Novel Ingredients You Should Include In Your Diet Immediately

One of the things I’m really trying to do this year is each more varied fruit and veg. I’m such a sucker for routine and the same old same old. I get stuck in food ruts. But I want to eat a bit more varied. Especially as I’ve been feeding Isaac so many different things to get him used to different foods – so why shouldn’t I, eh? Here’s some interesting ideas for foods you could include in your diet.

Most people eat the same foods week after week. The majority of calories come from corn, wheat, rice, meat, and their derivatives (particularly oils). 

However, research shows that eating as widely as possible is beneficial. The more variety you can cram into your diet, the better you will feel. 

The reason for this is simple: plants contain specific nutrients not found anywhere else. Therefore, you have to eat them to get the benefits. You can’t derive them from another source. 

This post takes a look at some of the novel foods you should include in your diet immediately. These are substances that are fairly new to the western diet in the last twenty years and only rarely consumed before then. Check them out below. 

Amla

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The Amalaki fruit is prized in India and Bangladesh but is barely heard of in the rest of the world. It tastes awful and doesn’t go with any recipes, but it offers some of the most potent health benefits you will see from any ingredient. 

For instance, peer-reviewed research shows that amla reduces blood glucose levels significantly in people with diabetes, better than the leading drugs. It also slashes cholesterol and blood pressure, again more than the leading drugs. 

And the best bit? It’s dirt cheap. Amla is just pennies per day, meaning you can consume it all day long. 

CBD

CBD or cannabidiol is a hemp-derived substance found in many products, including Delta 9 THC Gummies. Again, it’s a novel food in the western diet but may offer significant benefits. 

For instance, CBD may reduce stress and chronic pain. It is also a prescription drug for some patients with epilepsy. 

CBD works by changing the way the body’s endocannabinoid system works. It is one of the only substances known to do so which is why it is essential to consume it directly. 

Hyaluronic Acid

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Hyaluronic acid is usually something you apply topically. However, consuming it orally offers substantial, additional benefits. 

Regular hyaluronic acid cannot penetrate the skin barrier. But taking it orally can get it into your body. That’s because hyaluronic acid of a certain molecular weight is able to penetrate into the bloodstream. 

Hyaluronic acid has all sorts of wonderful effects on the body. Everyone knows about the cosmetic benefits, but it may help to reduce cancer risk, too. 

Researchers believe this because of investigations done on the naked mole rat, a species that lives many times longer than similar rodents. It has high levels of hyaluronic acid in its body which appears to make the formation of cancer nearly impossible. You can gamma-irradiate these creatures, expose them to heavy metals and even change their DNA to make them more prone to cancer and they won’t develop tumors. 

Take between 200mg and 400mg of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid daily. 

Rapalogs

Never heard of rapalogs? Don’t worry, neither has anyone else. 

Rapalogs are substances that are similar to rapamycin, a medicinal product originally found on the island of Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island. Doctors originally used this substance to suppress the immune system in surgery patients. However, researchers later found it extended life in model organisms. 

Taking rapamycin in high doses is unsafe because it makes you more susceptible to infectious diseases. However, consuming compounds with a similar action in the body is generally regarded as safe. 

But which novel food substances look like rapamycin?

Perhaps the number one is ashwagandha. This substance appears to act in the body virtually the same way while offering some of the benefits of metformin. It lowers blood sugar and changes the way cells operate to make them healthier and last longer. 

Seaweed

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Blue Zones are parts of the world where the local population appears to live longer, on average, than everywhere else. In the 1950s, the tiny Japanese island of Okinawa had a life expectancy of 85 and more centenarians per head of the population than anywhere else on Earth. Remember, at this time, global life expectancy was only a little over 30. 

One theory locals lived so long is their consumption of seaweed. These individuals appear to have thrived on the stuff. 

Seaweed was a part of the human diet for centuries. However, it slowly fell out of favor in the west until people hardly consumed it at all. 

In the east, though, consumption continued. And because of this, local people thrived. Certain substances in seaweed activated their body’s defenses and made them less prone to chronic diseases. Therefore, they lived longer and healthier lives.

Do you eat a varied diet?

