Three Favourite Things

Life lately has been a bit of a whirlwind of work, work... and yep, more work. With that said, summoning as much pleasure as possible from the little things has become all the more befitting for a lifestyle that reigns very little free time for myself. These such things never cease to disappoint when I'm looking for a quickie pick-me-up. Yes, these may very well be inanimate objects; even so, they remain the objects of my desires. Who needs humans anyway?

One: Wagamama's salads and fresh juices

So as of a couple of months ago, Wagamama is my favourite place ever to eat out. If you're looking for fresh food that's been prepared with much love and grace, and that remains on the right side of affordable, then Wagamama is the place to be. I'm hooked on their salads - I've tried all but one, in fact. On my last visit I went for the bean and glass noodle salad, which was just exquisite as far as salads go! And even if you don't like Japanese food per-say, you're bound to find something on the vast menu - even if it's just a carrot and ginger juice (my precious!). Just uh-mazing, serious.

Two: Giant tubs of 100% Peanut Butter (Meridian)

So yeah...this is a no-brainer. I can't believe I went for so long buying ridiculous 454g jars of Whole Earth peanut butter for £3.19 a pop (73p/100g), when there's the option to buy two 1kg tubs from Holland & Barrett for just £8.23 (on the buy one get one half price deal - that works out at 41p/100g). Who was I even kidding?! The PB in those baby-sized jars literally just evaporated, what with my boyfriend's love (not to mention my own) of consuming peanut butter by the tablespoon (multiple times a day). It must've been at least 3 weeks since purchasing these and we're still not even into our second tub! Bulk-buying is best, full stop. Plus this stuff is made from 100% peanuts, pure and simples. I believe Whole Earth's peanut content is around the 97% marker, and many other supermarket bought jars are as little as 68% cough-Tesco low fat peanut butter-cough (THIS IS JUST CRIMINAL, by the way! Low fat peanut butter?! The whole point of it is that it contains good fats! Not to mention the fact that they've added dried glucose syrup in place of this 'evil' fat. Honestly, whut thu fug is that all about?)

Three: Sparkling water (with a drop of lemon juice or other natural sweetener)


Gone are the days where I'm a prisoner of various flavoured squash drinks (usually Robinsons), and in are the days whereby sparkling water is my favourite thirst-quencher. Basically, up until very recently I was physically unable to drink just plain water. For my entire life, I've survived on drinking squash (sugar free, but certainly not aspartame free. And who knows what else) or flavoured water of any kind. Never just water alone! God forbid! (guys, I hate my former self). So yeah...sparkling water is just perfect for me as it feels like a treat - the bubbles certainly play a part in this psychological confusion - it's sugar free, and basically glorified water. I recall the school days of drinking Lucosade and Volvic flavoured waters on a day-to-day basis; my uni days also entailed almost daily cans of diet coke (I'll say for now that these really helped me get through laborious days and nights of sitting in front of a computer screen...but you probably won't believe me. Safe to say I no longer even believe myself). With a squeeze of fresh lemon, this is refreshment like no other. Best served chilled on a hot summer's day (which England is unlikely to see any time soon. Ugh this sorry excuse for a country).

And there we have it...three of my current edible/drinkable preferences. Doubtlessly there are plenty more I could add to the list, but that would make for pretty tedious reading. What are some of your favourite food or beverage choices du jour? Anyone else a Wagamama minion?! Hoping to make some sort of banana bread today - I've pinned a load of similar recipes onto my Pinterest board, so I need to filter through them and get my bake on today - seeing as it's my only day off this week! Gotta make the most of it! Have a great week all :).

Liquid Dreams

A fundamentally irrelevant and unrelatable picture of a mojito - just because I like Mojito's.

After spending a few pointless minutes deliberating over a suitable title for this post, my mind was hopelessly led to a song title, a cliched blogger's fall-back for the more awkward posts that simply cannot be summed up in a matter of a few words. So, I've chosen a suitably awkward title to match - go me.

For those who have any recollection of the song of choice, it might conjure some vague memories of a very strange, liquidized music video (linked for your viewing pleasure) and some very risqué lyrics that were not so risqué at the time - considering I was barely into my second digits and didn't have any kind of inkling of what a 'liquid dream' could possible be, anyway. How nice it must be to be young and innocent, hey?

Getting back on track, I wanted to discuss what you should be drinking, day-to-day, and when, taking various factors into consideration.

