A juice for silky smooth skin

One of the best things about my juicing obsession is that I no longer have to wear foundation (this saves me a fortune and has rid me of that horrible ‘I have had foundation on for far too long today feeling’)

My uneven skin tone has vanished, as have my under eye bags and my skin is silky smooth and glowing (oh yeah how much do you want to stroke my face right now??).

My current favourite juice is carrot and red pepper and I drink at least a litre of the stuff a day.  Carrots are packed full of beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A in the body.  Vitamin A is the bad boy which sorts out your skin, eyes and gives you a healthy glow.  Studies have shown eating as little as one carrot a day improves skin colour, tone and reduces wrinkles (yup I am now at the stage where wrinkles actually worry me) so imagine what a juice packed with four carrots will do to your lovely little face.

Carrot and Red Pepper Juice

This makes enough for one litre.  Feel free to half the quantities if you are not quite as in love with juice as I am!

4 x carrots
1 x red pepper (I cannot explain how good red pepper in juice tastes, plus they have more Vitamin C than oranges so great during cold and flu season)
1 x stalk of celery
1 x cucumber
1 x apple
2 x sprigs of parsley (not strictly necessary but great cleanser if you have it)
2 x inches of ginger

So if you have a juicer just put them all through the juicer.

If you operate a high speed blender like me, blend with a cup of coconut water (to get the vegetables moving) and then strain through a milk bag.  More information on this method here.

5 Top tips for Juicing success

Ok we all know I love a good vegetable juice – a juice per day is pretty non-negotiable in my book!

I have told you why juicing is so good for you, so now I have some top tips to get the most from your juicy experience.

1. Add some oil to your juice

Yup sounds like a bit of a weird one.  Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble and numerous scientific studies show our body absorbs them better when we consume them with a little bit of fat.  So add a tiny dash of high quality extra virgin olive oil to your juice to get maximum absorption (I have a bottle of high quality organic oil which I use solely for juices, it is too good to cook with, so although it might seem expensive initially remember it lasts a looonnnggg time).

2. Drink your juice on an empty stomach

So as discussed before the whole point of juicing is to give your body a nutrient blast.  If you still have your breakfast floating about in your stomach then you are going to absorb less of those vital nutrients you are trying to get to.  So have it first thing in the morning to give yourself an energy blast and absorb the most of those much desired vitamins.  (I drink a large glass of juice first thing in the morning and then have another before lunch and dinner.)

3. Use a milk bag to strain your juice

So believe it or not I don’t actually own a juicer.  I own a high speed blender which I use to blitz my vegetables and then I use a milk bag to remove the fibre.  A high speed blender is a multi purpose tool, you can make smoothies, raw treats and nut milks using it.  Whereas a juicer you can just….well juice.  Using a milk bag rather than a juicer involves a hell of a lot less cleaning, as all of the pulp is in one place rather than up your walls and stuck in various pieces of the machine.  You also get a lot more juice from your veg by using a milk bag rather than your standard juicer.  Winning.

4. Start off fruity, then ditch it!

So nobody is doubting fruit is great for you, but….vegetables are better.  So you want to make your juice as packed full of vegetables as possible but I understand a pure vegetable juice is a pretty daunting thought at the start of your juicing journey.

Start by using 3 apples or pears per litre, then gradually reduce the fruit until you find you are nearly 100% vegetables and it still tastes great to your newly adjusted savoury taste buds!!  A couple of things you can do to make the juice more palatable is by adding some coconut water, as this is naturally sweet,and adding lots of ginger to give it a kick.

5. Match your colours

Don’t know where to start with which fruit and vegetables go together?  It is as simple as keeping the colours together.  Trust me nothing looks more unappealing than a brown juice!!  So keep your greens together for a fresh fruity little number and your reds, oranges and yellows for a sweet earthy juice.  Cucumber is the exception chuck that bad boy in with EVERYTHING!

Hopefully that will give you a good starting point, especially with detox January fast approaching.

Remember you can contact me through my facebook page with any questions or comments.

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.

RUNNING. Discuss

So yesterday I completed my FIFTH MARATHON in the form of the rather hilly (world’s biggest understatement) Loch Ness Marathon.

If you had told me four years ago I would have completed five marathons and be exercising daily in four years time I would have laughed in your face.

So why did I get healthy?

Just over three years ago I found out that my Dad had Motor Neurone Disease.  This is a terminal degenerative disease which slowly paralyses the sufferer whilst they retain full mental awareness.

