How to eat for a less stressed life

Tags

a handful of nuts, a poor immune system, adrenal glands deal, almond butter, anxiety, bad stuff, balanced, banana, better balance, blood sugar levels, boost, brain, Broccoli, caffeine hit, Celery sticks with hummus, coffee, complex carbohydrates, cuts, desk, digestive problems, dinner, eggs, energy drinks, feel, fruit teas, goodness, green tea, healthy fats, heart, heart disease, hormones, kick start, lemon, lime, lunch, magnesium, magnesium deficiency, meal, meat, mind and body, nasties, nourishing foods, nutritious diet, nuts, off the scale, overwhelmed, porridge, protein, pumpkin seeds, racing, running low, salmon, satisfying, seeds, serious physical health issues, snacks, soothe, stimulants, stress levels, struggle, sugar free, sugary and starchy foods, sweet potato, tea, warmth, water, you are what you eat

They say you are what you eat, and this is so true when it comes to our stress levels.

Not only is stress linked to serious physical health issues like heart disease, a poor immune system and digestive problems, but it plays a significant factor when it comes to our mental wellbeing.

You might not know this, but eating a balanced, nutritious diet isn’t only good for your body but it’s key for your brain, too.

Food can also affect our hormones, so eating well will help you to keep your cool and you’ll find that the more of the right stuff you eat, the less of the bad stuff you will feel.

We have had a look at some ideas that could help you get a better balance in your life and help the world to look like a better place.

Keep your blood sugar levels steady
This step is so important and can be done if you start to swap sugary and starchy foods for complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats as these are more satisfying and keep things balanced. Sweet potato and broccoli (complex carbs) with salmon (healthy fats and protein) make a great meal for lunch or dinner and will not only fill you up but also keep things steady so your stress levels don’t though the roof. Celery sticks with hummus, a handful of nuts, and a banana with some almond butter are all great snacks that will keep stress away, and if you start your day with porridge, you are onto a winner.

Get your B vitamins
You might not know this, but B vitamins are brilliant because they help your adrenal glands deal with stress. Luckily for us, they are everywhere and in everything from wholegrains, eggs and meat to nuts and seeds. If you can try to eat more of these wholesome, nourishing foods, your stress levels will thank you.

Make time for magnesium
Magnesium is great for helping your body to deal with stress, it is thought that a magnesium deficiency can be linked to anxiety. If you want to boost your magnesium intake, it’s pretty easy – just pile your plate with broccoli, eggs, spinach and pumpkin seeds and if you are worried you aren’t getting enough, take a supplement and let the goodness calm you down.

Cut back on stimulants
We do take them on board so easily, that we forget just how much stimulants can make our stress levels worse. If you love tea and coffee because it powers you up, that’s ok, but try to have just one or two cups a day, rather than ten.

Those energy drinks, even the sugar free ones, are full of nasties that can make you feel as if your heart is racing and your stress levels are off the scale, so cut them out.
If you find yourself needing a caffeine hit, get it the natural way and go for green tea instead – it contains a compound called l-theanine which helps you feel calmer, and the warmth will soothe you but your stress levels won’t go through the roof.

Keep hydrated
One of the best things you can do for your mind and body, is to drink plenty of water. We know we say this a lot, but that’s because it’s true. Starting the day with a cup of warm water and lemon can really help to kick start your system and clear away the toxins from the night before. Carry a bottle of water with you on the go (a reusable one of course) and fill it up when you are running low, adding lemon, lime and ice for taste. As well as a glass on your desk or at your workstation, also try out herbal and fruit teas as an alternative to the skinny, double shot, extra hot flat white that will set your nerves on edge and add to your stress levels.

Managing your diet is key to helping with stress, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed and things are getting out of hand, it’s really important to speak to someone or seek professional support, you don’t have to struggle alone.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy ways to create a family friendly kitchen

Tags

appliances, art, baby gate, boiling water, carpets, chilblains, clean, clear area, clear surfaces, cold, colder, cook, cooker, cosy space, cry, cute, danger, diffuser, dinner, draft, draft excluder, easy to clean, eat dinner, family, focal, free of clutter, fridge, fry, gaps, heat, home, home hub, homework, hot, hot chocolate, hot food, insulating, kids, kitchen, laugh, locks on cupboards, love, magazines, make dinner, memories, mid-morning coffee, pets, pictures, playpen, precious paintings, rubbish, rugs, sandwiches, school run, sharp knives, slip proof, smell, smells, table, table manners, talk, teach, temperature, Tiled and wooden floors, toasty feeling, toddler, toes, underfloor heating, windows, worktops

If you have a family, it is highly likely that you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, and that it is very much a focal part of your home. The kitchen is where we laugh, cry and talk, it’s where we eat dinner together, where we teach kids table manners and how to cook, and where we gather at the end of the day to catch up and tell stories. It is place that’s all about love and memories.

