weight loss – Page 2 – MISS HOLLY P

misshollyparish cooking

Willy’s Apple Cider Vinegar

I’ve been using ACV for various different uses on and off for a couple of years now and when I came across Willy’s it just sounded so lovely I needed to try it. I got in touch with them and they sent me out some to try, a bottle of their original ACV and a case of their new energy drinks too! Apple cider vinegar has a huge list of uses from cooking, to skin care, using it as a weight loss aid to being an active ingredient in a plethora of home remedies. For your ACV to have all of its benefits is must be raw, unapsteuripsed and with ‘the mother’, the mother is the fermented bits of apple that you will see in your bottle which may look bitty and add to that cloudiness of your ACV. Theres an interesting article on the site for The Academy of Culinary Nutrition about the many different and amazing uses for ACV, check that out here

I use ACV to mainly promote digestion and weight loss and the way that I take it is by using a generous splash diluted in some water and I drink it first thing in the morning before I go about my day. The key difference between Willy’s and other brands of ACV that I have tried is that it tastes more of cider with a real apple taste than it does of vinegar with that real sharpness of other ACVs. It is extremely palatable and no nasty gag faces over here!

Willy’s apples are grown in 300 year old orchards on their own farm and they see through production from start to finish and see that every bottle is live with ‘the mother’ and all her goodness!

I have recently been using this one on a cotton pad as a toner too as my skin has been dreadful and I have found it’s really good for drying out spots and clearing them up a little faster, however obviously your face will smell of vinegar.

I did a previous post on ACV as a new user a couple of years ago which tells you all about my first thoughts and experiences, you can check out here

To sum it up I’m extremely impressed with this ACV, I actually can’t quite believe the difference in flavour to all the others I have tried in the past. They have also launched a brand new energy drink so watch out for a review of that coming soon!

If you fancy trying some of Willy’s products, here’s a link to their shop so you can buy!

Thanks so much for reading!

misshollyparish F

The Cultured Collective and Exploring Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are a subject hot on peoples lips at the moment in the health and wellbeing circles and I’m here to look a little further in to why as a newbie to fermented foods myself. I’ll be exploring the full what, why and how! Fermented foods are an important addition to all diets and are something which I would recommend to consider if they are not something that you may have already been eating for sometime now without even knowing! They have been available for longer than we have been around but their amazing health benefits have made all types of fermented foods more trendy and talked about in the current health and wellbeing revolution. These probiotic heavy foods are amazing for a number of different health benefits from promoting good digestive health, to help balance and maintain a good gut bacteria, helping to achieve a healthy weight, boost you immune system and more! So what are fermented foods? The most common and the ones which I am going to be using are sauerkraut and kimchi but theres also kombucha, tempeh, miso, kefir and more! You’ll start hearing about these more and more as they are becoming very popular here in the UK. The process is…Fermentation promotes the growth and life cycle of good bacteria to transform the flavour and shelf life of ingredients.

So its pretty simple! They are packed with flavour and full of all the goodness to promote, maintain and develop good gut health!I’m using in my kitchen The Cultured Collective ferments and I have 3 Sauerkrauts and 2 Kimchi’s to add to my daily eating routine and experiment with. The Cultured Collective are a UK based brand of premium ferments available to buy jarred and infused with a number of different flavors so they are ready and good to go to top a dish a pack more than just the usual pickled punch of other similar products. The Cultured Collective say-

“All our kimchi and sauerkraut is handmade in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside using only the highest quality, natural ingredients. Never pasteurised, each jar is packed to the brim with good bacteria, which can help to keep your digestive system healthy. “

Sounds good to you but not sure what you would eat them with? Keep reading! Because Sauerkraut and Kimchi are cold one of the easiest ways to eat it is to use it as a salads topper, add it to buddha bowls-you get the picture, quick and easy but with their flavour infusions its nice to theme your dish to suit your ferment. I tried tacos with the chipotle sauerkraut, I did a ramen bowl with my white miso and turmeric kimchi, I had a falafel wrap, open deli sandwiches and of course just the humble salad. Here’s a few snaps of my favourite meals!

I’ve used them with at least one meal every day for one week! Some of the things that I have noticed are reduced bloating of my stomach, certain foods that I eat often aggravate my stomach and I bloat easily. Hand in hand with that, my digestion has been much more regular and has become very routine, I have been like clockwork as soon as I get up each day. I know that your gut bacteria can also affect your sleep and general feeling of wellbeing and I have been sleeping much better and less restlessly the last 3-4 nights. Which was just after the first few days of using the ferments and I definitely feel lighter and less sluggish too!

I’ve really enjoyed introducing these new foods into my diet over the last week and its something that I’m going to continue for sure, I would like to share with you my favourite recipe I tried which is an Easy Asian style ramen/pho bowl with white miso and turmeric kimchi.