I didn’t have a clue how to deal with this and as a way of rallying support for my Dad I decided to run a half marathon for the MND Association (http://www.mndassociation.org/).

Problem was I had never ran in my life.  So with the help of my amazing flatmate Krissy we decided to teach ourselves to run.

It was slow and tedious.  Literally learning to run for one minute, then five minutes, then ten minutes and finally building up to a steady (and EXTREMELY SLOW) five km.

But we stuck with it and somehow got round our half marathon and decided to sign up for a full marathon (Idiots).

Then I realised running was so much more than exercise

Unfortunately later that year my Dad lost his battle to MND.  I was devastated (and to be honest I still am on a daily basis) but discovered only I could help myself.

I gave up alcohol which I realised was making me depressed and threw myself into running.  I realised that running could help calm me down when I was distraught, it was good thinking space and almost meditative to me.

I still use running in this way, if I am stressed at work I go and run, if I am upset I go and run.  The added side effect is weight loss and generally feeling frigging amazing.  And just for fun I do marathons.  So let’s discuss those bad boys.

Marathons, marathons and more marathons

So somehow I am now deemed a marathon runner.  Which is mental!

I did Milton Keynes as my first marathon, then last year I somehow ended up doing THREE MARATHONS IN A MONTH for charity.  Thanks to my keen supporters I raised £5000 for MNDA.

This year I asked for a Loch Ness marathon place for my birthday (I am appalled with what I have turned in to) and now have 4 sub 4 hour marathons under my belt.

This is me after I finished yesterday.

So here are some marathon running tips I have picked up along the way (Note these are not marathon specific and whether you are running your first five km or a half marathon these tips will stand you in good stead).

RUNNING TOP TIPS

1. Energy gels and sports drinks are bulls**t

Go to the start line of any race and you will see people have energy gels hanging from their running belts (I saw someone with TEN yesterday, how far were they intending to run?!).  Personally I think they are all crap and you are just filling your body with chemicals, caffeine and, need I mention, SUGAR.  I ran yesterday with the assistance of two very soggy, slightly sweaty, dates and managed to complete the marathon without feeling faint.  Jelly babies are perfect for a sugar hit if you feel you are struggling, but if you are sugar sensitive like moi then dates will do just as well.  Have a coconut water afterwards to get your electrolytes back in check.

2. Running is in your head not your legs

Ok so you need a certain level of leg strength but let me tell you long distance running is all about not giving up.  Your body is more than capable to keep running but if your mind lets you down and tells you to stop then you will.  Try yoga to build some mental strength if that is your thing.  Or do what I do, break the marathon down into ten km sections and tell myself JUST KEEP RUNNING.

3. Chew gum

I always chew gum when I am running as it keeps my mouth fresh and keeps the saliva flowing so I don’t feel dehydrated.  Weird but it works.

4. Don’t over think it

To date I have never managed to stick with a marathon training plan and do not even bother looking at them now.  I think you can turn a marathon into this HUGE DEAL in your head and you know what, it just isn’t.  If you want a plan to give you confidence and comfort that you have done enough then use one.  But if like me you know you won’t stick to it and it will just end up leaving you feeling like a failure, then just do your own thing but make sure you get some distance in at the weekends.

5. Reel it in

As soon as you start everyone bolts off and it is tempting to do the same.  You will be pumped up with adrenaline and raring to go after waiting about to start.  Pick your pace and stick to it, trust me at mile 14 you will be passing the people who overtook you at the start and they will be completely burnt out whilst you are just starting to get into your stride.  I do negative splits, so run the first half slower than the second half. This ties into my ‘running is in your head tip’, as if you do the first half and come away thinking ‘that was easy’ it mentally makes the second half so much easier to handle.

And don’t forget running is all about competing with yourself.  So don’t be overwhelmed with other people’s running achievements, just start running one minute at a time and before you know it you will have ran five marathons and be writing bloody blog posts about it!!

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).

Healthy Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Do you struggle with sweet cravings?? (Bear with me here)

When your body is craving sugar it is because it NEEDS something. So it is not just a lack of willpower on your part. But before you grab the nearest biscuit thinking your body wants a chocolate digestive read on…

If you are craving sweet things there is likely a lack of sweet vegetables in your diet. Evidence (and experience) shows that incorporating more sweet vegetables into your diet will help you reduce and manage these sweet cravings.

