Vegetables: natural remedies for the cold and flu season

The short days and cold mornings make it hard to get out of bed and exercise or even find the motivation to eat well. When it comes to protecting yourself from the common cold or flu, eating nutrient-rich food is of crucial importance. Giving your body the right vitamins and minerals to help fend off illness, can usually reduce the severity of your symptoms and help you to get better sooner.

Practice what you preach, I combined 6 vegetables and sprouts and called it Lunch.
  • Organic spinach
  • 2 types of sprouts
  • Cucumber
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Home cooked red beets
To add even more nutrients to my lunch I added nutritional yeast (B vitamins), hemp seeds (essential fatty acids) and some good olive & walnut oil.

Here's to a flu free season! Cheers!
xoxo



Baked oatmeal

My sister and I share a love for oatmeal. This morning I made us breakfast of champions: baked oatmeal.
  • Gluten-free rolled oats
  • Almond milk
  • Banana
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cinnamon
  • Chopped walnuts
  • Almond flakes
  • Honey
Happy Sunday! xoxo



Hydrate naturally

Water is the most essential nutrient for sustaining life. Your body requires 8 to 12 cups of water daily. I love drinking water, but some people find it boring... Healthy alternatives to water can hydrate your body while offering more appealing flavors and textures.

Coconut water is very healthy, 100% natural and one of the best drinks to hydrate your body. Coconut water is low in carbs, low in sugars and 99% fat free. Coconut water also contains more potassium than most sports or energy drinks. I love Vita Coco (different flavors), especially after a work-out!

I also like to spice up my water with some lemon, lime or mint. Refreshingly delicious.

xoxo


A trip to Whole Foods

Yesterday I went to Whole Foods in London, also known as food heaven :) Seriously, when I'm at Whole Foods I feel like a kid in a toy shop! Organic, gluten-free, raw, vegan,... you name it, Whole Foods has it!

I bought a few healthy superfoods that are difficult to find in Belgium:

  • Nutritional yeast (= packed with nutrition, particularly B-vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, and protein. It’s low in fat, gluten-free and contains no added sugars or preservatives. Because vitamin B12 is absent from plant foods, nutritional yeast that contains B12 is a great addition to a vegan diet)
  • Organic kale (= green leafy vegetable packed with nutrition, a wonderful superfood)
  • Gluten-free instant oats bags (= I love my oatmeal in the morning, these little bags are perfect to take with me on holiday or when in a hurry)
  • Green superfood bars (= a sugar-free, gluten-free, superfood snack)
  • Gluten-free vegetable and chicken stock (= a great soup asks for great stock)
  • Instant organic miso soup (= healthy snack @ work)
  • Gluten-free rolled oats (= of course!)
  • Superfood crackers & kale spirulina crackers (= this girl needs her snacks, superfood snacks)
  • A big bag of raw nuts (= looooove)
  • ...
xoxo


Alkaline vs Acid

An alkaline way of life is the perfect start to restore your overall healthBy transforming your nutrition into an alkalizing pH diet, which can be by eating vegetables all day long, or taking green food nutritional supplements, the body’s pH level will gradually be balanced. When the nutrients of alkaline foods get into your bloodstream, every cell in your body will be recreated and regenerated. An alkaline diet thus helps to boost your energy levels, improve skin, reduce allergies and enhance mental clarity. The following lists go over the acid or alkaline values of the foods we eat. The acurate way to measure the alkalinity of food is how the food changes the pH value of the tissues of the body. Once food is digested, an "ash" is formed. The pH of this ash is different than the pH value of the actual food itself. Lemons for example are very acidic by themselves however when digested they have an alkalizing effect in the body!

