How to do cereal the Paleo way..

Breakfast: Whilst it’s well known to be the most important meal of the day, it’s something most people don’t find the time to enjoy, or at least, enjoy properly. It’s well known that having a good breakfast to start your day is key in managing and maintaining a healthy body, but when work and other commitments get in the way, it is easy to forget how important it really is.

For most of my childhood, breakfast consisted of sausages and boiled egg with soldiers (the best). I also went through various pancake stages when Waitrose used to do the homemade ones (so middle class it hurts). When I turned 14 and suddenly became extremely aware of boys and what I looked like, I eat what seemed to be the best weight loss option, aka Special K, which was fucking horrific in terms of actually being healthy but seemed to have some kind of crack like ingredient in it that made me desperate to eat about ten bowls a day. This has never been tested or proven but I’m convinced there’s something in that theory because every single friend I have who eat it said the same thing. Just a warning… I then moved onto porridge, and finally, to the relief of my trainer, I (Re) discovered eggs, salmon, and avocado. Whilst the porridge wasn’t necessarily terrible for me, it was really heavy and always made me feel bloated and a bit pregnant afterwards. I would have these super starchy, heavy, ‘healthy’ (special K, occasionally Shreddies) breakfasts and wonder why I felt SO exhausted and sluggish all morning, and until I started having healthier breakfasts with more protein I genuinely had no idea the food had something to do with it.

FYI – If you don’t have the right ratio of protein/carbs etc in your meal (ie – not enough protein), your body produces a hormone that makes you really sleepy, so that explains that symptom. You don’t need coffee, you need protein! And maybe coffee as well, depending on how much sleep you’ve had.

However, as is often the case with everything I love (songs, food, etc) whenever I find a food that I love, and is healthy such as the eggs and salmon, I obsessively eat it non stop for however long it takes me to get so sick of it that I can practically never look at it again. I had basically had eggs for breakfast every day for about 2 years, and I was fucking sick of it. I realized I needed to find healthy alternatives – not only for my taste buds, but for my metabolism. As your body’s metabolism can slow and get lazy if you always eat the same thing, I decided to try and switch it up a bit – and try not to eat the same thing every single day. Particularly since starting the Paleo diet last year, I really had to try and be more exciting.

Although there are obviously millions of other breakfast alternatives that are Paleo friendly, such as fish, meat and nuts, green juices and so on, which I will do another post about, I decided to keep this one just for Paleo friendly cereals – because let’s face it, cereal is fucking great. However, 90 percent of cereals are definitely not great FOR you – like Special K, they’re loaded with sugar and dreadful ingredients that you definitely don’t want in your body. Discovering healthy cereal has been FANTASTIC for me, for my metabolism, gut health, and also just because freaking YUM. Below are my favourite healthy alternatives to the shitty cereals, in no particular order – hope you enjoy!

• Primrose Kitchen’s Carrot, Apple and Cinnamon Muesli

I LOVE this one… I mostly try and avoid muesli as the majority of them are full of sugar (moment on the lips, forever on the hips hunnay) but this one is made without gluten wheat or artificial sugar. I think it’s also a great idea to add vegetables in. The chia seeds and psyllium husks make it great for breakfast, and it tastes amazing. There are also other flavours if apple isn’t your thing! It’s really reasonably priced at just under £6, this will last most normal people a couple of weeks, however I go through about 2 packs a week because I eat it like it’s my last meal on this earth and I’m hungry in the mornings. Find it at Whole Foods, Planet Organic or on the website :

http://primroseskitchen.com/shop/muesli/raw-carrot-apple-cinnamon-muesli-400g

• Bench Pressed Oats (Oomf!)

