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After eating lots of richer foods over Christmas I started 2012 feeling rather bloated and icky! I decided to focus on eating simple un processed foods during January, as well as avoiding coffee and alcohol. I wanted to just try and nourish myself as best as possible.

Towards the end of the year I had been sent products from Pukka Herbs and The New Zealand Honey Co to review, and I thought they would be perfect to save for use in January. As well as the products from these two companies I also included a couple of other products (purchased myself) to help with getting myself back on track:

Pukka Herbs sent me their Aloe Vera Juice and Chlorella tablets to try. I also bought some Linwoods Milled Flaxseed and some Dr Stuarts Tea as well as The New Zealand Honey Co products which came as part of this package full of natural immune boosting goodies:

Linwoods Organic Milled Flaxseed

I’d actually been using this for a long time anyway, but over January I made an effort to eat 1 tbsp a day, usually by adding some to one of my smoothies. Flaxseed is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids which because our body can not produce, means we need to obtain them via our diet. As a mostly vegan I can’t get my essential fats from the traditional oily fish so this is a great product for me. It is also high in dietary fibre which can help you to feel fuller and when mixed with water makes an excellent vegan egg replacer. As this is cold milled it is suggested that you store it in the fridge to prevent it going rancid. I also like that you can easily buy this from most supermarkets not just health food stores!

Dr Stuarts Detox Tea

I’m usually not a fan of anything that brands itself a ‘detox’ product in its own right but I love this tea! It has a really ‘clean’ flavour and I found that drinking it made my stomach feel better and less bloated. It includes dandelion and burdock root, milk thistle, sage, peppermint and liquorice. It was a really nice relaxing drink before bed.

The New Zealand Honey Co: Thyme, Manuka and Beech Forest Honey Dew Honey

I included honey in this delicious ‘black sesame jewel’ smoothie

Until I received these products I had not been aware of the health benefits of honey. I already knew it could be a great natural sweetener but these honey’s all have their own specific properties and health benefits. The thyme honey is high in antioxidants and is scaled against other foods like spinach and blueberries. The manuka honey is anti bacterial and anti inflammatory and the Beech Forest Honey Dew is high in natural sugars that feed the good bacteria in our gut (see the website for more information on how all these claims are established). All the honey’s are also 100% raw so will include their natural enzymes.

I was really impressed with these products. Each of them has a very unique flavour and I enjoyed including them in smoothies, porridge, yoghurt messes etc as well as just sucking on a spoonful at a time to give my general health a boost and with a hope of keeping any January colds and flu away. Due to its anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties I also made a special effort to include manuka honey while I was recovering from my wisdom teeth extraction. Of course I can’t say it was just down to the honey but I didn’t get any infections in my mouth (I wasn’t on antibiotics either) and I also avoided the colds that were doing the rounds at work, yey!

Pukka Aloe Vera Juice

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this product, I was concerned that it was going to taste awful but it certainly didn’t! Aloe Vera juice is reputed to aid digestion and beauty. The suggested intake is 5-6 tbsp a day taken before food. I tended to take 1-2 tbsp mixed with filtered water before bed. The taste was kind of light and grassy and quite pleasant. I definitely felt that this was soothing my digestive tract and tummy. I was also very impressed at the quality of this product compared to other brands of aloe vera I’ve seen since. The Pukka brand is free from synthetic preservatives and is cold pressed and unfiltered.

Pukka Chlorella Tablets

I had heard of chlorella before I received these tablets having been a long time fan of spirulina, a similar naturally derived algae. Chlorella is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet containing antioxidants, proteins and essential fatty acids. Its high chlorophyll content makes it very alkalising and good for detoxification as well as supporting the immune system. The suggested dose is working up to 6 tablets a day taken 3 times a day. I don’t like carrying tablets around with me so I tended to have two in the morning and two in the evening taken with my aloe vera juice. I also started chucking a few tablets in with my green smoothies. At first I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy these as in the past I’ve always used powders and added it to smoothies but now I would always go for the tablets as its much easier to take them than just being able to include it in your diet when your having a smoothie. Like the aloe vera juice, these are excellent quality, they are organic and cracked cell wall which means that they are easier to digest and assimilate the vitamins and minerals.

Of course I was also including my daily dose of Matcha Green Tea as part of the Tea Pigs Matcha challenge!