Easy Asian-style Ramen/Pho bowl

Prep time- 5 minutes

Cook Time- 30 minutes

Serves – 2-4

Ingredients-

Cultured Collective White Miso and Turmeric Kimchi
soy sauce
turmeric
ginger
fish sauce
vegetable stock cube
beansprouts
stir fry veg
mushrooms
sweetcorn
spinach
Noodles- whatever your chosen
fresh chillies
coriander
spring onion
Egg (optional, remove if vegan)

Directions-

There’s 2 ways that you can do this recipe, in a saucepan on the hob or in a soup maker if you have one. The soup maker option is very simple and you just literally throw in all of the ingredients you want to be cooked (except the egg) and cook on chunky for about 15 minutes. So with both methods step one is to prep your ingredients so slice your onions, chillies and mushrooms and get all other ingredients portioned and to hand to chuck in the pot, this is a quick and easy recipe so I opted for many things pre prepared but do whatever suits you best ingredient wise. If you are cooking on the hob you want to get your stock going first, so start by bringing your water to heat and then add in the miso paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, turmeric and ginger and a vegetable stock cube, once you have all your ingredients simmering away it’s time to add in your ingredients, so thats your noodles of choice- I go for ‘straight to wok’ rice noodles but any noodles work well in this dish, add your veg, spring onions, sweetcorn, beansprouts, fresh chillies, mushrooms and carry on simmering on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, after around 15 minutes I like to add the greens as they take less time to cook so that’s the mangetout and the spinach (if you are cooking in the soup maker add a few minutes before the end to soften), if you’re lucky enough to be able to get your hands on pak choi in your area this works perfectly but not always available at all stores. At the same time as cooking your stock get a small pan of boiling water on the hob ready to boil your egg, I like them soft boiled so I cooked for 6.5 minutes with a little salt and white vinegar in the water to ease shelling, after the 6.5 minutes plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process and leave until cooled and ready to shell and serve. Whilst you’re waiting for your soup to cook I like to prepare my raw, fresh toppings so I thinly slice some more spring onions, some fresh coriander, red chillies and beansprouts and have my kimchi ready to add too. By this time your egg should be ready to shell, place to one side and serve your soup into a large bowl, then add your egg and your fresh toppings and you are ready to eat! This is an easily adapted recipe! I’ve tried it also with king prawns, tofu, chicken! The options are endless and you can add different spices and flavours from your favourite corners of the world which inspire you!

Thanks so much for reading! Who’s trying fermented foods? Who already eats them daily? Fancy giving The Cultured Collective ferments a go? Where to buy here!

H x

misshollyparish anxiety

Bimuno Review

I applied for a blogger assignment to test out and give an honest review of Bimuno Daily, IBAID and Travel-aid. After reading numerous studies and articles and seeing the outcome of test results proving that in many cases healthy gut bacteria can be linked to weight and weight loss specifically in how your body can burn fat and its ability to I was very keen to try it! Gut bacteria has many more benefits than just what I have already mentioned, its also linked to a general sense of well being, can reduce anxiety, improve poor sleep patterns too not to mention relieving many symptoms of IBS and digestive discomfort such as bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

I was sent 3 different products!

First up- Bimuno Daily- Bimuno daily is a sachet which is something that I believe all people could happily fit in to their routine and benefit from. I have many IBS symptoms, regular discomfort after eating certain foods, irregular bowel movement (apologies if TMI) and frequent bloating. I was sent 1 months supply off Bimuno and in this time of taking as religiously as I could (I did miss a few days where I forgot etc) I really noticed a difference in the regularity of my digestive system. In addition to this I have been on a weight loss journey for 4 years now and had recently stagnated my loss. Since starting these my metabolic age significantly dropped (from 39 to 26 FINALLY lower than my actual age) and in addition to my regular calorie controlled diet and regular work outs I shifted the most stubborn half a stone of weight that I had been really holding on to and reached my goal weight. The amount of comments I received about how different my shape looked was unbelievable too considering the lack there of for the first 4 stone it was crazy how many people started commenting. Unfortunately I have no real way of proving that it is solely down to this supplement but it really was the only change that I made to my routine which is and has been quite regimented for some time. I’m 100% going to reorder the daily sachet. Whether it has been responsible or not for the new ease in shifting weight it undoubtedly helped my digestive system which has been a thorn in my side for years. I used it in loads of different ways, by adding it to my overnight oats, by mixing it into my protein shakes, just adding it to water! The only advice they said is to aim to take it around a similar time each day- I opted for morning. Also just a little note these are vegetarian and gluten free however the contain lactose so are not vegan.

IBaid- IBaid is a pastille chewy type sweet which specifically target those with more IBS related symptoms and diagnosed IBS. They are easy to administer into your routine being a tasty chew but unfortunately I didn’t notice a huge difference and I was already experiencing the amazing benefits to the daily sachet! My dad suffers really bad from IBS so I’m going to pass them onto him and see how he gets on!