A simple way to begin this alkalizing lifestyle program is to begin by looking over the lists below and start by increasing the amount of alkalizing foods that get onto your plate and reducing the amount of acidic foods that you consume. 
  • Highly Alkalizing Foods
Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocado, baking soda, beet greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cabbage lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celery root, chard, chicory, chives, cilantro,collards, comfrey, cucumbers, dandelion greens, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, ginger, wheat grass and its juice, barley grass, kamut grass, green beans, jicama, kohlrabi, leeks, lemon, lettuce, lima beans, lime, lotus root, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peas, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, sea salt, sea vegetables, seaweed, sorrel, soy lecithin, soy beans, soy nuts, spinach, sprouted beans-grains-seeds in all variaties, squash, sweet poatoes, taro root, tomatoes, tomatillos, turnips, wasabi, watercress, zucchini.
  • Moderately Alkalizing Foods
Raw Almonds, Borage oil, brazil nuts, buckwheat groats, burdock root, caraway seeds, chia seeds, cumin seeds, dasheen, fennel seeds flax seed oil, flax seeds, hazelnuts, herbs, millet, nigella seeds, parsnip, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, radishes, sesame seeds, soy flour, stevia, sunflower seeds, tofu.
  • Low Alkalizing Foods
Amaranth, black-eyed peas, Bragg liquid aminos™, apples, apricots, bananas, black currants, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cold pressed oils, currants, dates, evening primrose oil, figs, flax seed oil, gooseberries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, mandarin oranges, mangos, marine lipids, nectarines, olive oil, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, pmegranates, raspberries, red currants, rosehips, strawberries, tangerines, ugli fruit, watermelon. (Note: High sugar fruits are acidic in an imbalanced body and are best in season and for cleansing purposes in moderation. Fruit juice is not recommended) fava beans, head lettuce, kamut, miso, pecans, quinoa, rice(brown and basmati), spelt, spices, string beans, sunflower oil, teff, vegetable broth, vegetables cooked, walnuts, wax beans, wild rice.
  • Neutral Foods
Fresh coconut meat and water, ghee, xylitol
  • Low Acidic Foods
Agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fresh water fish, dried fruit, honey raw, lentils, olives, rye bread, sprouted-grain bread and meal, whole grain bread and meal.
  • Moderately Acid Foods
Barley, beans, carob, cashews, cranberries, fructose, granola, legumes, pistachios, turbinado sugar, vanilla, wheat, stored potatoes, soy sauce, tamari, tapioca,
  • Highly Acidic Foods
Bacon, Barley malt sweetener, Biscuits, Butter, Bread-white bread, chicken, cheese, eggs, cakes, corn, corn meal, crab, lobster, mushrooms, organic cheese, oatmeal, oats, ocean fish, pasta, pastries, pork, rice, sausages, shrimp, turkey, veal, Alcohol of all kinds, artificial sweeteners, candy, cheese, cocoa, coffee and black tea, cottonseed oil, refined oils, both raw milk and cow's milk that has been homogenized and pasteurized, fried foods of all kinds, game birds, hydrogenated oil, ice cream, jam, jelly, hops, malt, margarine, milk chocolate, msg, processed foods, pudding, refined sugar, white sugar, table salt(NaCl), vinegar of all kinds, yeast, soft drinks, candy, processed foods of all kinds.

You may notice that a more alkalizing diet means moving toward a more vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. 

Source: http://www.alkalizingforlife.com/ 

xoxo


Girls just wanna have chocolate

Who says a healthy diet can't include chocolate? It sure can! Dark chocolate is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, known to prevent inflammation and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Eating a small amount of dark chocolate is good for you! I always buy organic dark chocolate with a minimum of 80% cacao, the higher the amount of cacao the better! I love Vivani 85% cacao and De Rit Extra Dark 90% cacao. And of course there's also raw cacao, a powerful source of antioxidants and magnesium. I love it, I buy raw cacao powder, raw cacao nibs and sometimes I enjoy a piece of a Lovechock bar.

xoxo


Gluten-free sugar-free pear cake

My sister made these gluten-free & sugar-free pear cakes, don't they look soooo delicious?

xoxo