So how about having this tasty and easy to make curry which has sweet potato, carrots and cauliflower (all sweet veg) for dinner to help reduce your biscuit intake? Win win.

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Time to make – 30 minutes

Makes enough to feed four

Ingredients for the Curry

1 x Large Sweet Potato
1 x Medium Cauliflower
2 x Medium Carrots
1 x Can of Coconut Milk
2 x teaspoons of chopped chilli
1 x teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 x teaspoon of chopped ginger
1 x tablespoon of fish sauce (leave this out of you want to make it vegan)

For serving

4 x handfuls of kale
1 x tablespoon of sesame oil
1 x cup of brown rice
2 x tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

1. Put your brown rice on to boil for 30 minutes

2. Chop the sweet potato, cauliflower and carrots into chunks then put in a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes or until soft (Don’t go too soft as it will turn to mush)

3. Take your kale and use your hands to rub the sesame oil into the leaves

4. Drain your veg and add the coconut milk and spices. Once you have added the coconut milk there is no need to cook the curry further

5. Drain your rice and rinse with warm water

6. Serve the curry with your massaged kale salad and brown rice. Top with pumpkin seeds.

7. Goodbye sweet cravings.

One top tip to make being healthy EASY

The key to good health is preparation and commitment. Not exactly sexy, but if you want to make it you have to do it.

I think smoothies and juices are a great way of getting lots of vitamins and minerals into your system. But bugger chopping the fruit and veg every morning at 5.30am to prepare myself a fresh juice before yoga!

So one thing I do every Sunday is cut up enough fruit and veg for 5 smoothies.

I then sort them into individual smoothies portions and put them into individual sandwich bags.

Then I put them into the freezer. You don’t lose nutrients by freezing fruit and veg so win win as far as I am concerned!

Then when it comes to smoothie time just chuck in the blender with your liquid of choice and you are good to go.

An added bonus is that you end up with less fruit and veg waste.

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:

The easiest way to increase your vegetable intake

In case you did not know….Vegetables are pretty damn good for you.  They are rich in fibre – which can stabilise blood sugars preventing diabetes, aid digestion reducing bowel cancer, and reduce the risk of heart diseases.  They are also high in a whole range of vitamins and nutrients – the benefits of which we can discuss another day.

But personally I think the biggest win is that if you increase your vegetable intake you will significantly decrease the amount of bad food you eat.  If you stuff yourself with broccoli you won’t have room for the chips (or not as many anyway).

Sometimes a plate full of veg can seem unappealing so I have ‘created’ the concept of a VEG BLEND.  Which does as it says on the tin (not that we use tins around these parts).  So it literally is just any vegetables you can find in your fridge, blended together with some seasoning.  Super versatile, super filling and super quick to make.

It is a great way to use up any vegetables you have lying about in your fridge and easy to trick children (and you) into eating more vegetables.

You do however need a food processor, which can be picked up pretty cheap if you don’t already have one.

Veg blend top tips:

1. Be brave, anything goes, but if in doubt stick to blending vegetables of similar colours;

2. Keep your blender on the lowest setting so you don’t end up with a vegetable juice by mistake;

3. Use seasoning – lemons, chilli, garlic, mint, lime, apple cider vinegar, pesto, whatever floats your boat really.  This will differentiate your veg blend so you don’t always end up with the same green mush.

The joy is that it tastes different every time and rarely does it ever taste bad.

Veg blend ideas:

Mediterranean tuna and wholemeal pasta

Main ingredient here is tomatoes, then mix in whatever you have in your fridge (courgettes, red peppers, broccoli, celery, carrot…you catch my drift, whatever you have chuck it in).

Add some tomato pesto, chilli and garlic and blend.

Then add tuna and olives.  Heat up and add to wholemeal pasta..  Serve with a huge side of rocket and spinach.

Fresh green apple salad

 

I often add green apple to a veg blend if I am having it with a salad.  It makes it really tangy and fresh.

Add to anything green you have in your fridge – I usually use brussell sprouts (controversial I know but they are so good for you and you don’t taste them when mixed in – promise), courgette, celery, broccoli and couple of tomatoes.

Add some lime and chilli and blend.  Add to your favourite salad.

Thai blend

You can even make Thai veg blend by putting some coconut, fish sauce or thai paste and chilli into your blend.

Serve with rice noodles.

Be bold, be brave and BLEND.