What's the most popular new year's resolution?

If you had to guess what do you think the most popular new year’s resolution would be? 

It's not to quit smoking, or reduce alcohol intake although those two do make it into the top 10.

The number 1 new year’s resolution year after year is.......

To lose weight.

Personally I am not surprised. It made my list on numerous occasions, mainly with some specific weight loss target attached to it like 15lbs. I'm not even sure why I would pick that number. Did I ever finish any year 15lbs down? Nope. Even if I had lost it I know it wouldn't have been sustainable. Setting goals in this way comes with negative connotations and when you do that you really are destined for failure. The goal is all about the pursuit of weight loss, not how you go about achieving it. So if you are anything like how I was that means an obsession with cardio to burn calories and an obsession with what is going in the body and calorie restriction. Mentally it’s just not a good place to be.

If you are serious about wanting to lose weight you need to look at the process behind it rather than focus on a number.

Some things that helped me.

1.       Recognize that your self-worth is not dictated by what you look like, how much you weigh or what bikini you can shimmy yourself into. You’re way more complex and interesting than that. 

2.       Make the shift from  weight loss to overall healthy lifestyle. By switching up goals and achieving them weight loss simply becomes a by-product of how you are living.

3.       Ditch the negative chat. Always beating up on yourself and picking out your flaws and things that you hate about yourself is just going to make you downright miserable. Not everyone can look the same. It’s just impossible with different body types. Find things that you like about yourself and focus on those.

4.       Cut out (or down for baby steps!) on all processed food. Even if the packaging tries to lure you into the sense of security that it is healthy if it is manufactured steer clear. Instead eat whole foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

5.       Don’t drink your calories. Cut down on soda and alcohol. Alcohol is hard for people to give up but be aware that it’s not just the extra calories that are present in alcohol that lead to weight gain. Consumption of alcohol inhibits self-control when it comes to food. Most importantly it has a different metabolic reaction in our body. Our bodies are always looking for the easiest source of fuel. When we absorb alcohol our bodies use it as its major source of energy. That means anything you have eaten will likely get stored as fat.

6.       Increase water consumption. You should be aiming to drink half your body weight in oz. So if you are 140lb aim to drink 70oz of water a day.

7.       Get educated on what you are eating

o    Not all calories are created equal. A 100 calorie banana is very different to a 100 calories snack bag of cookies. Food is absorbed into your blood and impacts cell function and creation. That bag of cookies may be the same calorie content but it is not going to aid in any overall health benefit to your body.

o    Read ingredient labels. It’s not just about fat and calories, look at the sugar content. I cannot emphasize how many products have sugar in them, even ones that you assume are healthy. Get savvy on how much sugar you are consuming. 

o    The other thing you should look out for? Portion size on a label. Quite often a label will tell you the calories and fat which you assume is for the whole product – but the product is actually 2 or 3 servings so you need to double or triple the numbers you are reading! Suddenly your snack doesn’t seem so appealing anymore.

8.       Reduce the amount of food that you purchase versus making yourself. You can control portion size and content which are important factors in weight loss. Other people aren’t going to do that for you.

9.       You need to weight train to lose weight, tone up and change your body shape. Just doing cardio obsessively won’t help you drop a dress size at all.

10.    Be grateful. There is way more to life than your weight (unless it is having an impact on your health). Change your perspective and maybe your view on your weight will change too.

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 7 - 2014 Reflections & New Years Resolutions

As 2014 draws to a close this week I will be spending my time looking back on my year. I actually have done this on a yearly basis the last couple of years to review all the experiences, joy and positives as well as what I achieved. There is also an element of what I would do-over again, a little self reflection, analyzing and considering if / how I would do something different. It has helped me go more effectively into my new year and plan more realistic new years resolutions.

Not that I am obsessive about my new years resolutions, after all many aspects in life are uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances arise. But a period of self reflection is good for the soul and has well being benefits mentally. I like to see how I tracked against previous resolutions too. I'm still waiting to achieve learning Spanish which is a throw back from 2011 and I am yet to pick up a golf club which was my intent for 2013, but am pleased to say that I have graduated from my nutrition course this year which takes care of one resolution for this year. Other resolutions have evolved and matured over the years such as the reoccurring "lose 15 pounds" resolution that was a fixture on the list until a few years ago. Now you're much more likely to find something on there about eating a new vegetable for the first time or reducing processed food. Resolutions that are more positive in nature and will achieve my other goals. Plus negative talk is a definite no-no for any year!

So what's my objective this week?

Reflect on 2014 openly and honestly.

Set realistic and fun resolutions for 2015. I'm planning on having the BEST year ever in case you were wondering! 

Repeat Week 6 of my fitness program given that the holiday period meant whilst I did work out I didn't dedicate the regularity and commitment to the week I really wanted to.

Overcoming Holiday Blues and Guilt

The highs of the holiday period can sometimes be accompanied by a large side dish of holiday guilt and generally feeling low. Once the festivities are over and life gets back to a normal pattern it is quite common to start feeling low and / or guilty. Emotions can range from guilt over the food that we've eaten, the lack of exercise that we have done to feeling blue that family and friends head back to their lives elsewhere. As well as anxiety about what work may have piled up back in the office and comparing our festive period to other friends.

Here are some of my fail safe tips to transitioning through the holiday slump and entering 2015 feeling healthy and positive.