If you like porridge and oats but want to switch it up and add some protein in there too, this is the brand for you. Healthy, gluten free oats infused with whey protein. Bingo! Porridge without the mid morning energy slump. WERK those muscles…

http://giveitsomeoomf.co.uk/

• Roots and Bulbs – Quinoa Granola

This always gives me loads of energy before a workout – really nice with almond milk, coconut yogurt, or even blended berries (you can make a good acai bowl with this one!). It’s not like your usual granola – which can only be a good thing, as it tastes good AND isn’t packed with shitty ingredients and hoards of sugar. Find it in store or visit…

http://www.rootsandbulbs.com/

• The Living Food Kitchen – Buckwheat Granola

This is fucking DELICIOUS, especially with almond milk. However, although there is no added sugar, make sure you stick to a small serving (50g or less) because there is still quite a lot of natural sugars. This one is great for a snack when you are craving something sweet but don’t want to fuck up your diet! Again – find at Whole Foods, Planet Organic or…

http://www.thelivingfoodkitchen.com/sprouted-buckwheat-granola-18.html

• Paleonola

Paleonola do amazing granolas without the crap. I discovered this one at Whole foods (bit of a theme going on here!) where they have a whole section full of paleo friendly granolas, but this might be my favourite.

http://www.paleonola.com/shop_ep_53-1.html

• Whole Foods ..

Whole Foods also have a large range of buckwheat, rye and gluten free oats, which they sell in huge bags of pure oats in the gluten free section. These are inexpensive and will last you for absolutely ages. I believe the best store for these is the Piccadilly one, but they all deliver!

Let me know how you get on with these, if you’ve tried them, even if you hated them!

Bon appetite!

Starting the Paleo: 4 weeks in

As I have discovered more and more throughout my training, food and fitness go absolutely hand in hand. You can’t experience the full benefits of one without the other, and as I have previously mentioned in some of my food related posts, I have found that certain common elements of the modern diet such as gluten and wheat had been hugely hindering my results and progress in the gym.

Like any gym junkie, I am fully aware that in order to achieve maximum ‘gains’, it is essential to sustain a diet high in protein and essential fats, and low in sugar and grains. In greatly reducing my intake of alcohol and starchy carbohydrates such as bread, pizza and pasta, I have already seen a huge improvement in my appearance in many ways – not only improved muscle tone and less body fat, but also improved moods, skin condition and energy. However, in order to not get bored and plateau with ones results, it is always vital to change your routine and further refine what you are eating and how you are exercising, to shock your body and stay focused.

 

For the past year and a half or so, my diet has generally consisted of the following (on the week days, when I wasn’t not asleep or having a cheat meal):

Breakfast – eggs, usually scrambled, with rye bread and smoked salmon

• porridge, usually with gluten free oats, with blueberries
• occasionally a kipper on rye toast

Lunch       – mostly some kind of wrap with chicken and salad, or a salad

Dinner     – Meat or fish with vegetables and rice or more rye toast, followed with yogurt and fruit

Snacks – porridge (again…) or fruit, mostly, peanut butter cups, coconut and date balls, things like this.

On the weekends I found a cheat meal on Friday (my cheat day) usually turned into a more of a cheat weekend, where I did allow myself a couple of snacks, gin and tonics, maybe a biscuit or two. Although this seems fairly normal, I wasn’t happy with my results in the gym and felt really frustrated that my stomach STILL did not look like Candice Swanepoels, despite heating healthily all week, focusing on getting enough sleep (8 hours a night) and working out almost every day.

 

More recently, I found myself not only getting pretty bored of what I was eating, but also desperate for more of a health kick. I mentioned to my trainer I wanted to progress my body further and basically, get a bit of a kick up the bum with my nutrition, which is when he presented me with the Paleo (Short for Paleolithic) diet. I have now been following the Paleo for 4 weeks, and have tracked my progress (included further down). I have achieved fantastic results, although it hasn’t been easy, but what I have also gained is a vast expanse of knowledge about my body and what goes into it. I have been a ‘healthy eating’ person for a long time, but never a diet person. In my experience, they drive you mad and then lead you to gorge on whatever you were unable to eat, making you put back on the weight you lost and then some. However, as the Paleo principles were ones I was already familiar with, as well as this being mainly for my health rather than to be a skinny bitch, I decided to start following this and document my experience. I was also desperate to find out how my body reacted to cutting out sugars, which I have read a lot about recently.

