This smells so amazing, you will be conflicted on whether to eat it or smother your body in it. While technically edible, this concoction is designed to scrub you smooth and scent you in delicious zesty sweetness. Making your own body scrub will give you a chance to get crafty and create the most delicious exfoliator that is all natural and affordable.
Lemon Meringue Body Scrub Ingredients:
1/2 a cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
8 drops of lemon oil
the zest of one lemon
a few capsules of evening primrose oil
Method:
Clean and sanitize a jar by soaking it in boiling water for ten minutes. I used a botanica juice jar I had on hand.
In a bowl, mix together the sugar, melted coconut oil, coconut and lemon oil. Add in the zest. Pierce the primrose oil tablets and squeeze into the mix. Make sure everything in combined.
Put into your jar and top with a small handful of coconut to finish.
This year I am not making any resolutions. I think we make the same resolutions every year, typically to be more healthy, lose weight, stress less, exercise more, spend more time with the family, work less, quite a bad habit, etc, etc. Setting rules for myself is something I no longer want to do but for 2015 I certainly have big dreams for my own happiness. I feel blessed to have 365 (well 358 now to be exact) days to spend with my family and friends, my beloved dog Pablo, enjoying my time in my beautiful apartment, moving my body, connecting with nature and exploring the world. A genuine feeling of positivity surrounds me in embarking on the new year and I just feel excited to be given each day.
My Chihuahua 9-month old Pablo
While I have strayed from traditional resolutions, I certainly endorse setting goals for yourself and seeing the new year as a fresh start. I have enrolled in an online nutrition course with the premise to sort through the conflicting information out there on how to achieve optimal health and to get the information I need to make an educated decision on how and what to eat. I want to take a step back from intense exercise after realizing my body is not designed for such strenuous activity (a neck and shoulder injury forced this epiphany) and I am shifting the focus back to lighter movements, lots of walking and plenty of stretching. An exciting European holiday is also set for the new year and I am having endless fun planning our travels; the Amalfi Coast here we come!
What do you have planned for the New Year ahead? If shifting your diet to include more nutritious and healthy options is one, you may have considered adding a protein powder into your meals. Protein is essential to have at each meal time and especially useful at breakfast as it revs up your metabolism to burn more calories for the day. It will also rebuild your muscles if you are embarking on an exercise program in 2015 which will help you to achieve your goals in both how you feel and how you look.
My good friend asked me about a protein powder the other day and after trying endless ones myself, I thought what would be the powder I recommend?
These are my top two:
100% Whey Isolate Protein Powder (I like Gold Standard): Whey is derived from a cheese by-product meaning it does contain dairy and isn't suitable for vegans. You can get this type of protein powder in many different brands but it is important to look for those labelled whey isolate as they fat and lactose (mostly sugar) is removed. There are two other types of whey proteins so you may want to do your own research. While not dairy-free, it's a type of protein usually tolerated by those sensitive to dairy but not intolerant. It does have a slightly milky taste. My tip would be to buy this product from a supplement store or online to get the best deal. These will be more expensive at pharmacies or grocery stores. Also see if you can get flavour samples before purchasing a large quantity as there is usually a lot of different flavours to choose from and you don't want to get stuck with a dud.
Sunwarrior Protein Powder: This is a great vegan option and is easily accessible, I can buy it from my grocery store. Again you can probably find the best deal online. This powder is made with fermented rice proteins, and is also gluten free. Some vegan proteins can taste super chalky but this one is pretty delicious although those comparing it to a whey protein may find it hard to palate.
There are hundreds of powders out there to choose from but this would be my golden rule. Always look at the label when deciding on a protein powder and make sure it doesn't contain any more that 7-10 ingredients. Try and find a powder with more natural ingredients. If you can't pronounce all the ingredient names, put it back on the shelf.
There is no question of the over consumption of sugar to be bad for your health. To think that type-2 diabetes (which is directly linked to poor diet) kills someone every six seconds around the world, it is no wonder that doctors are closely examining what we eat.
Move over saturated fat as sugar is now demonized as the old dreaded 'fats' once were. Books on eliminating sugar from your diet have repeatedly hit the best sellers' list in the past 18 months.
It's not just confectionary items that give you a sugar overload. With 80% of processed foods containing sugar including many perceived 'healthy' foods, some people are unwittingly consuming much more of the sweet stuff than they may realize. Cereals, yoghurt, muesli bars and sauces are all culprits for loading up your sugar dose, quite often those labelled 'low-fat' or '97% fat-free'.
