From bloating to acne to painful joints, many health ailments can, in some way, be attributed to inflammation. Imagine sustaining an injury – the tissue around the affected area becomes tender and swollen. This is the body’s natural immune response to allow for inflammation to occur in order to protect and heal the broken bone or sprained ankle, for example. It’s suggested that what we eat can play a role in the severity of inflammation and can even address more mundane types of inflammation such as acne-prone skin, and chronic inflammation such as arthritis.

By Jana du Plessis

Common culprits

Alcohol and cigarettes receive a bad rap for being inflammatory, while gluten, grains and dairy now also get the ‘bad guy’ label. This means more sources are being criticised for causing chronic inflammation. Many people have found that steering clear of milk and other dairy products has eased symptoms of skin breakouts, digestive issues and chronic fatigue, while others experience the same relief when it comes to cutting out gluten.

Nature’s anti-inflammatories

Sipping on a bright yellow turmeric milk may seem like a hippie thing to do, but this is no strange picture for some health foodies. Turmeric milk, otherwise known as golden milk, is a mix of turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper stirred together in a mug of warm (nut) milk. This blend of spices, especially turmeric, is praised for its anti-inflammatory properties and encouraged to be enjoyed as regularly as possible. Spices aren’t the only foods that can help chronic inflammation ailments. Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges; fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines and vitamin K-rich veg such as spinach, broccoli and cabbage.

Are you ready?

Fighting the fight against inflammation is in some cases more tricky than compiling a plate of food. If you are suffering from a diagnosed chronic inflammatory disease, turn to your medical practitioner first to provide you with the best tools to manage or combat the disease. Otherwise, what harm could there be in upping those wholesome veg, including more good-for-you proteins and enjoying the flavours of newly discovered spices? We’ll see you in the boxing ring!

The post Put on the gloves, it’s time to fight inflammation with food appeared first on MyKitchen.

Eating out has become somewhat of a challenge, with Sally not eating carbs and Rushda having gone vegan. Not to mention the Banter, the paleo-dieter and the Atkins follower who also wants to follow suit. With all of these differing views on diets and food, it becomes easy to judge others on their food choices. But for your own sanity, here’s how to avoid the criticism and focus on enjoying your food instead.

By Jana du Plessis

We want YOU
Every person has a different genetic make-up, so what works for one person won’t be beneficial for the next. The way we respond to food is an individual thing, so it only makes sense to adapt our diets accordingly. If you find that eating less meat makes you feel more energetic and healthy, don’t look down on your friend who thrives on large amounts of protein. Our lifestyles are never exactly the same, which means we have entirely different nutrient needs.

Changing views
If you find yourself constantly peeking at what others are eating and making assessments on whether or not you consider it a healthy choice to eat, stop those thoughts in their tracks and rather turn to your own meal. If you consider your diet to be healthy, nutrient-dense and nourishing for your body, would you want someone questioning your choices? If the foods you enjoy are fuelling you the right way, it shouldn’t matter what your friend next to you decides to power up with through the day.

Making peace
Don’t be afraid to share your reasons, tips and motivations for eating the way you do, but make an effort to be receptive to other lifestyles and diet choices. No matter the diet or food preference, there is always something to learn from each. The goal is to prioritise your healthy habits, not break others down. Let’s celebrate our bio-individuality!

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Tomorrow is Wellness Wednesday, and a healthy brekkie doesn’t get better than this gorgeous bright-blue smoothie. It’s yummy, filling and antioxidant-rich to boot!

MAKES one 500 ml jar // COOKING TIME 10 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 banana, frozen in chunks
1 cup blueberries, plus extra to garnish
2 tbsp walnuts (about eight), plus extra to garnish
1 cup coconut milk or yoghurt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Raw honey, optional, to taste
2 tbsp chia seeds
Coconut flakes, to garnish
Mint, to garnish

METHOD
1. Blend together the banana, blueberries, walnuts, coconut milk or yoghurt and cinnamon until smooth. Taste to see if it needs a bit of sweetener – if so, add a teaspoon or two of honey.
2. Mix the chia seeds into the smoothie mixture, pour into a mason jar, screw the lid closed and refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chia seeds have swelled.
3. Garnish with blueberries, walnuts, coconut flakes and mint, and serve.

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‘Tis the season of boozy office parties, end-of-year celebrations, lavish Christmas meals, and many a bottle of Champagne. Family, friends and the promise of presents, are all reason to be jolly, but over-indulgent in festive treats might leave you ringing in the new year with just a few more kilos than you’d like. With clever planning, and a few of our sneaky tricks, you can still enjoy the hoilday season, without gaining a dress size by January.

