Foodie Friday - John's Amazeballs Chocolate Cake

Dark chocolate is full of all sorts of goodies including MUFAs  which are monounsaturated fatty acids. MUFAs are better for our heart and blood stream, helping to lower cholesterol and stabilise insulin levels. Dark chocolate can also help to slow down our metabolism so that we eat less. Because it has a more bitter taste we tend to eat less of it than other chocolate types.

A dark chocolate diet includes cocoa powder in foods and drinks including chocolate cakes which can be made with either dark chocolate or cocoa powder.

The dark chocolate should be a good quality chocolate and have at least 70% cocoa content. Not all dark chocolate is created equally. Some cheaper dark chocolates have more sugar and milk products in them.

To celebrate the joys of all the goodness that dark chocolate has to offer I am including a recipe for an amazing chocolate cake. This cake can be eaten on its own or for special occasion it can be made to include a ganache. I would like to thank the lovely woman who gave me this recipe.

 Line 30cm cake tin and set oven to 280C.
Melt 300gm butter with 250gm of dark chocolate over a double boiler.
Add 3 cups of sugar and 2 1/2 cups of boiling water and stir in. Add 2 expresso coffees.
Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of self raising flour and 1/2 cup of dark cocoa powder.
Whisk in 4 eggs.
The mixture should be runny.
Place the mixture in the cake tin and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. The skewer should come out clean.

For the ganache use the Stephanie Alexander Ganache recipe.

When serving microwave each slice for 10 seconds to melt the ganache and warm the chocolate.

Warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - meeting the need for certainty

When we are little we have an immense need for certainty. We need to know that we are going to be loved, cared for, feed, clothed and have all our needs looked after. Watch a small child playing with other children and you will notice them take frequently glances at their carer to make sure that they are still there. They will probably also run back to them between playing for an extra bit of comfort and security.

Small children prefer routine and absolute certainty in their lives. As we get older we enjoy some variety and the amount we enjoy changes as we enter our teenage years and also on each individual. Some people love lots of variety whilst others prefer lots of certainty. We are born with a preference for either more certainty or more variety and this can be seen in quite young children.

As I explained last week we can meet our need for certainty either resourcefully or unresourcefully. We will always meet it but is the way that each of us is currently meeting is obtainable and sustainable, which means that we are meeting it resourcefully. When we meet our needs resourcefully our actions are good for us, good for others and good for the community. Sometimes it doesn't feel good for us because the way we are meeting a need is outside our comfort zone because we are stretching ourselves so that we can continue to grow. We don't usually do this to meet our need for certainty, which is all about comfort.

If we meet our need for certainty to such an extent that our need for variety is struggling to be met at all, then our comfort zone will shrink and we will start to experience boredom, lethargy and for some people it will lead to depression. Have you ever had a job that was like that or know someone who is in a job like that? Do you ever find yourself bored when you are at home watching television every evening? We need some variety even when certainty is more important to us than variety.

If we meet our need for certainty by controlling other people, watching hours of television instead of doing a variety of activities, using food for comfort or procrastinate we are being unresourceful. Just so we are very clear about this, we are all unresourceful some of the time.Who among us has never procrastinated? But if we do these things for any period of time and/or on a regular basis then we are preventing ourselves from being happy and fulfilled.

Resourceful ways to meet our need for certainty include backing ourselves in order to reach our goals and having routines that support and nurture us and provide foundation. If you have a routine that involves having fun, exercising or creating something then you are meeting your need for certainty resourcefully.

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball and we experience great uncertainty. To redress the balance finding activities that fulfil our need for certainty can help us to feel more calm and to cope better with the issue. Ways to experience more certainty at such times include household chores, rearranging drawers and cupboards, gardening, going for a walk somewhere familiar and reading a favourite book. 

Enjoy your moments of certainty every day

warmest wishes

Sarah

Foodie Friday - The sleep diet

Are we getting enough sleep? The answer for most of us is that we are not getting as much sleep as we need. This can have several detrimental affects on our bodies and minds, and one of these is weight gain. Would it surprise you to know that good regular sleep can help us achieve our target weight and maintain it?