Given just how important this room is to so many people, we have put together some ideas about how you can create a kitchen, and a home hub, you love.

Safety is key
It really goes without saying, but safety has to be a kitchen priority. Boiling water, sharp knives, hot food and rubbish are all possible danger points, so care needs to be taken. A baby gate, locks on cupboards and drawers, slip proof rugs and mats as well as putting medicines and cleaning products out of reach of children and pets, are all starting points. You want to enjoy your kitchen, but you can do this more easily if things are safe.

What space do you want to have?
We all want something different from a kitchen, and this changes over time, so think about what you need right now, not in five years. Maybe you need somewhere for a playpen for your toddler while you cook, you might want a table or island bar where the kids can do their homework, or if you have pets, thinking about where to keep their food and water bowls could be a consideration. Think about what would make your kitchen work, and then make the steps towards creating the space you want.

Clear the worktops
Of course, one thing you need is a clear area where you can prepare food that isn’t too crowded and where you have space to keep your appliances too. Even if you have a small kitchen, create an area that is free of clutter, that is easy to clean and that way you know you’ll have the room to make dinner and get sandwiches ready for the next day.

Think about the temperature
You might want your kitchen to be a cosy space, and in the evening when the cooker is on and people are moving around this is fine, but by day it could be a colder matter. To make sure you still get that toasty feeling on Sunday mornings when the children are having their cereal, or when you have your mid-morning coffee, you need to look at the space and how hot or cold it gets. Insulating your home is the best way of keeping the heat in, so check for gaps under doors and window frames, you will be amazed at what a draft excluder can do. Tiled and wooden floors might look great, but come November your toes won’t be happy, so look at underfloor heating, carpets or rugs and that way you can sip your hot chocolate before the school run without getting chilblains.

Make it your own
Yes, clean, clear surfaces and spotless walls are the images we see in magazines, but this doesn’t always create the kitchen you want. Art on the walls can add an extra feeling of love and family, pictures with magnets on the fridge are cute and of course, those precious paintings your little ones bring home from nursery will look lovely in your kitchen!

All about the smell
Kitchens are full of smells and let’s face it, some are better than others! Make sure you keep on top of your rubbish and recycling, if you fry food then keep the windows open and think about having a diffuser to help neutralise nasty odours, and these easy steps can help make your kitchen a pleasant place to hang out!

If you follow these tips, your kitchen should be the best room in your home.

Team Pure Beauty

A quick guide to mindfulness for a happier life

Tags

adrenaline, apps, attention, bath, be at one, benefits, books, breath, breathing, brushing your teeth, calling, Calming, dinner, easier, easy, eat, enjoy, evening, experience, feel happier, feelings, focus, heart rate, here and now, improve, lunchtime, media, medite, mental wellbeing, mind, mind and body, mindful, people, present moment, progress, reconnect, regular basis, Relax, sensations, simply tips, sit down, sitting, sleeping patterns, slow, slowly, smell, sound, space, stop, stresses, take, taste, ten minutes, thoughts, train, tube, understand, walk to work, wanders, weekend, win, world, worries

Mindfulness is being talked about in the media today more than ever, but what’s it all about?

Quite simply, mindfulness is an awareness of ourselves as well as the world around us and it can improve our mental wellbeing, calming the mind and allowing us to focus on the here and now.

If we are more aware of the present moment, it can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. If this happens, we can experience and enjoy the people and things we have been taking for granted, and leave behind the stresses we don’t need.

What does it involve?
Just taking notice of your thoughts, feelings, sensations and the world around you is the first step towards mindfulness.
There are books, apps, and courses that give you a structured way to bring mindfulness into your life, but at the heart of it, what you are doing is stopping for a while and focusing on your breathing. You will then notice that your heart rate slows down, adrenaline production is reduced and you feel more relaxed. With practice you can develop greater focus, better sleeping patterns and start to feel happier as well.