With a onslaught of 'healthy eating' practices bombarding the public it is no wonder we are confused. Paleo eaters boast the benefits of eating meat, giving up sugar entails bumping up your fat intake and new research tells us meat shouldn't be eaten regularly for good health. Each piece often seems to contradict one another and after sugar got beaten around in the media, health experts started to tell us not to quit sugar as your body needs it for clean fuel. You can't blame the public for throwing in the towel.
Personally quitting sugar has worked for me. I lost weight easily and realized how much sugar I had unknowingly been eating with my breakfast cereals, love for honey toast, sugary yoghurt snacks and afterwork cocktails. I never thought to think about what it was doing to my body until I stopped eating it and gained much more energy, mood stability and maintain a weight 6 - 7 kilos lighter than when I ate more sugar.
Australian TV actor and filmmaker Damon Gameau set about to do the reverse of my lifestyle change and revert back to eating sugar in a seemingly 'healthy way' for 60 days. His journey is documented in 'That Sugar Film' where Damon completely changes his health in a mere few months. The shocking results on his mental and physical wellbeing were staggering. Within a few weeks he had the beginning of fatty liver disease, he felt on edge and was terribly tired. Damon had gained 10cm of visceral fat around his waist and was informed he was on the fast-track to obesity.
“I had no soft drink, chocolate, ice cream or confectionery,” Damon told Australian program 'Sunrise'. “All the sugars that I was eating were found in perceived healthy foods, so low-fat yoghurts and muesli bars and cereals and fruit juices, sports drinks ... these kind of things that often parents would give their kids thinking they’re doing the right thing.”
A typical breakfast for Damon would have low-fat yoghurt, cereal and apple juice containing 20 teaspoons of sugar (where 4 grams of sugar relates to one teaspoon of sugar). He believes many people don't realize they are consuming so much sugar and that labeling in ambiguous and misleading.
SOME OF OUR WORST SUGAR OFFENDERS ... according to Damon
Raisin toast (4 teaspoons per slice)
250ml popular liquid breakfast drink (4 teaspoons)
250ml bottle of multi-vitamin juice (6 teaspoons)
Iced tea (8 teaspoons)
Powerade (8 teaspoons of sugar)
400ml apple juice (10 teaspoons)
A serve of low fat yoghurt (11 teaspoons)
A low-fat strawberry standard size smoothie (18 teaspoons)
I am looking forward to seeing this documentary when it is released in March 2015.
Hi my lovely readers, I just got back from a trip to L.A. and Las Vegas and found some really delicious foods and inspiration for healthy recipes! I ate out everyday and (most of the time) managed to find healthy options in keeping with my dietary rules. One lunch I particularly enjoyed was this gorgeous grilled salmon with a berry salad, arranged on a bed of mesculin lettuce and filled with blackberries, red grapes, pomegranate seeds, sliced strawberries, finely diced celery and shredded basil. (I didn't partake in the creamy balsamic dressing....)
When I came across this product, I firstly couldn't work out what it was! Powdered peanut butter sounds pretty strange but I knew I wanted to know more because like many, I am totally addicted to peanut butter. I have never pinpointed the cause for my addiction; I didn't eat it as a child, I don't particularly like peanuts (yes that really doesn't make any sense) and my mum thinks peanut butter is disgusting (she is British and thinks marmalade is the way to go). Nevertheless I have to ration my peanut butter purchases as I have been known to eat a whole jar in a matter of days....which led me to think, is there an alternative?
My addiction is not a unique one; many fitness junkies and weight watchers like myself find it hard to resist peanut butter. It is filling and nutritious, full of good fats and protein, which makes it a great fitness food. However, it is just so hard to stop at one tablespoon, which packs a punch of over 100 calories. After you've hastily spooned a few mouthfuls straight from the jar, you could easily of consumed over 500 calories, equating to over one hour of hard running on the treadmill. Phew! Peanut butter's high fat and calorie content is why some dieters will not go near the stuff but for those who are peanut butter lovers, what is the solution?
This is what leads us to this new product 'Powdered Peanut Butter'. At first, I could not understand why you would want to or how you would eat this powdered peanut concoction. Then I realised you can technically create your own peanut butter than is virtually fat-free. How the powdered stuff works is that you mix the powder with water to create a peanut paste that is 85% lower in fat and calories than regular peanut butter. To make the powder, manufacturers squeeze the oil from the peanuts to make a powder virtually free from the fat from the nuts. What is also helpful about this powdered form is the removal of the temptation to dunk your spoon into that gooey delicious spread and down 200 calories without realising it. You make the peanut butter substitute as you need it, and can adjust the consistency to your preference.
The most popular brand seems to be PB2, which pops up on a lot of fitness websites. I personally can't wait to get my hands on it and try it for myself. I'd love to hear from you if you are a peanut butter addict like me or have tried this substitute version. I might finally be able to kick my addiction, or really just replace it....