The results?

I don’t always think that one month is long enough to establish if your seeing benefits from a product, and of course this is no clinical trial, many other factors could have affected how I felt during and at the end of the month. Saying that, I did feel some instant benefits with the Dr Stuarts Tea and the Aloe Vera juice, it could also have been the improvement in my diet but I felt a lot less bloated and when drinking the tea or juice it was an almost instant relief and ‘cooling’ feeling in my body. The other biggest thing I noticed was an improvement to my skin:

Me, make up free (and yes I have non existent eyebrows and a big nose!)

I’m not sure if this pic does it justice but my skin has been amazing recently! I haven’t had a spot since before Christmas, but the best thing I’ve found is that the texture of my skin has improved. I used to have a greasy t zone and dry cheeks along with very visible pores and black heads on my nose and fore head. Now my skin is much finer and a lot less greasy. As I said this may not be just down to the products I’ve been using (I also started to use virgin coconut oil as a evening moisturiser) but either way I’m happy with the results!

As I always tend to say when I’m reviewing products, the Pukka stuff and honey ain’t cheap – see the links to the websites for prices (I think the ground flax and tea is pretty affordable and excellent for what you get). Apart from perhaps the chlorella, I wouldn’t be looking to use them on a frequent basis anyway, I would definitely get the aloe vera juice again if I was feeling particularly bloated and out of all the honey’s I would get the manuka again as I preferred the taste of this one, as well the benefits – I think it would be brilliant to have in the cupboard in case a cold or sore throat was threatening!

Overall, these products are great but none of them are a replacement for a good solid diet full of vegetables, fruit and other whole foods. It is worth noting that these products are actually whole foods in themselves though, I like these as little extras that are great to include from time to time to give me a boost when I can afford them.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned above? Would you ever try any of them? What are your thoughts on products such as these that often come with health claims?

Thanks for the comments to my 2011 Kick Start Plan. It was really interesting reading your thoughts about detoxes. As I said in that post, I guess this is a kind of detox, but its more about making a focused effort to eat better, look after myself and be a little kinder to myself too.

Waking up on New Years Day there was only one thing I was craving - a big super green monster! This one contained leftover spinach, watercress and rocket, 1 frozen banana, 2 ice cubes, almond milk, 2 chopped dates, 1 teaspoon of maca powder, 1 teaspoon of spirulina, 1 teaspoon of ground flax and a few drops of milk thistle tincture. I topped it with some goji berries and also had a small glass of orange juice with echinacea tincture and a mug of detox tea.

After visiting the family we came home and I made a tasty lunch of courgette ‘pasta’ with a tomato, basil, garlic and mushroom sauce.

I also had a fruit salad containing 2 figs, 3 satsumas, 1 plum and a chopped apple.

Mid afternoon I finally got to try out my new juicer! I made a juice with 2 apples, 6 small carrots, 2 handfuls of kale and a chunk of fresh ginger:

It was utterly delicious! I also had my first go at popping corn in the microwave. I managed to get a couple of cupfuls of plain pop corn before I ended up burning the rest and ruining my favourite plastic tub :-( Plain air popped corn is only about 30 calories a cup and contains plenty of fibre so I thought this would make a great snack. I also had a few brazil nuts:

Dinner was some Kabocha Squash and Adzuki Bean Stew with steamed cabbage, mixed seeds and shoyu:

I still really love this dish, its so simple but full of flavour and really good for you.

Dessert was an experimental recipe!

Super Charged Nutty Berry ‘Ice Cream’

• 1 cup of mixed  frozen‘black forest’ berries
• 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
• Non diary milk (I used almond)
• 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
• 4 ice cubes
• 20mls acai berry juice
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter

Blend all ingredients until smooth, using enough milk / orange juice to get a thick consistency. Serve with flaked almonds:

This tasted wonderful and made a huge bowlful. I can see me eating lots of this over the next few weeks!

Today I had a lovely comforting bowl of porridge for breakfast. I used 1/2 cup of rude health fruity date oats, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of wheat germ, 1 chopped apple, 1 teaspoon of ground flax and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I topped my bowl with a spoonful of peanut butter:

I also had a cup of detox tea. The porridge was lovely, it was actually quite nice to have a plainer bowl of oats after all of the crazy toppings I’ve been adding lately (i.e. cookies and sugar stars!) The peanut butter went all melty and was delicious!

