How to eat for wellness in 2020

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Too many sausage rolls eaten?

Too many cocktails drunk?

Too many chocolates picked from the box?

Christmas is a time for fun and we all like to indulge, but all that rich food and sugary drinks can play havoc with our waistlines as well as our skin, teeth and mood.
Eating a healthy, well balanced, varied diet is key for good health and well-being and it can also help keep things like heart disease, strokes and certain cancers away.
We aren’t going to tell you to try a faddy diet or starve yourself because that won’t do anything for anyone, but we do have some ideas of how you can change what you eat and drink, and feel better for it.

Eat breakfast
We know this isn’t for everyone, but eating breakfast is the best way to start your day. Don’t load up on cereals packed with sugar or knock back an energy drink when you wake up, because you will crash and burn. Wholemeal toast with peanut butter, a fruit and veg smoothie, porridge with banana and blueberries or avocado smash are all perfect morning starters and they will see you through the morning.

A starter for five
Old news maybe, but eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day is the goal. It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh, frozen, tinned, juiced or dried, but get in the habit of having five servings and if you can go further, you are winning.

Drink more water
It’s clear… drink more water if you want to feel good. The advice is to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water a day and this will impact you mind, body and skin. You might also want to cut the caffeine and fizzy drinks and switch to herbal teas which will help hydrate and calm you.

Keep snacks in your bag
Dried fruit, nuts, rice cakes, bananas and home-made date bars can be kept in your bag, car or desk drawer and not only will they fill you up, they are so much better for you than a bar of chocolate or slice of cake. Yes, have treats, but now and again and not every day.

Make switches
White bread and pasta aren’t going to really do much for you, so why not switch to wholegrain alternatives? Sweet potatoes are a brilliant source of vitamin C, so leave the mash for another day, and a bowl of berries will beat a bag of sweets any day.

Go plant based
This isn’t for everyone but cutting animal products out of your diet isn’t a bad idea. If a full vegan diet isn’t right, maybe think about being veggie or if this is still too much, go meat and dairy free a couple of days and week and let natural plant goodness fill your plate and your tummy.

Exercise more
We aren’t saying that you need to train for a marathon or become an Iron Man candidate but moving your body goes hand in hand with improving your diet. The weather might still be cold, but a run around the park will warm you up, a swim is a low impact exercise many of us can do and if you want to spice up your life, how about a salsa class with a friend? Don’t sign up for an expensive gym membership in January that you won’t use, but do look for something you will enjoy, because then you will want to do it, and you’ll be glad you did. Do remember, that going for a job doesn’t mean you can then eat a massive take-away, but you can make curries and soups from scratch that will nourish your body for longer.

Got a tip for us, let us know as we are all for a happier, healthier 2020.

Team Pure Beauty

Eat well on a budget

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We all know how important it is to eat well and have a highly nutritious diet, but doing that a budget doesn’t always seem possible.

We have had a look at how you can eat well and save pounds on your waistline and shopping bill.

Have a plan
Boring, maybe. Effective, definitely. Having a weekly meal plan means no last-minute microwave meals or takeaways because there is nothing in the cupboard. You can cover breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day of the week and will find that in no time at all you will no longer reach for the crisps when you come home from a hard day at work because you don’t know what to eat.

Buy what you need
Doing a ‘big shop’ might not be helping your quest to be healthy or to save money. Buy what you need for the next few days, then that is what you have to eat meaning you will have less waste. You might also find shopping online, using the cheaper and free delivery slots, helps you stop going buying the BOGOF offers you don ‘t need instead stock up on cans and other non perishable items that can be cheaper when bought in bulk.

Shop late in the day
You will be amazed at the fresh produce that is reduced at the end of the day to ensure it sells. Bananas, fish, meat, yogurt and bread are all up for grabs at a knock down price so be savvy and save money.

Freezer happy
Freeze any unused food, batch make curries and pasta sauces and if you aren’t going to eat something before (see above) the ‘best before’ – freeze it.

Buy frozen
Speaking of frozen food, you will find you waste less if you go for these options in the supermarket. Frozen fruit and vegetables are just as good for you than the fresh varieties as they are picked at the peak of freshness and frozen to seal in their nutrients. You will find many frozen fruit and vegetables come pre-chopped, ready to use and in handy portion sizes which not only help you eat sensibly but also save waste.

