Blog

I get a lot of questions from my clients (and perspective ones). And to make things a little easier for you, as of today I’m starting a new blog category: Q&A

This is where you have the opportunity to have your questions about nutrition, health and wellness answered by me. Completely for free. Now, how awesome is that?!

Although this is definitely not a cooking blog, doing what I do makes it difficult to entirely stay away from recipes and how to make food. Today’s question comes from Trudi from Munich, Germany. She writes:

 

“Hello Hanna, 
I am loooving this summer heat and I am wondering if you can give me any tips as to what to eat that will be light, cold but give me enough energy to get through my desk-work! I feel as though the green salads I am eating are simply not enough.”

 

Trudi – let me tell you one thing, you’re not alone! Many people lack the imagination of what to put in their salads to make them longer-lasting, more filling, well, generally a bit chunkier.

And: a green salad is definitely not enough to last you for a whole afternoon! Although there are very many great vitamins, minerals and antioxidants etc in your green salad (depending on what leafs you choose, of course), it’s composed mainly by water. Yes, even if there’s cucumber and tomatoes in your salad, it doesn’t add much satiety to your meal.

What you should go for instead is a great protein source. Be it chicken, salmon, tuna, left over meat from yesterdays dinner, beans, eggs, hummus (you’ll find my truly yummy recipe if you just enter your name and email in the bar above) – it’s completely up to you and your tastes and preferences. Also add some nuts to your salad to get more protein as well as some very valuable fatty acids.

Speaking of which, you also need to add fat. And no, the ready made yoghurt:y chemical crap storm you get ready made from the grocery store doesn’t count. Sadly. We’re talking great fat here, avocado, feta cheese, flax seeds, make a dressing with olive oil, olives, or those nuts you just added.

If you’re a carb-lover (who isn’t, really?), I would suggest to add some boiled quinoa to give your salad that extra bit of stamina. Although there may already be enough carbs in the salad itself, depending on which vegetables you’ve chosen for it. Or, even better, skip the quinoa and have a piece of fruit for dessert. Yummy and full of goodness for you!

That was the theoretical part. Now for some awesome, nutritious and filling summer salads.

But: first off, in terms of salad dressings, I tend to go for very simple ones. I prefer vinaigrettes on olive oil, some vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and other spices. Simple, and you know what you get (in comparison to store bought versions with not-even-god-knows-what added to them).

Asparagus and Strawberry Salad

1 pack asparagus

200 g strawberries

parsley (can be excluded, or substituted by another herb)

Olive (or avocado) oil

Lemon

Boil or fry the asparagus and cut them into smaller pieces. Cut the strawberries into quarters.

Mix with parsley, oil and some lemon juice. And all you need to do is to add some protein of choice (see above).

 

Fennel Salad

100 g fennel

juice from ¼ lemon

oil from nuts

100 g fresh peas

10 g walnuts

50 g strawberries

50 g mixed salad

Peel the fennel with a potato peeler or a cheese grater, mix it with the lemon juice, salt, pepper and oil.

Mix  the peas with the walnuts, strawberries and the salad. Put the two mixes together. Add some protein. ENJOY! 

 

“I took the leaves off the beetroots and threw them away, as I didn’t need them for this salad (although it’s worth remembering that they’re edible and that they taste nicer than Swiss chard or spinach!). I washed the beetroots and then, using a speed peeler, I peeled them all down into really thin slices and flavoured them with salt, pepper, chopped flat-leaf parsley and a little grated fresh horseradish to give a nice bit of heat. Then I left them for 5 to 10 minutes so that the acid from the horseradish would soften the beetroot. The horseradish is optional, but it gives a good twang.”

 

So, I hope I could help you a little along the way, Trudi. I think it’s awesome that you’re making an effort to eat healthier and I know it can be a real pain in the you-know-what. But when you start feeling the benefits, I promise you, it’s completely worth it.

 

If anyone else has a question (or two), please feel free to leave them in the comments below, email me , or write me on Facebook!

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead of you. Thank you so much fo reading.

 

Hanna

 

Ps. These are also awesome to take along to work. It just requires a little more planning on your part.

Ps2. If you follow me on Instagram, I often post food and salad inspiration there!

Ps3. Here’s the link to Jamie’s Beetroot Salad!

Some of you are probably going to be disappointed.

But this post is not about sunscreen and preventing sunburns. (Well not in the traditional sense, at least.)

The sun is out today in our wonderful city and I can’t wait to get out and enjoy it!

But first, speaking of sunshine and happy weather, here are three fantastic tip on how you can encourage your health this summer:

1. Vitamin D

I’m in the process of writing a longer thing about this incredibly important vitamin. But for now, here’s the short version:

Vitamin D is built in your skin when it’s hit by the UVB rays in the sun. Fact. Using a higher SPF than 8 blocks the UVB rays, and therefore no vitamin D can be made. VitD is made out of cholesterol, which is why it’s important that you have enough left of it and not trying to kill it with statins.(!). Make sure you get some sun exposure today, at least 20 minutes. Did I hear lunch in the sun?!

Of course you should make sure not to get sunburned – that is actually not good for you. But a little sun on your skin definitely carries a lot more with it than just a healthy glow.

So, what is vitamin D good for anyway? A myriad of things. Everything from calcium absorption, lower your blood pressure, lowering the risk of MS, diabetes (yes, even Type 1!), certain cancers, to being a natural mood lifter, giving you tons of awesome energy you didn’t know you had in you.

Why can’t you just get it through your food, then? Because there are very few sources of it, which can’t give you enough to be healthy. During the winter months I take drops of vitamin D to make sure I have enough.

2. Omega 3

Supplementing fish oil, omega 3 fatty acids, is generally not a bad idea at all. (I do this too. The two supplements I do take are vitD and O3.) You’ve surely  heard all the amazing things omega 3 does for you, including cardiovascular and brain maintenance, as well as keeping the levels of inflammation in your body at bay.

But did you know that it can also help you  prevent sunburn? Research has shown that if you take omega 3, you are less likely to get sunburned than if you didn’t take it. This also means that you are less likely to get skin cancer. Pretty spectacular, right?!

3. Coconut Oil

When you get past your time limit of VitD absorption and want to spend more time in the sun, you’ll be needing sun protection of some sort. If you are a bit like me, and don’t like putting things on you or in you that you don’t really know what they are made of (here, I’m talking about regular sun screen, filled with god-knows-what-chemicals-and-possible-toxins), why not use coconut oil?

I know, I know. Again?! Come on!  But it’s true, it’s the base of many homemade sun screens, starting with the tropics. It doesn’t rely on blocking the sun rays, but instead it prevents the free radical action that is normally caused by too much time in the sun. And it also moisturises your skin so beautifully for that after beach party.

I hope I’ve given you something to think about today. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, the first issue is out very soon – you should make sure you get your copy!

Wishing you a funfilled weekend! Thank you so much for reading.

Hanna

(Idea: naturalnews.com)