling the left-over turkey carcass with some root vegetable for hours, I created my own, incredibly good for you stock. I do this with most left over meat bones, it really is worth it.There are more minerals and vitamins hiding in the bones than in the rest of the animal - so without the broth you would seriously be missing out on a fantastic nutritious hit.

"Bone broth"

Put it in a pan and cover with water, boil and then simmer for however many hours you have spare.

I used this stock to create a Christmas broth medley. Sprouts, herbs and pancetta were left over from the big day, so by adding chicken and some other vegetables that I always have in, I was able to make a delicious hearty tea.

Miscellaneous Veg

I added pearl barley, sage and thyme into the broth and let it cook away. While that cooked I chopped the pancetta, mushrooms and sprouts up and fried them in a little butter and olive oil until crispy. I added sage and thyme to the pan to cook and at the last minute added crushed garlic.

When I was about 4 minutes away from completion I added finely sliced chicken breast to the stock and pearl barley pot and finally, I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

Once everything was cooked and seasoned to taste I dished out the stock concoction and spooned the pancetta, mushroom and sprout medley on the top.

Finished dish

It was deep in flavour and full of goodness. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use up any left over foods from the festive season, or even for a quick evening tea.

Eggs for the win

I want to talk a little bit about eggs.

Eggs got a bad rep in 1988 when Edwina Currie, who was the health minister at the time, decided to make a statement to the nation that eggs were infected with salmonella.

I don't really know where that came from but I do know there were only 26 reported cases of salmonella that year and if you compare that to the amount of eggs eaten (we're talking tens of millions) it seems a little ridiculous.

Unfortunately that has left some people, even now, weary about eggs. However, they are an incredible source of nutrition and should be regularly eaten.

People also associate eggs with high levels of cholesterol however it isn't as bad as you may think. Yes one egg has roughly 62% of your recommended daily intake of cholesterol, however, the more of it you eat the amount you require changes. (Also to quickly note: the amount of saturated fat you eat has a higher influence on cholesterol build up).

To quickly summarise, your body needs cholesterol to survive and the liver creates it itself. But if you are ingesting cholesterol then your liver doesn't need to make as much so it balances the requirement out. So two eggs a day is perfectly okay.

Consider this, an egg has so much nutrition within it, it can form a living being (the chick). Just imagine how good it is for your body.

Not only is it a great source of protein but it is packed with a range of 18 different vitamins and minerals including the all important, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Folate and Iodine, which all play an essential part in keeping your body healthy.

I love to have omelette night on a Monday. It is quick, convenient and healthy (as long as it is filled with the right ingredients). Mine is often filled with spinach, sometimes chicken sausages and lots of other veg, topped off with a small sprinkling of cheese (Applewood smoked or Parmesan have such great flavour you barely need any).

Alternatively, I also make great baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce, now that is to die for. Watch out for the recipe soon!...

This week's healthy feasts

Vegetarian Mexican casserole,
Avocado, rice cake and poached egg,

Banana cookies

This week I have embarked on a culinary experiment.

I eat meat but I do love having a few days without it as it can be a bit heavy on my stomach. I have also been having trouble with my stomach lately and I suspect it is a wheat or gluten intolerance.

So I have tried a couple of new healthy recipes to try and get my tummy happy again. (Apologies about my sloppy presentation and photographs).


Guacamole and poached egg on rice cakes: 

The avocado, rice cake and poached egg is pretty straight forward and came from me having half an hour to rush a lunch using the few ingredients I had in.

So these new buckwheat rice cakes are brilliant. Only 29 calories and full of healthy seeds.

I love avocado, it is rich and creamy and full of healthy fats, it was a no brainer really - the guacamole and rice cakes would be a match made in heaven. But I needed more. It had to be more substantial to keep me going for the rest of the afternoon. My go to protein is eggs and I love poached egg.
Essentially I made my own healthy version of egg on toast. I upped the benefits by using super foods.

It was really delicious and will be a regular meal in future.

Banana cookies

These banana cookies were delicious and satisfied my sugar cravings. You only need three ingredients and they take 20 minutes to make.

