Spring bouncers in - 4 days to go!

Cellulite is the bain of most women’s thighs and there are some easy things to do to help reduce it! REALLY – SO TAKE A LOOK.
image pintrest

1.WATER WATER WATER – get glugging! First thing of a morning, instead of reaching for your coffee have a warm cup of water with either a (big) squeeze of lemon or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. It will stimulate the digestion by activating the bile duct, liver and pancreas. GOODMORNING

2. WHOLEFOODS WHOLEFOODS  - I know I say it in every health tip post EAT WHOLEFOODS, foods from above the ground, on the ground or from under the ground – not from a packet, no nothing else in them, nada, nothing, zip, zilch, just food!

3. EAT FRESH -I can’t emphasize the importance of fresh and raw. Remember to pile those plates high with lots of variety and colour, douse it with flaxseed oil or olive oil and vinaigrette. Eat lots of vegies, salads, fruits; that include vitamin C and anti-oxidant packed fruits including blueberries, blackberries, citrus and kiwifruit.

4. KEEP ON MOVING – exercise is the key to get that fat moving! It forces you to breathe, it stimulates the lymphatic system and your circulatory system, it shakes it all about and prevents stagnation. The best form of exercise to tone up those legs for summer is walking, running or cycling – so on your bike!

5. DRY SKIN BRUSH – one of my favourites – Dry skin brushing, use upwards strokes towards the heart and move everything on to your natural waste elimination channels. Search my blog and finds a whole article on this!

6. PAMPER THY SELF – Book in now for a massage, you deserve it, treat yourself. And of course the best type of massage to reduce the appearance of cellulite is a Lymphatic drainage. Wouldn’t it be lovely to schedule yourself in for one of those every month?

7. STIMULANTS - and not just the coffee type, although is has been known to come into play but try adding ginger and chilli to your meals. Or supplement with medicinal herbs such as Hawthorn berries, Gingko and Bacopa all will increase blood circulation to the peripherals and help breakdown cellulite.

Magnesium an elemental mineral - what's it good for?

Magnesium in our community is an underrated mineral. I have just had a client tell me that she thinks it has changed her life! I also love Magnesium. And seemingly everyone else should – I remember one of my university lecturers saying the food with the most amount of magnesium in our trolley is usually in the block of chocolate!

Most of us know that magnesium is specific for our Musclo-skeletal system, it helps our muscles relax, and restores and repairs them after we work out, it helps ease our aches and pains. We use magnesium to prevent muscle spasms, twitches, convulsions and tremors.

The secondary action of Magnesium and I feel it’s most important – it works on our nervous system. It helps maintain healthy nerve function; aids nerve transmission, and ultimately helps our brain function properly. It helps us deal with stress and is involved in aiding cellular energy production.

It is very difficult to get the recommended daily intake of magnesium from our foods, various reasons being - the content of magnesium in our soil is often low, processing and milling removes 60% of magnesium stores and cooking in water also causes leaching.

Food sources that include Magnesium are:

• Leafy greens; Spinach
• Nuts: Almonds, cashews
• Soyabeans: non GM is best
• Whole grains, oatmeal, bran
• Milk and dairy; Natural yoghurt

Symptoms magnesium can treat:

• Muscle cramps, aches and pains
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue
• Depression
• Anxiety
•  Irritability
• Sleep disturbances and Insomnia
• Stress
• PMS and period pain
• Pregnancy; prematurity and prevent intrauterine growth retardation
• Cardio-vascular health

One third of Australians over 18 years do not get their recommended daily intake of magnesium and a deficiency may be exacerbated by stress, strenuous exercise and poor absorption. It is best to use a practitioner range of magnesium because it is formulated properly and will prevent you from having gastro-intestinal cramps and loose stools. 

Our Favourtite breakfast

I guess this is our houses favourite breakfast only because it is the one that is eaten on most mornings of the week. I started making this muesli years ago because the organic, store bought cereals were too expensive. I couldn't conceive paying over $10 for a 300g bag of fancy muesli that was eaten in a few sittings (lives with a hungry man), and I could make it myself without the dried fruits which adds too much sugar.


It is a (VERY) simple recipe that when made gives you a complete protein, so eat our muesli with joy and I hope that it gives you enough energy to get through the morning.


Here's our Muesli Recipe (all grains and seeds are organic)
Oats 
Almonds
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Sunflower seeds
Mix all the ingredients in a large jar.
Oats are the main ingredient and the other seeds and nuts are a sprinkling through out.