 People who have enough sleep have lower a BMI than those people who are sleep deprived. What is it about lack of sleep that can lead to weight gain? Not getting enough sleep creates havoc with our hormones.

Leptin is produced in our body's fat cells and it suppresses hunger. It works with grehlin which is released by our stomachs and induces hunger. When we don't get enough sleep it lowers the levels of leptin and increases the levels of grehlin so we feel more hungry. Because we are tired we reach for comfort food with higher levels of sugar and fat, and eat more of them. When we get enough sleep our levels of leptin are increased and levels of grehlin are decreased which means that we are less hungry.

We produce more growth hormone when we are asleep then awake, which is one of the reasons that children need more sleep. We also need growth hormone for repairing our body's, which is why we need more rest and sleep when we are ill or when we have had surgery or a broken bone. Growth hormone also helps to build muscle and muscle helps to increase our metabolism. Lack of sleep means that we have less growth hormone, less repair, less muscle and reduced metabolism. This can all lead to weight gain.

Sufficient sleep reduces our levels of cortisol, one of the stress hormones. Cortisol interferes with our body's ability to make muscle and breaking down protein into glucose is stimulated by cortisol. All unused glucose is stored as fat.

To have the energy to exercise and repair after exercise we need enough sleep. If we force ourselves to exercise when we are too tired we will increase our risk of injury and we will take longer to repair any injuries sustained.

Lack of sleep can also cause people to feel a bit fed up or even depressed, which can also lead to choosing comfort foods, less exercise and increased weight gain.

As busy women we can find it hard to get enough sleep because there is always something that 'needs' to be done, or we have too many thoughts in our head to relax enough to be able to sleep well. However if we are to reach our weight goals and maintain them, and if we are to enjoy a sustainable level of health and vitality then we need to have enough sleep.

As we become better at time management, delegation and realising that we are worth looking after, we can begin to enjoy enough sleep and the many benefits that it brings with it.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - Meeting all your needs

Have you ever heard someone say that they will be happy when ..................? They will be happy when they win lots of money or be happy when they find true love or happy when all their ducks line up and the stars align.

Have you ever felt that you could be happy if only one or two stars aligned or if you got what ever it is that you currently desire? I know that I have.

What can we do that can help us to feel happy now, this week? There is an answer and it doesn't involve anyone giving you anything. It doesn't involve money or ducks that line up. It does involve YOU.

Have you ever noticed how young children can be so happy in the moment? When was the last time that you played like a child, enjoyed a moment as excitedly as a child? When did you last jump in a puddle?

Young children instinctively know how to live in the moment because they don't know anything else, yet. And there is a way that we can enjoy each area of our lives here and now. It can be achieved by meeting each of our 6 Core Needs.

Every human has the same 6 Core Needs that must be met, in the same way that we must breath oxygen and keep hydrated. These 6 Core Needs are:

• Certainty
• Variety
• Significance
• Love/connection 

These first four needs are physical needs and we will always meet these needs. When we walk into a room we don't make sure that it has oxygen, and having found out that it does have oxygen, we don't then decide that we will breath it in. When we walk into a room we automatically breath in and out. If there wasn't sufficient oxygen we would do what ever we could to get sufficient. It is part of our survival mechanism.

When we get up we don't consciously decide that today we will meet our core needs. We automatically meet them and this will be in one of two ways; resourcefully or unsresourcefully. We know that we are meeting our needs unresourcefully because whilst this way is obtainable it is not sustainable. When we meet our needs resourcefully it is both obtainable and sustainable. For example we could meet our need for significance through drama. We create drama around something that is going on in our lives and we tell everyone so that they will agree with us, support us and make us the centre of their attention. This meets a need for significance unresourcefully. It is obtainable but not sustainable because even if we keep the drama going, eventually everyone else will become bored with it. Or we could meet our need for significance through being an expert in our own field, or by volunteering. These ways are both obtainable and sustainable.

