Why you need to ditch low fat products NOW!!

So it seems like the obvious solution…Eating fat makes you fat right?  WRONG.

Since the introduction of low fat products in the 1980’s the obesity epidemic has continued to spiral out of control.  Nearly two thirds of British adults are overweight or obese.  A shocking statistic, but perhaps not as worrying as the fact that nearly a third of UK children are classed as overweight or obese.

Demonizing and avoiding fat is clearly not working to reduce these statistics.  Fat is a actually a key component to a healthy diet, although I am not proposing you load up on the cheeseburgers.  Good fats such as Omega 3 laden fish (think salmon or mackeral), nuts, seeds and vegetable oil (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and avocado’s to name a few) play an important part in weight loss and general healthy living for a number of reasons:

• Fats keep you full

Ever noticed for eating your low fat cereal bar for breakfast doesn’t quite do the job and you are snacking by 10.30am.  That is because fat sates hunger.  Although it it is true that fat contains twice as many calories gram for gram as carbohydrates, fat works to reduce your appetite thereby causing you to eat less.

• Fat provides essential fatty acids and increases your vitamin absorption 

Good fats contain essential fatty acids which maintain your blood vessels, nervous system and make hormones.  In addition to this fat in our diet allows us to absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.  These vitamins support our immune system, hair and skin, so without them we are not going to feel or look too great.  Get eating that avocado!!

• Fat makes food taste good

Some may think this is not a good reason in itself to eat fat, but lets be honest the worst part of dieting is the feeling of deprivation.  If you can have foods which taste good you are much less likely to crave the bad guys and therefore less likely to cave and eat crap!  Nothing is going to spur you on to continue to eat healthy than realising you are not missing out.

So the issue with low fat products is two fold, not only are you missing out on good fats, you are also exposed to the various chemicals the food manufacturers use to replace the fat they removed from the product.  And one of the most highly used replacements is the demon SUGAR.

Since the low fat craze of the 80’s our sugar consumption has risen from an average of 40lbs per year to a whopping 152lbs.  To put it in real terms for you, that is like eating my body weight in sugar and then half again.  That is a lot of sugar!

Given that sugar consumption is closely linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, removing fat and pumping products full of the stuff is not going to help us get thinner or healthier!

A daily sugar filled soft drink leaves you 80% more likely to develop Type II Diabetes.  Those odds must be enough to convince anyone to avoid sugar.  But it is not that easy as studies have shown that sugar is EIGHT TIMES more addictive than cocaine.  So not only is sugar making us fat and ill, we are becoming addicted to the white stuff at the same time.

I think it is safe to say that the moral of the story is as far as possible eat food which remains as close to its real state as possible.  Fat is not the enemy and your body cannot function properly without it.  Sugar on the other hand…..

Looking for an alternative to carbs?

So we have already established that CARBS ARE NOT THE DEVIL.  Cutting out an entire food group is never a good idea, especially as wholegrain carbs play a huge role in balancing blood sugar and reducing sugar cravings.  But if you are one of those people that carbs just stick to then you may still want some alternatives.

One of my favourite things for dinner is vegetable curry but curry without rice is a depressing thought!  That is why I often make cauliflower rice which is a great way to get another vegetable in you and the perfect way for a carb free meal.

Another firm favourite is courgette spaghetti.  I eat this with stir fry or with a chunky vegetable tomato based sauce in lieu of pasta.

And as per usual the best bit is they are incredibly simple to make and even easier and quicker than the carb heavy alternatives.

Cauliflower rice

Makes enough for two 

Take half a head of cauliflower and break it up into florets.  Put these florets in your food processor on a slow setting until you get a rice like consistency.

You can eat it raw but I tend to fry it in a little bit of coconut oil just to warm it up and it gives it a nice texture.

Courgette Spaghetti

This little contraption is going to revolutionise your life. (This version is not as fun but less of a financial commitment if you just want to give it a shot).

So easy to use, just put your courgette into the contraption and turn the handle….Done!  You could heat the spaghetti up in a pan with some coconut oil if you fancy, but I usually just eat it as it is.

You can also spiralize carrots, cucumber and any other vegetable you can think of.  But courgette works best for absorbing sauces.

Wellbeing….tell me more….

