I've just returned from a lovely talk about juices, smoothies, why, what, when and how.  A great group of people who were all happy to taste, compare, enquire and discover more.

For me it was a wonderful experience to be able to share my passion for healthy food and how to incorporate more of it into our diets. And for them? Well many said they hadn't had a freshly made juice or smoothie before, others talked of how to get started and some were keen to get the juicer or blender dusted off and back out of the cupboard.

We made and tasted four of my favourites - two fruit/veg juices and two smoothies all with healthy, lovely fresh ingredients.

I do love talking to people and sharing the healthy food vibe so if you belong to a group that would like a speaker to come along, would like some 1:1 help on how to get started or anything else then do feel free to get in touch.

 I wanted to share some advice about how to help minor complaints both while abroad and on holiday in the UK.

Digestive problems can blight even the best planned holiday, with tummy bugs being the most common travel-associated illness, according to the NHS Choices website.

While simple measures such as not drinking tap water can reduce the risk of stomach complaints, homeopathic remedies can be used to help holidaymakers get back on track.

Other common holiday complaints include sunburn, insect bites, jet lag and travel sickness.

Many people are looking for a more natural way to help their ailments. Homeopathic medicines are non-toxic, so they are safe to use in people of all ages.

Homeopathic medicine is holistic and while treatment by a professional homeopath is recommended, over-the-counter remedies can be used in minor ailments.

Homeopathic medicine works in a different way to conventional medicine, with each remedy having its own specific characteristics. Useful remedies to take on holiday include:

Arsenicum - the number one food poisoning remedy. There is much vomiting and diarrhoea, the patient is chilly, restless and anxious.

Belladonna – useful in sunburn where the burn is throbbing, you can feel heat coming off the body, and the patient may have a headache.

Cocculus – useful in travel sickness and jet lag, where there is nausea, vertigo (i.e. a ‘dizzy’ sensation as if you’re head is spinning), an empty feeling and you feel better lying still.

Ledum - useful in puncture wounds and insect bites, where the area is swollen blue and cold, but better for cold.

Arnica - the number one remedy for bruising but also useful in jet lag where there is an exhausted “bruised” feeling.

Note: patients are advised to consult their GPs before travelling abroad.

 

Happy holidays to everyone!

I'm still baffled how I never knew about this before and utterly grateful that I do now. A basic ice cream recipe with just one ingredient that is so simple, so easy and incredibly tasty is surely not something that should be kept from anyone?!

Using a base of frozen bananas (I'd recommend at least 2 so the blender has enough to get it's 'teeth' into) you can then create, modify and experiment from there. I've added dates, vanilla seeds from the (zanzibarian) pod, raspberries, blueberries and here I made a lovely summery deliciousness:

Frozen bananas (I used 3)
Nectarine
Cup of frozen raspberries

Allow to defrost a teeny bit so the banana isn't rock hard and then blend. If you're using a high powered blender it should easily cope. Before I had my Vitamix I used my food processor which used to do a great job. Decorate with fruit of choice and savour in the sunny sunshine!

Banana tip: If your bananas are getting too ripe for you and you've not enough time to eat them it's worth chopping up the excess and freezing for treats later. I've just got back from holidays and been very grateful for the bananas I'd pre-frozen before our trip (especially after watching everyone else eat ice cream whilst away and not having any!)

There's as many ways to freeze bananas as there are types of them but my preference is to chop them into half inch slices and store in a box in the freezer.

Travelling back from Provence today I wanted to run this afternoon (and with no desire to have to unpack to be able to do so) and so decided to travel home in my barefoot shoes.  It's been such a pleasant way (if there is such) to wander through airports and meander our way back I just wanted to share how great it felt to walk (very nearly almost) barefoot, feeling the floor beneath me instead of being stuck inside more restrictive shoes.