 

(Ten days in)

 

So what is the Paleo diet?

Also known as the Hunter Gatherer diet, the Paleo is a hugely popular diet among many athletes, celebrities and nutritionists. Famous followers include Megan Fox, Grant Hill of the LA Lakers (in an interview with Paleo Lifestyle Magazine he said it was what kept him in the league, more than able to hold his own with the other “kids” on court), Jessica Biel, Matthew Mconaughey, Novak Djokovic, and many more. Created by Dr Loren Cordance in 2002, the Paleo diet focuses on the foods which we ate as Cavemen many thousands of years ago, which our bodies are genetically adapted to being able to digest – meats, fish, nuts, as well as fruit vegetables from above the ground, such as broccoli, kale, spinach, etc. These foods, as well as eggs, are what basically make up most of the Paleo diet – which looks at an 85:15 ratio as part of the ideal diet. (85 being the Paleo, 15 being the cheat meals). The Paleo also does not include dairy. It focuses on healthy fats such as those found in avocados and oily fish, omegas 3 and 6. See http://thepaleodiet.com . I also listened to an amazing podcast on the Paleo, from ‘stuff you should know about’ (available on iTunes).

Carbs

Although it is low carb, it is not no carb – you get the slow burning, healthy carbohydrates your body needs through food like vegetables. (It drives me absolutely nuts when I hear people telling me they are on a ‘no carb diet’ and think this only means cutting out bread and pasta! Double no!) Where slow burning carbs will give you longer lasting energy and fibre, modern ‘carbs’ such as bread and pasta, when broken down, are basically sugar, which means your body produces insulin, which essentially sends messages to your liver to produce fat for storage. This is where a lot of people gain weight from eating a diet heavy in bad ‘carbs’.

 

Obesity and diabetes rise

Dr Loren Cordane looked at the vast amount of health problems there are facing the modern Western world, such as obesity, which is an epidemic in the US and UK, as well as things like diabetes, heart disease, and so on. What Cordane cleverly noted was that the Western diet is an extremely modern diet, full of processed and man made foods heavy in carbohydrates such as pizza, pasta, alcohol and bread. Much of the food and drink we consume in the West is pre packaged, and has to go through many processes before it is actually edible.

Fat and Saturated Fat: FRIEND, NOT FOE!

In the 1950’s, a scientist called Ancel Keys did something called the 6 (and later, 7) countries study, in which he looked at the effects of eating saturated fats found in animal fats on heart disease and cholesterol. In short, he (wrongly) concluded that saturated fat was basically directly linked to heart disease. Keys ignored a lot of other factors in his studies, for example, he studied Japan and the US, and decided the US ate more animal fat and therefore had more heart attacks. He ignored vital things sugar intake and other lifestyle factors. Also, there are 22 countries, not 6, my friend!

Some pointed out to Keys that another study was carried out on the Maasai tribe of southern Kenya, who ate a diet of roughly 60% fat, eating mainly animal fats. They were lean, healthy, and without heart disease. Supporters of Keys’ argument stated this was probably due to genetic predispositions, meaning they were better at digesting animal fats. However, when the Maasai were moved into the city and began eating a Western diet, their rates of heart disease and bad cholesterol suddenly became that of the Westerners.

 

^ The government recommendation of a healthy diet

 

The media and government, however, latched onto Keys’ findings that saturated fats were ‘bad’. This lead to the massive craze of consuming low fat foods. From the 60’s to today, the fat intake reduced by 1 third, and obesity levels almost tripled. When fat is removed, things are taken from their natural state, and basically end up PROCESSED. In short – if your brain doesn’t recognize the ingredient, your tummy probably won’t either.

 

Dairy

I was previously unaware that dairy could be bad, but have recently found out a lot of interesting things about how it can affect your health. Dairy can cause inflammation – resulting for many in nasty things such as acne and constipation, as well as stomach pain. Although it is often marketed as amazing for your bones, the countries with the highest rate of dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis.