Don’t be a brand snob
Yes, the big brands have a good reputation but things like tinned tomatoes and sweetcorn, cereals and nuts will taste just as good whether they are the supermarket’s own option or the shiny famous choice. Go on, give it a go.

Be pulse happy
Beans, lentils and chickpeas are some super cheap but also packed with fibre, vitamins and are low-fat too. Using them to replace mince or chicken in meals like chilli con carne or chicken curry and you instantly have a cheaper, healthier and even tastier option.

Buy meat for less
If you spend longer cooking your meat, you can go for cheaper cuts like braising steak, shin or shoulder. Putting these in a slow cooker with hearty vegetables and stock is a great tasting meal at a good cost and if there are leftovers, have them for lunch the next day.

Cook from scratch
Forget creamy sauces and salt rich dressings and instead prepare your food from scratch. Social media has a wealth of great recipes that are easy to follow and as you tuck in you know exactly what you are eating.

Think about what you drink
With the new sugar tax now launched, there is one more reason to cut out the nutritious poor fizzy drinks from your diet. Water with lemon and cucumber is a great hydrator, smoothies offer a fruity punch and green tea is a sensible coffee swap.

Eating the healthy way doesn’t have to cost the earth but it certainly can help save some money.

Team Pure-Beauty

Small eco changes that pack a punch

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While it might seem that the world around is going, well, a little crazy, World Eco Day on 22 April highlighted once again that the environment is also fragile and we need to look after it if we want to keep it.

Every single one of us can make a difference to our planet each day and we have some ideas of how you can make small changes that could help make this mad world a better place.

Let’s start at the beginning and before you get in the car, ask yourself if you can walk or take public transport instead to help cut down emissions.

Dentists tell us to change our toothbrush every three months. While this is good for out health, with around 65 million people in the UK alone, a massive 260 million plastic toothbrushes will be thrown in the bin – that is a LOT of rubbish. To make a change why not try a bamboo toothbrush that will decompose naturally once you are done with it? Oh, and when you clean your teeth, don’t leave the tap running because you will use a lot of water in two minutes if you do.

People are getting better at this, but when you go shopping take a tote or use your ‘bag for life’ rather than keep paying pennies for plastic ones you then shove under the sink when you get home.

Cling film really isn’t needed so why not swap it for reusable containers that will keep your food fresh and the environment happy? There are some fab, specifically designed products out there that look good, save you money and can be used over and over again, unlike that pesky film that gets all tangled up and doesn’t work anyway.

Make your life as paperless as possible. Read the newspaper online, get bank statements by email, pay by card rather than by notes and when you do have paper, yup, recycle it.

Plant a tree, maybe two, and some other green stuff and help make the world a better place in moments. Planting trees, bushes and any other plant life not only makes your home and garden look lush but they will absorb some of the CO2 from the air, making this a win, win change for everyone.

You can also make a difference by growing your own fruit and veg. However small an outside space you have, it is easy to grow tomatoes, herbs and peppers and for many things a sunny window sill and some pots and peat are all you need to go all good life on your family and friends.

Take-away coffee is very much a 21st century ‘thing’ but the take-away cups soon build up in the landfill, so take your own. From Costa and Starbucks to M&S and John Lewis, there are a wide range of funky cups out there for sale and many coffee outlets will take money off your coffee if you are using your own mug.

This is totally obvious, but recycle, recycle, recylce. Plastic, paper, cardboard, foil and clothes can all be reused or recycled so don’t put them in the bin and leave the mess for someone else to clear up. In a similar vein, take a look not only at what you are buying but also the packing things come in. Do you need your bananas to come in a plastic bag or your grapes to be held in a plastic pot? Fruit and vegetables are an easy way to start this so buy them loose and take them home in a tote or a basket.

Got a recycling tip to share, get in touch and let us know.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy food hacks for a happy kitchen

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By the end of the week, if you are anything like us you’ll have half a loaf of bread going mouldy, apples that are beyond bruised and milk that is well and truly on the turn.

