Thank you for taking the time to read this months newsletter and I hope you find some helpful tips or useful pieces of information to help you with your health and wellbeing. Have a great month and enjoy life!
Inspiration for your Month:
"Actually, I just woke up one day and decided I didn't want to feel like that anymore, or ever again. So I changed. Just like that."
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There are many on-going concerns about the safety of these products, but unfortunately they are marketed as the healthy, low-calorie ‘diet’ option leaving people believing they are making a healthy choice. There is now a lot of research showing the massive misconception about artificial sweeteners and how damaging they really are to your body.
Artificial sweeteners significantly increase the sweetness of foods and drinks, as well as significantly decreasing the calorie intake compared to other options with sugar, however, is your body designed to ingest ‘chemicals’? Although high sugar diets are dangerous for your health too, sugar is in fact a natural product and your body knows what to do with it and how to digest it.
There is a lot of research suggesting that your body doesn’t understand what a chemical is, and although they are low in calories, your body treats artificial sweeteners the same as sugar, meaning the ‘low-calorie’ bonus of them is actually irrelevant. They have been shown to stimulate fat storage, stimulate your appetite, and increase cravings for carbohydrates – all things that contribute significantly to obesity and weight gain. Artificial sweeteners trick your brain in to believing you have consumed sugar, but because no sugar has actually arrived, your brain receives signals it needs carbohydrates (or sugar) meaning you get ‘sugar-cravings’.
Artificial sweeteners and food additives can be responsible for:
- headaches or migraines
- difficulty breathing
- behavioural problems in children
- skin rashes or itchy skin
- rapid pulse rate
- digestive upsets
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These little guys are a powerhouse when it comes to getting maximum nutrients.
- They are a fantastic source of healthy essential fats which are needed for good hair, skin and nail growth.
- A great source of zinc which needs to be consumed regularly to keep adequate levels in our body. Signs of zinc deficiency can be irritability, generalised hair loss, and rough and dry skin.
- A great source of magnesium, which it is thought that the world is in an epidemic of magnesium deficiency. Signs you need more in your diet are muscle cramps, restless legs, insomnia and agitation at night, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, constipation, lethargy, anger and aggression, and headaches and migraines.
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All the recipes I include in here are healthy and quick – I enjoy eating healthy foods but don’t love spending hours in the kitchen so I like quick and easy recipes with foods that are easily accessible. I like to make healthy eating easy, rather than a time consuming and expensive process.
This following recipe is such a quick and simple way of using chickpeas as an addition to a meal. It makes a great alternative for those who are trying to reduce wheat-based products such as bread and pasta. Chickpeas are a great source of protein, complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre – all essential nutrients for a healthy diet.
Roasted Chickpeas
1 can of chickpeas – rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil or melted Coconut Oil
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
6 grinds of cracked pepper
3 grinds of Sea Salt
Place chickpeas in a bowl, drizzle over oil and shake until all chickpeas are fully coated.
Sprinkle over paprika, salt and pepper and shake again until fully coated.
Tip chickpeas into a large baking dish so they are well spread out. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
They taste great hot or cold, as a snack on their own or an addition to a meal.
Personal Training and Boot Camp:
These options are both pretty close to being fully booked but if you are interested in either feel free to contact me (through my website) and I can see what I have available. I will help out in any way I can or if I don't have any free spaces then I can pop you on my waiting list.