The lovely Liz from Wellmeaningbeing asked me to be part of her Wellbeing series and asked me what wellbeing meant to me.  It was strange that I was on this wellness mission yet had never stopped to write down what all this even meant to me.  So I did…..

To me wellbeing means….

Feeling your very best every single day.  To me wellbeing is all about you.  So it is changing your lifestyle to make it the healthiest it can be.  For some that may mean being a tee total super runner yogi raw vegan, but for me it is finding a balance between giving my body and mind what it needs and deserves.

I don’t binge drink, but I do have a glass of wine on occasion or some fizz to celebrate a special occasion.  I don’t generally eat pizza on a Monday, but if it is a friends birthday then I will happily celebrate at a pizza restaurant with them any day of the week!  I exercise daily, but if I go out on a run and my body isn’t feeling it, I will respect that and try again the next day.

 Wellbeing means commitment to yourself.  It means mental strength and determination.  But is also means satisfaction, happiness and self-love that you have nourished and cared for your body to the best of your ability.

My wellbeing mission is for people to realise that being ‘healthy’ does not have to be all or nothing, and that it does not need to take over people’s lives.  I want to show people that making small changes will help you feel at your very best every single day.  And gradually these small changes become habits that are engrained in your life and you wouldn’t even consider eating a Mars Bar because you know it would make you feel so bloody awful (true story).

I want people to fall in love with food again.  It is so sad that people (especially women) spend the majority of their lives feeling guilty for eating and hating their bodies.  I want to show people that they can eat healthily, feel good about themselves and their bodies and for it to taste a MILLION times better than the bad food which forms a part of our daily life.

As part of my wellbeing mission I am currently working with Jack Beanstalk Juice to open a juice bar in Balham.  We want the juice bar to be an educational hub where the local community can come to learn about how to make their lives that little bit healthier.  And there will, of course, be great juices and healthy treats such as raw chocolate, energy balls etc

As we are a start up business we are crowdfunding to show our prospective landlord that we have community support and that people want an educational juice bar in Balham.  For more information on what we are about please see our crowdfunder website and if you can pledge it will make all the difference to our wellbeing mission.

THE REVOLUTION STARTS HERE!!!

My 3 Day Juice Cleanse Diary

So before we start.  I have a confession to make.  I have previously had two failed juice cleanses, one mildly (read sneaky salad and banana) and one completely (read tuna and cheese sandwich on the second and thereby final day).

But I had a good feeling about this one.  Perhaps it was because the lovely Jack from Jackbeanstalk Juice (www.jackbeanstalk.co.uk, twitter.com/jbeanstalkjuice, facebook.com/jackbeanstalkjuice) was joining me for moral support and avocado drooling sessions.  Also he has some of the nicest fresh juices I have ever tried.  So two litres of those bad boys a day seemed like a bit of a treat.

Then Jack said ‘I am going to do you a hardcore bespoke vegetable only cleanse’ and the fear reappeared.

Why would anyone want to drink only vegetable juice all day anyway??

You like holidays right?  Of course you do.  You get a chance to relax and catch up on all those things you never quite got round to whilst you had your day job to do.

Your body likes them too.  Especially your digestive system.  All day we shovel food into our bodies and expect our body to deal with the thankless task of digestion whilst we rush around stressed out with our busy little life’s.

When you give your digestive system a break for 1, 3, 5 or even 7 days, it gets going with the housework it has been putting off.  So it starts digging into your cells and removing the toxins you jam in there every day from eating pesticides, breathing in pollution and drinking toxic alcohol.

So toxin removal plus shed loads of nutrients from all those vegetables you are juicing up results in a very healthy happy digestive system.

Sooo how was it?

SURPRISINGLY EASY.  And I am being serious about this.

My aforementioned cleanses resulted in severe headaches and tiredness as the toxins released.  But there was none of that this time and at no point did I feel hungry.  I bounded through the day, didn’t once feel faint, had better than average concentration and even managed a daily run and Bikram yoga class.

Or that is at least until it was evening.  I felt a huge emotional attachment to eating in the evening.  So although my body was not hungry per se my mind didn’t quite understand why I was not chewing anything pre bed.

Solution was going to bed earlier and this seemed to work because I would wake up in the morning and feel fine again.