Mash or blend two medium bananas to make a smooth paste, mix in a cup of oats and a quarter of a cup of chocolate chips - or dried fruit if you prefer. Scoop out onto a baking tray, (it made about 12 for me) and bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Then enjoy!

Mexican casserole

Now this was something special. As someone who loves Mexican food and peppers this was perfect. I made it for friends and it served six so I had two portions left over for the next day.

I fried a load of peppers and onions in a pan, added some sweetcorn once the peppers had softened and sprinkled everything with chili powder and cumin.

Then I mashed up a tin of mixed beans and pulses with a bit of water to loosen them and made some enchilada sauce.

I used whole wheat tortilla strips and layered all the ingredients in a baking dish. Popped it in the over with some cheese on the top for 20 minutes and viola - a stunning dinner.
My boyfriend didn't even miss the meat!

Enjoy and keep an eye on my recipes page for instructions...

A hair affair

Help me! I'm going bald! Okay that might be a little over dramatic but for someone who has always had nice, thick hair, thinning hair is a catastrophe.
It had been coming out either in clumps or one strand after another.
I know hair does fall out and some people have hair that comes out more than others but this is noticeably worse than usual.
My sister is also a hairdresser and told me it did feel and look thinner.
I am a big champion of natural hair. Often you see me walking around with wet hair as I like to let it dry itself and it is rare it is brushed.
I have to admit, I have felt a little more stressed than usual.
Both work and play have been hectic so I cannot help but think it must be the cause.
I am an emotional eater so I have eaten a lot of comfort food lately. I'm sure that has not helped either.
So what do I do?
Upon my research I found that the three key nutrients for healthy hair are vitamin C, protein and iron.
Vitamin C is great for looking after your follicles and scalp oils, iron helps oxygen circulate through the strands and you hair is made up of 97% protein so the more you eat the more it reinforces it.
So what foods have these essentials in?
Unfortunately for me, most of the foods I found that were key to maintaining your mane, I eat virtually every day anyway.
These were:

Fish/poultry - Salmon is the best as it is high in omega 3 fatty acids as well as a lot of protein. These fats help grow hair and regulate scalp oils.

Greek yogurt - Again high in protein low in fat and sugar. It is regularly my choice in breakfast. You can pair it with so much as I do. Often I will stir in some vanilla extract or honey and add nuts. Sometimes I would get a bag of frozen forest fruits out because the liquid that comes off them really is delicious on the yogurt.

Walnuts - Another food high in omega 3 and funnily enough they are also great on the yogurt to double up my hair growing abilities. Or you can just grab a handful as a snack. I have to admit, alone I don't really like walnuts but as an ingredient in something they are brilliant. I do make a delicious apple and walnut salad which is great both in summer and winter. I will upload the recipe for that the next time I make it.

Sweet potatoes - Ohh god do I love these golden vegetables. Quick fact, they are not actually a part of the potato family. The antioxidant properties in the beta carotene turns in to vitamin A which helps all the cells in your body function. Also they help keep your scalp healthy. I absolutely love making sweet potato wedges. They only take half an hour, keep the skin on for extra fiber and texture. Coat in a little olive or coconut oil, keep it simple with salt and pepper or spice it up with cajun seasoning, you really can't go wrong and it is a great accompaniment to salmon.

Spinach - Virtually all my meals contain spinach, whether it is scrambled egg for breakfast, salad for lunch or cooked, again with salmon and sweet potatoes for a super food splurge. It is high in iron and we have already learned why that is key. And to make it a bit more special it is also high in vitamin C and beta carotene.

Finally eggs - My go to meal. Morning, noon or night. You cannot go wrong with eggs. Super high in protein with some iron in there too. I literally have eggs all the time. After a heavy evening work out it is great for a fast, filling meal. I often make a big omelette and throw in anything I have around, mushrooms, spinach and tomato is a favourite. Sometimes I make a cheesy omelette for more healthy fats, protein and calcium or you can make it meaty by adding ham, chicken or any kind of fish. Smoked salmon is a personal favourite - particularly around pay day!

So what can I do? I don't know I will just keep trying to eat well and see how it goes. I will eat even more of these staple foods and hope for the best.