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We all have a different relationship with food. Some see food as a nourishment for the body and they are focused on healthy eating. Some see food as a tool to fill the emotional holes from the past or from the present. For some, they don't think of food at all as an important fuel and eat not really thinking much what they put in the body. And then there are the ones who are obsessed with food or people who eat as a result of stress. We all have our own history and our own story to share when it comes to food and our relationship with it. I listened to a lecture at my school ( IIN ) from Geneen Roth on a relationship with food. She has so many words of wisdom to share, that I had to collect the notable ones from the talk and share them below. The way we eat is the way we live When was the last time you took careful notice about what you eat and how you eat? What do you put on your plate? How much do you put on your plate? How do you eat? Where do you eat? With whom do you eat? Is there something that you notice that you like what you do? What don't you like? What could you change? Food on your plate is what you believe about nourishment, shame, deprivation, joy- it reflects also whether your can trust yourself or not. Everything you believe about life and being alive, about what you deserve, about what enough is, about what you want is possible for you- it shows up on your plate- every time you eat. Use food as a portal to the rest of your life! Try to understand what you are eating and why you are eating specific foods. If you crave certain foods, why might you have those cravings ? Are you depriving your body from specific essential nutrients (healthy fats, protein, healthy carbs, vitamins, minerals) and could your body give you clues as cravings for specific nutrients that you are lacking in your body. Or could those cravings or eating specific foods be linked to a lack of something else in your life- like close loving relationships, fulfilling career, less stressful life, better organised finances, more peaceful home environment, better acceptance of yourself as you are etc. For every diet there is an equal and opposite binge I have not been on any restricted diet nor I believe in diets. Having learnt about the nutrition for several years now, I know there are so many things that affect your body, its size (sleep, ability to manage stress, moderate exercise, genes, what you eat, your health condition, your hormonal balance etc). It's not only food and how much you exercise. Our bodies are smart, they always want us to feel at our best and try all the time to get us back to balance. So whenever you are going on restrictive diets, your body sees this as a threat, that famine is ahead- so it holds onto its reserves (fat) so it can take care of you, so you wouldn't die. When you are restricting yourself of essential nutrient for a period of time, there is bound to come moments when you feel anxious, stressed, angry, hungry etc. Your body is lacking nutrients that it needs. It's then the wisdom to notice it and to give the body what it needs to function well. Think of food as an expression of something deeper like Geneen Roth says. Could the food that you eat, be telling you something? Could it be that it's trying to get through to you and get you to listen? Know what is enough Our idea of enough keeps getting ahead of us. Rather than focusing on what we have, we focus on what we don't have. We tend to overeat and fill something with food that cannot be filled with food or filled with anything else that is physical. The more we are able to focus on what is here and now, the happier we are. Enough is a relationship to what we already have. Appreciate what you have: take in the good Don't eat for the hunger to come, but eat for the hunger that's here. When you eat, look at your plate, taste and savour the food in your mouth. Celebrate the here and how, what you have- even the little things. As Geneen Roth suggests, think of things that are not wrong right now in your life. Think what feeds your life. It's mostly not food, but relationships, spirituality. How can we live the life today so that we can look back at the end of our lives- that we truly lived, we truly cherished the moments, we showed up for life here and today. Stop self-critisism, complaining or blaming others I think this is what we are all guilty of- complaining. Depending on what's going on in our lives or around us, we often find things to complain about. How about trying not to complain, especially about the things we can't influence or change ourselves? Could we try and catch ourselves from those complaining thoughts, before we say them? Self-critisism is another area where many of us are struggling with. Its roots could run to our early childhood and we carry those criticising feelings into adulthood. But criticising does not help, it does not get us anywhere. We should rather be curious and think where those feelings are originating from, whether they are actually real or planted within us by somebody else. Try and disengage from that inner criticising voice. Let yourself stop waiting for your life to begin When we get to the end of our lives, nobody is going to care about how much we weigh, what's our body size, how accomplished we are. You are missing your life if you are not showing up by being here and now. As Francis Chan said 'Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter'. We eat the way we live; how we eat is also how we spend time, money, love and energetic resources. Eating guidelines from Geneen Roth Eat when you are hungry. Eat what your body wants. Eat without distractions. Distractions include radio, television, newspapers, books, and intense or anxiety-producing conversations or music. Eat sitting down in a calm environment. This does not include the car. Eat until you are satisfied. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others. Eat with enjoyment, gusto, and pleasure. Thank you Geneen Roth for these words of wisdom! I hope they help readers to get another perspective on food and the relationship we have with it. If you are struggling with your relationship with food, struggle with emotional eating, don't hesitate to contact me for health coaching and nutrition counselling at info@katrinpeo.com. Learn more about my health and nutrition coaching services under Services .