Until the last day that is.  Staying in on a Saturday night studying is never cool, but especially when you haven’t eaten for 3 days and the finish line is in sight.  And then half an avocado peels itself cuts itself up and jumps into your mouth.  Damn it.

So what happened next?

Well for starters I lost 4lbs.  That is a lot for someone of my size in such a short period of time.  Especially because I was not aiming to lose weight.  I did not realise it was possible for my stomach to look this flat.  It almost seemed worth just surviving on juice forever more!

My skin was sparkling and the uneven skin tones had really evened out.

I also felt really energised and needed far less sleep.  I had taught myself I did not need food every two hours to keep myself going and that the second my stomach rumbled I did not need panic I would faint and feed it whatever was nearest to hand.

Get me on board now

Sounds like a pretty good deal right.  You drink lovely fresh juices all day long whilst losing weight and your body gets extra nutrients and a little holiday.

I loved it so much it took me until 3pm on the day after the cleanse to have anything but juice!  And I am currently day dreaming of juice whilst I write this.

So the man you want to speak to is Jack from Jackbeanstalk Juices (jack@jackbeanstalk.co.uk) who is happy to arrange daily collection or delivery.  The 3 day cleanse is only £75 which I thought was a bargain as often you are looking nearer the £200 mark for these type of cleanses.

One last thing

As great as it is to remove all of the toxins from your cells it is even more important to get them out of your system.  So there are various ways to do this including oil pulling, sweating them out (some sauna time or Bikram yoga both work well) and if you are feeling extra brave go see Ruth from the Cleansing Space (http://thecleansingspace.web-works.co/) for a bit of colonic hydrotherapy (by far your best option for optimal toxin removal).

The Perfect Protein Shake

I am currently marathon training (two weeks today ah) and find I need to get the nutrition right before I go out or else it can all end in disaster!!

I have put together this drink which is the perfect blend of protein, healthy fats and natural sugars to really get me through those long runs.

It is tempting to scrimp on calories and fats thinking you are undoing all the good work from your exercise. But really you are just starving your body and depriving it of the things it needs to repair itself.

Remember food is fuel, not entertainment, so if you nourish your body with what it needs it will repay you by looking HOT!!!

Blueberry, Banana and Almond Butter Protein Shake

Serves 2

Half a litre of almond milk (you could even make your own http://thehealthybluebird.com/2014/07/09/super-simple-almond-milk-recipe/ )
1 x tablespoon of almond butter (alternatively peanut butter or hazelnut butter work)
2 x bananas
1 x tablespoon of protein powder (personally I recommend the clean vegan proteins such a pea or hemp)
1 x punnet of blueberries
1 x teaspoon of coconut oil

Chuck it in your blender with a bit of ice and off you to!

The Healthy Blue Birds Raw Chocolate and Banana Brownies

I LOVE cake.  Like really really really really love cake.  So when I found out that there was cake out there that tasted INCREDIBLE and not only was it not bad for you, but it was actually GOOD for you, I was pretty damn stoked!

No-one can have failed to notice the recent media about how bad sugar is for you.  It has been likened to alcohol/drug addiction and has been labelled poison because of the part it plays in developing Type 2 Diabetes.

The good thing about these brownies is that they use natural ingredients such as dates and bananas to sweeten them.  They also contain cacao (remember that stuff from this article…https://thehealthybluebird.com/2014/06/23/this-one-is-good-news-for-the-chocoholics/) which has one of the highest antioxidant counts of all foods.

Anyway I know you are more excited about actually tasting them than hearing me bang on about how good they are for you, so here is the recipe…

Raw Vegan Chocolate and Banana Brownies

Makes roughly 12 (They are so rich and satisfying that I think you only need smallish bites not slabs)

Base

1 x cup pecans
1 x cup dates
4 x tablespoons of dessicated coconut
5 x tablespoons of cacao
1 x (overly) ripe banana
1 x tablespoon of maple syrup or Agave syrup (make sure it is 100% maple syrup and not sugar filled fake maple syrup, it will be clear from the ingredients)

Icing

1 x cup dates
1/4 x cup melted coconut oil
1/4 x cup cacao
1 x (overly) ripe banana
1/4 x cup water

For topping

1 x handful of pecans or banana chips

Now what the hell do I do???

