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Nourish Daily Blog
Our habits shape who we are: learn how to nourish your body, mind and spirit, every day.
Whole foods plant based recipes & bite-size info on topics supportive of health
Health benefits of herbal teas
Herbal teas are a great way to increase your hydration, and they come with added health benefits too, so win win!
Herbal teas are actually not tea (like black tea or green tea), but they are made from dried fruits, flowers, spices, and of course, herbs. This means that there is a huge variety of herbal teas, so something for everyone!
Herbals teas have been around for centuries, and some have health-promoting properties that have underpinned their use as natural remedies for hundreds of years, many of which are now being backed up with scientific studies.
Vegan inspired quesadilla!
Quesadilla is a traditional Mexican dish made with cheese and other fillings folded in a tortilla. It looks really yummy, so why not mix it up and make a healthier, vegan version?
So this recipe is my very first attempt at making vegan quesadilla, and for a first attempt it went pretty well! It was super easy and yummy and there are endless options when it comes to fillings. This is an amazing way of getting in loads to healthy food heroes, like beans, avocado, herbs and whatever other whole-food goodies you throw at it.
Here is the recipe, but please really just take this as guidance for your own personal twist :)
Cinnamon for diabetes?
It may be time to look differently at your spice rack. The medicinal properties of herbs and spices were once a central part of a healers toolkit, but much of the knowledge and understanding of their properties is lost in our ultra modern world. What if we took a trip to our spice cabinet rather than the pharmacy for our medicine? Or better still, what if we used our spices to keep us well in the first place?
The wonderful spice cinnamon is a good place to start as there is lots of research on its medicinal properties. Also, cinnamon is such a versatile spice; it is easy to incorporate it into every day cooking, which is fantastic given the multiple demonstrated health benefits.
Crispy King Kale Crisps
When I first discovered kale I have to admit I was not exactly a fan. It seemed tough, dense and hard work to chomp on. However since then my opinion of kale, from a culinary as well as nutritional stand-point, has elevated kale to king in my kitchen!
Read more to find out why kale is such a nutritional powerhouse, and for some tips for how to prepare kale and a kale chips recipe ;)
The problem with perfection
We are surrounded by perfection. Be it on poster-boards, TV shows, TV adverts and of course all over social media. We see the perfect house, lifestyle, diet, body, fashion, skin, hair …. everything, and it is only natural to notice the difference between all that we see and ourselves.
In this post I am mainly thinking about our bombardment with perfection on social media as this is the most pervasive. I look at why seeking perfection is harmful, and what you can do to cultivate a healthier outlook.
Are tannins in tea really so terrible?
Tea has to be by far one of the most popular beverages worldwide, but you may have heard some bad things about tea, namely about the tannins. Is the time up for tea, or are tannins not so terrible?
In this post, I am talking about tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant, so black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and purple tea - so many types of tea! But there are also considerable tannins in coffee, red wine and chocolate, so these should be considered too if you are thinking about tannins.
Spending time in nature has measurable health benefits…
If you think of nourishment in terms not only of your body, but also your mind and spirit, then it becomes immediately clear that there is much, much more to nourishment than the food you eat.
A great example of nourishment is spending time in nature, which has been shown to benefit both mental and physical health. How often do you get out in nature? For most of us, the answer is probably not as much as we’d like. But now that research has now found measurable health benefits of spending time in nature, it may be time we re-prioritise our time outdoors.
Oxalates and your health
If you are switching to a whole-foods plant-based diet, you may come across the idea of anti-nutrients as components in whole, plant-based foods that can have a negative impact on your health. Sounds scary, right?
Some of the commonly listed anti-nutrients are lectins, phytates, tannins, saponins, glucosinates and oxalates. In this post I will discuss oxalates, saving the rest for later ;)
Why to make Parlsey your new best pall in the kitchen
Parsley is a super delicious herb, and if I have some fresh to hand I will sprinkle it on just about any savoury dish. Not only does it add a pretty garnish, it adds a fresh uplifting taste and aroma.
But it does not end with eye appeal and yumminess; parlsey brings many health benefits due to being packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants…
Fantastic flax - four reasons to eat
Flaxseeds, also known as linseeds, are making their way into the mainstream as a wonderful superfood full of health promoting nutrients. And there are plenty of reasons to back this up.
Here are my top 4 reasons to eat flax and some tips for how to add to your diet.
Making smarter choices buying organic
Organic food is expensive! Making the switch from a zero-organic shopping cart to 100% organic can put a serious dent in your bank balance. Also, organic foods are not as widely available as non-organic foods, so you may not have much variety of organic fruit and veg where you shop.
