Lose weight and get healthy this August

Want to lose weight? Want to give your health a kickstart?  August is the perfect month to start a new healthy regime. 

In my book The Natural Year I give suggestions (nothing more) about how you might adjust your diet and lifestyle to live a little more in tune with the seasons.  Generally this is pure common sense – making use of seasonal foods; adapting the amount and type of food you eat according to the weather.

So, how about August?  Well, this is a time to eat light and cool. Soft fruits are plentiful now so make the most of them (but aim for organic if you can – pesticide use is heavy on soft fruits). Think about super salads and check the recipes from Exmoor House for summer barbecues and picnics.  Middle Eastern food is adapted for hot weather – I am still missing the heavenly vegetarian food of Israel from my trip last year.

If you want to lose weight, this is an ideal time of year to do it gently, naturally and easily.  Your body doesn’t need so many calories to keep warm and you naturally feel less hungry when it’s hot.  If you really want to kickstart weight loss, try juicing. 

I’ve talked about juicing before but, if you haven’t already discovered the wonder of fresh juicing, August is a good month to begin. Not only are they delicious but they are a great way to get lots of vitamins (particularly those essential anti-oxidants) without having to chomp your way through pounds of steamed veg.  They also have individual health-giving properties of their own.

Many naturopaths say that a day a week on a diet of vegetable juices will be beneficial to anyone.  They usually recommend you have between 500-700 ml up to a litre.  Take the juice in sips throughout the day, don't just gulp it down.  Make sure in addition you drink plenty of water - you could also supplement the juice with weak rose hip tea to help elimination through the kidneys.

So why is vegetable juice so wonderful?  In general vegetables are highly alkaline in their nature and have the ability to bind acids and eliminate them through the kidneys and urine.  So it's not surprising that alkaline vegetable juice can be so useful for people who suffer from rheumatism and arthritis.

As far as weight loss goes, a few days on a juice fast will shrink your stomach and make it much easier to carry on with a light diet.  Obviously, if you have any health issues then check with a health practitioner before any kind of fast.

Anyhow, a quick run-down of some super-juices to try…

THE SUPER-JUICES

CARROT:   The essential oils in carrots have an effect on the mucous membranes of the body and stimulate the circulation of blood in the stomach and intestinal tissues.  Because of this balancing action carrot juice is also good for constipation and diarrhoea and all sorts of digestive problems. 

Often when the digestion is sorted out, other problems disappear - many people find their headaches, eczema and bad skin all vanish when the digestion is functioning properly. If you suffer from frequent coughs and colds remember carrot juice - it is refreshing and soothing and helps battle against infectious diseases. 

Packed full of anti-oxidant vitamins it is a feisty fighter against the free radicals that cause disease and ageing.  And its rich supplies of carotene (provitamin A) improves the eyesight and stimulates the production of rhodopsin (visual purple) the lack of which causes night-blindness. 

As if all that were not enough, carrot juice is said to help balance your weight and to give a beautiful complexion - certainly worth trying. 

BEETROOT:  This dark purple juice is my absolute favourite (and now you can get beetroot in all shades - including white). Beetroot contains betaine which stimulates the function of the liver cells, protecting the liver and bile ducts.  100mg of beetroot juice contains 5mg of iron in addition to trace elements which encourage the absorption of iron in the blood.  Everyone can benefit from beetroot juice but it is particularly recommended in the first two years of life, during puberty, during pregnancy, when breast-feeding and during menopause.    Children from six months to two years need only a teaspoon of juice before meals.

CELERY:  Celery is alkaline and encourages elimination and so it is recommended for any diseases or problems connected with an accumulation of wastes and toxins - ie rheumatic and arthritic ailments.  It also regulates the water balance in our bodies and is superb for elderly people.  Personally I don't like it solo -  so mix it in with other juices (but it's a question of taste).  