1. Put the pecans, dates, coconut and banana in your food processor and blend until they bind together.  Add the syrup and cacao and either mix by hand or blast in the food processor until mixed.

2. Smooth base mix into a tin or tray.

3. Put dates, coconut oil, cacao and banana in the food processor and blend until all mixed in.  Add water until you get a thick gloopy texture (yup that is a technical term).

4. Spread icing onto the base mix.

5. Sprinkle the pecans or banana chips (or both – go nuts…no pun intended) on top of the concoction and put in the fridge for half an hour.

6. Slice the brownies and then put back into the fridge for a further 20 minutes.

These will last for a week in the fridge but I tend to put mine in the freezer and take out what I need for the day.  This also means they dont get mushed in transport as I take them to work as an afternoon treat/colleague bribery.

Fresh Summer Salad

Gone are the days where a salad is a bit of iceberg lettuce with tomato and a token slice of cucumber.

Personally I love a salad which mixes sweet and savoury as I find it keeps it interesting.

I eat this salad a lot for lunch or as a side salad to a main dish when I have people over.  It keeps well in the fridge so I make two days worth at a time to save prep time.  If doing this you might want to leave the apple cider vinegar until serving as it will make the spinach soggy otherwise.

Fresh Summer Salad

1 x handful of spinach
1/2 x green apple (Granny smith is my go to as it adds a nice tang)
1/2 x carrot
1/2 x avocado
1/4 x pomegranate
1/4 x beetroot
1/4 x tin chickpeas
1 x tablespoon of apple cider vingegar

Optional topping of tofu or prawns if you are using as lunch rather than a side salad.

1. De-seed pomegranate.  Top tip is to bash the skin with a wooden spoon prior to cutting as this will loosen the seeds.  Also the more ripe the pomegranate the easier it is to de-seed.

2. Grate the beetroot and carrot.

3. Cut apple and avocado into chunks.

4. Open tin of chickpeas and rinse with cold water.

4. Add all ingredients on top of spinach and drizzle (oh yeah) apple cider vinegar over the salad just before serving.

Why Carbs are NOT the Devil

Firstly I need to qualify this statement (being a lawyer and all) WHOLEGRAIN UNPROCESSED CARBS are not the devil.  However when it comes to the white stuff you can say what you want about those bad boys.

Carbs have had a pretty bad rep recently, with the Atkins, Dukan and Paleo diet banishing carbs from many a dieters plate.  But wholegrain carbs actually have huge health benefits and should play a fundamental part in every healthy blue bird’s diet.   The majority of the nutrients are contained in the germ and outer covering of the grain.  These are removed during the refining process, hence why white carbs have little nutritional benefit.

The Good, the Bad and the Absolutely Gorgeous

All very well, but what the hell are wholegrain carbs…

The Good – Literally ‘whole’ ‘grains’ such as brown rice, millett, quinoa, bulgar wheat (all bar bulgar wheat gluten free).

The Bad – white bread, bagels, pasta, crisps, white rice…these carbs are effectively sugar in disguise.

The Absolutely Gorgeous – VEGETABLES!  Full of healthy carbs with lots of vitamins and minerals thrown in for good measure

So tell us the benefits

Fibre, fibre and more fibre….Fibre is the part of a grain or vegetable that our body cannot digest, but that is actually where the benefit lies.  Fibre moves through the stomach and intestine, cleansing as it goes and, em well, keeps you regular.  A high fibre diet has been linked to a reduction in risk of certain types of cancer, particularly stomach, bowel and colon cancer.

Slowly digested…Wholegrain carbs are complex carbs which means they are slowly released keeping you fuller for longer thereby helping you control your weight. It also has the effect of controlling blood sugar levels which can reduce your chances of diabetes by 35%.

Carbs reduce cravings… Ever tried to cut an entire food group out of your diet?  Sugar cravings will take over your life, it is not pretty (thanks Mr Dukan)!  Adding wholegrain carbs into your diet will prevent this and make you less likely to cave.

Super duper cheap… not a health benefit but a huge advantage none the less

A word of warning

Food labelling standards only require a product to contain 1% wholegrain to make the wholegrain claim.  Also food manufacturers often colour their products with molasses (that is black treacle FYI) to trick consumers into thinking their products are brown and therefore whole grains.  When reading labels look for ‘whole wheat flour’ rather than ‘wheat flour’ (which is actually just good old white flour).