Do you take any supplements?

Portsmouth Coastal Marathon 2022

The Portsmouth Coastal Marathon is one of my favourite races of the year. It’s local, it’s festive and it’s a great time of year when there isn’t much going on in terms of big races. This is the fourth time I’ve run it and it didn’t disappoint.

This was going to be a special kind of marathon for me because on Thursday 15th December we lost Alfie, our 13.5 year old dog. Words can’t describe how much I’ll miss him and how much of a hit this has been to us. So, as silly as it might sound to some, I decided to run this marathon in his memory and use the time to just reflect and mourn.

The race started at 8.30am. This was fine as having a toddler means lie-ins don’t exist and we’d been awake since 5.30am anyway. This meant a relatively leisurely morning of breakfast, tea and us all getting ready. The weather was looking to be a bit pants… rain scheduled and nippy.

After Kyle’s mum had arrived, we got down to Southsea for about 8.15am where we met up with my parents. I hurried off to go to the loo (the great thing about Southsea is how many toilets they have around the place so I didn’t have to use a portaloo). Then I said goodbye and hurried to the start.

It was cold. It was windy. Rain was scheduled to come. I felt really sorry for my family because it’s one thing running in these conditions but an entirely different thing standing around in them. But they weren’t going to be standing outside the entire time. They would be driving to two different locations and then spending some time in The Ship Inn, which is literally on the course.

As the race begun I was just keen to get warm. I probably started faster than I’d intended but my mission was to make haste in the first few miles so I wouldn’t get bottlenecked when we hit the small path to get on to the pebbles. Having run this race three times before I was well aware of these things.

To be honest, I had zero plans for this race (do I ever?). I was just going to see what the legs did and sit at a comfortable pace and see how long that lasted. The wind was a south easterly one so while it was annoying in the first couple of miles to have it against us, I knew I would be grateful at mile 24 to have that behind me for the end.

I made a very rapid pitstop at mile two for a wee. I needed to get it done fast as to not hit the bottleneck which came just after. Thankfully I was super speedy and hadn’t lost much ground. We got to the little path to get onto the pebbles and it was plain sailing. The pebbles at this point aren’t that annoying, but the wetness of the sand and mud here made for slippery and soggy work, but it doesn’t last long.

Then back onto more firm ground and off we went. I was in familiar territory now as we were cruising along routes I regularly use during the week. I had my phone and headphones with me but was quite happy just letting my mind wander and listening to the outside world.

I was still clipping along at a relative speedy pace (for me) but decided to just embrace it because the wind was in our favour as we headed north to Farlington Marshes. I knew it would be harder on the way back so I might as well use the wind while we had it. As such, the first 6 miles flew by. Annoyingly though the rain had started a lot earlier than I thought.

I saw my family at Farlington Marshes (a great spectator spot) and they cheered me along. I saw big smiles from Isaac which were lovely. And then I was off again past the marshes to get to the more boring and less supported part of the course.

I really like this course because you can break it down into different sections. I love an out and back as well because once you get to the turnaround point you know you “just” have to make your way back the way you came and you know exactly what is to come.

There were some precariously muddy and slippery parts which I knew would only get worse on the way back and I questioned by choice of road shoes. That said, I’ve never worn trail shoes on this marathon and it’s only brief moments that they’re needed I think.

Then we hit the another pebbly bit. This is a real ball ache in the marathon. It’s a significantly long distance to be running across uneven terrain and really does sap the energy. Knowing you have to come back that way is mentally hard as well.

Eventually though we were back onto easy terrain and heading towards the road again. This part of the race is very dull because it’s through an industrial bit. However as most of the race is relatively scenic going along the coastal paths, it’s actually quite a nice change.

At this point a man, who I now know is called Justin, was running next to me and we started polite conversation. To be honest, at the start of the marathon I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was in a bit of a low mood and just wanted to be in my own head with my thoughts. But this was now at mile nine (I think!) and it was nice to chat to someone.

My amazing support crew

We actually ran together for a good few miles (I think it was 6 or so?) and it really did make the miles fly by. We chatted about all things marathons, training, races and even children. We ran past my dad and Kyle (the mums and Isaac were nice and snug in the warmth of the pub) and they cheered us on. Then we headed down to the turnaround point.