TOMATO:  Tomato juice is highly acidic so not recommended for arthritic or rheumatic conditions.  In addition, quite a large number of people find they are intolerant of tomato.  However it has interesting properties.  The old herbals say it can help with overtiredness and combat unpleasant body odour.  They also suggest it is a protection against premature ageing.  It is a lovely refreshing juice which cleanses the body. Bloody Mary?  Hmm, not quite the mix I had in mind. :-)

Of course, you can experiment with a wide variety of juices.  Naturopaths will often recommend particular combinations and Polarity Therapy, a therapy that combines elements of naturopathy, ayurveda and other Eastern influences strongly advocates the use of fresh natural fruit and vegetable juices to aid healing and general health.  The following are recommended by the founder of Polarity Therapy, Randolph Stone:

FOR CONSTIPATION:  cabbage, spinach, celery and lemon juice.

FOR SKIN CONDITIONS:  carrot, beetroot and celery juice.

FOR ARTHRITIS:  carrot, celery and cabbage juice.

FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE:  celery, beetroot and carrot juice.

FOR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE:  carrot, beetroot and dandelion juice.

FOR ASTHMA AND CATARRHAL CONDITIONS:  carrot and radish juice.

TO OPEN UP SINUSES AND AIR PASSAGES - horseradish and lemon juice (4oz of horseradish and 2oz of lemon juice, combined with one teaspoon of garlic juice and a tablespoon of honey - take a teaspoon four times daily.)

TO HELP YOU SLEEP:  celery juice.

TO SOOTHE THE NERVES: lemon and lime juice.

FOR SORE THROATS AND COLDS:  lemon, lime and pineapple juice.

Adapted from my book The Natural Year – a seasonal guideto holistic health and beauty, in which I talk about my belief that we can all live more balanced, healthier lives if we work with the forces of nature, rather than pitting ourselves against them.  Now updated and available for Kindle at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk 

Detoxing

Imagine waking up each morning feeling full of energy and vitality yet also feeling calm and relaxed about the day to come.   You know what?  Abundant health and wellbeing should be our natural state. We should wake up ready to launch into each day feeling joy, peace and a deep connection with our bodies. 

Yet it doesn’t happen, does it?  There are a whole host of reasons why we avoid total vibrant wellbeing.  But it’s always good to find something external to blame, huh?  So let’s scapegoat those nasty old toxins.

To be fair, the modern world is a bit of a toxic battleground.  Everywhere we turn we are assaulted by generally man-made toxins:  in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink.  Allergies and sensitivities are on the increase, many caused by the growing levels of pollution in the environment, chemicals in our homes and additives in our food.  Should we eat organic if we can afford it?  Hell yeah.  Should we think twice about the chemicals we put on our skin, in our mouths, around our houses?  Er, yup.

It is not just our physical bodies which bear the brunt either.  Our minds are overloaded; we feel a rising sense of panic when we try to cope with our increasing work load and the deep stresses and strains of coping in an increasingly complicated world.  When mind and body are assaulted, our souls can easily become “lost” in the battle.  We feel physically unwell, emotionally drained and psychically bereft.

So a whole bunch of us throw up our hands, thinking that since toxins are so prevalent why try to combat them?  Equally others fall into the opposite camp, living a miserable life eating seaweed and permanently purging themselves with enemas!  But there is a middle way. You can have your cake and eat it - you just need to cleanse it out every so often. 

I’ve written two books on detoxing and more features than I care to remember.  I looked into all the research, tried out pretty well all the practices and figured out what was worth doing and what wasn’t.  Recently I’ve updated and expanded my first book on the subject, The Detox Plan and Kim has put it out in Kindle format.

The aim was simple. Provide a straightforward, sensible guide to coping with our toxic world.  I tried to take a realistic look at the toxic threat - with clear advice about how you can reduce your own personal toxic load.

There are two programs detailed in the book.  A full one-month program which can be easily fitted into your everyday life or a weekend “retreat from the world”.   