If you want to ‘go organic’ but find the financial commitment too high, or your choices are limited, you can be smarter with your choices by focusing on the ‘clean 15’ and ‘dirty dozen’. These are fruit and veg that have been rated in terms of their pesticide load, with the ‘clean 15’ containing the fewest pesticide residues, and the ‘dirty dozen’ the most.
Supercharge your breakfast with your own homemade muesli
Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can be a challenge, with many of us struggling to find the time and also the inspiration… Muesli can solve this problem, being quick to serve and full of energy boosting ingredients. However, shop bought muesli often has added sugar, oils, milk powder and even salt! You can buy premium brands to avoid these added extras, but why not make your own at a fraction of the cost?
Here is a muesli mix I made the other day… I don’t have exact amounts, and for muesli I don’t think this matters. You just need a base of grains and then add yummy extras like sultanas, nuts and seeds…
How does white rice really compare against healthier alternatives?
We all know that refined foods like white rice and white pasta are lower in nutritional content in comparison to their wholegrain counterparts. In order to demonstrate this, I have lined up white rice against brown rice as well as alternatives to rice: quinoa, millet and green lentils. I want to show you that firstly, there are much more nutritious alternatives to white rice, and secondly that different foods are superstars for different areas of nutrition - there is no one perfect food that will give you adequate amounts of everything that you need! Variety is the spice of life!
Tips for better sleep: infographic
A few weeks ago I shared some tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep. I realise I gave quite a lot of tips and so I have pulled them together in an overview infographic. I hope this will help you scan over the various strategies you can try to improve your sleep, and select one or two to give a go. (Of course, nothing stopping you trying them all!)
Sleep is such a cornerstone to health, and so well worth spending some time on! I often joke that sleeping is a hobby of mine, I like it so much! And who doesn’t enjoy a good nights sleep? I hope this infographic will help give you the tools you need for a better nights sleep.
Breaking out of the pasta-rice-potato cycle
First off, let me just say that there is nothing at all wrong with pasta, rice or potato! (Unless you have an allergy or intolerance to one of these of course.) But many people rotate their meals between these three, and on top of this many rely on white pasta and rice.
There are two main issues here. Firstly, refined white rice and pasta have had the majority of their nutrition removed. And secondly, you are missing out on an amazing variety of other foods. There are many highly nutritious alternatives to pasta, rice and potato. But if you are in the pasta-rice-potato cycle you are missing out on other wonderful flavours, textures and most importantly nutrient dense foods.
Here are some alternatives you might like to try :)
Helpful resources to support ‘eating the rainbow’
In my previous post I gave some suggestions on how to increase the quantity and variety of fruit and veg in your diet. One of these was to eat the rainbow, and I want to share two free resources I have created with you here to help with this. One is a food guide by colour, to help inspire you to make wider food choices, and the other is a weekly tick sheet so you can track and gain an overview of whether you are managing to eat the rainbow!
Tips to eat more fruit and veg
In my previous post I made the case for eating more, and also a greater variety of fruit and veg. Think greater energy, better health and more resistance to illness.
But getting in more, and a greater variety, of fruit and veg can be easier said than done as we all live busy lives and typically find adding something else to think about difficult! Therefore, I would like to share with you some ideas to you supercharge your diet with wonderful fruit and veggies.
Variety is the spice of life
I have a question for you: if you could list the fruit and veg you eat regularly, so every week, how long would that list be? For many people, this list is really short and under a dozen different fruit and veggies eaten regularly.
‘So what?’ You might say. ‘If I am getting my daily portions then that is good enough isn’t it?’
Well in this post I would like to make the case for not only increasing the quantity of fruit and veg in your diet, but also the variety.
Strategies for getting more and better sleep
Where sleep is concerned, for many people there is room for improvement! As we all will have experienced, poor sleep can leave you feeling fuzzy headed, easy to annoy and low in energy. Beyond this extended periods of poor sleep can feed in to poor health such as through promoting weight gain, insulin resistance, reduced immunity and increased inflammation.
But the good news is there are many strategies you can try to improve your sleep. Some of these suggestions may also sound obvious - don’t dismiss these ones, sometimes the simplest changes can have the greatest results.
Why sleep is important for your health
In my last post I discussed how what you eat can effect the quality of your sleep, and how the quality of your sleep can influence what you eat! Quite a circular topic, I know!
In this post I want motivate you to take good care of your sleep. We all know how we feel after a bad nights sleep. Irritable, fatigued, mentally slower… sound familiar? But your sleep, and the quality of the sleep you get over a prolonged period of days, weeks, months and years can have a profound impact on your health.