1. Get your diet back on track. It's normal to over indulge during the holidays but it doesn't mean that you have to sabotage your healthy lifestyle completely. You wouldn't slash your other three tires on your car if you had one flat. Just appreciate the food that you've eaten and focus on eating more of the right stuff. Getting your diet right not only impacts you physically but has the additional benefit of lifting your mood and getting you out of any low that you may have fallen into as your sugar levels equalize.
2. Ditch the alcohol. You don't need to forever if that's not your thing but take a break for a few days. Aside from the obvious extra calories alcohol contains and lack of will power around healthy food choices consuming alcohol brings, it's another contributing factor to your mental state. Likelihood is if you are feeling anxious or down about anything emotionally alcohol will just magnify these feelings for you. So have a mini detox.
3. Don't try and do it all at once. Lurching from enjoying "treats" all day long to getting straight back onto the healthy eating and exercise bandwagon isn't a recipe for success for everyone. In fact it can be downright tough pulling ourselves off all the sugar our bodies are now craving and finding the motivation to workout. Setting unrealistic expectations only means we are more likely to fail resulting in discouragement. The outcome? We drop our healthy lifestyle. Instead make small incremental changes to get you back to where you were before.
4. Unplug from technology. I cannot stress this one strongly enough. From a work perspective don't check work emails constantly, you can still be diligent by checking at certain time periods and having designated windows of time where you respond to mails or make relevant calls. If you don't the chances are you will walk back into work feeling like you haven't had a break at all.
5. Get prepared. Prepare food that fits in with your healthy lifestyle choices that you can take to work, make sure your calendar is uptodate with work appointments and you know where you are meant to be on what day and at what time. Don't expect to check off everything on your to-do list on the first day back.
6. Comparison is the biggest form of unhappiness. When you hear other people's stories of the holidays or see pictures on Facebook or Instagram remember you are only getting a snapshot in time of that person's life, not the whole picture. It is unrealistic to compare yourself against their lives. 
7. Express gratitude. Look at what you do have in your life and the things that you can accomplish to make a difference. Don't focus on what has past and you feel guilty about - it can't be undone, instead turn your view to more positive points of view. Consider writing thank-you notes to people for gifts that you have received or simply time that friends and family have spent with you for the holidays.
8. Don't beat yourself up. Don't talk down to yourself or be negative if you find that it is taking you a couple of weeks to get back on track and find your mojo again. Self defeating talk doesn't help anyone - you or the people you may be complaining to.
9. Plan something fun for 2015. It doesn't have to be in January but sometimes having something in the diary to look forward to can really help lift the spirits, especially if it is a firm date to reconnect with friends and family that you have spent time with over the holidays. The knowledge that you will be seeing them again soon can be just the tonic that you need.
10. Prioritize self care. If you are doing the above points then you're hopefully interweaving it back into your life but make it a priority. The holidays can be exhausting or a mentally strenuous time for some people facing challenging situations or the loss of loved ones. Self care is the corner stone for us to be able to look after others if we are whole.

How to Kill a Christmas tree

It is two days before Christmas and we have just had to throw out our tree. Total festive nightmare! Here I am preaching the spirit of the season it being my son's first Christmas and as far as I know we are the only house that has thrown out their tree before Christmas day!

We managed to kill the tree within the space of 5 days. That is pretty impressive, even by our standards. We all clung on hoping that it wasn't really dead, living in denial as the branches became brittle and that wonderful real Christmas tree smell permeating the apartment dissipated and turned into the stench of death instead. We bought the tree three weeks ago, lovingly decorated it, christmas carols and songs in the background, mince pies in the oven and finally gated it off to protect it from our four legged animals and our two legged animal son. We were so proud of ourselves, it was a beauty. Seriously. 

Then we didn't water it for 5 days.

We just forgot. It was too late. It was dead. 

But we weren't done there. A friend informed us that every year her family put a potato in with the water for the tree which enables nutrients to pass into the tree. She suggested that it may help our situation. We didn't stop to question the science or the practicalities. We were desperate. In the potato went. 

Soon the stench of christmas tree death turned into something more repulsive. For 2 days my husband and I were wandering around asking each other what the smell was? Had the baby vomited? Had my husband? Was it the dogs? What WAS that smell???? It took us 2 days to figure out that the potatoes were rotting in the water at the foot of the dead Christmas tree.

So we enlisted help of our maintenance men to remove the tree. Luckily they weren't inundated with requests to throw trees out just yet given it's the week before Christmas so they were available. They brought their plastic wrap and went about extracting the once vibrant, magnificent specimen of a tree. When it came to removing the tree from the water base and revealing the rotting potato water it was pretty uncomfortable for everyone. The maintenance men because they were trying not to be sick and us because the maintenance men now think we are total imbeciles for throwing potatoes into Christmas tree water.

The good news is that the tree is gone and we've had a period of 24 hours to detox the apartment of the terrible smells. The bad news for my husband is he's got to go and shell out for another tree, get it back into the apartment and decorate it all over again. Poor guy. But Christmas without a tree is pretty much like canceling Christmas totally so it has to be done.

Please learn from my mistakes, water your tree (they suck it up!!), don't cling on if you know it's dead (it's a fire hazard another friend pointed out) and whatever you do DON'T put potatoes in the water!

Failing all of that buy an artificial one!