By Jana du Plessis

Pace yourself!

Don’t arrive at the party ravenous. Remember, the main course will only be served later in the evening, and diving head first into the canapes might lead you to overeat. Grab an apple on your way out to curb your hunger and make sure you’re discerning when it comes to the snack table offerings. Try to avoid the deep-fried bites, the dips or really saucy snacks – these have higher calorie counts without much nutritional value. Rather opt for veggie and protein options, like quiche, tomato bruschetta or biltong. Come dessert time, pick the item that looks most appealing to you, or go half-and-half with your buddy if you’re having trouble choosing between fruit cake or malva pudding!

To sip, or not to sip

When it comes to drinks – alcoholic or otherwise – some are better for you than others. Cocktails are undeniably delicious, but those seemingly harmless tropical drinks are laden with sugary syrups, colourants and flavourants. Anything made with sweet, carbonated sodas, comes in at a very close second. Order a Martini if you’re looking for a low-calorie boozy drink, or go for a gin and tonic with lemon slices and mint. If you’re a whiskey-drinker, scotch on the rocks is a healthy choice that will still leave you feeling festive.

Don’t wory, be merry

Don’t begin your festivities with anxiety or dread over what the holiday season will add to your waistline. We all deserve a little fun and indulgence, especially after a long year! Enjoy a bit of everything, but don’t eat until you’re absolutely stuffed, stay active throughout (even if it’s only the occasional walk on the beach), drink plenty of water and try to eat balanced meals with fruits and veggies, lean protein and wholegrains, to fuel you in between especially indulgent meals.

How are you staying healthy this festive season? Comment below!

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From advocates for going gluten-free to limiting fruit intake to lower sugar consumption, the internet has never been as saturated with health and wellness advice as it is right now. But the question is: how credible is this information?
Take Ella Woodward, a food blogger-turned-cookbook-author and owner of two highly successful health delis in the UK – all of this by the tender age of 24 and no health-related qualification. But does this mean we cannot trust the health tips she shares?

By Jana du Plessis

Deliciously Ella
Ella, better known under her blog name Deliciously Ella, has built her wellness empire on what started as a simple journey to improving her own health. After being diagnosed with a postural tachycardia syndrome and not finding a cure through conventional medicine, she turned to food for healing. Her blog was born, and as it grew in popularity, there was no denying the influence she had on her followers and fans.
Luckily Ella soon realised this and regularly reminds those visiting her blog or social media pages that her advice is purely personal and shouldn’t be interpreted as the holy grail of health and wellness. And what an important footnote to read! She follows a wheat-free, sugar-fee and plant-based diet, and avoids meat and diary at all costs. If you were to take this advice as the way you should be eating, you’d get awfully confused when you stumbled upon the Hemsley sister’s blog…

The Hemsley sisters
UK-based health gurus Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley started their catering service based on their passion for easy, affordable and nutrient-dense foods. Through that, Hemsley + Hemsley aims to educate people on the importance of gut health and having a healthy relationship with food. Although they also prefer going sugar- and wheat-free like Ellla, the rest of their philosophy promotes almost the exact opposite, with their love for grass-fed and organic meats and regular use of ghee and bacon.
So what should we listen to and what food philosophy should we adopt?

Different strokes
Although most of these bloggers, TV show hosts and cookbook authors aim to spread the language of nutritious food and healthy living – but they all admit to not having any qualification in the field of nutrition. It’s merely a love for food, life and a balanced life that drives them to discover new eating plans.
It is great to see that it no longer takes a medical professional to spur on healthy habits among the less healthy. But just because Ella is gluten-free, is doesn’t mean it’s the best way for everyone to eat; neither will eating bacon by the mouthful. We all are our own individual with varying needs and reactions to foods and should act in accordance to our unique bio-individuality.

Keeping an open mind
Your head may be spinning from all the contradicting takes on health, weight loss and lifestyle that you read online, but with an open mind and conscious effort, we can all learn something from them… Perhaps by experimenting with a plant-based diet you find that skipping meat benefits you. Or by choosing a fattier steak you feel more energetic than ever before.
Either way, as much as there is to learn from their different opinions, always check the facts with a medical professional before making a drastic change to your diet.

The post From home cooks to wellness gurus: Foodies are taking over the health scene appeared first on MyKitchen.