How to eat

Wholegrains are super simple to prepare – just chuck in boiling water as you would rice.

An easy way to introduce them into your diet is to substitute white carbs for wholegrains, ie rice, bread, pastas.  And if in doubt…..just eat more vegetables!!!!

Super simple Almond Milk recipe

Almond milk is a great alternative to dairy and has loads of health benefits – think glowing skin, aided digestion and weight management.

Although you can buy almond milks in most supermarkets they often contain a load of artificial sweeteners and preservatives to keep them fresh.

The good news it is super simple and cheap to make almond milk at home.

You can then use your very own homemade almond milk in your chia seed porridge (Find the recipe here – http://thehealthybluebird.com/2014/06/23/an-introduction-to-the-mighty-chia-seed/)

Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients
200g almonds (or why not go wild and try hazelnuts or cashews)
5 dates
1 Litre of water

Equipment:
Blender
Milk bag

1. Soak almonds for 2 hours (Note I am fully aware the picture is of hazelnuts!)

2. Put all ingredients in blender until fairly smooth

3. Put liquid through milk bag, squeezing the milk through (feel free to pretend you are milking a cow, it is great fun)

Em….that is it!

In case you are wondering where to get a milk bag from, you can get them from here:

Top 5 tips to improve your health

 

A colleague asked me today if I could give some tips on where to start if you are looking to make your life that little bit healthier.

With so many opposing theories on diet and exercise it is not surprising that many people are overwhelmed when they want to make a healthier lifestyle change.

If you only do 5 things to boost your health make it these super simple changes:

1. EAT MORE VEGETABLES

Everyone has heard the government guidelines that we should each eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.  But really think about it, did you eat yours today?  In the UK the average person eats under 3 portions of fruit and veg a day.  With studies showing that eating at least 7 portions of fruit and veg a day is linked to a 42% lower risk of death from all causes, it seems that the more fruit and veg you can jam in the better.  Your insides and energy levels will thank you.

Try having a smoothie, with a vegetable base, or making at least half of your plate for any meal vegetables

2. EAT LESS PROCESSED FOOD

We all know that processed food should be avoided if you want to maintain a healthy diet but most people crave them and find these cravings hard to resist.  This is not simply lack of willpower, as we are programmed to crave foods high in sugar, fat and salt as back in the day high calorie food was a survival mechanism.

And diet processed foods fare no better.  ‘Low fat’ alternatives are laden with sugar or artificial sweeteners, which will cause your body to crash and burn making you feel tired and guess what, more hungry!

Stick to products that you can identify have came from a natural produce.   Remember, although of course food should be enjoyed, our body needs food for energy, so give it something it can actually use

3. DITCH THE SOFT DRINKS

I just simply cannot see why in this day in age ANYONE drinks the toxic concoction that are soft drinks!  They are full of sugar, or even bloody worse artificial sweeteners, and cause you to gain loads of weight whilst giving you an unhealthy dose of carcinogenic agents on the side.

And don’t even get me started on ‘diet’ soft drinks, the biggest marketing scam there ever has been.  Studies have shown that diet drinks can make you 70% fatter.  Madness.

Try switching to sparkling water with some mint or lime or diluting juice (not perfect but anything is better than soft drinks).

4. DRINK MORE WATER

Over 80% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration leaves you feeling tired, constipated (grim), hungry (as we crave foods rich in water) and prematurely ages you.  All in all not ideal, get some water down you.

5. REDUCE YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE

One evening of binge drinking will lead the average person to consume an additional 6300 calories.  This amount of calories will lead to two pounds of weight gain.

Think of it this way, one pint of beer contains the same amount of calories as a packet of crisps, would you eat five packets of crisps in a row??  (Note the answer to this should be no, or you need to re-read Tip 2).

Perhaps start by avoiding alcohol in the home apart from on special occasions and when out maybe down a pint of water before allowing yourself your next alcoholic beverage.

And do you know what…it really is that simple. 

Just remember do not wake up one day and completely overhaul your life.  Try to incorporate one of these tips each week for the next five weeks and you will feel frigging amazing in 35 days! 

ps – can I add exercise as an extra??  But you all knew that one anyway right?!