I’m no angel.  I may have known all the theory but I didn’t always put it into practice.  But, as I explained in earlier blog posts, I was inspired by Marek Stefanowicz and his books to smarten up my act.  I became vegetarian (verging on vegan), gave up alcohol and caffeine, and took up meditation and exercise.  I also started fasting (usually one day a week or fortnight) and juicing.  Net result?  I dropped three dress sizes, toned up and barely ever get colds anymore. 

Now, not everyone is gonna want to go that route.  Which is where this modified version comes in – aka detoxing.  If you do regularly overload your body, a periodic detox (now is the ideal time as the weather gets warmer and we edge into spring) is a boon.  Sorry, but there is no gizmo that will do it for you – it’s a case of cutting out the baddies (just for a while) to give your body a break.  It may be a bit tough to begin with (your body becomes addicted to some stuff – caffeine and sugar in particular).  But honestly, you will feel absolutely amazingly good after a thorough cleanse – so good that you may not even want to go back to your old ways!  But if you do, your choice entirely.  Just give your body a break periodically – at the change of the seasons works well.  I hope the book cuts out all the crap (so to speak) and gives a sensible, easy to follow, plan.  

What it doesn't include are the following: 

Colonics.  Seriously you don’t need to do this. 

Gimmicky foot patches, magnets and other malarkeys – save your money, honestly.

Expensive spa treatments.  A nice adjunct but won’t do the hard work for you.

You can buy the book by clicking here  - I’ve also put up a Pinterest board for a bit of added inspiration. 

I am in total helpless lust (and no, I have no shame)

I am such a fickle creature.  See, me and CP, it’s over.  Well, not over but we’ve decided we’re just going to be friends.  It just wasn’t ever going to be one of those epic soul-tearing romances – we were never going to be Tristan and Isolde, Samson and Delilah.  We were more Gavin and Stacey.  But it was okay, it was fine.  We were ticking along, as you do.  And then Oscar arrived on the scene.

Oh my. How could poor CP possibly compare – all white and wimpy as he was - with Oscar’s gleaming purple manhood?  I mean, for pity’s sake, look at the damn thing. It’s positively pornographic.  Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine has landed in my kitchen.  It’s the Arnie of appliances.  No, scrub that – it’s the All Blacks en masse all rolled into one solid rock-hard muscled bit of kit.

Okay, seriously now. I’m getting a tad worried about myself here.  Normal people don’t anthropomorphise kitchen appliances, do they?  I’m a shocking projector, I know I am, but projecting sexual relationships onto juicers is going a bit far even for me. 

Right. Let’s get a grip.  I mean… I’ve always wanted a juicer.  Oh shit, this is getting worse, isn’t it?  No really, I have.  See, juicing is simply a brilliant way of sucking (Jane!) all the goodness out of fruit and vegetables.  Actually the experts reckon you should eat your fruit but juice your vegetables.  Why?  Cos eating fruit is easy but eating a ton of fresh raw vegetables is challenging. Also once you heat or cook veg you often lose their nutrients and the all-important antioxidants they contain.  By the time you buy juice from a shop it has probably been heated several times and is pretty well dead as far as its health benefits go. 

Trouble is, every juicer I’ve tried hasn’t been up to the job.  The performance was poor; the end result somehow disappointing and the cleaning up afterwards?  A fecking nightmare. But this beauty is the real deal.  It’s Australian so – yeah yeah – we know it’s going to be a macho cocky bastard.  But truly Oscar has dashing style and performs manfully.  You just chuck everything in and it grinds it through and – ta-dah! – there you go. And, bottom line, is it easy to clean? Hand on heart – it’s a doddle.  Honestly. I am the laziest person in the world and I can’t bear faffing around – but truthfully, this is simples.

Look, it's not just me with the sex thing.  I reckon the people who make this thing know all too well...read this...

"Besides our beautiful new Euro design with retractable carry handle and jazzy 4 colours to choose from, the new modern, ultem tough Oscar Neo features a pulp adjusting knob!"

Pulp adjusting knob???  I mean, come on!  