I can’t actually remember much about these miles because I was so lost in conversation. I was aware though that we were clipping along at quite a speedy pace. We decided to pull back just a little so not to burn ourselves out though. But I remember feeling that this just felt really nice and comfortable. Of course we still had half the race to go though!

We headed back past my dad and Kyle once again and then off we went back to where we’d come. As we hit the industrial estate bit again Justin said I should go on as he wanted to pull back a bit and I was speeding up. We said our goodbyes and I gradually pulled away.

I felt really good. I was so chuffed that we’d hit 16 miles and I was feeling strong.

OK I still had over 10 miles to go but I knew what I had left in the course and knew at some point the wind would help. I’d also decided at mile 20 I would pop some music on which I knew would keep me going. The rain was definitely picking up and it was getting colder though.

I saw my family again at Farlington Marshes, only 6 or so miles to go now. I then went to mission Get Music On. This involved taking a glove off, taking my Airpods out of my FlipBelt, popping them in, then grabbing my phone and getting to the Spotify playlist on. It was really raining and really cold now and this wasn’t pleasant. Then trying to get my glove back on afterwards was a near impossible feat. The glove fingers had gone inside themselves and peeling them out was taking so much time, while trying to run and not let my hand freeze to death.

Anyway, I got it done and then went into “go go go” mode. I had some good music. I had thought we’d be going the winding route round the houses as I’ve always done in the previous races because the tide comes back in and makes the pebble route impossible. However we were sent back to the pebbles as the tide wasn’t in. This wasn’t a welcome thing I have to say. My legs were tired and the pebbles were handwork. This was my hardest mile.

I knew I just needed to get to the seafront as then it would be two miles left and plain sailing with the wind behind us. I could convince myself that it was the last half of the Southsea parkrun as well (a particularly hard parkrun!).

It was such a relief to hit that seafront and I just knuckled down and pushed as much as I could. I knew my time was looking pretty good and I just had to hold on. I was almost nearing my PB but realistically I knew that wouldn’t be possible now in the final miles. But faster than my Goodwood time earlier this year? That was looking possible.

I got past the Pyramid centre and suddenly my mum was on the pavement waving. I almost collided with her! It was lovely to see her but I could barely manage a smile as I was pushing so hard and was now so cold in the biting rain.

And round the corner, Kyle and my dad cheering me on, and I was finished! Whew! 3.17.37 – my second fastest marathon! And what a marathon to dedicate to Alfie.

Gun time on the clock

I was so cold at the end, I was grateful for the foil blanket I was given (and firmly told to put on quickly). I felt so grateful to those volunteers, they were true legends.

Then we got in the car quickly, I headed home for a very quick and hot shower before we headed out for lunch.

Chicken and chips

I’m so pleased with how this race went. It means a lot to me, because of Alfie, I while I was definitely giving my all by the last four miles, the previous 22 felt really relaxed and comfortable. A completely different story comparing it to Goodwood at the start of the year where most of the race I was pushing hard with concerted effort. So it’s nice to finish the year with a race like this!

Now time for Christmas!

17 months of sleep still sucking

Life lately has been fairly busy. Work has gotten a lot more manic, which I’m enjoying, and having a 17 month old toddler definitely makes life hectic. But the lack of sleep that continues for us is the killer.

I wish I could say that the sleep had gotten better, but it hasn’t. I mean there are definitely better days and worse days. Overwhelmingly though, sleep is poor. I appreciate it might not be the most exciting of topics to discuss, especially if you don’t have children, but I want to keep it real and document the realities of having a small child who apparently doesn’t like sleep.

Throughout Isaac’s life he has always slept less than he apparently “should”. As a newborn he wouldn’t sleep in a cot, only on us or in a Cuddlepod thing (which we reluctant to allow as they were said to be unsafe). But newborn life you expect sleep to be terrible and you roll with it as this is a BRAND NEW HUMAN.

16 months on though and I would have hoped sleep would be better. On a good night Isaac will wake up once, then easily go back to sleep after a quick feed (yep, still breastfeeding over here) and then wake up post 6am (6.30am is an utter dream). However these nights are few and far between.