 

When it’s not organic, milk, for example, is often full of hormones and antibiotics. Cows can be injected with rgBH to increase their milk production, which often gives them udder infections (poor cows L ) .They are then pumped with antibiotics to get rid of the infection, which then makes its way into our milk. The pasteurizing process kills a lot of the healthy enzymes, meaning its not that fantastic.

Me and the Paleo

For the first two weeks of beginning the Paleo, I was in ‘bootcamp’ phase – in short, I could only eat things such as eggs, nuts, leafy greens, fish and meat. NO rice, NO grains, NO fruit for a whole two weeks. I went on holiday on the tenth day, which meant I didn’t fully stick to these rules for the end – I wasn’t hugely unhealthy, I just had a bit of rice and dark chocolate with my meals, and the odd slice of nut bread. However, I saw a huge improvement in my trickiest area (my stomach) and how I felt energy wise! Now I am in the adding back stage, it is a lot easier, and I am no longer dreaming about bowls of rice and yogurt (pathetic!).

 

Anchovies and mackerel with rice, nuts, seeds, humous and salad

 

Ironically, when on holiday, I felt the best, as I was surrounded by fresh fish and meat, as well as vegetables, which I can tell you felt fifty times better than all of the processed crap we get fed with in the city, where It’s almost impossible to stick to a Paleo diet when every other store in London is a Pret or a Starbucks, which are full of crap ingredients, and you have no idea what you’re putting in your body. Following the Paleo has made me far more aware of these things, and more organized with my food, instead of relying on shops. I have also been greatly saved by the fact that my gym makes Paleo friendly meals. Initially, cutting out dairy was also really tricky, simply from cutting out my morning coffee (addicted) , but after 3 weeks, almond milk coffee almost tastes better. So now, my diet looks more like this:

Breakfast: Fish (sardines or kipper) with a rice cake, eggs with spinach, avocado and smoked salmon, or quinoa granola with coconut yogurt and nuts/berries

Mid morning: protein pancakes (3) or a protein bar with berries

Lunch: Usually meat like chicken or turkey, with 2x leafy green vegetables

Mid afternoon: protein bar or a green juice, rice cakes with nut butter

Dinner: Usually fish, such as salmon, with vegetables and (if I’m starving) basmati rice

I also usually add in things like protein shakes with almond milk, bee pollen and maca, green teas, nuts, etc. Below are some of my progress photos. I don’t take a lot of ‘progress’ photos but I will include the few that I took below!

 

 

---

Having experienced and researched the health benefits, I am definitely going to stick to the Paleo as part of my lifestyle. However, I have also come to realize that when it comes to diets and so on, you have to stick to what works for you. Everyone is different and what works for one person might be awful for another – for example, the bootcamp for me was incredibly hard as I wasn’t even able to have things like natural sugar in berries, which drove me insane! As the saying goes, everything in moderation. Health is obviously vital, but as the Paleo suggests an 85:15 ratio is important for upkeep, and I definitely agree a balance is key to not going mad!

Waist train, lose gains

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend who told me she has bought a ‘waist trainer’. To those of you that don’t know what this is, it’s essentially a corset which is supposed to serve the purpose of giving you a smaller waist. If you remember Keira Knightly in Pirates of the Caribbean (I believe it was the first one) fainting due to her excessively tightly laced top, you have the right idea. Khloe Kardashian recently uploaded an Instagram of herself wearing her waist trainer, an idea she apparently got from the seriously bizarre Blac Chyna (Tyga’s baby momma aka the only woman with a faker ass than Nicki Minaj).

 

 

It is becoming increasingly unavoidable to check your social media site of choice whether that be Pintrest, Twitter or Instagram without multiple accounts or photos coming up of girls who look like they are straight up from a Drake video. Everyone is obsessed with asses and getting a curvy, hourglass figure, with butts bigger than planets and waists tinier than my little sisters wrists. The situation is fuelled further by image obsessed celebrities, particularly creepy rappers who appear to be solely motivated by women’s bottoms. (Jason Derulo is great, but ‘you know what to do with that BIG FAT BUTT? REALLY JASON?)  The world has gone curve crazy.