To meet the last two core needs we need to meet the first four resourcefully. The last two core needs are the needs of the spirit:

• contribution
• growth

Think of something that you love doing and then work out how it meets each of your core needs at a high level. For example if you love to play the piano it meets your need for certainty because this is something that you can do and you know that it brings you joy and you probably have access to a piano any time you want to play. It meets your need for variety because you can play different types of music. It meets your need for significance because you can play for other people which brings them joy, and it meets your need for connection through the music itself and when you talk to other people who also play the piano and/or love to talk about music. It meets your need for contribution because you are bringing joy to those around you and you may also play for specific groups such as the local church, the local scouts or a local school. And finally it meets your need for growth because you can continue to learn more skills and how to play different kinds of music and increase your knowledge.

Over the next few weeks will explore these core needs and how to meet them and how we make our decisions based on our core needs.

Enjoy working out what you really enjoy doing and how this is because it meets all your core needs and conversely what you don't enjoy doing and how you could tweak things to work towards meeting your core needs in these activities.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Foodie Friday - A chocolate diet

What if you could go on a weight loss plan that included chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Whilst we don't usually have chocolate for breakfast it has been an option for years, with chocolate croissants and hot chocolate being increasingly popular. As a child I remember being able to eat any kind of chocolate for breakfast including a chocolate Easter Eggs.

This eating plan doesn't include quite that much chocolate but it does have chocolate built into every meal. There is a list of options for each meal and very specific chocolate items that fit in with the calorie allowance. This chocolate weight loss plan is a calorie counting style plan and it also includes lots of vegetables and some fruit. In case that wasn't sufficient chocolate for the chocolate lover, there is an additional skimmed milk allowance into which you can add chocolate powder for a chocolate snack.

Does this make it a good weight loss plan? There are definite pros and cons with this weight loss plan. Any weight loss plan that has reduce calories should result in some weight loss and the plan does contain lots of healthy food options including vegetables, fruit and proteins. The plan also provides a high fibre diet. The downside of this diet plan is that the chocolates chosen as part of the plan are high in sugar. Whilst the energy from the sugar is included in the plan there is more to sugar consumption than the energy it provides.

When we eat something with sugar in it our bodies release a hormone called insulin to help us utilise the sugar and use it for fuel. Any excess fuel is stored as fat. The more sugar we consume the more insulin is produced and the more fat is stored. Because the diet plan has reduced calories the body will hopefully use all the sugar consumed however it could also store some of it as fat. This could cause a bit of a 'yo-yo' effect.

For people for whom chocolate is an absolute must every day, this is probably a feasible option for a weight loss plan. If changing your eating habits is part of your weight loss plan then this plan is not your best option because you will continue to use chocolate as part of your daily intake.

We are all unique and there is no 'one size fits all' weight loss plan. This plan is not suitable for anyone who is pregnant or who has diabetes type I or type II or glucose intolerance. As always, check with your health practitioner before considering commencing any type of weight loss plan.

For those of you who are interest here is a list of possible menu options and the website is at the bottom of this page.

Warmest wishes

Sarah



Breakfasts(around 250 calories)
 
Banana and chocolate nut spread on toast

1 slice wholegrain toast topped with 2tsp chocolate nut spread and 1 small banana.

Fruit salad and pain au chocolat Fruit salad made from 1 kiwi fruit, 7 strawberries, 1 satsuma and a handful of blueberries topped with 3tbsp low-fat plain yogurt. Plus 1 store bought Mini Pain Au Chocolat.

Strawberry and chocolate cereal 40g Nestle Coco Shreddies with skimmed milk and 7 strawberries. Plus 1 small glass of orange juice.

Scrambled egg on toast and hot chocolate 1 slice whole grain toast with 1tsp low-fat spread, 1 scrambled egg and 2 grilled tomatoes. Plus 1 sachet Options Belgian Choc instant hot chocolate drink.

Breakfast on the run 1 muesli fruit and nut with milk chocolate bar and 1 small bottle of fruit smoothie.