We normally get 2+ wake ups and somewhere around 5.45am full wake up. On worse nights we get 3-4 wake ups and a 5-5.30am start to the day. On truly terrible nights, like last night, he’ll wake up at 10pm and then stay awake till 1am. I go in, I feed, I try to leave; he loses his mind.

We can’t bring him into our bed as he starts playing and crawling/walking around. I can’t stay and sleep in his room (as I attempted last night) because he then stands and peers down at me or peeps his head through the cot, like a terrifying horror movie ghost child.

I’m not as naïve to assume Isaac would be consistently sleeping through the night but I don’t think it’s wholly unreasonable to have thought waking 2+ times during the night wasn’t ideal.

Isaac has recently been popping canines out like nobody’s business and has been jumping from colds to ear infection back to colds. And of course the dreaded 18 month sleep regression everyone keeps harping on about… Who really knows what’s happening? We sure don’t.

Of course we’d love to assign reasonings behind why these disrupted nights are happening (a lifeline to desperately hang on to so we can believe it will end) but in general we always go back to the fact that we’ve never had Isaac sleep through and he generally likes to be awake.

On the truly terrible nights there is definitely an element of external factors (teething and illness), but the general consistent wakings is a mystery. Have I made a rod for my own back by always attending to his cries? Should we have sleep trained? Am I overindulging him? Spoiling him? Creating habits? Letting him learn that when he does X, Y will follow.

Perhaps. There are a lot of opinions out there (social media, books, family and friends). But when I’m lying in my bed listening to my son scream for me, I cannot ignore him. I’m not judging anyone who can go through a process of sleep training but I’m not sure it’s for me.

We have a slight hope that things might change in January when Kyle and I go on holiday for nine days without Isaac (don’t even get me started on the mum guilt I’m already experiencing about this upcoming trip). He’ll be potentially unlearning habits when he stays with the Nanas (who, by the way he tends to sleep absolutely fine for!).

Time will tell.

Do you have any experience with the above?

How many hours a night to get to sleep?

Why Dressing, Without Obligation, Helps You Look Cooler!

I won’t lie, I’m not into fashion and I wouldn’t say I’m stylish. However I do have my own kind of style, as everyone does. The preference of certain colours and types of clothes. I’d love to be more fashionable – one day maybe!

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How do you like to dress? What do you think inspired those tastes? For some, they dress mostly practicality, in simple, subtle clothing that is both supportive and comfortable to wear. For others, a sense of style they try to follow might come with them, such as a cool surfing hippie during the summer season, or having fun with autumnal flavor in the colder months.

Outside of common decency, there are no ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’ methods of dress, only what you enjoy looking like, and how you enjoy presenting yourself to the world. For this reason it can be worthwhile to see just how much obligation dictates your fashion choices, and how you might be free of that to be more creative in your approach.

Conventional wisdom can be a good guide for many, for instance, balancing the jewelry worn on each side of your body can help keep your look unified – but if you prefer to just wear a ring, bracelet and earring on one side of your body and not the other, that’s completely up to you.

So, how else can becoming obligation-free help us? In this post, we hope to discuss all of that and more!

Most Clothes Can Be Integrated

It’s important to recognize that if the clothes fit you, or if they’re oversized or undersized for a fashionable purpose, then you can pretty much wear anything within (and sometimes without), reason. For instance, you might love the idea of wearing a slim top with bold cargo pants and boots, looking excellent, both graceful and strong at the same time. Conforming different styles into one is the essential of style.

Fashion As A Celebration Of Life

Having fun with fashion can be a tremendous use of your time, because what else is it supposed to be for? We’re certainly not going to test you. So, if part of your recreational style that day is to use a little face paint to enjoy a unique design, or if you wish to make alterations to your jeans, or if you’ve been planning your outfit for a particular event so you can showcase your cultural heritage, go for it! If you’re not having fun, you might be doing it wrong.