I have been sprouting seeds for a while now, especially during spring, where our bodies need more boost of that new energy. But 10 days ago I took on a challenge, where I wasn't sure I would succeed. It did look too simple by the guidelines. I had failed sprouting certain seeds in the past when I tried- specifically watercress. Little did I know or thought of actually doing my research, that you can't sprout certain seeds like watercress, linseeds and chia seeds the same way as you would sprout broccoli, alfalfa, radish, fenugreek etc. You shouldn't soak watercress, linseeds ruccola seeds and chia seeds, when you want to sprout them or turn them into microgreens as they simply turn into jelly-like mixture and you can't rinse them 'dry' after that. Feel now, I had a blond moment, when I thought I could rinse the slime out of watercress when I first tried sprouting the seeds. For my challenge, I took the watercress, chia seeds and linseeds. I took a big plate, two pieces of kitchen paper and a water spray bottle. I put the two pieces of paper on the plate, sprinkled seeds on the paper, so that they were not laying on top of each other and then started just spraying the seeds three times a day for 10 days. Watercress showed the sprouts after just 2 days, which was exciting. But it took linseeds 4 days to show first signs of sprouts and chia seeds 5 days. I did have feelings of failure during the beginning days of this challenge, but all what was needed was patience. One of my virtuous that I clearly tried to cultivate with this experiment. But after 10 days I can say my efforts have bared fruit- I have a plate full of beautiful microgreens from watercress, linseeds and chia seeds that we are going to enjoy now in next coming days. I should have maybe timed it better to have this beautiful green plate to enjoy for Easter. What are microgreens? Microgreens are made from seeds that are harvested before maturation, 7 to 14 days after germination. They have intense flavour and high concentration of nutrients which easily help to boost the nutritional value of your meal. They can be grown anywhere a sunny windowsill is found. They can be added as a garnish on top of the food or form as a base ingredient in a salad. Microgreens can come from just about any herb, vegetable, making them great and versatile addition to your diet. There are many different microgreens available that you can grow year-around, below are just a few: Chia Linseed Watercress Sunflower Fennel Parsley Radish Mint Cilantro Basil Arugula (ruccola) Cabbage Carrots Mustard greens Beets Broccoli Chives What are the health benefits of microgreens? Microgreens are much more nutrient-dense than their fully grown counterparts. It's because they are able to have all the nutrients a fully grown plant has, but in a much smaller package. They provide a vast list of nutrients, vitamins and minerals and anything to 4 to 40 times more nutrients by weight than their fully crown counterparts. Microgreens: contain polyphenols (powerful antioxidants to reduce free radicals in the body) reduce chronic illness risk as they reduce inflammation in the body improve heart health, as they help to control your LDL cholesterol and triglycerides You can sprinkle microgreens on salad, soups, on sandwiches, wraps- they truly have a versatile use. How to grow microgreens? For my own experiment, to get microgreens from linseeds, chia seeds, watercress- all you need is a plate, kitchen paper and water spray bottle. See my guidelines above. Below are guidelines how to grow microgreens indoors. Photo: Pixabay 1. Spread about 2.5cm of potting soil in a shallow tray 2. Sprinkle seeds evenly over the soil. You can sprinkle more of the seeds than you would when you grow full plants as you will harvest them when they are small. 3. Sprinkle a little bit of soil on top of the seeds. 4. Use a water spray bottle to mist the top soil with water. 5. Put the tray close to the window with a natural light. 6. Mist the soil with clean water couple of times per day. 7. Once microgreens reach around 7cm, you can start harvesting them. The process takes anything from 7-14 days. I hope you are taking on a challenge for yourself to add more green to your life and start your mini microgreens growing and harvesting project at home.