Chocolate wheat biscuits with banana 2 chocolate wheat biscuits with skimmed milk and 1 small banana.

Chocolate porridge 1 sachet Quaker Oat So Simple Indulgent Chocolate Brownie Porridge made with skimmed milk. Plus 1 apple.

Lunches (400 calories)
Prawn salad pitta and Maltesers 1 wholemeal pitta bread filled with salad leaves and a handful of cooked prawns mixed with 2tsp reduced calorie seafood dressing. Plus 1 kiwi fruit and 10 Maltesers.

Vegetable soup with a cheese roll and chocolate cake ½ carton fresh vegetable soup with 1 wholemeal roll filled with 2tbsp low-fat soft cheese and 1 tomato. Plus 1 Mr Kipling Chocolate Slice.

Tuna and sweetcorn sandwich and milk chocolate mousse 2 slices whole-grain bread filled with ½ small can tuna in water mixed with 2tbsp sweetcorn and 2tsp reduced calorie mayonnaise. Plus 1 pot shop bought Light Chocolate Mousse.

Cheese and tomato bagel and chocolate ice lolly 1 toasted whole-grain bagel with 3tbsp grated reduced-fat cheese and 1 tomato. Plus 1 apple and 1 Walls Chocolate Mini Milk.

Spicy chicken and new potato salad and chocolate buttons Salad made from 1 skinless chicken breast, 4 boiled new potatoes in their skins, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, ½ green pepper and 3tbsp hot salsa. Plus 12  Chocolate Buttons.

Baked beans on toast and mini eggs 2 slices wholegrain toast topped with 1 small can baked beans. Plus 7 strawberries and 6 chocolate Mini Eggs.

Salmon and rice salad and Jaffa Cakes Salad made from ½ small can pink salmon, 3tbsp cooked brown rice, cucumber, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, radishes and 3tbsp testis. Serve with a green salad.

Main meals (500 calories)
Roast pork and Curly Wurly 2 thin slices lean roast pork, 2 medium-sized roast potatoes, vegetables and fat-free gravy. Plus 1 Curly Wurly.

Veg and pasta pesto and chocolate fingers 7tbsp cooked whole-wheat pasta mixed with lightly-steamed broccoli, 3tbsp peas and 1tbsp pesto, heated through and served with 1tbsp Parmesan cheese and salad. Plus 3 chocolate fingers.

Turkey stir-fry and Kit Kat Stir-fry made with 1tsp sunflower oil, garlic, ginger and chilli to taste, 1 turkey fillet, ½ pack stir-fry veg and 1tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce. Serve with 6tbsp cooked brown rice. Plus 2 bar Kit Kat.


Greek supper and Flake Salad made using 50g reduced fat feta cheese, 1 tomato, 5 black olives, cucumber, ½ green pepper and ½ red onion, served with 1 wholemeal pitta and 1tbsp tzatziki. Plus 1 Cadbury Flake. ck per ziki.
Beef fajitas and Smarties Fajitas made using 100g lean beef, ½ red onion, ½ red and green pepper and Cajun seasoning and fried in 1tsp sunflower oil. Serve with 1 flour tortilla, 1tbsp each of salsa, reduced-fat creme fraiche and reduced-fat grated Cheddar cheese, and salad. Plus 10 Smarties.

Roasted veg with mozzarella and Easter egg ½ small courgette, ½ small aubergine, ½ red pepper, and cherry tomatoes roasted in 2tsp olive oil then topped with ½ small ball reduced-fat mozzarella. Serve with a 5cm piece granary baguette. Plus 30g of any Easter egg shell.

Steak and salad and Crunchie 1 grilled small steak with 1 grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms and salad. 1 Crunchie.

For further details check out: 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/dieting/eat-chocolate-all-day-and-lose-half-778993

Wellness Wednesday - You are enough

Have you ever compared yourself to another woman? We all do it now and again and some people do it on a daily basis. We might compare our body size, body shape, clothes and style or what is in her shopping trolley. Sometimes we feel better about ourselves and other times the comparison leaves us feeling that we are not enough.