Let's start with the most fundamental liquid choice of all - I'm talking water, of course. Anyone with half a brain knows the importance of drinking enough water, but perhaps the benefits are less well known.

Water is the best drink option in times of, 1) Fatigue/tiredness, 2) Relentless headaches, and 3) Severe grumpiness. Basically, dehydration by more than 1% can easily result in a decreased mood, poor concentration and headaches. Water is also the best option for weight-watchers, dieters, and exercisers alike (for simple reasons - replacing fluids lost through those sweat-inducing work-outs that we all know and love).

There's always going to be mixed opinions on whether or not tea - or any source of caffeine, for that matter - is going to have a good effect on your health. Of course, overloading on caffeine is not the best of choices, but in moderation, it's proven to be a winner in terms of its mood-enhancing qualities.

With half the amount of caffeine stored in the average cup of coffee, tea can be useful for its stomach neutralising properties, given that some kinds can support the digestive system by detoxification. Look out for Oolong tea, or Earl Grey with bergamont and ginger for an effective and completely natural digestive remedy. Equally as great, studies have shown that women who drank 4+ cups of coffee a day have a lower risk of endometrial cancer, and are less likely to have depressive symptoms.

Juice - best drank in its purest, fibre-dense form (100% fruit juice, not from concentrate) for simple relief from constipation (prune is best in this unfortunate case) and urine infections (for which cranberry juice is the ultimate winner).

While milk is sometimes tagged with bad connotations for the average dieter, it's actually a great source for your daily dairy, protein and calcium requirements. Perhaps go for the skimmed option if you're watching your waistline, or look for alternatives such as almond milk in your supermarket - the latter being my current milk preference. Half the calories, half the fat, with still a good amount of protein and calcium (however, not as much as normal cow's milk, but that's understandable...as it doesn't come from a cow. Obviously).

Finishing this post on a high, smoothies are the perfect and most delicious choice when it comes down to those dreaded hectic days where the chance of a break is very slight. I know those days all too well, working in hospitality (eye roll). But let's forgo the commercial, supermarket kind - whizz up your own!

The ideal smoothie contains lots of veg/fresh fruit, a water-to-milk ratio of three parts water to one part milk/almond milk (or otherwise), protein-rich seeds, nuts, or ground oats for a suitable carb fix, as well as peanut butter (if desired), and/or a scoop of protein powder. You get the picture, and really, however you decide to make it, the chances are that it'll result in smoothie glory. It's pretty difficult to make a bad smoothie - hats off to you if you do manage it!

What's your preferred smoothie combination? Can you relate to anything I've mentioned in this post? Do you know of any other drinks that can help relieve us from our daily woes?

This post was written with a lot of information from Livestrong - you can read the full article here.

Food Fact Friday

With a splash of no added sugar lemon squash and ice. How do you drink yours?

Admittedly the subject of the following post defeats its title, though whilst water doesn't exactly fit under the category of 'food', its beneficial properties are, more often than not, overlooked by the majority of the population (including myself).

Virtually all of our body's other nutrient requirements are impacted by the amount of water we consume. Considering our bodies are made of about 60% water (and our brain 90% water), that's not altogether surprising.

Here are some bodily functions and problems that can easily be alleviated by drinking an adequate amount of water throughout the day, taken from this report composed by the NHS. Can you resonate with anything on the list?

Putting it into simple yet effective terms, the World's Healthiest Foods webstie has it summed up;

It's helpful to think about the health benefits of water in three basic categories. First is the fluid aspect of water. Water is a lubricant. It keeps things flowing and moving. While it lubricates, water also protects our body parts from damage by surrounding them in a shock-absorbing fluid. This aspect of water is especially important in our joints, and also in our skin. The second aspect of water is its role as a "solvent." Most nutrients dissolve in water. In our bodies, some of the most important dissolved nutrients are called "electrolytes." The electrolyte minerals like potassium and sodium stay dissolved in water, and the ability of water to dissolve electrolytes is a key reason why our bodies can conduct electricity. The third aspect of water involves its role as a thermostat. When we are too hot, water lets us shed heat through sweating. Water also helps us retain heat when we need to stay warm. - WHFoods.

So if you're not already getting the recommended dose of liquidation, perhaps today is the day to begin rehydrating your body, and reaping the benefits in turn. The Department of Health suggests we drink around 1.2 litres of water per day*, though this nifty online water calculator advises me to drink 1.8 litres today (based on various inputs including weight and length in time that I'll be exercising).