November GIVEAWAY

Joiedevivrefood is offering you the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a traditional wicker gourmet food hamper full of quality healthy products that will keep you looking and feeling your best.

Joiedevivre gourmet food hamper

Hamper contents:

Linwoods Milled Organic Flaxseed
Aspalll Organic Cyder Vinegar
The Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Red & White Quinoa
Natco Turmeric Powder
Natco  Popping Corn
Sainsbury’s Rough Oatcakes

How do you enter?

Entering is easy. Simply complete one of the following:

a)    Send out the following tweet “Joiedevivrefood November Giveaway http://joiedevivrefood.blogspot.co.uk/ #joiedevivrefoodcompetition”

b)    Subscribe by email to our blog joiedevivrefood.blogspot.co.uk

c)     Write a comment on one of our posts

When does the opportunity to enter end?

It ends at 00:00 on 30 November 2014

Terms and Conditions

Only one entry per person will be accepted.
The winner will only be notified if they win the hamper, which will be dispatched by a representative of Joiedevivrefood.
Entrants must be at least 18 years of age.
All qualifying entrants will be placed in a free prize draw.
The winner will be notified within 28 days of the draw taking place.
There is no cash alternative to the prize.
The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries which are not properly received due to communications beyond our control.
Open to UK residents only.

Good luck!

Are you worthy?

Do you self sabotage?

Do you feel undeserving of an amazing happy life? 

It is the usual, the voices in your head are asking “am I doing enough?’ ‘am I good enough?’  ‘am I a good mother, wife, friend, employee, pet owner? The list goes on!

Self love is quite a taboo subject in the UK. If you mention it you are either judged to be big headed or a hippy! I discussed this topic with my students this week and they laughed, how silly to talk about loving or liking yourself (goodness me what a crime!). I think it is really sad that young (and older) people can not talk about their self esteem freely. It has taken me a long time to accept, love and respect myself and although there are days when this can slip (we all have our bad days). I know I have worked at my self love, and will not be giving it up for my old ways of thinking and feeling.

Emotional eating is something most of us do to some extent, however for many it is a huge psychological issue. Food can be used as a crutch, a comfort, a release or to numb real feelings.

Being aware of your own triggers for emotional eating is a huge help to overcoming them. As a self confessed emotional eater, I have found that making sure I sleep at least 7/8 hours a night and keeping my blood sugars level has been crucial to my success. If I am tired and or wired, that is a recipe for disaster. However there is much more to eating for the numbing of real feelings.

It is for the most part NOT about discipline, if it was this easy we could discuss working on techniques and sticking to rules etc. There is of course an element of discipline in all overindulgence, however before we even exercise the will power muscle, an awareness of self sabotaging is required. 

If you have lost weight and then gained it again, you have probably felt like I did in the past. Self hatred is self limiting and absolutely useless. Remember that you are working against a society that makes it much easier to be overweight, food manufacturers who are making money out of your bad habits developed over a life time - but it really isn't personal, for the most part they just don’t have your health as one of their priorities. You should though.

Focus on developing a new habit each week/ten days. It is worth writing down small goals e.g. clean my teeth if I want the packet of crisps after 6pm, or eat an apple before bed instead of reaching for the chocolate every day for a week (record how you feel). These small goals are specific, measurable and have timing attached.

Try these tips to reach all of your goals, wether it be losing weight or feeling happier.

Tips:

• Do not make it easy to snack on high sugar snacks - do not have them in the house (lose the excuse that your partner or the kids need them in - you will be improving everyones health).
• Sleep at least 7 to 8 hours every night, if you find this difficult search the internet for helpful tips or get in touch ak.joiedevivre@gmail.com.
• Track what you are eating and when - note how you feel. Awareness is key (myfitnesspal is a good app or just use pen and paper).
• Exercise - even if it is just a brisk walk or some stretches in your home. Do something every day.
• Be kind to yourself - you are a good person, forgive yourself. It is amazing that we would never talk to others in the nasty way we can sometimes do to ourselves.
• Kamal the respected author of ‘love yourself like your life depends on it’ describes his illness and how repeating the mantra ‘I love myself’ was a major factor in him getting better.
• Make a decision today to change your story - do not believe the old victim stories you may have told yourself. You deserve the best. You are bloody amazing!!!!!