What causes us to compare ourselves with other women? It is the limiting belief that we are not enough and that we need to receive our sense of worthiness from outside sources. When we know that we are enough then we can be happy we who we are. 

We are usually unaware or we forget that we are not comparing 'apples with apples'. Apples come in different colours, shapes and even sizes. Some are sweeter than others, some have more crunch and a few have caterpillars in them. They come from different families and even those in the same family may have grown on a different tree. Within that one tree the apples will have had different amounts of sunshine, wind and rain depending on their position on that tree. And so it is with us. There can be no real comparison because everything that we have experienced and all that we are makes each of us unique.

Instead of comparing ourselves to another woman we can celebrate our diversity and uniqueness. I like to find one thing that I like about each woman that I see which could be the colour of her top, the shape of her necklace or the way that she wears her hair.

The really interesting thing is that when I am finding something to llike about a woman I stop comparing myself to her. I might decide that I like her necklace so much that I will look for a similar one or I might decide that that sort of necklace would make a wonderful present for someone.

Enjoy being enough because you are unique, whole and perfect just as you are. The way that we think about other people let's them know that they are also enough and that is a wonderful gift to share.

warmest wishes

Sarah

Foodie Friday - the caveman diet

The 'caveman diet' suggests that our digestive systems are unable to cope with grains and dairy. The premise for this is that for centuries we hunted and gathered and that farming is relatively recent. Whilst countries all over the world practise some sort of grain farming, dairy farming is not common practise in Asia and other in some other areas. Coconut milk is used in place of dairy products.

The paleolithic diet, abbreviated to 'The Paloe diet' was followed by our ancestors for 2.5 million years, whilst farming has been around for about 10,000 years. First made popular in the 1970s by Dr. Voegtlin, a gastroenterologist who believed that this diet could prevent and manage common bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis.

This diet has both critics and followers. It would appear that people either love it or hate it.  As a high protein diet there are elements that are very similar to the Atkin's diet. It is also a little similar to the 'No carbohydrates after 5pm diet' in that all grains and legumes are off limits after 5pm for that diet, and permanently for the Paloe diet. And this has nutritionists concerned about possible health issues related to lack of Vitamin B and other nutrients found in whole grain products.

The dairy industry is also concerned about the total avoidance of dairy in this diet however those that follow it claim that they get enough calcium from leafy green vegetables. There are other aspects to the lack of dairy including the research that demonstrated that dairy can increase weight loss in addition to providing calcium and protein to our diets.

The human race is the only mammal to continue consuming milk pass infancy but does that necessarily mean that it not good for us? I will write a blog on milk and dairy another day.

So what can you eat on the Paloe diet?

• Protein and lots of it. Meat, chicken, fish, eggs
• Fish including shell fish
• Vegetables and heaps of them, except for white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are acceptable. Green vegetables are fully encouraged in all their forms.
• Fruit and nuts are both allowed but in smaller portions for those working towards weight loss. Fruit contains lots of sugar and nuts contain lots of fat. Both are good for you but may need to be controlled for weight loss and weight maintenance.
• Seeds of all varieties
• Olive, coconut, avocado, walnut, flaxseed and canola oil in moderation

Foods to be avoided are:

• Dairy (all)
• Cereal grains (all)
• Grain-like seeds (quinoa, buckwheat)
• Legumes (all beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy products, peas)
• Peanuts
• Starchy vegetables
• Salt-containing foods (store-bought condiments, bacon, deli meats)
• Fatty cuts of meat
• Sugar
• Fruit juice

Exercise is also included in this diet, and this exercise should mimic caveman activities, so hiking, sprinting, weight bearing and  moving regularly are all recommended.