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 6 - Christmas Holidays

It's the week of Christmas! I have always loved this time of year, especially growing up in England where I feel there is such a strong celebratory sentiment. It has always been steeped in tradition for me, most created by my family growing up blended with newer additions in recent years. It is a time where I (usually) indulged in mulled wine, mince pies, way too much food and sugar, copious amounts of alcohol and office festivities. All of December would be the run up to a diminishing work load in the professional environment and a more lackadaisical attitude to priorities (there was simply too much fun to be had) culminating in 2 weeks vacation from Christmas to New Years spent with family and friends. I loved this time of year so much that I even wanted to make sure that I got married during this period, so I did. The Saturday before Christmas. It was everything that I expected it to be, surrounded by family and friends in the best moods, festive, loud, fun, hectic with free flowing food and alcohol. I would always put weight on in December, it was totally inevitable, cold weather making exercise less appealing with a sharp intake of calories. It always felt like it was worth it though.

Life has evolved, not just around what I eat and drink but the way that I view this period. Having lived in several different countries now I have a different appreciation for cultural perspective. It's become a period of time for great gratitude for me, reflecting on all that I have and all those that I have in my life. When you break it down it's really the people that you have around you that make up Christmas. Those people whoever they may be that you create your memories and traditions with that make this period simply so special. The food, drink, parties become figures of association that we develop around Christmas. What is truly the most rewarding is the people that we have with us at this time. 

Which is why as much as the holiday period is a time of great joy and celebrating, for many of us it is also a time of immense loneliness and loss for others. People who have lost loved ones, who don't have the same reciprocal love in their lives. I don't discount these people or undermine how difficult Christmas is for others but at this juncture and for the purpose of this week I simply try to come from a place of gratitude and deep appreciation for all that I have. I take nothing for granted.

This year in particular has special significance for me. It is my son's first christmas and our first together as a little family unit of 3. It was also a timeline milestone for me when I was going through my treatment for cancer. All my Drs used the carrot of Christmas to keep me motivated to keep going when all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and give up. Christmas they assured me would be the time when I felt most like my old self. So I kept going, I have kept going and finally this time is here and I get to create new and wonderful memories with all the people who have supported me on this journey.

What is my objective this week?

This week I will be focussed on my own personal associations with Christmas and my own traditions that I follow myself or with my family. I will be sharing things that give me great joy and pleasure, lessons and insight I have developed along the way and my grateful outlook.

Reflections on a gluten free week in NYC

One of my objectives this week was to understand how I responded to a week of being gluten free and to see what overall impact it would have on my health. In summary it really didn't make much difference to me, I was watching out for my digestion, any bloating, generally how I felt, but my energy levels remained the same and I didn't notice anything. It is in stark contrast to how I feel eating dairy which within the space of 1 minute gives me terrible stomach cramps and headaches.

What I did realize though is that I actually consume very little gluten in the first place. My diet is predominantly whole foods and plant based, all naturally gluten free. My substitutions came mainly in the morning when I have bread or ezekiel. Throughout the course of the day I typically don't have anything else with gluten in. So if my diet is naturally low in gluten it is not surprising that I noticed very little difference.

Some other observations. Gluten free substitutions don't taste great, I didn't enjoy any of the bread that I had and ezekiel has less sugar so I would always rather pick that. If you're considering going gluten free I would strongly recommend that you do it by picking foods that aren't man made substitutions in packages, either make it gluten free yourself (such as through baking or home cooking) or eat whole foods, plant based or fruit.

Living in New York gluten free can either be pretty easy or very tough. During the week when I was able to pick and choose places where I would eat with my friends there are many restaurants that cater to gluten free or simply have menus focussed on more vegan / vegetarian dishes which will be naturally gluten free.

I had some serious issues this week at a work holiday meal hosted at a Chinese restaurant in midtown. Asking for gluten free options made me a total leper. I was sat at a table with about 10 other people and the only one not eating from all the family style plates. Even the salads they had placed down all had gluten in them. It was made even harder to try and accommodate me when I also told them I don't eat meat. Eventually they figured something out and created a dish for me which was absolutely delicious, but it is tough being out with people and feeling like you are creating some sort of "fuss" which is so un-english. I dread to think how I would have felt should this situation have been in a UK restaurant, they probably wouldn't have been able to accommodate me and the whole situation be quite embarrassing. I am always reassured in NY to remember that there are many, many crazier women than myself here!

So overall I discovered that I am pretty much gluten free already and that the best way to do it is through the foods that occur naturally rather than look for man made options. Be prepared to create some fuss if you go out to eat but don't let that worry you - your health should be your number one priority. Not what other people think about you and your diet. Most of the time people think something is weird simply because it is different. So do what you need to do and don't feel self-conscious about it.

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 5 - Gluten Free

Out of all the things that I have experimented with in my diet and done for sustained periods of time eliminating gluten just hasn't really been one of them. Sure I have opted for gluten free options on occasions and where available but never with any continuity. Mainly because I have never felt that I have a sensitivity to gluten have I felt the need to cut it out of my diet.

So I am coming into this week as a total novice, unlike the other weeks that have preceded it where I have known a little about the topic beforehand this is all completely new to me. 

My unsophisticated knowledge of gluten is that it is the term applied to proteins that are found in wheat, barley and rye (I believe there may also be more....). As our food has changed over the years and we have moved to a more processed or manufactured diet gluten has become what I call a "stealth" ingredient. Something that is found in products that you wouldn't natural assume it would be present in. Things like salad dressing, soups and beer. 