If you are looking to bring more good bacteria into your gut and want to learn how to make an easy homemade yoghurt, try the below yoghurt recipe from goat milk. I used the non-pasteurised 3.2% organic goats milk . Homemade goat's milk yoghurt Makes 1l of yoghurt Ingredients 1l goat's milk yoghurt starter (I have used the Nordwise yoghurt starter ) Instructions Heat the milk on the stove at 90-95°C degrees for 10 minutes. Cool down the milk to 45°C Pour the milk into a glass jug Add one package of yoghurt starter Mix the starter well into the milk Cover and put it into a warm place (at 45°C) for 6-8h It should reach a thick consistency Enjoy with fresh raspberries, blueberries, some hemp seeds and linseeds. If you have you can top it off also with cocoa nibs. This yoghurt is packed with probiotics Lactobacillus plantarum .

This must be one of the quickest dessert recipes which is healthy and satisfies those sweet cravings. I got the inspiration from Max Lugavere . Tried and tested it at home- both the kids and husband loved them. Blueberries are filled with antioxidants, contain fibre so support your digestion, boost brain health, helps fight cancer, promote heart health, reduce inflammation in the body. I used cultivated blueberries in this recipe as this is what I happened to have in my fridge. But even better is to use the wild blueberries as they are packed even more with antioxidants. Dark chocolate improves heart health, improves your cholesterol levels, great for brain health and blood pressure, supports eye health and is filled with anti-oxidants. Opt for a dark chocolate that has 85% or more cocoa content. Chocolate blueberry clusters Ingredients A bar of dark chocolate (with 85% or more cocoa content) 2 cups of blueberries Instructions Put a half a litre of water to boil in a pot. When the water starts boiling, turn the heat down a bit. Take a bowl that fits on top of the pot Break the chocolate pieces into a bowl. Melt the chocolate until its liquid Take a bigger bowl, pour the washed (if store bought) blueberries in the bowl Pour the liquid into the bowl where you have blueberries. Mix through Take muffin paper holders, lay them on a plate and scoop the chocolate-blueberry mixture into the muffin paper holders. Put the chocolate blueberry clusters into the fridge for a few hours. You can also mix a little bit of melted coconut into the blueberry-chocolate mixture to give it a coconut taste before scooping and putting into the fridge. I am sure you can try this same recipe with other berries, such as raspberries, blackberries as well. Enjoy!