I hit the gym when it opened at 10. I did 1 hour of HIITs on the step machine, cross trainer and bike followed by some abs exercises. I’m waiting until I’ve completely recovered from this cold until I start to change up my HIIT routine.

Lunch was leftover Kabocha and Adzuki Bean Stew and cabbage same as last night. I also had a plate of fresh pineapple as I had picked one up from the reduced section and I love fresh pineapple!

Mid afternoon I made myself another juice. This one contained 1 apple, 1 stick of celery, 4 inch chunk of cucumber, 2 handfuls of kale and a piece of fresh ginger:

I also added some spirulina and some milk thistle and echinacea tincture. While me and the hubby watched movies I snacked on a bowl of grapes and had a tea pigs Winter Spiced Tea:

For dinner I had some home made hummus with 2 RAW Italian crackers, carrot sticks and cucumber:

This hummus just tasted divine and reminded me that I should make it myself whenever possible! For dessert I made a smoothie in a bowl using 2 plums, 2 figs, 2 dates, 2 ice cubes and some hazelnut and almond rice milk. I topped it with some granola.

This was lovely!

So there’s my eats from the first two days of 2011, so far so good! Its great to be ramping up the fruit and veggies again, especially in the form of juice. Are you a fan of fresh fruit and veggie juices? Do you own a juicer? What’s your favourite juice blend?

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for all your comments to my last post with all my goals, fingers crossed I can achieve them.

I had a great New Years Eve, me and James just had a very relaxing one. However I did go completely mental with the eating, I really over ate!

Breakfast was very tasty, mixed berry porridge with dark chocolate chips, white chocolate stars and soy cream with a Christmas amaretto coffee:

Mid morning I had a massive urge to eat chocolate so I had a few little chocies then ended up eating half a small box of After Eight (whoops!)

Lunch was some vegetable soup and a fruit salad:

When I got into town to meet James the chocolate urge came back so I got a small bar of dark chocolate marzipan, a small bar of green and blacks white chocolate and a small bar of montezuma butterscotch chocolate. They all tasted divine!

We went to our favourite Chinese restaurant a bit later and I still managed to put away a crazy amount of food:

Spicy cucumber salad with crispy fried greens, samosas and potato spring rolls

Mapo tofu with noodles, vegetables and won tons

Ice cream with melted white chocolate and marshmallows

Even after all of that I still nibbled once we got home, I had cheese and chilli jam on crackers, crisps, a bowl of cereal, a glass of wine, sweets and a large slice of this yummy lemon cheese cake:

I seriously don’t know where I put it all. I enjoyed it, by my word I’m paying the price for it today – I feel sick and bloated! I had planned to start my January Kick Start plan tomorrow but after all of that I decided to bring it forward to today. I’m not berating myself for eating like this, it was excessive but I enjoyed some really tasty treats, it wasn’t an out of control binge and I’m back to eating healthy wholesome food today.

My 2011 Kick Start Plan

Firstly, I know that I haven’t exactly been eating and drinking to a ridiculous level of excess, apart from perhaps yesterday. I also know that our bodies are perfectly capable of detoxing themselves without resorting to a special ‘plan’ or ‘programme’ although many would argue that in today’s world we subject our bodies to toxins that it can not naturally deal with.

So why the big detox you ask? Well, although this is a kind of detox, for me its more about setting aside a set period of time to really focus on being kind to myself, nourishing my body and getting myself mentally and physically prepared for the year ahead. It also gives me something to do during my least favourite month of the year! Losing the 4lbs I’ve gained over Christmas would be a bonus, but is not the focus of my plan. I’ve also been having problems sleeping recently and I’m hoping that this could help.

Here’s the guidelines I’ll be following. These are guidelines, not rules. If I happen to not stick to them 100% of the time its no biggy – stressing over things is not what I need! I don’t want this plan to become some kind of torturous experience that has to be endured – I actually want to enjoy it! I will not be restricting my portion sizes and will try and listen to my body and eating when I am hungry.