Individuals have varying levels of sensitivity to gluten that present different symptoms. At the very severe end is celiac disease where an immune response is mounted against the small intestine. Celiac disease is an auto immune disease. 

So what's my objective this week?

For 7 days I plan to go totally gluten free and document how I react and feel.

My focus will be on consuming foods that are naturally gluten free such as whole foods, vegetables etc rather than consumed products that have been produced gluten free i.e gluten free pasta. This is unlikely to be possible for all the 7 days but I am going to try.

Form an opinion of what it is like to live in NYC and be gluten free.

Understand the benefits to overall health by going gluten free.

What's in your Deodorant?

When I was researching environmental toxins I had a lightbulb moment when it hit me what a big deal it was in terms of how exposed we have become and the impact that this has on your health. This lightbulb moment was when I connected together the facts that my skin is my biggest organ and my first line of defense because it is the pathway to my blood. The skin absorbs a large amount of what you put on it meaning you are ingesting any chemicals or toxins that are present in products you put directly on there, from the environment or pollutants. Once that hit me and I started thinking of my skin in the same way I think of my heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and what I put inside my body for their benefit I became even more preoccupied with what my skin was exposed to outside of my body.

Hopefully, we would all agree that deodorant is one of those essential every day items! You can't give it up, mainly because you would probably find your social circle dropping off fairly radically as well as colleagues distancing themselves from you - literally. The reality is though that this is a product you are putting directly onto your skin on a daily basis for years and it's being absorbed by your skin.

First of all inspect the ingredient list of your tried and trusted deodorant that you use. Bet you can't pronounce half the words on there. So would you eat your deodorant now you've read the ingredient list? Am guessing that your answer was no before you read the ingredient list and it's still no now that you've read it. You've hopefully cottoned on that eating foods where you can't pronounce the ingredients isn't very good for you health wise and may have even made progress towards cutting these types of food products out of your life for good. So if you apply the same logic to deodorant that you would food (because after all deodorant is going to be absorbed into your body) then you shouldn't be using something with so many chemicals and toxins. In addition be mindful that sweat is a natural detoxing function that your body performs. Many of the nasty stuff in deodorant actually works by blocking your pores from being able to sweat so we are talking a double whammy of toxin build up - by not being able to detox and by putting chemicals directly onto your skin to be absorbed.

So what's in a traditional deodorant that makes it bad for your health?

Aluminum
This is a heavy metal. Yup a heavy metal - you know that, you just didn't realize you were putting it on your skin so now it sounds terrible. This is the compound that blocks your pores and stops you from sweating. It's also been associated with hormone disruption specifically with estrogen receptors in breast cells thereby linking it to the production of cancerous cells. There is some thought that this can increase chances of breast cancer in women. Many companies and organizations are at pains to dispute any link between the two. Regardless of the research I personally just don't want to be lathering myself with metal every day.

Triclosan
The FDA classify this as a pesticide. You know those chemicals that are used to eliminate bugs and creepy crawlies that you've made a huge effort to eliminate by eating organic food? Well the good news is that you aren't eating pesticide anymore, but you're absorbing it. In deodorant it is used as an antibacterial agent. It can cause skin irritation as well as possibly disrupt thyroid and other hormonal function. 

Propylene Glycol
Now we are onto cars. What do we use when the bad weather sets in and we start to see the temperatures drop? Anti-freeze! This is now included in some deodorants and it's use to is keep some substances from drying out. This one causes skin, eye irritation, sickness, vomiting and even kidney and liver damage.

Talc
Found in a lot of personal care products it is used for it's absorbent properties. The problem with talc is if it contains something called asbestiform fibers because these are classified as carcinogenic. But no one regulates the inclusion of these fibers in talc so there is simply no way of knowing if the product you are using contains them. Best advice, avoid the product if it has talc in it.

These are just 4 toxins that you might find in deodorant. Unfortunately in many instances there are more. Before you think I am being over-reactive I want to be clear that I am not suggesting that you're going to drop down dead after several uses of deodorant. I had been using the traditional products for years, although I did get cancer so I am in fact probably not the best example. But my point is that it's not the instantaneous impact that I am concerned about - it is the cumulative effect, and no one at this juncture knows what kind of ramifications on our health these toxins could have on us. It is very similar to the rationale for eating organic food. You don't want to be ingesting chemicals and toxins so you shouldn't want to absorb them either.

Great alternative deodorants exist too now as research and product development has progressed. It is much easier for us to look for natural products that don't contain these chemicals in them. An example is this great deodorant which is organic and only uses natural products. Tom's also does a range of products that are not tested on animals and use only natural ingredients. Have a look here. These are a little more mainstream and can be bought online or if you are in the USA at Wholefoods.

Make your own choice about what you're using, just make sure that you actually know what you're putting on your skin. Getting cancer focusses your mind a little more sharply on these issues but this is one that I definitely wish I had been more up on many years ago!

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 4 - Toxins

Toxins were a topic that I explored at the very beginning of this project in Week 1. Back in that week I was focussed on detoxing, the process by which I would expel toxin accumulation in my body given the trauma that I had experienced. Environmental toxins are such a crucial topic for us all to be knowledgable on and something so fundamental for me to support myself regaining physical strength that they warrant a week for themselves in my project.

