Fresh in the City eZine - Summer Issue

20/06/2009 by admin.

Welcome back to Fresh in the City…

Happy Summer!…I hope you’re all keeping well and enjoying the British Summertime, and to those of you who are working with me at the moment, I hope you are all progressing on your programmes nicely. Today is the Summer Solstice and of course Fathers Day…I’m going to be spending the first half of my day with Louisa Eyo, helping her out on her living on live food event at the Eighth Day cafe in Manchester…(I’m told that there will be some delicious and exotic lucuma ice cream on the menu at that event) and the second half of the day, I’ll be spending with my Dad playing table tennis, and hopefully enjoying a little more sunshine. The past few months have been very busy for myself and my business, with lots of nutritional work, festival invitations to deliver the fresh in the city smoothie making workshops, travelling, and also the completion of my first recipe book “fresh and seasoned”.  I am delighted to let you know that after 12 months of collating and testing, my deliciously healthy recipe book ‘fresh and seasoned’ is finally ready to be shared.  I am pleased with it, and hope you will gain as much pleasure reading it as I have taken in writing it.  You will be able to purchase and download yourself a copy of that today if that is something that interests you (more on that later).  Apart from that, I’ve a great ice cream recipe of my own to share, some fantastic tips on how to improve the look of your abdominals and tummy (which is what my local gyms challenge has been this month), and some great information about making your own fresh air. Until next time…

 Fresh Resources

“Fresh and Seasoned Recipes Throughout the Year” is a collection of recipes that are nutritious, full of energy (life-force), good looking, colourful, delicious, simple, seasonal and easy on your digestion. As a nutritional therapist, I designed the recipes for people who want to improve their health and make use of vibrant therapeutic wholefood ingredients. The recipes take consideration of the changing U.K. Seasons, and each recipe has its own therapeutic benefit, whether that is to warm you up, to detoxify and cleanse your body, or simply to provide a little bit of healthy pleasure. I emphasise more than anything in my work the importance of making food both healthy and pleasurable and it is with great pleasure that I share this collection of fifty deliciously fresh recipes with you here.  To find out more go to Fresh and Seasoned recipes throughout the Year

If you want to take care of your health and indulge in the natural pleasures of food How To Give Yourself A Fresh Menu Makeover for Health and Pleasure is a friendly, informative and practical guide to help you on your way.

Private Nutritional Therapy consultations I am currently seeing clients in Manchester City Centre on Thursday mornings and Sundays. For those of you who sign up to work with me during the next year, you will also be getting access to a free sauna, spa and gym facilities at my own personal gym when you come for your nutritional consultations. Contact me personally at Janet@freshinthecity.co.uk for further details of my ‘fresh in the city’ nutritional consultations.

Fresh & Seasoned Recipe - Banana Ice Cream

* bananas

Choose ripe bananas, yellow ones with a few brown speckles on them. Peel them then freeze in plastic sandwich bags over night. In the morning (or whenever you want your creamy treat)…if you have a masticating juicer just pop the bananas through the machine with the blank screen, serve and savour - it really is as simple as that - the perfect consistency and alternative to traditional ice cream. If you don’t have a juicer, then a high speed blender or a food processor will do. You’ll need to slice your bananas into small slices before freezing if you’re processing them. Freeze overnight, then when ready for dessert, thaw the bananas for about 5 minutes and then process in the processor or your high speed blender. It may take a few goes in the processor, but you’ll get there in the end. Serve in a glass dish either alone, or sprinkle with raw cacao nibs for a choc chip effect or alternatively mix with a little vanilla for a banananilla effect. Pure and simple banana ice cream makes a delicious Summer time treat…and is deceptively creamy and indulgent considering it is a dairy-free, low-fat healthy treat. Be sure to choose bananas that are yellow with a speckling of brown to get their optimum ripeness. This recipe requires extra equipment but it is well worth the effort for such a tasty, delicious and creamy dessert. If you buy a masticating juicer which also homogenises foods, you can make nut butters, pates and best of all…sorbets and ice creams using the simplest of ingredients. They cost about £135, but if you love juices and ice cream, then it really is well worth the initial outlay - you will be rewarded.