It is true that some of us find the idea of sitting with our thoughts when we are stressed or unhappy, quite difficult, so we have some simple tips that could help you get to grips with mindfulness.

Mindfulness isn’t easy to learn at first, so you can start by reading up about it some more, taking a course, joining a group or using an app like Calm.

It is thought that just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation a day can bring massive benefits when it is done on a regular basis. If you can, do it at the same time each day – maybe when you are on the tube, at lunchtime or before you have a bath in the evening, and it’s at this time when you can really be at one with yourself and leave behind your worries and fears. Clear this space each day, stop everything else and practise your mindful meditation.

Start with short bursts of three, five or ten minutes – you can even do it on the train.

When you sit down to meditate, take a few moments to get comfortable. Notice the sounds around you and how you’re feeling. This will help your mind and body reconnect, so when you do start focusing on your breath, it’s a little easier.

When you are practicing mindfulness and meditating, all you need to do is notice your breath and when your attention wanders, which it will as you wonder what to eat for dinner or where to go at the weekend, let go of it and bring your focus back to your breath. Each time you do that, it’s a win and it gets easier.

When you progress and start to bring mindfulness to your daily life, our advice is to start slowly. We suggest that in week one, you are mindful when you are brushing your teeth – be aware of the sound, the smell, the taste, and the movement as you clean. Then build up slowly, adding a new thing each week, such as being mindful on your walk to work, or while stacking the dishwasher.

Mindfulness isn’t for everyone, but why not give it a try and in time we hope it can become a part of your life and one that will make things easier and happier for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Salad, but not as you know it

Tags

apricots, Asparagus, Balsamic vinegar, BBQ, beef tomato, cherry tomatoes, cold water, crushed, dinner, Extra virgin olive oil, free range chicken breasts, friends, garlic, grated, Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad, ingredients, lemon juice, lemon zest, lunch, luscious green salad, olive oil, organic butter, pan, pan of salted water, peppery leaves, picnic, pitta, plates, red chilli, red onion, Red wine, roasting, rocket, salt and pepper, serve, slivers, soft, steaks, Summer chicken salad, tasty, trimmed, tuna, Vegan, very finely sliced, Watercress, Watercress and apricot pitta bread

How many times do you buy luscious green salad, only to find it limp and sad at the back of the fridge because you don’t know what to do with it?

Full of flavour, the peppery leaves of watercress and rocket contain essential vitamins and can be a great addition to any diet.

Whether you are having friends for dinner, planning an end of term BBQ or packing a picnic for the park, we are here to share some ideas of how to get the most out of your salad leaves.

Watercress and apricot pitta bread
This vegan option takes around 10 minutes to get ready and serves two, making it a quick, easy lunch that is light but tasty.

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket (washed)
4 ripe apricots
½ a head of fresh fennel
Extra virgin olive oil
Wholemeal pitta breads
For the dressing:
75ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon of lemon zest
Fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

To start, halve the apricots, cut them into slices, brush them with oil and place in a hot, dry pan and cook for a minute or so, turning so they are soft.

To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper, adding more lemon juice if required.

Toast and break open the pitta bread, add the salad and apricot slices, and enjoy.

Summer chicken salad
This is perfect for a mid-week treat or a lighter alternative to a full roast with all the trimmings.

Ingredients
2 free range chicken breasts
1 x bag of watercress and rocket
1 beef tomato, sliced
60ml olive oil
Large bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed and washed
Salt and pepper to season

For the dressing
1 red onion, very finely sliced
1 red chilli, grated
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of cold water
Salt and pepper to season

Method
Start by making the dressing as giving it time to settle before eating makes it taste best. Ensure that the onion is finely sliced into slivers and the garlic is well crushed. Put all the ingredients into a glass bowl and beat with a fork until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a jar and put in the fridge.

We would suggest either putting the chicken on the BBQ or roasting for around 25 minutes, using any left-over garlic plus salt and pepper to season.

Cook your asparagus for two minutes in boiling salted water, then drain and set aside.
Wash the watercress and place onto each plate, then add the chicken and asparagus before drizzling on your dressing – and enjoy.

Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket
2 fresh tuna steaks
Cherry tomatoes
2 fresh corn on the cob
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to drizzle
A large knob of organic salted butter
Salt and vinegar

Method
Firstly, boil your corn on the cob in a pan of salted water, chop the tomatoes and wash them, together with the watercress and place on plates.