 

So when a friend of mine – who already has a body that makes Kim Ks look bad – told me that she had bought a ‘waist trainer’ corset, I was SO BAFFLED. ‘Doesn’t it hurt?’ I asked.

 

 ‘Kind of, I had to take it off the other night because it was so uncomfortable’, she replied. ‘It kind of feels like you can’t breathe’.

 

After she confirmed my suspicions, I decided to check out the hype further.

 

I literally cannot get my head around why anyone would do this to their body, if they had any idea of what it does to you. Corsets went out of fashion for a reason – they can literally kill you!

 

A waist trainer works something like this: crushing your ribcage and stomach slowly and rather uncomfortably so that your appetite and actual bones shrink down a few sizes. It’s so unnatural and wrong! If you were meant to have a tiny waist, you would have been born with a tiny waist. We have got to stop aspiring to be like these women who have bodies that are totally different to ours! Know your own body type and own it! And celebrities who know they have a huge influence on younger girls and their body image should be fucking ashamed to promote something which is so bad for you all in the name of vanity. They could be promoting healthy eating and working out, which would be a much more sensible message to put out there for young women and girls. But they’d much rather get their ten percent and instead show off a totally unhealthy and damaging piece of equipment all over the web, which effectively promotes laziness and not much else.

 

  – THIS IS SO BIZARRE 

What is the problem with going to the gym and putting in some work to reach your goals, please explain to me!! Shame on you, Khloe Kardashian! First it was workout rants and squat photos, which is all very well and good, but now this? Whyyyyyy!!

 

Much of me thinks this is part of a much wider issue which many people (particularly escorts on Instagram….bitch you ain’t no model….we know you’re selling pussy stop lying) seem to be affected by, which is basically laziness, aka paying for multiple surgery operations to make it look like they workout a fuckload but really don’t. It’s sad! Because if you do that, you’ll never actually get any of the benefits that you should from exercising, such as a stronger body, a happier and healthier mind, stress relief…the list goes on.

 

Also let’s be honest, does anyone want to look like Blac Chyna (or whatever she is called) when they’re 80? Unless you’re going to go into a weird kind of porn industry, I would vote no.

 There are plenty of examples of women who (literally) work their asses off to have small waists and amazing butts. These are the women to aspire to for this kind of training! My favourite people to follow on Instagram for these tips are:

@lyzabethlopez (she created @hourglassworkout and honestly her bod is just the best thing ever

@alexandrabring

@michellelewin

Also, if you get a chance, check out Brett Contreras, who has a page on Facebook, and a whole book on how to build your body and butt up, which I bought, and my ass is thankful!

 If waist trainers and corsets were beneficial to work out with, don’t you think you might have seen them in the gym or at sweaty betty? I think there’s kind of a reason they’re only sold on dodgy internet sites halfway across the world…

I think curves are amazing…I just don’t think they’re worth crushing your body to gain.

 

 

 

 

 

Annoying People at the Gym

 Recently, I encountered a more than unpleasant woman at the gym, and the experience prompted me to think about the different kinds of people at the gym who are universal assholes, meaning they appear in gyms worldwide. (I hasten to add that this doesn’t usually happen at my gym because I don’t want to disrespect the best place ever, but I have been to a few others where a weird crowd is the norm!)