Source

Lots of:

• water (bottled or filtered if possible)
• Fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked and organic whenever possible
• Green tea, Caffeine free teas and detox teas
• Freshly made juices - mainly veggie
• Miso soup
• warm water with lemon juice
• Beans and legumes
• Wholegrains (brown rice, quinoa etc)
• Nuts and seeds
• healthy fats - olive oil, ground flax oil, coconut oil

 

some of:

• tofu - organic when possible, including flavoured organic tofu (taifun brand) - however I am going to try and limit my soy intake to give my body a bit of a break
• Wholegrain 'products' such as pasta, noodles, bread, flour products etc
• Non dairy milk - rice, oat, coconut and nut milks (I'm going to try and have a break from soy milk if possible)
• Dried fruit
• Brown rice protein (sun warrior)
• Natural sweeteners (agave, sweet freedom, barley malt, maple syrup, brown rice syrup)
• Raw chocolate and home made coconut oil chocolate

None of:

• Pre made / processed foods such as frozen veggie sausages, quorn, fake meats, fake cheeses etc
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Meat and Fish (obviously as I’m veggie!)
• Refined sugars / very sugary foods
• 'White' carbs
• Un healthy baked goods

In addition I will also be supplementing my diet with some additional ‘super foods’ that are helpful for detoxification:

• Milk thistle – supports the liver and also contains antioxidants
• Spirulina – contains a range of vitamins, minerals and protein
• Matcha Green Tea Powder – source of antioxidants
• Acai berry juice – source of antioxidants
• Maca powder – increases energy levels
• Ground flax seeds and ground flax oil – provides omega 3,6 and 9 healthy fats

I also plan to try out a short juice fast at some point. Along side this I’m also going to:

• Dry skin brush and moisturise daily
• Do a weekly home facial
• Do a weekly deep hair conditioning treatment
• Continue with my usual workout schedule – but with a little more focus on strength training and yoga

I have some great ideas and recipes for some utterly delicious meals while I’m doing this plan that I can’t wait to make, eat and share with you! Please also bear in mind that I’m not a nutritionist or doctor – I’ve developed this plan for myself based on lots of information I’ve digested over the years!

Did you enjoy your New Years Eve?

Do you believe in detoxes? Are you going to be following any kind of detox or changing your diet and exercise plans this January?

Well it has been exactly 31 days since I started my January Kick Start Plan. I haven’t drank coffee or caffeinated tea (except green tea), I haven’t ate heavily processed foods, refined sugars, soy milk, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products and I have ate a shed load of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and lovely fresh juices.

And I’m feeling awesome! I also apologise in advance for the long winded post but I feel I have loads to talk about!

I know some people would have been pretty put off by the ‘detox’ word, and I guess you could describe what I have done as a kind of detox, but it hasn’t really felt that restrictive. The focus for me has been on filling up on amazing healthy foods which have left me feeling vibrant, allowed me to sleep better than I have in a long time and improved my skin.

Some of the delicious foods I have been eating include:

Green smoothies and fruit smoothies

  Blended quinoa porridge

Cashew cream with fruit and granola

Nori wraps with cashew ginger pate

Cabbage wraps with home made broccoli, courgette and olive hummus

Salad beasts

Moroccan butternut squash and chickpea tagine

Soya bean and veggie thai green curry

Raw chocolate!

Even though I hadn’t drank a lot of coffee or ate buckets of sugar I still experienced a ‘detox’ headache in the first few days. In the middle of the month my energy levels dipped – although I think this was mostly due to improper fueling than the plan itself, but now I’m feeling really good and brimming with energy.

The plan I have followed has also meant that for the last month I have been vegan.

source

I went vegetarian last year after doing some reading and coming to the conclusion that it was the right path for me. I really wasn’t sure how I would deal with the vegan element of the plan, especially as I wasn’t eating processed foods or lots of soy products. I was actually amazed at how well I did. I can honestly say I have not missed animal products one bit. This leaves me in a difficult position. Do I continue to remain vegan or do I go back to being a veggie?

At the moment I feel more comfortable being a vegetarian that eats vegan most of the time. I think that allowing myself the flexibility to occasionally eat free range eggs and dairy (organic as often as possible) is right for me at the moment, plus I have a fridge full of feta and veggie parmesan cheese that needs using up! However, I really do think I’ll end up eating a mostly vegan diet overall, and I’m really happy with that.

What I have missed is coffee!