Travelaid- Travelaid is also a pastille which is designed to help keep your digestion comfortable when traveling abroad when different ingredients and water PH etc can seriously mess with people. You can start taking 7 days prior to travel or when away if necessary. I have just returned from Turkey and did the 7 days before and carried on with my sachets when I was there. Zero issues to report in the toilet department so this one gets a thumbs up from me and is one to consider if your tummy is sensitive to foreign introductions to the diet.

To conclude, Bimuno is a great brand of supplements carefully thought out and although its great the have the IBaid and Travelaid pastilles the daily powder sachet is such a fabulous product that it should cover such a cross section of issues anyone can benefit from it! Find out more on the brand or order yours HERE

Has anyone else tried these and got any thoughts?

Thanks for reading,

H x

misshollyparish anxiety

Gym-timidaton- Some top tips on beating the fitness fear!

Gym success! Top tips to squash intimidation, help you not quit and have a quick reality check!

I thought I just made this word up but clearly not, Urban Dictionary sums it up quite well!

“gymtimidation

The fear of working out at a gym because everything from the crazy contraptions to the seriously ripped bodies is extraordinarily intimidating.

Jack got gymtimidation from all the muscleheads at the gym”

So you may have come across this post because you’re thinking of joining a gym for the first time and feel edgy AF about it or you’ve already joined a gym and get the fear every time you’re there so I’ve put together some little tips to help and some little truths to help you through the period until you feel like part of the furniture!

First and foremost! Do not worry about what other people are doing, they aren’t worrying what you’re doing, trust me!
And on that point also, no one is looking at you and for those who really have it bad no one is laughing at you either!
If you’re offered a gym induction take it! It’ll teach you the ropes, help you settle into a new space and some gyms may offer to write to a programme included which will help you be in the know!
Struggling to stay motivated? Maybe join a class where the shame of leaving half way through is greater than the pain of the exercise or if you can afford it get a PT to push you.
Don’t know what to do? Get some fitspo and do some research, use Instagram, Pinterest, you tube, books there’s loads of moves and ideas on there or actual workouts just to follow! Structure really helps!
Buddy up! Take a friend cause hey misery loves company *jokes* but seriously stats have shown that individuals that work out with a partner have a higher probability of reaching their goals
Have a plan of what you want to achieve but set realistic goals so you aren’t disappointed and want to quit because you aren’t Kayla Itsines after the first week. Results take time and effort but don’t be disheartened it’ll be worth it!
Try not to weigh yourself too much, max once a week! Weight loss/gain can depend on many things so don’t be too hard on yourself and remember the number on the scale isn’t everything!
Don’t have all the gear no idea but I do recommend feeling equipped, comfortable and confident in your clothes! So you can strut like a boss to your next exercise!
If you think you don’t really know what you’re doing, don’t worry, half of the rest of those people are just pretending they know what’s going on too!

misshollyparish health

My Fitness Pal- A life saver for weight loss

Hey lovelies!

I know this is a really well known app but it surprises me still how many people have never heard of it when I’m raving about it so I thought I would share the features and benefits. If you are considering trying to lose weight, start a healthy eating regime, go on a new diet, change your existing diet by going vegan or veggie or just like to keep track of what you eat my fitness pal is amazing, it will track, educate, inspire and help you on your journey! Its available in the Apple app store and or Android too for FREE!

My fitness pal for me personally- more than anything- just opened up my eyes to how many calories you can sometimes intake without even realizing it! One great thing is that it has a scanner facility so you can physically scan the packet of what you’re going to eat and it inputs all of the information for you, you just need to alter how much you ate of what you scanned, there is of course a manual feature too! You input how much exercise you have done, how much water you have drank and handily it also has a built in pedometer so it will tell you how many steps you have done and what that is in calories burnt. The range of foods stored into MFP is just so vast and amazing, including many popular restaurant chains too so you can still stay strict and focused even when eating out! For the more advanced trackers you can add tour foods by the single gram too if you don’t want to approximate.

When you first sign up it will take all of your details such as- your height, weight, goals and activity levels and then based on the information you have supplied it will work out how many calories you need to eat to achieve your goals, this doesn’t always have to be weight loss, it can be to help you gain weight too or just maintain. You can also put progress pictures on there too so you can really visually see the development of your goals. As you update your weight progress there is a graph too which measures your loss/gain or shows the maintenance.

A feature that I find really interesting too is the nutrients and macros. Nutrients shows you where you are sitting VS the RDA or a custom goal you have set yourself. This is so good because you could possibly be really lacking in a certain nutrient or having too much of something- commonly for a lot of people this will be sugar from overeating even good things like fruit and too high cholesterol from eating too many eggs or other high cholesterol foods.

The macros feature is like a pie chart of the balance of your macros- macros are your carbs, protein and fats and again is a good way to track if you are having a well balanced diet.

So what do you have to lose? It’s free, if nothing more it is a fantastic digital food diary, it certainly could teach anyone a thing or 2 about their own diet and what they are eating and it congratulates you when you do well!

Thanks for reading! Has anyone else found this or any other app really handy? I couldn’t live without this now!