Fitness Coaching - Toning Up The Tummy

More and more people seem to be struggling with what’s best described as a little ‘fat around the middle’.  Although it’s easy to think doing hundreds of sit-ups is going to solve the situation all by its self (and it certainly will help), it’s worth knowing there are a few other factors in play.

1) Sad as it may sound, you will never have a truly toned tummy if your body fat % is too high - no matter how many sit ups you’ve been doing. The reason being there will always be a layer of fat covering your beautifully toned muscles which can’t be seen because of it.  The best way to reduce body fat is to follow a low GL eating plan which stabilises blood sugar levels, encourages a fast metabolism and supplies a high level of fresh, vibrant wholefoods. It is also essential to do plenty of cardiovascular exercise in the fat burning zone (30-60minutes per day) as well as to build and tone muscle with abdominal specific exercises.

One of the things people don’t always understand is that fat around the middle can be caused by too much stress! Stress triggers the hormone cortisol, and too much cortisol is what causes fat to be laid around the middle.  Too much caffeine can also trigger this stress response, as can too many stimulants of any kind.  If you are stressed do look at ways to manage it.  Several herbs can be very useful, notably ashwagandah - a type of Indian ginseng, which provides energy for the body, but destresses at the same time, and helps the body to cope with an excess of cortisol.

B vitamins are also very helpful when the body is under particular stress.  Massage, saunas, spas, good company and meditation are also brilliant techniques to help the body manage stress in a better way.

As well as stress, some people suffer from symptoms of bloating, which leave their tummy feeling swollen.  These types of symptoms can be helped by attention to food combinations, attention to food sensitivities and allergies, attention to digestion - chewing food well, supporting the digestion with extra enzymes when needed and including more enzyme rich foods in the diet (notably living foods).

Natural Revival - Making Your Own Fresh Air

A couple of months ago I watched a fantastic you tube clip about making your own fresh air using house plants - literally detailing how you can produce fresh air from a combination of plants. I felt inspired after watching the clip, so much so I immediately went out and purchased a few additional house plants myself . I do now enjoy sitting in my abundantly plant filled front room, or in the garden.  Sometimes living in the city, you do get a sense you can’t always breathe fully; hence the frequent yearnings for a trip to the countryside to refresh the lungs and clear the head. However, as much as I love the countryside myself… I’d be telling a lie if I also didn’t admit how many aspects I love about living in the city. It is vibrant, exciting, full of opportunities and incredibly stimulating, and I’m personally not at the stage where I’m about to head to the hills. I definitely would like to breathe a little easier whilst I’m in the city though.  More and more people do seem to be suffering with allergies these days, linked to high pollen counts, pets, and dust, but also very much linked to chemicals and pollution. Good quality air is essential to well-being, and with these snippets of information and a little investment in some wonderful house plants you’ll be able to create your very own fresh air haven inside your home and without travelling too far at all.

 To make your own fresh air you need:

 * 4 shoulder height areca palms per person 
 * 6-8 waist high mother-in-law’s tongue plants placed in the bedroom (these will convert CO2 into O2 while you sleep)
*  Money Plants which are excellent at removing Formaldehyde

These are the plants that were used in the Paharpur Business Centre in Delhi where much of the research regarding these ‘ indoor fresh air’ experiments has taken place, however, there are other plants which are equally as useful.  Even though I’ve found it easy to source money plants and mother in law’s tongues I’ve found it much harder to find the areca palms, and so have opted for different types of palm in the short-term.  You also don’t need to go out and buy a load of plants in anycase, you can start by asking for cuttings off friends and family members and gradually start to build up your collection.  Other good plants are ivy plants, which offset benzene (so useful to keep in kitchens), chrysanthemum flowers to absorb formaldehyde and benzene, spider plants and corn plants to absorb formaldehyde,  and azaleas, dracaenas, Chinese evergreens, gerbera daisies, bamboo palms, dieffenbachias and peace lillies are all going to improve the air quality and natural beauty of your home. If you’d like to watch the clip yourself, you can find it by clicking on this link

Till next time…

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