You Don’t Have To Fit One Theme

It’s good to challenge yourself from time to time. It might be that as a young girl, you felt like you couldn’t really identify within your feminine side, and were more than happy to act just as you were – you. Now that you’re older, it might be that pushing aside that prior taste and considering if feminine clothes are for you again, even if that just means wearing a summer dress with some cool boots, could be a fun challenge and to test your biases. If you’re not happy, that’s confirmation. If you like the fun challenge, that’s exploration. Not being afraid to keep testing yourself without artificial constraints can help you grow, and will give you plenty more options to be proud of.

With this advice, you’re sure to dress without obligation and look darn cool doing so.

Do you follow fashion trends?

Do you enjoy dressing up?

There Are 5 Surefire Ways to Up the Flavor in Any Recipe

I’m such a fan of cooking. I love the process and I love the outcome. It’s one of my favourite times of the day. Yes sometimes it can be tiring or stressful to think up every day what’s for dinner but honestly it’s worth it in my view. Here’s an article that helps you lean into this a bit more.

After such a long and exhausting day at work, one of the best ways to unwind and relax is to do some cooking. It does wondrous things for the soul to be able to just let your creative side run while also being able to prepare a delectable meal. It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking for just yourself or for a small group of people; it’s always a great feeling when you can look around the room and see empty dishes and full bellies. It’s easy to see why you’re always looking for methods to improve the flavour of the food you prepare, and the good news is that this is something that can almost always be done. Have a glance at our top five recommendations to improve the flavour of the dishes you prepare.

Presentation

No, we haven’t gone nuts. It may be hard to believe, but the way food is presented has a significant impact on how your body interprets the flavour of the food you are consuming. Imagine eating your all-time favourite dish right now… Imagine it being served carelessly. Even though you already know that you enjoy that food, the fact that the chef did not take the time to make it look nice can make the eating of it less enjoyable for you. Consider the way in which you are presenting your food in order to determine whether or not any adjustments need to be made in order to create a dish that looks and tastes even more appetising! Children love fun-looking meals, and adults do too, so try varied types of presentations.

Prepare carefully so that you may enjoy your food

If you want to cook like the world’s top chefs, you can’t speed through meal preparation. Steaks, for instance, taste better when cooked after being allowed to “breathe” for a while, and they benefit further from being seasoned after being removed from their packaging. It is imperative that you use colour-coded boards in order to prevent uncooked items from coming into contact with raw foods. If you forget to do this, you run the risk of cross-contamination. If you’re not sure which colours should be used for different types of meat and other items, you can consult this guide on colour-coded cutting boards for assistance.

Acquire some new kinds of seasonings

We are all familiar with flavours such as paprika, herbs, salt, and pepper; nevertheless, have you ever thought about how restaurants in other nations manage to make their food taste so incredibly good? Because the spices or seasonings that are used there are distinct from those that are used here, you should make an effort to get some new and unusual seasonings so that you can experiment with them on your cuisine. If you are going on vacation, you should hunt for new spices; alternatively, you may ask friends and family members who are travelling internationally to pick up something for you that you wouldn’t be able to find in your hometown (like live sustainable fresh crabs from Cornwall). A meal can undergo a full transformation with only a modest adjustment to its flavour, which may cause people (including yourself) to fall even more in love with the cuisine that you prepare.

Try to do as much slow cooking as you can

You know that cooking food too rapidly won’t produce the right outcomes. Purchasing a good slow cooker is a smart investment because it enables you to make tasty meals with minimal to no work at all. Cooking with a slow cooker is as easy as throwing in the ingredients in the morning and coming home to the wonderful aromas and flavours that have developed over the day. Why not give slow cookers a try, as it’s virtually difficult to make a mistake?

Never hurry

Last but not least, among the most essential pieces of advice to keep in mind whether you are working on developing a new recipe or a variation on an existing dish is to take your time. As was stated earlier, dishes that are prepared in a hurry won’t turn out nearly as well as those that are given the time. It is important to keep in mind that the very first time you sample a meal will never compare in quality to the following time you prepare it on your own. Each time you make a dish, it will taste better than the last. Those who are patient are rewarded with delicious meals, so spend some time creating culinary wonders.

Do you enjoy cooking?

Do you follow recipes or just go with the flow?