If you are someone who is or has been suffering from depression, who has cognitive issues, who has had concussions, brain surgeries and wants to support the brain better, then I have put the below article together just for you. I have been there myself. In 2001 I got from a concussion after I was literally ran over at a sports event. As an after-effect, I suffered from migraine head-aches and neck pains for months. But I recovered. Back then I did not know or think of learning how can I support my brain with recovery- instead I focused on writing my thesis as I was in my final months of graduating from the university. I managed, but there was a health cost to it. In 2018 I fell from a balancing rope straight to the back of my head on the ground, after what I was for months in pain, pressure in the head, suffering memory loss, balance issues, loss of feeling in my right arm, anxiety, depression. After MRI in spring 2019, I was diagnosed with non-communicating obstructive hydrocephalus , which required me to have a brain surgery. I decided I put my focus on learning what's out there about the brain- and what it needs to heal and function at its best. Nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress management, environmental toxins were all important factors. Below is what I did. Focus on diet and specifically on brain foods One of the best ways to improve our brain health is to improve our diet. I had been on gluten and sugar free diet since January 2017, due to Lyme disease and to lower inflammation and pain in my body. Foods that can cause inflammation in the brain are too much added sugars , trans fats (margarine), ultra-processed foods . Our gut is our second brain , what we eat directly influences how our brain functions. So I made sure I did not consume any inflammatory foods in my diet. Make sure you read the labels when you purchase packaged foods and avoid foods with long ingredient lists and any ingredient you can't recognise as food. Around 60% of our brain is made of fat, so it's crucial that we provide our brain health fats, by regularly eating foods that are rich in Omega-3. Below is what I include in my diet on a daily basis: Fatty fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines) Algae Walnuts and other nuts and seeds (like Brazil nuts, pecan nuts, linseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds) Avocados Olive oil MCT oil (derived from coconut oil) and coconut oil Polyphenol rich foods (eat the rainbow of colourful vegetables, berries and fruits- green, blue, purple, red, yellow). Think blueberries, raspberries, beetroot, broccoli, paprika, lemon Eggs - make sure you eat organic pasture-raised eggs as they are higher in nutrients, especially choline which is important for brain health B-vitamin rich foods - dark green leafy vegetables Turmeric - great anti-inflammatory food for the whole body Green tea , which is calming to the brain. I consume matcha regularly, but not on a daily basis Bone broth , which is calming and healing for the gut and has a body-wide anti-inflammatory effect Dark chocolate - quality chocolate with higher than 80% cocoa content thanks to its flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties I also focus a lot on hydration- making sure I get an adequate amount of water. I have written a blog post on water, hydration, importance of electrolytes. Make sure you also filter your tap water as if they say 'if you don't filter, your body becomes the filter'. Supplements I used and some that I continue using When we are recovering from a concussion or brain surgery, it's good to incorporate additional supplements to support the healing: DHA, EPA , which you get from a good quality fish oil or krill oil B-vitamins , which help with nerve function, detoxification Magnesium (bear in mind there are different types of magnesium. You can read my article on what foods contain highest level of magnesium and what types of magnesium is good to take for what condition Vitamin D Mitochondrial supplements like CoQ10, L-carnitine- as our brains consume around 25% of the energy in our body, it's important to support the cellular energy function when your brain is healing. Medicinal mushrooms - like Lion's mane, Reishi, Cordyceps Gingko biloba - anti-inflammatory, energy and circulation boosting Make sure you get adequate amount of restorative sleep Sleep is very important to heal a broken brain. Your brain detoxifies at night, so making sure you don't eat close to bed time, don't drink alcohol, avoid blue light later in the evening- all these help with better sleep. Here is an article I go deeper into sleep and how you can improve it . Regular physical movement is a must Though I could not engage in the exercises I very much enjoyed after the head trauma and brain surgery, I did what I could. I spent and spend a lot of time walking in the nature. I also did moderate strength training and incorporated yoga on a regular basis. Avoid environmental toxins I lowered my toxic load, by using very little make-up and only on rare occasions. I also made sure I did not use any toxic cleaning products (vinegar, soda, essential oils like orange go a very long way). We used to buy bottled water, but stopped buying it and invested in water filters in our homes. Incorporate stress management activities in your daily routine Stress is something that affects our brain function at a high level- the stress often starts from the small muscles at the top of your head. There are different things you can do for self-care and stress management. Very good activities to do on a regular basis are meditation and breathing exercises , which both help to drive more oxygen to your brain, therefore also increasing nutrients delivery to brain. But also journaling and listening to relaxing music or other activities like painting, drawing, cooking, spending time with family and friends. I hope the above article gives a good start to think how you can take steps to improve your brain health, recover better from a head injury or brain surgery. If you are looking to gain more energy, have less brain fog, don't hesitate to contact me for health coaching and nutrition counselling at info@katrinpeo.com.