This was a subject that I had only relatively recently become interested in and found (like many topics) that the more knowledgable I became, the more my eyes opened and I couldn't look at certain things in the same way again. I became even more conscious when my son arrived and didn't want to be subjecting him to unnecessary toxin exposure in his environment. When diagnosed with cancer my research became very specific to understanding what changes I could make in my lifestyle outside of food, nutrition, mental health and exercise that would support my body healing itself. Through my research specific to toxins I have discovered some startling facts as they relate to cancer. There are over 100 different types of cancer and 1,500 people a day die from the disease in the United States. I couldn't even comprehend that figure - 1,500 people a day just in the USA? More worryingly is that there is general consensus that many cancers are preventable and exposure to environmental toxins can lead to the development of cancer.

This exposure can occur at home, in the workplace, through the products that you buy and use in your everyday life as well as your lifestyle choices. It's important to be aware and educated around these toxins and the impact to your health so you can make your own decisions of changes that you feel appropriate to make.

Now that my cancer treatment has concluded my focus is firmly on anything that will increase my changes of being in remission come February 2015. 

So what's my objective this week?

Week 4 in contrast to Week 1 will focus specifically on where toxins are present in everyday life and the ramifications on health rather than how you detox your body. 

If I have not made appropriate changes already to avoid environmental toxin exposure then I will determine how best to make changes to minimize risk to my health.

Healthy Cooking and Eating on a budget

One of the biggest objections to being able to eat clean, healthy food is that it costs a lot more money to shop in this way. I've read a few things that dispute this, citing that you save money overall if you're not eating out or purchasing food on the go throughout the working day. Personally I do think that it is more expensive to purchase certain products that are organic or in the case of protein organic / grass fed / pasture raised. It can be a nominal disparity depending on where you live and the cost of grocery shopping but living smack bang in the middle of Manhattan suffice to say nothing is cheaper here. So you have to be savvy.

This is the advice I give on how to get the best value for money on your healthy grocery shop based on your own personal budget.

1. Plan your meals. Don't cook on the fly, know what you plan to cook for all your meals throughout the week and factor in any social activities that you know you may have coming up so food does not spoil. 
2. Be thoughtful in the planning process. Generally my breakfasts are simple affairs during the week and lunch is leftovers. Make and cook extra food for dinner and have it for lunch the next day. Don't plan to cook radically different recipes each week. Choose recipes that have similarity in some ingredients so you have variety but have no food wastage. Don't plan to cook every night or recipes that you have never cooked before on consecutive evenings. You will only stress yourself out and lose any interest in cooking your own food. Instead follow the point below.
3. Cook once eat lots. Dinner leftovers become lunch or totally new recipes. Batch cooking soups means you don't have to cook every night. Don't waste anything!
4. Spot trends. Identify what is getting eaten and what you're not enjoying so much, especially if you are getting to the end of the week and throwing something out. Why is that happening, did you buy too much, not utilize it in a recipe or simply went off it? Patterns can help you stick to buying what you really need versus what you think you want on impulse.
5. Be disciplined in the grocery store. Buy only what is on your list, do not deviate unless there is some sale on cupboard staples (see below) but don't be tempted by items that may be healthy but are impulse purchases. Don't buy something on "buy one get one free" unless it's on your list. Buying more than you need is a sure fire way to being left with wasted food.
6. Stock up on cupboard staples when in the sale. Your aim is to get your pantry to the point where you have all the basics for recipes each week. Then it's only the perishables that you need to purchase rather than every ingredient each time.
7. Wash your vegetables and produce in an apple cider vinegar bath. 3 parts water and 1 part apple cider vinegar. This is not only the best way to ensure that everything is as clean as possible but also extends shelf life of your veggies - double bonus!
8. Prioritize. If you can't afford to buy everything organic no problem but get your list together in ascending order of what you should spend your money on. For me protein would at the top of the list - meat / seafood / eggs have to be organic / pastured raised / grass fed! Then dairy if I ate it. Finally be aware of the "dirty dozen" list and this will prioritize your vegetables that should be organic.
9. Get familiar with your supermarkets. Don't just head the the same old grocery store that is right next to you, understand what your options are and how much things cost at each location. Make notes if you have to. Educate yourself. Don't pay more for a product that you can get cheaper elsewhere if you can switch up your store.

So just a few tip on economizing where possible. Healthy, clean eating and cooking can be within everyone's reach regardless of budget.

What's my diet?

So before we get cooking it's probably good to clarify my version of home cooking, because you're not going to find recipes on here for classic french dishes or even healthy versions of classic french dishes. That's not what I am about. I don't even do "healthy" versions of junk food dishes. My cooking is about getting the maximum nutrition and health benefit from the ingredients that you are eating. I'm lead by a way that I know will be good for my health and will make me feel good. My food also isn't fancy, there are many more accomplished chefs out there amongst my friends creating beautiful and tasty food. Instead my cooking fulfills it's health destiny. It's functional food and usually prepared and cooked quickly because time isn't a commodity I have a ton of. So it's not for everyone! Even my own father looks disappointed when I am in the kitchen and cooking for him.

My focus is around what I am eating, the quality of the ingredients and in some applicable cases where it is sourced from. These factors have more value to me when I am cooking to what the final product looks like on a plate, although I do try!

