A plant-based meal option perfect for vegan’s and meat-eaters alike.
Ingredients
1 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tsp garlic, crushed
250 g butternut chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
250 ml vegetable stock
1/2 tsp each cinnamon & cumin
1 tsp each turmeric & paprika
Pomegranate seeds and chopped coriander to serve
Quinoa: 140 g quinoa + 40 g dried apricots, chopped + 10 g flaked almonds
Dressing: 2 Tbsp tahini + 3 Tbsp milk + splash of lemon juice and honey, whisked together
Method
Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for +/- 3 mins. Add the garlic and butternut and cook for a further 7 mins. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 3 mins before adding the chickpeas, tomatoes, stock and spices. Season to taste. Simmer for 30 mins uncovered. Meanwhile bring 400 ml water to simmer in a small saucepan, add quinoa and cook for 20 mins. When cooked stir in apricots, almonds and a pinch of salt. Serve with pomegranate seeds, coriander and a drizzle of the tahini dressing.
Feel free to use leftover and already cooked roast vegetables from your fridge.
Ingredients
80-120 g chicken, cooked (1-2 chicken breasts)
1-2 cups roast vegetables, cooked e.g. zucchini, butternut, pumpkin, red onion, bell peppers, mushroom, asparagus etc.
2 Tbsp oil for cooking
8-10 small cherry tomatoes, halved
1 handful baby spinach leaves
1 Tbsp pesto
1 Tbsp crumbled feta* (omit for Paleo)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Roast vegetables with 1 Tbsp oil until done to your liking. Heat a pan with the remaining oil and cook the chicken until done. Season to taste. Chop the cooked chicken into chunks and toss together with the roast vegetables, tomatoes, baby spinach leaves and pesto. Crumble over the feta (if using) and serve.
Blend all ingredients together (*batter should resemble pancake batter). If batter is too runny, add in a bit more coconut flour. Heat a large non-stick fry pan on medium heat and add oil/butter. Ladle batter into pan so that the pancake is roughly the size of a teacup saucer. Cook for +/- 2 minutes on one side (or until lightly golden) and flip. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Makes 2-4 small pancakes. Serve warm with toppings of choice.
While the holidays are usually a time for joy and cheer, for some of us they can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety as we face unhealthy temptations during holiday meals.
That’s why, in this week’s blog, we want to share our top tips for recognizing and coping with the food-related anxiety during the holidays. It’s time to ditch that food guilt and have a wholesome, happy Christmas without letting diet-obsessions get in the way!
What is mindful eating?
Mindful and intuitive eating is about developing an awareness of your relationship with food. This approach has nothing to do with diets, meal plans, discipline or willpower. Instead, it is about developing a more conscious, healthier and balanced response to food, and teaching yourself how to get in touch with your body’s cues like hunger, fullness and satisfaction.
Tips for mindful eating during the holidays
The holidays can feel like a minefield for many of us, with large family meals presenting many delicious temptations. Food equals comfort and togetherness for many families but research shows that one-third of holiday stress is due to fears of overindulgence and food-based anxiety.
So, for those struggling with stress and guilt about food this festive season, here are some tips for enjoying holiday gatherings without derailing your health and wellness goals.
1.Eat more healthy, hearty foods
The fear and guilt associated with breaking a restrictive diet or eating foods we’d normally avoid during the year can prevent many of us from really enjoying a meal with our family. The key to coping with food anxiety during the holidays is to reject this diet mentality and encourage yourself to focus on healthy, balanced eating rather than restricting yourself during this time.
Remember, it’s okay to enjoy a mince pie and some delicious Christmas pudding, but it’s equally important to stack your plate full of veggies and greens.
Eating plenty of whole fruits, vegetables, and grains along with Christmas treats can help curb cravings and prevent you from overeating. These “high volume foods” also tend to leave you with an increased feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction after a meal.
2. Savour what you’re eating
While it may be tempting to wolf down three servings of turkey in one sitting, it’s important to take a moment and really appreciate what is on your plate. Try to employ all your senses while you’re eating your food, and eat slowly to really take-in the flavour. Eating slowly increases the levels of hormones responsible for feeling full, which may help reduce calorie intake and encourage you to eat more mindfully and intuitively. Chewing slowly can also encourage better digestion and leave you feeling more satisfied after a meal.
3. Don’t channel your stress into eating
Even under normal circumstances, tensions can run high at holiday gatherings – and that was before a global pandemic was thrown into the mix.
It’s important not to channel the stress from this kind of large family gathering into eating. While it may be tempting to take this as an opportunity to self-sabotage and rely on emotional eating to cope with your feelings, try to develop healthier ways to deal with emotional triggers during this time instead.