Could I just add here that it’s not just me that’s getting over-excited about Oscar.  We’re all fighting over his favours.  James keeps asking me if I’d like another beetroot juice.  Mainly, let it be said, cos he loves the way it craps out little pellets of purple poop.  But I’ve caught Adrian giving Oscar a surreptitious stroke too.

‘This thing is bloody brilliant,’ he said, with the look of awe a man gets when contemplating a personal god.

‘Wow,’ I said weakly, lost for words.  Adrian doesn’t usually get terribly excited about anything (except, of course, beer, Arsenal and arcane minutiae of WWII aircraft). 

‘But it’s not just juice,’ he said, with the gleam of the newly converted zealot in his eye.  ‘It minces, it chops, it makes sauces, it makes peanut butter, it even makes pasta for pity’s sake..’

‘It poops,’ said James. ‘Awesome poops.’

I looked at Oscar and sighed, shaking my head.  ‘You and me, love, we ain’t gonna be exclusive, you know.’

He dribbled sorrowfully. 

I gave myself a little shake.  ‘Anyhow, this is crazy.  It’s not even as if I like the name Oscar.  It’s all a bit Tin Drum somehow.’

And he looked back and winked suggestively.  ‘It’s okay, love. You can call me Neo.’

I’m Matrixed…totally Matrixed.

Okay, so Oscar Neo doesn’t come cheap at £249 but I figure he’s worth every penny. And then a bit more... www.vitality4life.co.uk

THE SANE PART

Some stuff I wrote on juicing before I lost the plot…

1.       Drink juice on an empty stomach – this allows it to pass into your intestines more quickly.

2. Buy the best quality vegetables and fruit you can – organic if at all possible.  
3. Soak fruit and veg before juicing – if non-organic.
4. Drink juice immediately you make it – it’s highly perishable and swiftly loses its active ingredients.Don’t mix fruit and vegetable juices – they can ferment in the gut and cause bloating.
5. Start by trying the vegetables and fruits you like non-juiced.
6. Once you’ve got a taste for single juices, experiment by adding additional vegetables or herbs.
7. Don’t eat all your fruit and vegetables this way. Juices do not contain fibre and so should not replace whole fruits and vegetables totally in your diet.

THE GOOD MOOD JUICE GUIDE

You can use juice to tweak your mood as well as tone your body.  Here are a few suggestions to try:

• Anti-anxiety: banana/yoghurt/honey/nutmeg
• Aphrodisiac: broccoli/red pepper/tomatoes/ginger
• Calm and cool: carrot/celery/mangetout
• Concentration:  carrot/spinach/celery/watercress/basil
• Depression beater: carrot/beetroot/sprouts/ginger
• Energy: strawberry/blueberry/apricot/yoghurt/maple syrup
• Get up and go:  pineapple/mango/banana/coconut milk
• Stress-basher:  lettuce/celery/avocado/peppermint
• Super sleep:  sheep’s milk/banana/cumin

And some recipes from the makers of the mighty Oscar…

Dracula’s Punch

INGREDIENTS: 2 apples; 1 cup of raspberries; 2 cups black grapes

WHY? Apples contain potassium and can help the body build resistance to infection; they also stimulate digestion and can help with weight loss.  Berries can help alkalise the blood.

Cupid’s Capsicum Shot

INGREDIENTS: 1 dark red capsicum; 4 medium carrots; ¼ chilli husk; pinch of black pepper.

WHY? Red capsicum is rich in vitamin A, C, potassium and silicon.  It can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by helping to stop clot formations.  Chilli is a stimulant and is said to increase passion. 

Digester’s Delight

INGREDIENTS: ½ pineapple (remove core and stalk); 2 peeled oranges; 1 celery stalk; fresh ginger

WHY? Pineapple soothes sore throats, aids digestion and acts as an anti-inflammatory. It also stimulates pancreatic hormone secretions. 

Not convinced?  Look at this poop (I mean pulp) action