Our menstrual cycle can often come with stomach cramps, back pain, pain in legs, moodiness, headaches, hormonal breakouts on skin. It can be a frustrating feeling on a monthly basis. But there are a few dietary guidelines you can follow to reduce the severity of symptoms. 1. Remove highly processed foods from your daily diet This actually does not only apply to menstruating women, but really anyone. Try to observe what you eat on a daily basis, what you have in your food cupboards, fridge and freezer. How many of those foods are packaged foods, come with a long list of ingredients listed on the product label and where you can't recognise if the ingredient is actually food. Aim to eat as little as possible highly processed packaged foods and put majority of your focus on single ingredient whole-foods. Avocado does not come with an ingredient list :). 2. Choose local, organic food when possible The longer the food needs to travel to you the higher the chance the food is chemically laden and the less nutrient-tense it is. Hormones in food can lead to heavier flow, more stomach cramps, mood swings. The pesticides in food put higher burden on your liver. 3. Eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits Vegetables and fruits contain a lot of fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients helping to reduce the symptoms of PMS. 4. Choose your proteins wisely Try and notice whether you feel better with vegetarian protein (natto, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, eggs) or animal protein (beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, pork). Women, who struggle with the lack of their periods might feel better incorporating good-quality animal protein in their diet. 5. Don't forget to consume adequate amounts of healthy fat If you lack high-quality fat in your diet, you might experience dry skin, hormonal imbalances, ovarian cysts, amenorrhea (lack of period), mood swings. Incorporating olive oil, avocado, walnuts, hemp seeds, coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter can all help to balance your hormones, including your female and your hunger hormones. Omega-3 are especially important and help to reduce cramping. 6. Seed cycling for better hormonal balance If you did not yet know about seed-cycling, it's also something you can try and implement into your diet to reduce pain, bloating, tender breasts, cramping etc. During the 1-14 days of your cycle (1st being the first day of your menstruation), your body needs more oestrogen. Ground pumpkin seeds and flax seeds (linseeds) are ideal for this- add them to your smoothies, salads, cooked vegetables, cooked eggs. With flax seeds, to reduce the cyanide content, it's best to boil them 5-10 minutes in the water before adding them to food. During 15-28+ days your body needs more progesterone and this is the time to consume sesame and sunflower seeds. Why do these particular seeds? Flaxseeds contain lignans, which bind to excess oestrogen in your body. They also help with hormone metabolism and hot flashes Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, which boost progesterone production, great for preparing you for the 2nd half of your cycle Sesame seeds contain lignans, which bind to excess oestrogen as well as zinc to increase progesterone production Sunflower seeds are rich in selenium to support your liver with detoxifying oestrogen If you are looking to gain better health and more balance in your life, don't hesitate to contact me for health and nutrition coaching at info@katrinpeo.com. Learn more about the health and nutrition coaching services I provide under Services .

I tried a new recipe inspired by one of my favourite nutritionists Meghan Telpner , just modified the ingredients slightly to make it less sweet and to add some sourness with berries. If you are looking to make a quick healthier dessert, which is gluten free, sugar free, dairy-free, egg-free, but still helps to satisfy your sweet tooth, give the below recipe a try. You've got to love nuts though. Creamy nutty chocolate cake Ingredients Crust 1 cup of dates (buy the soft ones) 1/2 cup of pecans 1/2 of cup of almonds 1/4 of unsweetened shredded coconut 1 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil pinch of salt Filling 1/2 of water 3/4 cup of coconut milk 2 cups of cashew nuts 1/3 cup of maple syrup 1/3 cup of coconut oil 1tsp of vanilla extract 1/2 cup of cacao powder Instructions To make the crust, coarsely chop almonds and pecan nuts. Pour them in the food processor. Add in dates (pitted), coconut, coconut oil, salt. Process until the mixture is crumbly and sticks together between your fingers. Transfer to a 22cm round pie dish (I used silicone) and press the mixture down with your fingers around the bottom and up the sides. Put aside and make the filling. To make the filling, put water, coconut milk, cashew nuts, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and cacao powder in a high speed blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie dish over the crust. Transfer to freezer to set for couple of hours. To serve, remove from the freezer, decorate with raspberries and black currants. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes, before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Our hormones are chemical messengers, that have a great impact on our physical, emotional and mental health. Amongst other things, they control your weight, appetite and mood. When your body is in balance, it produces the exact amount of needed hormones for various processed in your body. But when we push our bodies out of balance by eating unhealthy food, by not moving our bodies, by not getting adequate amount of quality sleep- our hormones get affected which then start to affect our bodily functions. Also, certain hormones naturally decrease as we age, making it even more important to take care of our health. But if you practice healthy lifestyle habits, including eat nutritious food, you can help your hormonal health allowing therefore you to feel and perform better on a daily basis. Signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance Hormonal imbalances can be caused by oestrogen dominance or low oestrogen, low testosterone, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, adrenal fatigue, polycystic ovarian syndrome. And as a result you can experience any of the below: Weight gain or weight loss Digestion issues Changes in appetite Depression and anxiety Fatigue Insomnia Irregular periods and infertility Hair loss and thinning of hair Low libido etc Hormone balancing habits Below I would like to share what are the natural things you can do to balance your hormones. 