Enjoy life, you are worth it, you are good enough and you are doing enough.

Kelly x

Drab to fab lunches

I have always made up a lunch to take to work, mainly for financial reasons. It was tedious to make up and unexciting to eat, mainly consisting of a sandwich or a dry salad on a good day. By the end of the afternoon I was often bloated, uncomfortable and lacked energy. That was always my weakest point, often leading to poor nutritional choices. I’m sure we’ve all reached for the biscuits as our sugar levels have dropped!

Preparing food the old fashioned way—at home in your own kitchen—doesn’t have to be time consuming, complicated or expensive. With our simple guidelines, taking a few minutes to prepare quick, healthy and delicious lunches will give you more control over what you and your family are eating, help you master your blood sugar levels to avoid getting too hungry and save you money too!

The ideal lunch should provide a mixture of vitamins, minerals, fat, carbohydrates and protein. The carbohydrates and fat provide the energy which helps keep our blood sugar level - the body's fuel system which draws on glucose (sugar) – stable.

Why should we maintain a balanced diet by healthy eating? It can:

• give you vitality and energy
• help you stay at a weight that's right for you
• boost your immune system
• improve your sports performance and fitness levels
• delay the effects of ageing
• keep you active and fit into old age
• help beat tiredness and fatigue
• protect teeth and keep gums healthy
• enhance your memory and ability to concentrate 
• minimise the risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes 

Fab lunches

It only takes a few minutes to make up any combination of the following healthy lunch ingredients: 

avocado

edamame/ green beans 

chickpeas

red cabbage in cider vinegar

quinoa (Tesco and Merchand Gourmet sell their own ready-made quinoa)

couscous with a squeeze of lemon

hummus
tzatziki

pesto

tomato/ pepper/ cucumber red onion/ spring onion

spinach/ lettuce

pumpkin/ chia/ flax/ sunflower seeds

beetroot/ courgette/ cauliflower/ carrot grated

flatbread

Protein sources - boiled egg, goats cheese, chicken, turkey, salmon or mackerel

Add a simple dressing of cider vinegar and olive oil dressing (1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil), you just need to remember that a little bit of dressing goes long way. Chilli flakes and/or black pepper will add extra heat if desired. Recipes for pesto, tzatziki, hummus and flatbread are available on the ‘side recipes’ on our blog.

Dessert...yes really!

natural, Greek or soya yoghurt with cinnamon, berries, nuts or seeds 

coconut/ almond/ soya milk with chia seeds and berries

Tips for making the change and staying with it:

1. Stock up with a variety of foods from the list.
2. Prepare batches of grated vegetables, quinoa, couscous, hummus, pickled red cabbage or pesto at the weekend.
3. Make extra portions when you’re cooking dinner in the evening for leftovers the next day. 
4. Buddy up with a work colleague or friend - you are more likely to keep motivated with mutual support.
5. Ditch the junk and get rid of sweets, biscuits, crisps and other unhealthy snacks. The less you’re tempted by junk food, the healthier you’ll eat.
6. Make time for meals. Try to have 30 minutes each day to eat a healthy meal. You’ll come back refreshed and re-energised.
7. Plan your meals. If you know you’re going to eat a meal and two snacks at work, plan ahead. If you’re prepared it will help you avoid getting too hungry and indulging on unhealthy junk food. 
8. Start each day with a full bottle of water and make an effort to drink water often starting first thing in the morning.
9. Choose balanced snacks with a combination of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean proteins to boost your metabolism, increase energy, and feel fuller longer, for example peanut butter and oatcakes or a handful of almonds.
10. Soup is an excellent dish for lunch because it is warming, nutritious and low in calories.

Nowadays, I choose to prepare my own lunch for nutritional reasons. Making positive changes to this important meal of the day will help you - just like it did me - feel your best in no time at all. What woman doesn’t enjoy receiving compliments about their weight loss?  Moreover, I feel full of energy, my cravings have subsided, I have fewer mood swings and am free from regular headaches too.  As a self-confessed ‘foodie’, I certainly don’t feel deprived in any way at all.

Bon appetit!  

Alison x