Coconut oil

‘We live in an era where people have realised that artificial diets and chemical treatments for the skin, hair and body are not as effective as natural methods. The resurgence in the popularity of coconut oil as a moisturiser attests to this. My experience has clearly demonstrated to me that the phenomenal moisturizing properties of organic cold pressed coconut oil on the skin cannot be matched by any complicated chemical moisturiser.’

‘As we become what we eat, we find that heavy meals of cooked animal protein and fat make the tissue dense and coarse.’

–David Wolfe.

‘Cooked oil is the largest cause of free radical damage in the human body. Free radical damage has come to be regarded as the primary cause of aging.’

- Dr.Denham Harman

Free radicals are molecules of oxygen that have an unpaired  electron therefore they are highly unstable and highly reactive. Some examples of these are cigarette smoke, air pollution, excessive sun exposure and the natural breakdown of tisssues. Free radicals in the body steal electrons from the healthy parts causing damage, aging and producing more free radicals, gradually speeding up aging and degeneration of tissue and cells and can ultimately be the cause of diseases such as cancer.

Heated oils are something you should avoid if you want to feel healthier, loose weight, avoid illness and live longer. Coconut oil is the only oil that keeps its nutritional value once heated and can be heated to a very high temperature Unlike other oils it is completely digestible and highly nutritious. Use it for baking, cooking and frying, but ultimately take advantage of its raw properties; there are reports that a small spoonful a day can help speed up weight loss and can curb sugar cravings; try it as a substitute for butter or margarine.

Coconut oil is also said to be ‘the best’ moisturiser for your skin, 100% natural and organic; use it as a moisturiser on your skin and a conditioning mask for ‘tv advert’ hair.

A jar can be quite pricey if you are on a budget but it lasts a long time and is an all round cooking and beauty product of the highest quality.  You only need small amounts…(Unless you follow my recipe for flapjack or granola which requires a bit more J).

This product is highly recommended!

The magical health benefits of Cocoa (plus delicious drink recipe)

Cocoa contains:

Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C.
Good for all aspects of health

Polyphenols
Good for high blood pressure and prevention of strokes

Dietary fibre
Anti-obesity, laxative

Theobromine
Mood elevator

Flavonoids
Antioxidants, anti cancer, anti diabetes, premature aging.

Serotonin
Anti stress, anti depressant.

Make HOT CHOCOLATE:

You will need:

Spoonful of cocoa
two or three spoonfuls of honey
(you may have to experiment with the right combination)
Stir into mug with hot/boiling water.

Healthy Hot Chocolate!!

The Hot chocolate you buy in the shops is heavily processed and has no nutritional value, it also often contains whey powder which will make you put on weight and can cause swelling over your entire body.
Whey powder is in most packaged foods now, is highly addictive and my advice is to avoid it.
To you health and wealth....

'Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food'

How to prepare mangoes.

Dear followers,

I am sorry I haven't been blogging recently, I came to Vietnam last month and I haven't had a kitchen until now (but still not a very good kitchen and without half the things I would like) but the food here is interesting and the fruits especially, so learning lots of new things.

Today we're are going to learn how to prepare mangoes properly! ...I ate six mangoes today.
Mangoes are a 'hot food' according to Ayurvedic medicine, which means they are great for energy and will wake you up!

Hold the mango with the pointy side facing.
Find the angle where the sides are flattest.
Slice down slowly, you should feel you are next to the stone.

Do on each side so you have almost two halves.
Slice down and across, making square shapes, taking care not to go through the skin.
Push the sides back a bit so the mango looks like this...

You can then slice out the squares from the peel quite easily.
Peel the rind off the remaining part and slice away any fruit from the sides.

I love to eat mango by itself but you can add them to smoothies or fruit salads as well! :-)

Berry smoothie.

Great for a snack, breakfast or have before any meal...

Blend yogurt, teaspoon of honey and some fresh (or frozen) berries.

:-)

Make your own muesli.

Ingredients:

Coconut oil
Honey
Oats (porridge or jumbo oats)
Flaked almonds
Copped hazelnuts
Broken walnuts
Pumpkin seeds
Dried apricots, diced
Dates (soak for 30 mins minimum beforehand)
Raisins

Melt one or two tablespoons of coconut oil and half honey to coconut oil.

Add the oats:

And the rest:

Make sure the mixture is dry enough, add more oats and nuts at the end to ensure it's the right consistency.

Take a large baking tray and pour in the mixture, do not flatten down make sure it's broken up.

Put in the oven on 160 for approx 15 - 20 mins or until slightly brown.

Wait until cool and then store in an air tight jar:

And enjoy for breakfast :-)

Super salad bowls...

EAT MORE GREENS

On an ideal day I will have a salad for lunch and a salad for dinner, I LOVE salads.
They really can be the most exciting thing to make as anything can go in them.
Here are some of my favourite salad ingredients which never fail to make a delicious crunchy bowl:

Avocado
Raisins
Nuts and seeds
Lightly steamed brocolli/green beans
Pesto
Apple
Beans
Lemon juice/ Olive oil/ Pinch of salt - dressing
Egg free, flax oil mayonnaise
Cold brown rice


And plenty more..

Here are a couple I made earlier :-)


Ingredients:

Very lightly steam the sugar snap peas/green beans - they need to be crunchy.
Dice the avocado
Pour butter beans into serving bowl, add the avocado and greens - stir in some pesto as dressing.

And, this one I made from left overs...

Mixed herb salad
Tomato
Cold brown rice
Cold sugar snap peas (previously steamed)
Cold broccoli (previously steamed)
Olive oil/lemon juice and a small spoon full of flax oil egg free mayonnaise - stir in for delicious dressing.

EAT MORE GREENS :-)

Sweet treat.

This concoction is great for breakfast or desert or anytime you fancy something sweet..

You will need:
Fruit (chopped banana my favourite) I use blueberries in this one.
Bio live natural organic yogurt.
Honey
Pumpkin seeds
Raisins
Good quality muesli (avoid brands such as Alpen which contain the dreaded whey powder, always read the label and go for the most natural looking one... Or make your own from oats, barley etc - recipe on its way!)

Find a nice tall glass and fill the bottom with your fruit, pile on the yogurt leaving space for...
Some honey
Sprinkle on some seeds then raisins
Finish with muesli.