People tend to panic if they move away from a more restrictive diet and stop calorie-counting. While breaking a diet or strict eating plan can be a source of anxiety for many people, the holidays are a time to say goodbye to this guilt and start listening to your body instead.
Your focus should always be to listen to our body’s hunger and fullness cues – with the goal of eating until you’re comfortable, full and satisfied in mind. A good idea is to try and focus on the difference between true hunger cues that encourage you to continue eating and non-hunger triggers for eating (such as tase, emotional stress or habitual eating) which could cause you to over-eat even when you’re already feeling full.
This is the perfect example of mindful eating. Instead of overindulging, try to observe how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness.
5. Bring something of your own to share.
The fear and guilt associated with unhealthy eating can prevent many of us from really enjoying a meal with our family. So, why not bring along some of your own healthy but delicious treats like these chicken and bulgar wheat salad or these delicious raw chocolate brownies instead.
This is a great way to have better control over your food choices at this kind of social event, and you can guarantee that there will always be something on the table that works for you.
Enjoy the holidays with WellBe
Here at WellBe&Co, we believe in easy-to-implement, lifestyle-focussed health and wellness habits. The key to living a healthy, balanced life starts with good nutrition – which is why we want to share all our top nutritious and delicious recipes with you this holiday season.
Why not try some ofthese tasty recipesthis Christmas day and enjoy some healthy, hearty food while still indulging in a treat or two. And, if the stress of the holidays is getting to be a bit too much to handle, check out our simple guide to mastering mediation and developing better emotional awareness during this time.
Want to learn more? Check out our Instagram page or contact one of our friendly WellBe team members for more information today.
Free from refined sugars, this healthy and quick Christmas pudding is packed with all the flavours and smells of Christmas and it only takes a few hours to make!
Ingredients
1½ whole, sweet oranges roughly chopped with the skin
300g medjool pitted dates
200g pitted prunes
⅓ cup coconut oil
1¼ cups water
1½ cups dried currants
200g organic dried apricots, finely chopped
100g pitted prunes, roughly chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
350g almond flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp clove
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tspsalt
Method
Preheat oven to 190C. Grease a medium sized pudding bowl. Combine dates, prunes, orange and water into a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for 10mins or until the water has evaporated and the dates have formed a thick paste. Stir through the coconut oil and set aside to cool. Place the cooled date mix into a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add apricots and prunes, currants, almond flour, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and the eggs. Mix well. Pour the mixture into your prepared pudding bowl. Place the pudding bowl into a deep baking tray, then pour in hot water until it reaches ½ to ¾ of the way up the roasting tray.
Cover the tray and pudding with a layer of baking paper and foil. Make sure it is completely sealed so no steam can escape. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Carefully remove from oven. Serve with coconut cream.
This tasty side dish is lower in fat, healthier than your average potato bake and still incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
2 tsp Garlic crushed
700 grams Potatoes washed, thinly sliced
1 Brown Onion sliced into thin rings
1/3 cup Wholewheat Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
185 ml Evaporated Milk
Method
reheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish with olive oil. In a jug, combine the evaporated milk and crushed garlic and stir well. Layer the bottom of thedish with a single layer of the thinly sliced potato. Top it with a third of the onion rings. Repeat until all the potato and onion is used up.
Carefully pour over the milk and garlic mix and top with the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake for 50 minutes or until the potato is cooked and it is golden and bubbling. Serve and enjoy!
Packed with flavour, this oven-roasted turkey recipe is healthy and is sure to impress your festive party!
Ingredients
4.5 – 5kg turkey
¼ cup fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano divided
2 Tbsp oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into wedges ( to make 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups water, plus more as needed
Method
Preheat your oven to 220C. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place onion, apple and oranges pieces and half of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan. Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 180C and continue roasting for about 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more – the juices will run clear when cooked. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.
Written by Sarah Braithwaite, a WellBe&CoNeuroscience-based Life & Health Coach
We have all had that same message drummed into our heads since we were young – ‘eat plenty vegetables, exercise often and get enough sleep’ , and while we are all familiar with the physical benefits these have on our body, most are not aware of the incredible impacts had on our brains – particularly when it comes to exercise. Our brain and body is intrinsically connected and while neurology is flowing downwards, physiology is flowing upwards and to separate the dual effects on one another would be impossible.
The love-hate relationship of endurance running is real – time, commitment, pain, and pressure, versus that insane ‘runners high’ that keeps us coming back for more and more. Let us unpack the latest science on brain health in relation to exercise – after all knowledge is power, and these juicy facts may give you a whole new appreciation for those long arduous training sessions.