There have been variations on my diet pre-cancer, but typically I eat no meat, some types of fish and no dairy. If I do cook or eat meat it has to be organic, pastured raised or grass fed. These are non negotiable factors for me because I do not want to be ingesting pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. If you consume dairy then you should be thinking along the same lines and absolutely should be looking for organic milk, cheese and yoghurt - if it's not organic milk then you are taking in hormones that are pumped into the cows to get them to continually produce milk year round. That is completely unnatural for your body. Because I do not eat dairy I am looking for new ways to take in probiotics rather than yoghurt and kefir.

I do eat eggs but I only eat organic pasture raised eggs. Food labeling can be very confusing, in fact so much so it's probably worth an entire blog post to itself but trust me when I say buying organic isn't enough to ensure the animal has had quality of life. Organic in the case of eggs only means that the hen has lived a life with no hormone or antibiotic injections. Pasture raised eggs ensures the hen has been able to live outdoors year-round with access to shelter at their choosing. Cage free and free range are not as positive as they are made out to be - to meet the standard in the US of having "access to outdoor space" it could mean a window that the birds put their head out of. It does not mean continuous free access to outdoor space.

I eat carbs and absolutely could not live without them, that would be deprivation for me. The carbs I do eat are whole grains, quinoa or brown rice and I don't eat white flour. I love Ezekiel bread which is a sprouted whole grain bread and has no sugar in it. 

I used to eat fruit and I like it, but I am specifically trying to minimize how much I now consume as there are strong links between cancer cell growth and glucose consumption. I like almond butter and vegan chocolate but again because of minimizing glucose consumption there are not things I am eating regularly. For the same reasons I am not drinking alcohol. I do not drink any carbonated drinks, nor have I since I was very young and I no longer have any caffeine. I am considering reintroducing green tea into my diet but there are polarized views on cancer related health benefits versus detrimental impact to your health from caffeine intake so I am on the fence until further research.

All my cooking is done in coconut oil. I use a lot of herbs and spices (never added salt) to enhance the flavor of food and try and incorporate as much garlic into cooking as realistic. Vegetables play a starring role in everything that I cook including breakfast which is sometimes an unsual time to be digging into vegetables. I am more concerned with consuming ingredients that research has shown have anticancer properties which is why my diet is high in vegetables and I try to eat as much raw as possible to minimize losing the nutrient value from the food from cooking. 

On one end of the cancer diet spectrum many people advocate a vegan diet (which is no animal product at all) so I would eliminate the fish and eggs that I eat. My body has taken a lot these last few months and it's been a personal decision that being vegan at this point in time is probably not right for me mentally and what my body needs.

That is really the crux of any diet. There isn't a one-diet fits all approach. That is why you will find that some people have low carb diets and that works well for them but it may not for you. You have to figure out what your body likes and wants and what makes you feel good. As basic principles just make the majority of what you eat vegetable based and the rest of your ingredients of the highest quality possible and you will see health benefits.

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 3 - Home Cooking

This week is all about home cooking and it's not as twee at you think it is. This whole project for me is about regaining my physical and mental well being after cancer treatment. Food is a huge component of this journey, ergo, what I am eating and how I am preparing it has ramifications on how I feel. There is a huge distinction between what is prepared and cooked for you outside of your own home and what you cook yourself. Home cooking is the cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle. Whatever your own particular health goal may be, if you don’t start with spending more of your time cooking you are never going to gain more energy / lose weight / sleep better and it will be hard to fully support any dietary requirements that you have full-time. If cancer is your current lifestyle it’s even more crucial to have accountability and control for exactly what you’re putting into your body.

I am super passionate about home cooking now but didn’t always used to be. Mine was a typical story of a busy social life combined with eating out multiple times a week and a lack of understanding around health and nutrition. It wasn’t until I made a concerted effort to lose the weight that I could just never shift (even though I exercised all the time) that I began to cook my own food. Quickly I had realized to lose weight I needed to be better educated as well as in control of what I was eating. So I had to do it myself.

It didn’t take long to feel the benefits of home cooking. The quality  and source of my ingredients were higher than eating out, the way in which the food was prepared and cooked fitting with a healthy lifestyle and the portions all managed by myself were correct. I was getting more nutrients and vitamins by choosing my meal compositions, eating less fat and salt and I lost weight easily and had more energy. One of the surprising benefits was the relief I felt mentally at not having to make any decisions over food throughout the day. Because it was all planned out already I never had to think about what I would eat for lunch and where I would get it from. My work day got a whole lot easier reserving brain power for decisions that were a lot more complex than what to have for lunch.

After introducing home cooking whenever I have wavered from the path I have always felt it health wise. It’s not realistic for me to assume that I will never eat out again, and there will always be times in my life where I am unable to cook at home;  and I am fine with that. But nothing resets me quite like cooking my own food. It’s not fancy but it’s healthy and supports my own personal health goals.

So what is my objective this week?

It’s straight forward for once! I want to feel the health benefits of home cooking. Everything that I eat this week will be food that supports my personal cancer journey and has been prepared and cooked at home.

Perception on self love

I'm closing out gratitude week with the thought that sometimes there is an individual out there whose value and needs get overlooked more often than not. An individual who we speak to badly, are dismissive of, or criticize. That individual is ourselves. 

Most of the time our loved ones and their needs are at the forefront of our minds and our preoccupation is in making sure they have fully what they need mentally and physically. This is what gives us our humanity.