 

 

1)   The selfie whore

 

We’re all prone to a cheeky gym selfie here and there (how else are you gonna show off your GAINS?) but this chick is on another level. Skinny as a rake and  lacking the motivation to do any actual exercise, she turns up head to toe in a skimpy but expensive gym outfit and posts selfie after selfie in a sports bra and full makeup. Who the fuck wears makeup to the gym? Exercise begins, pores open, sweat pours out, whatever is on your skin trickles deep into your pores, only to later be reincarnated as blackheads and a congested face. NOT. CUTE! You won’t catch this girl posing in a sporty position though (with weights, squatting, etc) – she doesn’t know what any of that is. And, chances are, shes probably posing like this: one leg bent up in an effort to create some kind of curve to make up for a severe lack of muscle, hand on hip, and pulling down her ponytail. Get outta here!!

 

 

2)   The over-friendly trainer

Guys are fairly egotistical creatures, but this guy takes friendly to a whole new level. His prime hunting spot is the treadmill or the stretching mats, where he sniffs out his prey and magically appears from nowhere to interrupt your workout. Here are some tell-tale catchphrases which might help you identify him:

‘What are you working on?’

‘Looking good babe’

‘Keep the good work up’

‘What’s your training plan?’

‘If you need any help working out…’

He will also attempt to touch you on your lower back and butt, often pretending he is trying to adjust your posture (or something.)

 

 

3)   The noisy moaner

 

For some reason (surprise surprise) men seem to be the main culprits of unnecessary grunts and moans whilst in the gym. Don’t get me wrong – we all have to protest in pain sometimes when we’re getting low in the squat rack or going for the last reps of a chest press set, and sometimes you can’t help a little noise escaping (the best thing is just to say f*ck, because you get to use all of the fun vowel sounds and express your anger but you definitely won’t be shouting it at the top of your lungs) . But the noisey moaner howls like a big baboon at the height of mating season, desperate to show off  his apparently huge surge of testosterone fuelled exasperation and manliness. He also usually dons some kind of sex face as well.

 

 

4)   The phone magnet

I see these people all the time and never understand why they waste their money on a gym membership which is clearly doing nothing for them! This person spends a good hour of their lunchbreak, rocking from side to side on the crosstrainer staring at their blackberry without breaking into any kind of sweat, and then leave to go and do the same thing at work. I’m kind of at a loss for what to say about this person because the whole concept is just BEYOND me.

 

 

 

5)   The equipment thief

 

This person might be the most irritating of them all, and I had first hand experience of one just last week. The gym is somewhere where usually a first come, first serve basis applies for machines and free weights. If you are queuing to get your weights for a class, or on a 20 second break from your set, this bitch will swoop in there like a god damn vulture and snatch up your weights right from under your eyes, or try and start using your machine/bench whilst you’re still working out with it. Why do they exist? I don’t know. Possibly the most irritating people in the world, they walk away with your weights without a care in the world whilst you stand there, speechless with rage and desperate to shove the Olympic bar up their behind. You can thank them for allowing you to get so angry you sweat oceans and therefore burn more calories, or you can do the latter: Tell them to piss off! And pray they drop the weights on their baby toe.

 

 

 

6)   The steam room asshole

 

 

Often found in a group, this guy goes to the gym to perv on girls in the sauna/steam room/pool. He/they hunt you down at your most vunerable and awkward moment: in your swimming costume. The groups are usually a bunch of sweaty college boys, and on their own, they are not much better. Thankfully alone they are usually silent and moody, in a group – like a pack of animals – they make loud annoying noises to attract the opposite sex, and usually make total tits of themselves.

 

 

 

 

That’s all the weirdos I can deal with for one day. Hope you enjoyed!

Roots and Bulbs – Juice, the right way!

Another day, another struggle to eat clean in a world of temptations! When you’re on the go for about 16 hours a day, making the right choices when it comes to food and drinks is harder than it looks. Similarly, it can be a challenge to  find healthy food and drink which actually tastes good. However, if you’re training mean and not eating clean, you’re not going to get the results you want. Last week the BBC news released a report on how we actually need 7 (as opposed to 5) a day fruit and veg, proving having your greens really is absolutely vital. 