1. Take care of your gut and liver I have covered the importance of gut health in my various posts in the past, including about leaky gut , about our gut and brain connection etc. We have trillions of bacteria in our gut that can affect our hormone health both positively and negatively. Your gut microbiome regulates hormones by indicating to the body, whether you are full and satiated and also regulate the hormone insulin. By eating whole foods , avoiding processed foods, incorporating lots of fibre and fermented foods in your diet, consuming adequate amounts of water, keeping your stress levels down and focusing on getting enough rest and sleep- you are helping to balance your hormones. Here is my post about liver and how you can support your liver with foods to help body create and detoxify hormones from the body. Some of the foods to include in your diet on a daily basis: green leafy vegetables cruciferous vegetables, like arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, maca, cabbage avocado wild caught salmon berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries) Brazil nuts squash (like zucchini and acorn squash) fresh herbs (rosemary, cilantro, dill, basil, mint) grass-fed meat dark chocolate 2. Decrease the amount of added sugar in your diet Lowering the intake of sugar may be just what you need to do to feel better and avoid obesity, diabetes and other illnesses. Diets that are high in sugar, disrupt your gut microbiome, promote insulin resistance, reduce the hormone leptin production (which is your satiety hormone). Here is a full article on why to consider quitting added sugar for better health . 3. Eat adequate amounts of protein with your every meal Protein provides essential amino acids that our bodies can't make on our own. But your body also needs protein to produce protein-derived hormones- peptide hormones. Our endocrine glands make these hormones from amino-acids and they are important for metabolism, appetite, growth, reproduction and stress. Protein consumption affects hormones that control your appetite and food intake, communicating to your brain about the energy status in your body. Protein helps to decrease our hunger hormone- ghrelin. Here is an article of the foods that contain the highest amounts of protein . Aim to eat around 20-30g of protein at every meal. 4. Eat healthy fats Consuming healthy fats can help to reduce the appetite, lower your cortisol levels as well insulin resistance. Omega-3 fatty acids for example help to prevent your cortisol level rising during the times of stress. Here is an article to learn more about good healthy fats . 5. Get good-quality sleep You can be very healthy with your food, do lots of exercise, but if you don't get good amount of restorative sleep at night- you will set yourself up for imbalances hormones. Sleep influences insulin sensitivity, increases your cortisol levels, increases your hunger hormones and decreases your satiety hormones. Also our brain needs the different stages of sleep cycle to release growth hormone (which happens at night). Aim at least for 7 hours of sleep at night. Read more about the importance of sleep and how you can improve it from here . 6. Engage in regular physical exercise How much we move, strongly influences our hormonal health. Exercising improves the delivery of nutrients and hormone signals as well as improves our insulin sensitivity. As you know, insulin is a hormone that allows your cells to take up sugar from the bloodstream, transport to cells and to use it for energy. With insulin resistance, your body's cells stop reacting to insulin. Exercise helps to improve insulin resistance and boost levels of testosterone (our muscle-maintaining hormone) and human growth hormone. Strength training, cardio (like HIIT), walking, any physical activity that you enjoy doing and what you can be consistent with are important to add to your daily schedule. 7. Try and reduce your levels of stress Cortisol is our stress hormone, which helps our bodies to cope with stress. But when you have chronic stress, your cortisol is elevated all the time, stimulating your appetite (especially intake of high sugar and high fat foods)- which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Learn more about stress and what you can do to lower it from the following post . 8. Reduce your exposure to toxins This includes reducing the consumption of excessive alcohol and quitting smoking as well as exposure to chemicals in cosmetics, household products, pesticides sprayed on vegetables and fruits, use of plastic because of toxins like BPA, use of medications that disrupt your hormones. Opt for organic and local food where possible, read your cosmetics labels to avoid chemicals like parabens, phthalates, sodium laureth sulfate, DEA, propylene glycol etc. 9. Incorporate hormone balancing essential oils in your life Essential oils are derived from plants , are great to replace toxic body care and cleaning products in your house. Some of the hormone balancing essential oils include: clary sage, lavender, fennel, sandalwood, thyme. If you are looking to gain more balance in your life in different areas that influence our healths, don't hesitate to contact me for health coaching and nutrition counselling at info@katrinpeo.com.