I love my flavoured coffees a couple of times a week, I feel like I’m having myself a little treat and I have really missed that. Detox tea just doesn’t cut it! I’ve also missed being able to eat more tofu and my spiru-tein protein powder (I’ve left these out as they are heavily processed and contain processed soy). 

So, at the beginning of the month I was carrying 4lbs ‘Christmas’ weight which came off pretty easily and on top of that I have lost an additional 5lbs, which I did not need or want to lose. I know I have some issues around fueling properly and eating enough when working late to figure out, but that’s for another post, and believe me I have a few thoughts I need to get out of my head on that! My new training plan has also gone very well – I wanted to focus on improving my plank hold time, work towards doing a full press up and work on my abs and general muscle tone. I’m really happy with the tone I have in my arms, especially my shoulders and my back. My stomach is definitely looking more defined too!

I last took my measurements at the end of November and since then I have lost an inch from my waist and hips and 5lbs. Current stats: height 5’6, weight 8st 11lbs, bust 35.5 inches, waist 26.5 inches, hips 33 inches.

All in all I feel I’ve had very successful January, but I still need to suss out how I can eat better to maintain my weight and not lose anymore. In fact I’d feel more comfortable gaining a few pounds but as I said, I could write a full post on this so will save my thoughts for then.

There’s also a few things I’ve done during the plan that I will continue to do:

• Make my own hummus rather than shop bought
• Drink freshly made juices
• Make my own almond milk
• Eat more raw foods
• Enjoy home made salad dressings full of good fats
• Eat lots of yummy raw chocolate!
• Take a vegan multi vit every day
• Add spirulina to my smoothies (gotta love that green!)

How has January gone for you? Have you started any new habits that you will continue on with into the rest of the year?

Before I go here’s a few pics of yesterday’s eats including a yummy new recipe! Before going to the gym I had a slice of sprouted wheat bread with apple pear spread and a detox tea:

I ran 5 miles in 45 minutes doing speed intervals on the tread mill and was chuffed to stick it out longer than my usual 30 minutes! I then did 15 minutes on the step machine, bike and cross trainer at a steady state for a total 1hr 30 minute cardio workout.

When I got home I made a fabulous big green smoothie containing spring greens, two nectarines, small frozen banana, pineapple coconut water, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, spirulina, matcha and maca. I topped it with half a pack of Bear Coco Cherry Pie Granola and goji berries:

So good! A little later I had a fresh green juice made with two apples, a pear, cos lettuce, celery, cucumber, ginger and lemon:

For a late lunch / early dinner I had a Beetroot, lentil and sunflower seed pattie on top of a huge super salad:

The salad contained lettuce, carrot, red onion, red pepper, cucumber, sprouts, herbamare seasoning, braggs and some cool oil. As I had lots of beetroot to use up I thought I’d try making up a new recipe based on the roast veggie and sunflower seed patties I made a while ago.

Beetroot, Lentil and Sunflower Seed Patties (makes 4 large patties)

• 3 medium beetroots, roasted until tender
• 1 tin of green lentils, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon of ground flax
• 1 tablespoon of water

Add the roasted beets and lentils to a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to come together but still has a little texture. Add the ground flax and water and lightly blend again. Put the mixture into a bowl and add the sunflower seeds, mixing well. Form into 4 large patties. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least on hour before cooking (can also be frozen). I coated mine in a little spelt flour and fried on a medium high heat in coconut oil for 10 minutes a side. The flour coating just makes them a little crisper. These don’t hold together amazingly well so you have to take care when flipping them!  These are so good, love the nutty little sunflower seeds!

I followed this with some blueberries and pomegranate seeds:

Then I was up and out for James work leaving do. It wasn’t a big  night out, just a few drinks after work. I always drink soda water with ice and lemon when I’m driving. When we got home I had a cocoa orange nakd bar, 4 chopped apples (two shown here) and a cup of sleepytime tea:

As I’m off work this week we are having today as a bit of a chill day. I’ve been trying to re organise the kitchen a bit and have made my first attempt at Socca which is a pancake / flatbread type dish made with chickpea flour, I know its going to be a big favourite of mine from now on! I’m also going to make some cookie dough balls! I’ll share pics and recipes tomorrow. Hope all your weeks have got off to a great start!