Due to busy lives, eating out and BOGOF offers from the supermarkets, we tend to waste more food than ever which isn’t good for our pockets or the environment and leaves a nasty taste in the mouth – literally.

We have put together some easy to follow food saving hacks that really work.

It is better to get less and waste less and you can do this if you plan your meals for the week. Work out which nights you need to cook and factor in lunch boxes, snacks and guests and you’ll soon notice the difference to your wallet.

Only buy what you need. Many people do a ‘big shop’ and stack their trolley high with goods for the week. You may well find that if you shop little and often, especially for fresh produce, you will waste less and save more.

When you do shop, make a list and stick to it. Even better, shop online and use a template list you know works.

Check your fridge is clean and also set to the right temperature.

Make sure you put crisps, cereal and snacks in an airtight container or zip lock bag. This will prevent them from going soft and losing their flavour which means you can eat them rather than chuck them.

The freezer is your friend. Over ripe bananas can be frozen then used for cakes and smoothies. Freeze past their best herbs with olive oil and you have a ready made stock cube and if you know you aren’t going to eat that chicken crown, freeze it for next week.

When you make a pasta bake or bolognaise, cook a double batch and either for lunch the next day or freeze for next week.

Use up fruit and veg by blasting it all in your blender and making a nutrient packed smoothie.

If you have sad looking carrots, celery, potatoes, peppers and onions, don’t bin them. Simply peel, chop and cook them in a pan and you’ll have a healthy, warming bowl of soup in no time.

Bread doesn’t keep forever so put half a loaf in the freeze and take it out as needed. If it does go stale, toast and use a croutons or blast in the blender and you have breadcrumbs for homemade chicken nuggets.

Don’t waste any ice cream, scoop portions into freezer bags when you buy a tub and you’ll have instant pudding with nothing left over.

Don’t throw away that left over pizza, wrap and put in the fridge, then when hunger strikes put it in the microwave with a cup of water for one minute. This will add moisture to the air and the pizza stop it drying out so when bell goes it’ll be fresh and tasty once again.

Find out if there is a local food bank near you and give them anything you know you won’t use.

Got a hack you love? Drop us a line and let us know.

Team Pure Beauty

A banana isn’t just yellow

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We all have them sitting in the fruit bowl, calling out to be eaten as they get a little browner everyday.

Bananas, the fruit we all love.

Bananas gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy thanks to a combination of three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose as well as a hit of fibre.

Two provide enough energy for a 90-minute workout and this yellow wonder fruit has 4 times the protein, vitamin A and iron of an apple, twice the carbohydrates and three times the phosphorus and is super rich in potassium.

Wow!

We tend to say an apple a day keeps the doctor away but maybe it has been the banana all along?

Anaemia
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and can help ease anaemia.

Bites
Rather than going for strong creams when you’re bitten by an insect, try rubbing the bite with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation and less toxic than over the counter products.

Blood Pressure
Bananas are high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to help keep blood pressure levels healthy.

Body Temperature
Many cultures use the simple banana as a ‘cooling’ fruit to lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. Bet you didn’t know that?

Constipation
Not an obvious but because bananas are high in fibre they can help ensure you have regular bowel movements if included in a healthy diet.

Depression
Bananas contain tryptophan, a protein that the body converts into serotonin which is known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS
Swap pills for bananas if you want a healthier way to deal with PMS. The Vitamin B6 found in the fruit regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood so eat bananas as you relax with a hot water bottle and you will feel more cheery in no time.

Hangover Cure
One of the quickest ways to cure a hangover is by blending a banana with milk, ice and honey. The banana calms the stomach, the honey evens out your blood sugar levels and the milk soothes and re-hydrates you.

Heartburn
Bananas offer a natural antacid effect and can help sooth heartburn.

Morning Sickness
We know many people rave about ginger being good for morning sickness, but so are bananas. They help keep blood sugar levels stable and because they are low in fat so make a great, healthy on the go snack.

Stress
Bananas are high in B vitamins which are excellent at helping to keep us calm, so before an exam or big meeting, munch on a bunch and keep your cool.

Stomach Ulcers
Bananas can really help deal with intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases and it also neutralises acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

What are you waiting for, peel one today and feel tip top.