How exercise actually rewires your brain
More than a mood boost
The latest buzz word in the neuroscience world, ‘neuroplasticity’, means our brains are able to change and rewire depending on many factors, one being physical movement. Beside the mental health benefits of reducing anxiety and depression, regular physical exercise is actually rewiring your brain for better cognitive function as well as improvement of emotional regulation. Exercise also allows the release of the stress hormone, cortisol, from the body which is hugely beneficial and explains why we experience mood changes after a workout.
It’s all biochemistry
During exercise, the body begins to produce endorphins which are our ‘feel good’ hormones. The effects of these endorphins plus the release of important neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, means that you are getting all the right kinds of ‘highs’ while you are running. Dopamine affects the reward pathways in the brain while serotonin stabilizes our moods – both are essential to mental health and well-being. While physical exercise is best, studies have also shown the mind boggling benefits to the brain from simply visualising a detailed exercise session in your head – what better evidence to prove the brain’s role in physical movement?
Okay so now that we have indisputable evidence of just how great movement is for our minds, here are a few easily implementable training hacks to help you get the most out of it:
HIIT-style training has been shown to help prompt new cellular growth in the brain as well as increasing activity between neurons and prompting neuroplasticity.
Keep consistent
Regular exercise improves memory function in the brain. The hippocampus is responsible for memory and learning, and studies have shown that exercise improves these functions and causes neurogenesis (new cellular growth).
Sweat out the stress
Use exercise as a stress release tool to rid your body of excessive levels of toxic cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that we produce, and it can become toxic when chronic. Stress can quite literally cause the physical release of cortisol.
Be mindful
Combine exercise with some mindful or visualisation practices to encourage neuroplasticity. The mind battles to distinguish reality from imagination, and the power of visualization is helpful in ingraining those neural pathways that are used when performing the activity.
The brain thrives off of slow release carbohydrates as well as healthy fats. Dr Tara Swart, a remound Neuroscientist, recommends food such as: eggs, nuts, avos, coconut oil and salmon. Other foods such as sweet potatoes and healthy grains can also be beneficial.
Movement for the mind
Regular exercise, like running, really has profound benefits for both the brain and body, and that ‘high’ is there as a reminder to keep coming back for more. And with that in mind, I’m putting on my trainers and hitting the road…
A word from WellBe
This blog was written by Sarah Braithwaite, of MindSight, is a WellBe&Co Neuroscience-based Health & Life Coach, in collaboration with RunMalibu.
When it comes to running wisdom, numerous myths and misconceptions have been generated over time, and some of these more popular theories have turned out to be a lot more fiction than fact.
Recent research has debunked some of the most widely-known rules and beliefs. From stretching before a run to adopting extreme fad diets, here are some of the most common running myths that you should kick to the curb.
Myth busters: running facts vs fiction
Myth 1: Running trail is harder than road
Road runners thinking about trying their hand at trail running are often hesitant to tackle more technical routes due to the unfamiliar terrain. But is trail running really harder than road running?
It’s true that trail running requires a lot more attention than running on local roads. This is largely due to the uneven terrain, steeper grades and winding switchback, while road running provides smoother and harder surfaces which often correlate to faster times.
Because of this, people tend to think that road running has a lower level of difficulty, while the slower and more technical nature of trail running tends to get a bad reputation.
Often we want to categorize trail running and road running as two completely different activities but, at the end of the day, they are both just running. According to most athletes, if you are already an avid runner, then you already have all the skills you need to run on the trails.
In fact, trying your hand at trial running could benefit you in the long run since many health professionals actually report seeing less injuries in runners that mix their training with some trail running and road running than those who prefer to stick just to the roads.
Myth 2: Runners don’t need strength training
Most people tend to think that if they want to improve their running, all they should focus on is running. In actual fact, if you want to perform at your full potential, you should try to adopt a more comprehensive approach to your training.
Strength training is a key part of boosting performance and preventing injury. Strategically targeting different body parts on different days will also help you to better strengthen your muscles, improve your power output, give you a stronger, better push on the roads and improve your overall race time.
That’s why it’s important to supplement regular roadwork with occasional training to strengthen muscles and joints, as well as to target areas of fitness that you may not normally pay attention to – such as flexibility, balance, mobility, and strength.
Myth 3: Taking a few days off will hurt your fitness
The benefits of rest days shouldn’t be underestimated. Most people tend to forget that one of the most important parts of exercising effectively is giving our bodies time to recover.