More and more, I see people going on ‘juice cleanses’ or ‘detoxes’ in which they literally live off juices for any number of days. I have never been one for extreme dieting, especially faddy health crazes which often turn out to cause absolute chaos to not only your metabolism but your physical (and often mental) health. There is a big difference between good juice and bad juice. Heading to Tesco to pick up ten fruit juices to ‘cleanse’ your body for the weekend? Worst thing you could do. Sugar, sugar sugar!! Avoid this at all costs. However, if you get it right, there definitely is something to juicing. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend only eating/drinking juice, with the right ingredients it can provide a basis for an amazing on the go snack, breakfast, post or even pre workout fuel, and so on! I have definitely noticed the difference since I added them into my daily routine (feeling more awake, better digestive system, more energy, healthier skin and so on!), but even though I have finally ordered myself a juicer, it can be annoying to carry a big shake around with you all day, so I usually pick them up on the go. However, the good juice bars are extremely few and far between, so when a new one opened up recently near my gym, I was ECSTATIC! 

 Eating vegetables is vital for your health but not everyone’s cup of tea. So what’s the solution? Drink them!

 

Enter Roots and Bulbs. Situated on Thayer Street in Marylebone, the store is London’s first cold pressed juice bar (which means something like this: instead of losing vital nutrients in blending the juice, all the goodness stays inside).

The cold pressed menu consists of the greens: 1, 2 & 3 – going up in sweetness, so you know what to expect. The there’s the carrots: 1, 2 & 3 – where the same applies. So for those of you with a sweet tooth who can’t stand veggies – no excuses! 

 

Roots and Bulbs also has a Smoothie bar, where you can get protein shakes, healthy ‘all day breakfast’ drinks…the works! This has become my go to place for after the gym. My favourite is the appropriately named ‘Gym Freak’ (peanut butter lovers take note!) Last week I was so excited to get my shake that I actually nearly forgot to pay. 

 

 If Smoothies and Juices aren’t your thing, don’t worry. Want a healthy coffee (never thought I’d use those words in the same sentence) on your way to work? Roots and Bulbs is your answer. Want to pick up a healthy (but also tasty – another two words that are tricky to use in the same sentence) lunch or snack? R&B it up, baby!

 

Finally, I don’t know how many of you bought Vita Coco because Rihanna looked pretty damn good in the advert – I know I did – but I couldn’t even make it through three sips before giving up. BUTTERS! Roots and Bulbs even does coconut water that tastes good. BINGO!

 

It wasn’t been featured in Vogue magazine for nothing, people. Go and give it a try! 

How to eat fresh and healthy… at fresh healthy!

As I’m sure most of you know by now, food is a BIG DEAL for me. When I eat, I like to eat good. I haven’t gotten a McDonald’s in over ten years. It’s not not because I ‘starve’ myself, I love a burger moment, but I think one of the most important things in life is fuelling your body with healthy things – because you only have one of them! I like to think of it like this: When you eat good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you look good. DUH!

  (me)

Also, everyone knows you shouldn’t put diesel in a ferrari engine. *brushes dirt off shoulders*. 

 

As I work and train in Soho, this has provided me with countless lunch break options (EXCITEMENT LEVEL 100). However, as I am gluten free and really fussy about eating enough protein, finding a place which caters to my many needs is harder than you would think!

 

However, a few weeks ago I came across Fresh Healthy Eating Café on Lexington Street (http://www.freshealthyeatingcafe.com ).

Drawn in by the gluten free signs, I went in to really friendly service and PROTEIN GREEN JUICES which are the BEST thing EVER!

 

The café sells everything from gluten free breakfast porridge to hot chicken wraps, salads, fruit, and even supplements. I have been back many many times and am never disappointed! The prices are also really reasonable, so you can get a healthy lunch which also tastes good, fills you up and doesn’t cost you loads – basically it ticks all the boxes! Usually when I go to get lunch, I end up paying loads and am not actually full afterwards (big appetite), so this is an amazing place for me!

If you’re ever in Soho and are in need of refuelling, give it a try! I recommend the green juice with vanilla protein, cajun chicken wrap and the baked pineapple bites. YEAH BABY