Kindness and compassion should be traits not just reserved for your family and friends but for yourself as well. Self love is not self indulgent or absorbed, nor vain. It instead allows us our well being to be able to fully nurture and give to others. The way I think about it is how an airplane safety demonstration tells you to put on your air mask should an emergency situation arise. You put your mask on first to help others. Not because you are being selfish or putting your needs ahead of other peoples'. Quite the opposite, so you are in a position to be able to help them. You will be no good to anyone depleted and worn down of self love.

It took a while for me to change my perception on this. You can be so caught up with what you're not, what you haven't achieved, how you're not lived up to unrealistic expectations that you've set for yourself that you miss the joy and happiness that is happening in your life right there and then. Being kind to yourself changes your view and makes you recognize qualities and traits that have gone unappreciated. Suddenly you will come from a place of gratitude focussed on what makes you awesome rather than where you are lacking.

Just think - it's only how other people who love you see you .

A thanksgiving cancer note to my husband

Thank you seems so small, so insignificant in the big scheme of things, how do you ever truly convey the gratitude that you have for someone that does more than love you unwaveringly, but cares for you in a way neither of you anticipated? When you get married you may expect that somewhere down the line in the very far and distant future you will both be old and will be looking after each other, and that is why you're together because you want to play those roles and be there for each other.

(2007)

What about when you're in your 30s, some of the best years of your life - what then? Does it still apply? What happens when you're facing challenges and decisions that are going to impact the course of the rest of your life?

My husband found out. This wasn't a journey that either of us wanted, we had a new baby and were meant to be enjoying this new stage of our lives. Instead my husband became my full-time caregiver. Every day without fail he came to the hospital for all my surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. He sat there waiting for hours as I was inserted with IV after IV in chronic states of pain, dehydration and fatigue. He held my hand while they took endless blood, he dressed me because I couldn't dress myself, pushed me in a wheelchair when I could no longer walk, put blankets on me when I was cold during chemotherapy, brushed my teeth for me, washed my hair and made me laugh. 

He never patronized me and forced me to do anything I didn't want to do. He always reassured me during the endless meetings with Drs that I was still ME. That I was still entitled and capable of making my own decisions and choices. I wasn't just some medical statistic to him being pushed through the machinery that is cancer treatment. He knew where the line was when he had to push me to get up in the morning and the times I really just couldn't.

He did this and his full time job, looked after our son and our dogs all at the same time.

He never once complained he was tired or upset and never conveyed anything other than the most amazing emotional strength I have ever seen. Even when I was in hospital with suspected pneumonia after chemotherapy, my heart rate hovering at 28bpm for two days and an electric shock crash cart next to my hospital bed my husband kept on going.

No one ever really asked how he was, everyone asked how I was. He was the invisible warrior, my unsung hero. Without my husband I would have given up. Without him all that's possible in my here and now wouldn't be.

He will absolutely hate this post, he's a very private person. But on Thanksgiving it couldn't not be about him. To me he's the glue that kept me and our little family together and for that I will never stop being grateful.

Why I am grateful for Exercise

Less than 3 weeks ago I was still having radiation treatment for my cancer. I was nearing the end of a period of my life where surgeries, chemo and radiation had taken a toll on me mentally but in huge physical ways as well. Prior to going into my treatment plan I had been what I would consider to be a very active individual. Exercise had long ago transcended from something that I "had" to do to something that I loved and looked forward to. Exercise in whatever form it may be taking had been my personal me time. My time for myself where I could legitimately focus on just me, my own needs, my own thoughts and putting my health (and my mental sanity!) first.

All the research that I had done around exercise and cancer pointed towards positive trends for those individuals who continued with some form of exercise whilst going through treatment, especially if you are having chemo. The logic is sound. Exercise not only strengthens your body, muscles and mind but aids in blood and oxygen flow helping detox the body and get rid of toxins through the process of sweating. I was ready to jump right in, tackle cancer through treatment and in the gym. No problem! Well that lasted about 2 minutes....

Within the first 3 days of my treatment, 3 rounds of radiation and 1 chemo session I was a mess. A mess. There are scales of how people react to chemo, clearly I was not going to be one of these individuals the research wrote about where I would be staying the course with an exercise regime. Nope. My destiny was to be one of the individuals that couldn't stop throwing up no matter what drugs the drs gave them. I stopped eating, I had no appetite and was throwing everything up, I couldn't even keep water down. Cutting a long story short the side effects of my treatments left me with stomach problems, sick, exhausted, chronically dehydrated and in a position where I didn't eat anything for days on end. My story got even worse when I caught an infection after chemo one day and spent over a week in hospital clinging onto my last shred of strength. Exercise was fantasy land. Suddenly I was barely able to walk. Basic tasks like having a shower or brushing my teeth were beyond my reach. I had no strength. Hitting my rock bottom physically was a low point and made me realize how much I took my incredible body and it's ability to be physical for me for granted. 

I was and am now completely humbled by what my body does for me. Regaining my physical strength and making it a priority for me turned into my focus for when I finished treatment. When I started My Ultimate Health Project I started exercising again so am midway through week 2, and it's tough. It's hard starting from the bottom again and pushing through when something doesn't come easy but balancing that with being kind to myself and listening to my body. It's not just the physical challenge but a mental one too, understanding the difference between your body saying you can't do something or your mind saying it doesn't want to. We all gravitate to what we enjoy and what we are good at, it's human nature. We don't like situations that make us feel uncomfortable or we are simply average or less than average at. But that doesn't change unless you keep on going. 