What are the pros and cons of this type of diet? The upside of this diet is that it greatly reduces our sugar intake and all that often goes with that, such as fat and highly processed flours. It also increases our intake of vegetables and healthy unprocessed foods. These things are all good for our health.
The downside of this diet is the elimination of other potentially healthy foods including whole grains and dairy. As with any diet that removes sugar and saturated fats along with refined flours, it does have the potential to cause weight loss and improve other health issues such as high blood pressure and raised blood sugar levels.

If you are interested in this kind of a diet, I recommend doing your homework and looking at any research around this diet and all the medical advice that has been written both for and against it.

Always check with your doctor before undertaking any new diet.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - managing stress

As busy women stress can be part of our every day lives. Even when we aren't personally stressed we can still be affected by stress when those we love are stressed.

Today my youngest daughter is having a stressful day. She is so stressed that it is making her ill. Even though this isn't my stress it still affects me. One an emotional level I don't want my children to be ill because of stress, and on a practical level she is so unwell that I have chosen to change my plans for the day to provide the extra support and care she needs to get through her day. This will include driving her to an exam, which is probably the cause of the stress.

Have you ever been so stressed that felt physically ill. It is such an unpleasant experience and one that I used to have to cope with on a weekly basis. Learning relaxation techniques can make a huge difference.

Breathing: Deep breathing is a great technique for relaxing the body and the mind. It helps to slow down the release of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. The technique is to breath in slowly for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 2 seconds and breath out for 6 seconds. Keep focusing on your breathing and counting.

Meditation: Visual mediation involves creating a picture in your mind and focusing on it. This picture could be somewhere that you have been and loved, or somewhere that you would like to go. Imagining yourself sitting on a beach or by a pool of water somewhere quiet and green are two favourite images that I use. As you imagine yourself sitting there, focus on how relaxing it feels, be aware of the warm sun, the breeze, the sounds of the trees or the sea and feel your body slowly relax.

Activity: Focusing on an activity that fully occupies all your senses is another way to relax. I like to garden for stress relief. Concentrating on all the colours and smells, the task that I am undertaking and being outside in nature helps me to stop focusing on something stressful and focus on the task at hand.

Going for a walk: Taking a walk in a local park or along a nature trail can be relaxing. Focus on the nature around you, looking for birds in the trees and all the different plants and trees along the way. Moving is very good for reducing stress and the action of moving itself can reduce stress. Moving in nature is using two stress busting techniques at once.

Dance: Put on your favourite dancing songs and really throw yourself into it. Dance the way that you really love to dance. If like me your children are horrified if you move so much as a finger or toe in public (or even at home) then this is the time to let yourself go and really get into it. Dancing is a fantastic way to reduce stress and lift your mood. When we produce adrenaline and cortisol it affects our bodies and dancing helps to use up those hormones and produce feel good hormones to replace them.

There will always be stresses in our lives, so finding the ways that work best for you to deal with stress will add quality to your life.

Please share your ways to reduce stress because the more options we have, the better quality of our lives.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Foodie Friday - the 5:2 diet

Many people who would like to reduce their weight have two desires. These are to get quick results and to be able to eat all their favourite foods. They also do not want to feel deprived, hungry or hopeless.

The 5:2 diet (also called the Fast Diet) is an alternating diet, because there are 2 calorie constriction days and 5 eat 'normally' days. The 2 restricted days should be non-consecutive days for the best results. This diet has become one of the new trends in the weight loss world. There are several reasons for this including the lure of being able to eat your favourite foods most of the time and the ease at which it can be fitted into most lives.

It reportedly has more than weight loss benefits, with early results showing improved blood glucose, reduced blood cholesterol and decreased blood pressure in some individuals. The blogs about this diet show that it doesn't work for everyone but there is so little research that it is not yet known why it would work for some people and not for others.

The research done that has shown success with intermittent fasting was done on animals in laboratory conditions. The trails involving humans are under way with early indications being positive but not definitive. The science related to this method of weight loss and maintenance is that as cave men, we would have gone without food when it wasn't available. It is only relatively recently that we have had access to endless supplies of food, and this only applies to the Western world.

