Tag: health

Spices add some spice to your life…and your health!

Posted on by Lolly
We all love to eat food that is nutritious but, more importantly, delicious and one way to add more flavour to your food is by using spices. Spice Pots allow you to do just that with ease. They contain loads of great spices with lots of nutritious value. I was lucky enough to be welcomed into owner Melanie Auld’s home and watch her in action as she created the perfect chicken korma. The korma spice pot contains several different spices each with their own nutritional benefits. So, what spices do what? Well, I’m just about to tell you…

Coriander – the marmite of spices

Coriander – you either love it or hate it and personally I love it. The spicy leave is used all over the world as a garnish but in this form you tend to miss out on the all the nutritional benefits that is has to offer. In a ground form coriander is great for digestion, skin inflammation, lowering blood pressure and it even has anti-histamine properties to fight allergies!

Cumin

Remember those little black insect-like seeds you used to take out of curries? They’re cumin seeds. Back then you may not have given them a chance, but, trust me, they taste pretty good and if you look past their appearance the benefits are substantial. It’s a great way to boost your immune system, help you sleep and even reduce the chance of hypoglycemia in diabetes sufferers.

Turmeric

A spice used in most curries and has been called ‘the most powerful spice for fighting and potentially reversing disease’. Turmeric has more benefits than I could list.From being taken as an alternative to painkillers to being used as an anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is also well known for its anti-depressant properties.

Chilli

Something many people won’t know is that chillies are great for weight loss. The heat that you feel after eating a chilli takes energy from your body to produce, the more energy used the more calories burned. They’re also great for clearing congestion if you’re feeling a bit stuffy, especially with winter well and truly here.

Cinnamon

The health benefits of cinnamon can be linked to its antibacterial, antifungal and anticlotting properties. It’s rich in essential minerals such as iron and calcium. It can be great for those who need to lower their cholesterol levels and aid those who suffer from type 2 diabetes, as it can control blood sugars.

Fenugreek

From soothing sore throats to reducing your risk of heart disease fenugreek is a great spice to add to any meal but it’s especially good in curry. It also works wonders for those ladies who are going through the change of life (menopause) as it is known for reducing symptoms such as mood swings and cramps.

Cloves

Cloves are filled with vitamins. Vitamins that can help the preservation of bone density and antioxidants that can help protect your liver from the effects of free radicals. They are also being studied for their properties that could help control lung cancer in the early stages. All that from a small clove, amazing.  

Black pepper

Black pepper is great for your stomach. It increases the amount of hydrochloric acid produced to aid digestion and it’s also great for weight loss as it breaks down fat

Cardamom

Cardamom is great for your body and your teeth. It’s known for its dental disease prevention properties. Feeling nauseated or suffer from vomiting? It also works a treat if you need to settle your stomach.

Why you should try eight-a-day

Posted on by Lolly

WHY FIVE-A-DAY SHOULD BECOME EIGHT

If you thought that eating five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day had health benefits – try munching eight – it will actually put a smile on your face.

No really, its true, new research has shown the more fruit and veg you eat, the happier you become.

Boffins at the University of Warwick made the discovery after looking at the psychological effects of eating more of the good stuff.

And they found that as well as reducing the risk of cancer and heart attacks, it boosted your mood too.

In fact, after studying more than 12,000 people, they concluded that people who went from eating no fruit or veg a day to consuming eight portions experienced an increase in life satisfaction equivalent from being unemployed to getting a job.

The well-being improvements occurred within 24 months.

So the message really is, get eating.

An easy way of upping your intake of fruit and veg is through juicing and smoothies. That way you can sneak more of the healthy stuff into children’s diets and make sure you start the day with a glow.

A few smoothie ideas to get you started


Tropical Mango, Pineapple and Coconut Smoothie

1/2 Mango

Thick slice of pineapple (200 g)

1 mug coconut water (300 ml)

Handful cashew nuts

2 tablespoons coconut milk

Juice of 1/2 lime

Optional: handful of porridge oats

Peel the mango using and cut its flesh off the stone into the blender. 


Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy

Simple Banana and Spinach Smoothie

1 ripe banana, peeled

Big handful of spinach

2 Medjool dates, pitted

1 heaped teaspoon almond butter

1/2 mug cold water or almond milk (150 ml)

Place all the ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth.

Just how much fluid do you need to drink in one day?

Posted on by Lolly

Drinking the right amount of water every day is vital to maintain a healthy body, both inside and out – but how much is enough?

Well, we do need to be sipping away during the day as the latest thinking from medical research group the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org) suggests women should be drinking 2.2 litres of water per day and men 3 litres.

But if you’re taking a lot of exercise then the recommended amount rises to between 3 to 5 litres.

The current thinking for children is that 5 to 8-year-olds should drink I litre of water a day with older ones around 1.5 litres.

Water is best but sugar-free drinks like milk, herbal tea, tea and coffee (in moderation) count too.

Oh! and in case you’re wondering, alcohol does not count towards your daily liquid intake.

Drinking the right amount of water means your body is hydrated and your skin will be moist and elastic – which makes for a younger looking you.

Other benefits include healthy, regular bowel movements and H2O also flushes waste products from your kidneys and liver.

And did you know – drinking water can actually help you lose weight.

An obesity study in 2010 discovered that a group of people who drank two glasses of water before each meal lost about 4 lbs over 12 weeks.

The thinking behind the results are two-fold.

Firstly water fills you up, so you eat less.

Secondly, water can slightly increase your metabolic rate because it burns extra calories warming water up to the right temperate for your body to cope with.

So what’s not to like? Get sipping.