Next, cook the tuna steaks but do note, this doesn’t take long and burning can happen easily, so don’t walk away mid-cook! Brush the tuna lightly with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a heated frying pan over a high heat and cook for just a couple of minutes, depending on how thick the steaks are. Then, turn the tuna over and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar to the salad, place the tuna on the leaves, drain and butter the corn and enjoy with seasoning as required.

Team Pure Beauty

What’s best on TV this Christmas?

Tags

banter, Barry Gibb, BBC1, BBC2, Bee Gee, BFG, big friendly giant, Boxing Day, Carey Mulligan, celebration, champagne, Channel 4, Channel 5, charming, Chi energy, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, classic, classic animation, crooner from Vancouver, cute, December, dinner, eat, Emmerdale, enjoy, Far From the Madding Crowd, fizzy, fun, Gary, happiness, Jack Black, jokes, Katherine Jenkins, Kung Fu Panda, Mark and Howard, martial arts, Mary Berry, Michael Buble, Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show, mince pies, mobile phones, multiple channels, orphan, party, Penguins of Madagascar, period drama, PJs, popcorn, premiere, presents, red button, remote control, Roald Dahl, roasties, snacks, soaps, social media feeds, Special, Stephen Spielberg, Take That, Take That: We’ve Come A Long Way, talented superstar, The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davie, The Snowman and The Snowdog, Thomas Hardy, tunes, turkey, TV, white Christmas, YouTube videos

Yes, we might all have mobile phones, YouTube videos and social media feeds to keep our eyes busy, but nothing says Christmas quite like curling up on the sofa with your nearest and dearest and watching some great TV.

With multiple channels and endless choice, it is hard to know where to start, but to help bring clarity, and even prevent some remote-control controversy, we have had a look at what’s on, when, so all you have to do is decide what snacks to eat and which PJs to wear.

If we don’t have a white Christmas you can get a fix of the white stuff with the Penguins of Madagascar. Tune into BBC 1 on Saturday 22 December from 1.40pm and these cute little birds will bring happiness into any home!

If it’s a classic you are after, they don’t come much better than Far From the Madding Crowd which is on BBC 2 at 10pm on Sunday 23rd December. The period drama, which stars Carey Mulligan, is an adaptation of the beloved Thomas Hardy novel and it is a real treat for English lit and history lovers everywhere.

If you have a soft spot for the crooner from Vancouver, you do not want to miss the Michael Buble special that is being shown on Channel 5 at 9.30pm on Christmas Eve. Pour the champagne, warm the mince pies and as you wrap those last few presents, find out all there is to know about this charming, talented superstar, oh and listen to some of his tunes too!

Christmas Day isn’t Christmas Day unless you watch The Snowman. As the dinner cooks, why not catch the classic animation on Channel 4 at 12.40pm and while the roasties crisp, you can follow it with The Snowman and The Snowdog.

Thank goodness for the red button, because Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show is on at the same time as Emmerdale and Mary Berry on December Day. Tune into BBC1 at 6.45 and as your turkey goes down you can enjoy, fun, jokes, banter and a side of singing from Katherine Jenkins.

Boxing Day brings soaps galore, The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies as well as sports on Sky, but it’s the premiere of the BFG that we will be tuning into. Stephen Spielberg has gone all out to bring this Roald Dahl book to life in the most magical way. The story of how a big friendly giant strikes up a friendship with an orphan might seem a little far-fetched, but if this film doesn’t make you smile, we don’t know what will. The show kicks off at 5.40pm on BBC1 and we strongly suggest a bowl of popcorn and a glass of something fizzy to get the party started.

We do not advocate fighting one little bit, but we do suggest turning to BBC1 at 4.30pm on Thursday 27th so you can watch Kung Fu Panda. Chi energy, martial arts and pandas as you have never seen them before, will come alive in front of your eyes, and so you know, the voice you are trying to identify in the background, is Jack Black.

We could go on and on, but before we go, we want to make sure you know about the Take That are coming to a screen near you on December 28 at 7pm. BBC 1 will show Take That: We’ve Come A Long Way which is a celebration of the iconic boy band who have been in the business for 30 years. Gary, Mark and Howard are joined by Robbie as they look back at an astonishing three decade career, oh and watch out for Bee Gee, Barry Gibb, too. Do. Not. Miss. It.

We think our work is done here, so all that is left to say is have a very happy Christmas.

Team Pure Beauty