When we eat all the time without any fasts our body is in 'go go go' mode and doesn't get to rest and restore. We eat so often that the fast we have when we sleep is no longer sufficient for all our repair needs. The science shows that when we are fasting for any length of time, our cells repair themselves instead of replace themselves. This could be compared to times of financial stress when we stop buying anything new and repair and renew what we already have. For our bodies, it is comparable to a trip to the garage for a tune up and some clean oil.

On the 'fast' days, there is a calorie limit of less than 1000 calories. Different authors and creators of this diet differ slightly about the amount of calories. Dr Mosley recommends 500 calories for women and 600 for men. There has also been some debate about how these calories should be divided up. Should we eat them as two or three meals? Does it make a difference to the results if we have 600 or 700 calories?

These questions are yet to be fully answered due to the lack of completed human trials and research. The experts undertaking the studies suggest that anything less than 1000 calories is beneficial and will have some beneficial results. Those results may be quicker with slightly fewer calories.

As well as several books on this diet, there are also websites and blogs with recipes and ideas about the best way to utilize the limited calories. Protein and green vegetables are some of the most suggested food to make the most of the calories. Protein is filling and lasts longer than some other foods.

The other point to remember is that there is no completed research on what can be eaten on the other 5 days. So far people have been informed that they can eat 'anything' on their non-fasting days. However if this includes buckets of fried chicken, litres of ice-cream and several packets of chocolate buscuits, the desired results may take a lot longer than if the 5 days are full of healthier food choices.

One recent study on 100 women had them eating reduce calories (below 1000 calories) 2 days a week, and Mediterranean diet pattern of eating the other 5 days. All the women enjoyed significant weight loss and found the regime relatively easy because they were only restricted for 2 out of 7 days.

Next week we will explore another weight loss diet.

As with any change in diet, always consult your doctor first and there are a few groups of people for whom this diet is not recommended.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - Can Botox affect your brain?

Some people age so gracefully, others less so, and some people appear not to age at all. Ageing is almost a dirty word as we struggle to keep our youthful looks, our sex appeal and our general health.

I once heard Dame Maggy Smith comment that she believes that English actors often get great parts for older women because many female actresses do not want to be viewed as 'an older woman'. One of the greatest compliments you can pay a woman is to tell her that she looks younger than her age.

A face lift is a big operation but there are now other options with the ability to make us look younger 'during our lunch break'. Go to work looking older and go home looking younger. One of these 'lunch hour' treatments is Botox. A poison that stops our muscles from working. In our face this causes our wrinkles to be smoothed out, making us look younger and fresher.

A friend of mine who once tried it said that it felt like the needle had gone as deep as her brain, however we know that this is not what happens. So how could it affect our brains?

When we make a facial expression it causes chemical changes in our brain. It has been demonstrated that by smiling at yourself in a mirror for 20 minutes a day for several weeks can reduce depression and improve your mood. Physiology creates psychology. When we slump our breathing becomes more shallow and we have more negative feelings. When we sit up and look up it gives our lungs more room to breath and as we look up we begin to feel better. It is the same with our face. When we smile we can feel happier even if we weren't happy to begin with. When we frown we can begin to feel worried.

When we have Botox our faces are unable to form any expression so our brains are unable to get the same messages. Botox has been shown to affect people's mood.

We also read other people's expressions to let us know how they feel and what they are thinking. Consider someone close to you. When you look at them you probably know what they are feeling. You know their 'bored' look, their 'happy' look and their 'fear' look. We show our love for people through our expressions. We can share a joke without saying anything. For some friends, one shared look can cause hilarity.

Botox has been shown to cause relationship issues because delaying an expression in response to a question can cause concern. Consider asking your 'significant other' if they loved you and they looked unmoved and expressionless for even 1/10th of a second. You may start to doubt their affection for you.

Botox has some wonderful medical uses, and for some people it is worth the cost, the physical pain and any other emotional side effects. When we make a decision we need all the facts. If you are considering Botox as a form of cosmetic treatment you might like to consider ALL the facts and not just the desired outcomes.

warmest wishes
Sarah