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

Healthier Christmas Treats

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berries, Christmas, clementine, cookie, enjoy, fruit, hips, honey, ice, juice, light, mince pies, oven, pears, porridge oats, smoothie, spice, vanilla extract

Christmas is generally the one time of year when people don’t worry about fat content and calorie counting.

However, overindulging is easy and can quickly undo all the healthy living you’ve done during the year.

We have got some healthier treat options that taste great but won’t leave you feeling guilty as you loosen your belt in January.

Cute Christmas cookies
We all love to dip into the biscuit tin at Christmas but the chocolate chips, cream fillings and icing make it dangerous territory. These treats taste as good as they look without the need for extra sugar.

Ingredients

100g/3½oz soft unsalted butter
60g/2¼oz soft brown sugar
One large egg
Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
275g/9¾oz plain flour plus extra for dusting
One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
One tablespoon of finely chopped peel
A handful of halved blanched almonds (these are optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again.
Mix in the flour, cinnamon and peel until you have a dough.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of around 1cm.
Using Christmas cookie cutters cut the dough and place onto the baking tray.
Decorate with the almond halves and then bake for around ten minutes until they are a lovely golden-brown.
Leave for five minutes then more to a rack to cool before eating!

Light mince pies
We all love mince pies but many come packed with extra sugar and stodgy pasty. This recipe is easy to make, tastes great but is as light on the lips as it is on the hips.

Ingredients
5 sheets of filo pastry
25g/1oz unsalted, melted butter
150g/5½oz mincemeat – find an organic one with lots of fruit or make it yourself
125g/4½oz ripe, chopped pears (you can use tinned)
50g/1¾oz chopped clementines
2 teaspoons of cornflour

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Brush 12 muffin tins with melted butter.
Mix the mincemeat with the pears, clementines and cornflour in a bowl until the cornflour has dissolved.
Brush the first sheet of pastry with melted butter and place another sheet on top, brush again with butter. Add a 3rd sheet of pastry and once again brush with butter. Cut the pastry stack into 12 pieces and then press a piece of filo into each compartment of the muffin tin.
Divide the mincemeat between the pastry lined cases.
Butter the remaining sheets of pasty and cut each piece into six. Scrunch up the pieces and put one on top of each mince pie making the perfect festive hat.
Cook for around 15 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp but be careful not to burn as it is a delicate taste.
Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before placing on a rack then enjoy with crème fresh.

Christmas smoothie
With champagne and coctails flowing freely, sometimes it is nice to refresh with something non-alcoholic. This Christmas smoothie not only tastes lovely but is bursting with goodness.

Ingredients
180ml/6fl oz clementine juice
40g/1½oz porridge oats
320g/11oz blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 ripe peeled pears
1 tablespoon of honey
½ teaspoon of mixed spice
Handful of ice cubes

Method
This is super-simple given how amazing it tastes.
Soak the oats for 20 minutes before you make the smoothie.
Place all the ingredients in a food mixer and blend together.
Add ice to glasses, pour and drink.