Often, being stuck in an “I must work out everyday” mindset will do more harm than good. A lot of the time we tend to feel like taking a day or two off for rest and recovery, or sometimes even for illness, means that we have immediately lost the miles that we’ve logged during the week.
The truth is that cardiovascular fitness doesn’t just disappear overnight. Studies show that there is little decrease in general fitness over the first 10 days of inactivity in trained athletes. So if you need a rest day, take it. There’s no real need to ‘make up’ for the lost time.
A recent study even found that 80 marathon athletes reported that their bones and joints around the knee actually became stronger after training! And while 45% of running injuries do involve knee pain, it’s not the running itself that is inherently strenuous on your body, but rather the related issues which result from weak hips, tight muscles and overuse.
The only time you should really be cautious about injuring your knees when running is if you’ve had a recent knee surgery or if you’re significantly overweight. If that’s the case, it’s always better to start with a more gradual fitness routine before jumping right into an intensive running routine.
Myth 5: You don’t have the right body shape to be a runner
Often people are told that they are too tall, too heavy, too big or too short to be a good runner.
While it’s true that most elite trail or roadrunners have a specific shape and build, we’re not all born elite gold-medalists who are predisposed to a smaller frame and leaner body fat percentage. In reality, most of us don’t have single-digit body fat, and there is no ideal body type for someone looking to get into the sport.
While an individual’s body weight is undoubtedly important when it comes to distance running (since being lighter generally makes running a little easier), runners of all shapes and sizes are capable of beating times and breaking personal records.
Simply put: anyone can become a runner. At any big race, whether it’s a 5km or marathon, you’ll see athletes with varying body types cross the finish line. All it takes is a good level of aerobic fitness and the right training program.
Myth 6: Stretch before you run
While many people swear by a regular stretch routine before a run or race, static stretching is not actually the optimal way to warm up before a run.
In general, the rule is to never stretch a cold muscle. Certified running coaches tend to agree that you should never engage in static stretching before a run as lengthening your muscles could actually over-strain your muscles, and a simple stretch might even end up slowing you down instead.
Your primary focus should instead be to get enough oxygen into your muscles before you partake in any type of physical exertion. A good idea is to start it by warming up with a slow walk. Swing your arms back and forth to get the blood moving or do a few shoulder shrugs. The idea is to slowly elevate your heart rate for a few minutes before you pick up your pace.
Myth 7: There is a perfect diet for running
These days, athletes are always always looking for a new fad diet that will make them leaner and faster.
In reality, there is no specific diet for athletes looking to build stamina and better their performance. The bottom line is that proper nutrition and a balanced diet is all that matters when it comes to keeping your body fit and strong – and research has shown that we are able to thrive equally well on a variety of diets.
The key is trying different diets to find out what works best for you and to create a sustainable lifestyle centre around holistic, healthy living. Essentially, it is all about experimenting with a range of meals and eating plans to see what combination of foods will help you feel good while also enabling you to reach your peak athletic performance.
Whether it’s a vegan lifestyle, a ketogenic diet or a plant-based way of living, once you’ve figured out your best diet, it will undoubtedly give you more energy and stamina when you head out on the roads or the trails.
A final word
Don’t let any myths or misconceptions keep you from hitting the road – or the trail, or the track. At the end of the day, running is an ever-evolving sport, and new studies, better research and different theories are always showing up in the running community.
The trick is to use these opportunities to learn something new so that you can better develop your running wisdom and put your best foot forward every time you hit the roads.
A word from WellBe&Co
This blog was written by WellBe&Co in collaboration with RunMalibu. RunMalibu is taking virtual running to the next level with their US-based virtual races hosted between 7th and 8th November 2021.
These gooey brownies contain NO sugar, NO eggs and NO flour. Plus, chocolate stimulates dopamine release which helps us feel more motivated and happy! Dig in!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups Medjool dates
1/4 cup almonds (unsalted)
1 cup walnuts (unsalted)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
Cinnamon for dusting
METHOD
Remove the pits from the dates and chop the almonds. Place the walnuts in food processor and blend until finely ground. Add the cocoa powder and salt. Pulse to combine. Turn on the food processor. As the it’s running, add one date at a time. Once you have added all your dates, the mixture should be a little crumbly but easily formable. You can text it by taking out a small chunk and rolling it into a ball in your hand. If the mixture is too dry, add more dates. Put the almonds and pulse a couple times to combine (if a ball has formed, you can also mix in the almonds in a bowl).
Forming the brownies: Line a small square dish with wax paper and press into the desired thickness. You can
also press the brownie mix into a greased muffin tray. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; they can easily be cut when cold. Dust with cinnamon to serve.