Serve with cut up fresh fruit (whatever is in season) berries, stone fruit, bananas, kiwis, pears.
Add milk (this combined with the seeds/nuts/grains/dairy makes it a complete protein).


I usually add a dollop of natural yogurt and honey.
Chew lots and enjoy.
xx

Beans, Beans make you…………

Pulses and Legumes are an important part of a healthy diet for meat eaters and vegetarians. Here's some info about beans!

CHICKPEAS - contain saponins, a group of SUPER-NUTRIENTS that act as ANTIOXIDANTS. A good source of FIBRE - 42% of our daily intake in ONE CUP. Add them to your salad today.

GREEN PEAS – are a great source of VITAMIN C, 1 cup provides about 23mg. And this helps the IRON in the peas to be absorbed by our body.

LENTILS – are an excellent source of PROTEIN when combined with rice or wholegrains they are high in FIBRE, which makes them a good protector against bowel cancer. Lentils are an important source of B vitamins, especially B3, which is essential for both a healthy nervous system and digestive system. They are high in iron, zinc and calcium and are a good replacement for red meat. GO LENTILS.

RED KIDNEY BEANS - are a very good source of FOLATE, which assists our nervous system, they are also high in dietary FIBRE and manganese. Red kidney beans are a good source of protein, thiamin (vitamin B1), phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium and vitamin K.

SOYA BEANS - contain all of the essential amino acids making it a (near) complete PROTEIN. Also they contain ISOFLAVONES, which are good for BONE HEALTH

Easy Ideas for Breakfast

• A Poached egg on toast with a side of rocket.
• A bowl of wholegrain cereal such as oats, topped with seeds and nuts, milk, yogurt and fresh fruit including berries, banana’s or kiwi’s.
• A fruit smoothie made with milk; soy, cows or rice, fresh fruit; berries, banana and honey. For extra oomph add a teaspoon of your favorite protein powder.

• Wholegrain toast topped with, tomato, avocado and humus, boiled egg and spinach, sardines or organic baked beans.
• Sardines on wholegrain toast.
• Untoasted muesli, Bircher or any topped with berries, stone fruit, half a banana and yoghurt.
• An omelet cooked with olive oil some mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.
• Pan fried tofu, mushrooms, onions and spinach on a wholegrain slice of toast drizzled in flaxseed oil.

A Vegetarian Baby

A friend asked me about vegetarian recipes for her baby. Now this could be controversial but I believe babies need red meat because red meat is the best source of Iron. And Iron in meat (haeme iron) is more easily absorbed than Iron (non-haeme iron) in vegetables.


Babies have immature gastrointestinal tracks, they are so very new and still developing and cannot therefore effectively digest and absorb everything they eat so it is important to fed them easily absorbed and digestible foods. And, as Iron in meat is more easily absorbed than veggie Iron this makes it a great source of Iron for babies.


Currently in Australia babies are encouraged to begin eating meat from 8 months, red meat is a terrific source of a complete protein and an easily digestible source of iron. The benefits of Iron include the production of haemoglobin, assists brain development and function, regulates body temperature and metabolism and lack of Iron directly affects the immune system. These are all important functions of a new and developing baby. If, (not only babies but) people don't eat and absorb enough iron they can acquire Iron deficiency anaemia, this can lead to a whole range of problems.


Iron benefits, deficiencies, food sources
Iron deficiency anaemia


Other sources of iron include wholegrains, nuts, eggs, legumes, seeds and of course iron fortified cereals - most baby foods including rusks have Iron added.


Also meat is a primary source of a complete-protein. Proteins primary function is to build and repair tissues and cells in the body and then amino acids which are the building blocks that make up proteins are key factors in aiding most of the functions and processes of the body - therefore proteins are very important in the growth and development of our babies. And I hear you ask that there is protein in seeds, nuts, grains, dairy but unless they are combined they are not complete proteins.


So a few easy red meat ideas for new babies are lamb cutlets and mince meat.  Mince meat is great because it's an easy protein source and can easily be made into lots of things; a shepards pie, rissoles, bolognese sauces and I make what I call a Moroccan style bolognese - with beans and potatoes in it (but no real spices). Of course you can source the best quality organic meats for you and your bubba. I know people choose to eat or not eat meat for all sorts of reasons,  ethical, cultural, religious, financial but my suggestion is in the first few years it is a good idea to feed your babies meat and they can later make their own decisions. If you choose to feed your baby as a vegetarian it is important to serve Vitamin C with every meal to prevent anaemia.


From 8 months I fed my baby lamb chop cutlets - he loved it, but that's not to say all will!