For me every single day I am simply grateful for the opportunity to participate, to show up, to try it, even to fail. Because you know what? If I'm failing at it that means I'm actually doing it and 3 weeks ago I could barely do a single thing. Failing is progress from nothing. Soon I won't find it as tough as I do now, I will have persevered and won't be starting from the bottom again. Exercise is about loving your body and prioritising your health. If you are healthy use it, move yourself, be physical. You owe it to yourself and your well being because one day it simply may not be possible for you.

I took a little selfie at my first SoulCycle class since finishing treatment. It was amazing to be able to do one of my favorite workouts again. As I said I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in anything to do with my life!

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 2 - Gratitude

It's Thanksgiving week! That means one thing. Nope not turkey, or strange dishes like sweet potato with marshmallows or crazy traffic jams as people travel to see loved ones. It means it is time to be thankful! I love this holiday, yes I am English but I have adopted this day like it's my own. For me this week on My Ultimate Health Project couldn't be anything other than gratitude. 

Gratitude shouldn't be a one day USA-citizens-only affair, it should be a lifestyle for all of us. Why? Because gratitude will bring you a different perspective on your life, it will bring you peace and contentment in your life ultimately making it more fulfilled.

Gratitude by definition "is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness." How often do we fail at being grateful though? Not because we are unwilling or not ready to be thankful or show kindness, but because we miss it entirely. Too often we miss the opportunity to be grateful, we can become bitter and consumed by life's blows and injustices we feel that we have been dealt and our focus is on what we don't have rather than what we do.

Some of the most inspiring people that I have in my life live their lives in gratitude, they aren't walking around making remarks on the blue in the sky or the fresh air, they aren't excessively thanking every single person, they simply don't bemoan their situations. They are realistic, they know when they've been dealt a crappy hand they just have a different perspective on it and focus their energies on what they have in their lives. If you met some of these people you would never believe some of the tragic situations they have faced. They have grace and strength in the face of awful adversity and they are totally authentic. 

One of my closest friends said something to me once that I have never forgotten and gave me incredible insight into her perspective on life. She said she views life as a cookie jar, there are multiple cookies in there, just because someone else gets a cookie it doesn't mean that eventually there won't be a cookie for her. I was floored. A normal human response when we feel that we are suffering, is an inability to be happy for anyone else who has what we want. A fear that someone else taking a cookie would mean no more cookie for us. But if you shift your perspective, if you are grateful, you realize that there still is a cookie for you.

If I told people my cancer story and the journey that I've been on I am sure that most people would have compassion, some may even think that it's a sad affair. Am I grateful that I had cancer? Absolutely not! No way. Lets clear that up right now, it's up there in horrible things that can befall any individual and now here I am unable to have more children and in menopause as a consequence so I'm not about to start lying and saying I am grateful about these things. I'm only human. But here is the clincher, I'm grateful for the perspectives it taught me. Instead of feeling sorry for myself and focussing on the things I can't have for my life that I once wanted, I'm solely focused on everything that I do have and the things I can do. No more children? Fine! Instead I'm so incredibly grateful that I am physically strong enough to pick up my son and cuddle him, that I can make him giggle like a maniac and that he still has me with him as his mother. All things that weren't possible at one stage of my treatment. That level of gratefulness far outweighs any perceived loss on my part. 

So what is my objective this week?

For me this gratitude week is about shifting my perspective to understand there are cookies for all of us. I'm going to be kind to everyone around me and to show thanks to others for kindness.

It's also about paying homage to some of the key people in my cancer journey. Some are obvious but there are other unsung heroes that have helped me without even knowing me, people who have made a profound impact on my life through the kindness of their own hearts and spirit of generosity. They probably don't even realize how much of an impact they have made. 

Finally I am going to give thanks for me, something I never do. It feels self absorbed and indulgent and I think most of us totally suck at self-love. We can see the good in our family and friends but are constantly irritated by our own failings, imperfections and short comings. Very rarely do we celebrate what makes us the person we are and why that's a good thing.

P.S If you like the more nutritional / foodie stuff that was at the heart of Week 1 Detox don't worry it's not gone. It's still an important part of My Ultimate Health Project and you can keep uptodate on what I am cooking and eating over on my Facebook page or Instagram account. https://www.facebook.com/myultimatehealthproject or user name on Instagram myultimatehealthproject

Tumeric and how to incorporate it in your diet

You've potentially heard of turmeric before, it's certainly gained a lot of press these last couple of years as research into it's superfood capabilities has been more publicly read. It is a spice that is found a lot in curry so if you've eaten one of those then somewhere along the line you've probably had turmeric  

Without a doubt turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory food components and therefore a perfect little feature for detox week. Tumeric also has super cancer fighting powers which comes down to a little something contained in it called curcumin. When  it comes to cancer research has shown that it inhibits cancer cell growth as well as forcing cancer cells to die, enhances the effectiveness of chemo and reduces tumor growth.

Tumeric and I were introduced to each other through a very good friend of mine and fellow health nut. Tumeric and I only met two months before my cancer diagnosis - if only it had been sooner! This little cancer fighter can be found as a component of most of the dishes that I now make. I'm obviously hugely taken with any product that has been found to reduce tumor size and inhibit cancer cell growth! 

For the most impact and to be assimilated into the body turmeric needs to be mixed with black pepper and olive oil.

Quick Recipe suggestion
1/2 tablespoon of turmeric
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Pinch of black pepper

Voila! Add to salad as a dressing, soups or vegetables.