The ones who are living in Estonia are probably wondering, when on earth is the warmth coming. We are in the middle on May, there is sunshine, but we have +8C to +14C outside. I am still wearing my winter clothes, just have been removing layers underneath the jacket. And I have been looking forward starting to experiment with more salads, but for some reason I am struggling to put the cold food into my body, when it's still chilly outside. So this week I have been experimenting salad soups. It's simply putting together ingredients that I would normally put into my salad and then boil some broth, boil a few vegetables in that broth, that require boiling for better digestion and finally pour the broth together with boiled vegetables on top of the salad ingredients. If you are someone who has digestive problems then raw salads might not be the best option for you. And a salad soup might just be the quick, easy, nutritious meal you need to give that warm and caring feeling to your stomach. I have made this week 3 different types of salad soups and share with you how I put together one of them (you can very easily remove or add ingredients). I just wanted to create myself a true super bowl of goodness and went all in. Salad Soup- create your own super bowl Ingredients Peeled and chopped carrot Chopped asparagus Halved Brussel sprouts Bone broth (chicken, beef, fish or vegetable depending what salad soup you want to create) Baby spinach leaves Arugula leaves Chopped Paprika Pitted olives Salmon (I did not have fresh salmon at home, so I used canned salmon in brine) Squeeze of lemon juice 1 tbsp of sauerkraut 1 tbsp of kimchi 1 tsp of umeboshi plum paste 1 tsp of tahini Sprouts (I used my own alfalfa and radish sprouts from my last sprouting) Chopped parsley and cilantro Sesame seeds Seaweed flakes Instructions See the above ingredients as an inspiration. Don't worry if you don't have some of the condiments. Put the bone broth to boil. Add in there chopped carrots, Brussel sprouts and asparagus. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Meantime put spinach, arugula, chopped paprika, olives, fish to the soup bowl. Add on top sauerkraut, kimchi, umeboshi plum paste, tahini and lemon juice. Pour the hot broth together with carrots, asparagus and Brussel sprouts on top of the salad ingredients. Sprinkle on top some sprouts, parsley, cilantro and sesame seeds. I also topped the salad soup with some seaweed flakes to add additional vitamins and minerals to my meal. A quick, easy, delicious, healthy and warming meal for our chilly windy spring days.

I, like many people I know, have been struggling with periods of anxiety and stress. And when we are stressed or anxious , we tend to forget about breathing. Yes, it's something that happens any way, but the way we breath changes when we are in a fight or flight mode. In the below article I would like to highlight the importance of deep breathing for health and give 4 easy to practice breathing exercises throughout the day. I start my mornings with these four exercises and be kind to myself. If I can manage to do 20 minutes, great. If I manage to do only 5 minutes, also good. A good tip to enhance the breathing practice further is to diffuse or apply essential oils, that ground you and reduce the feelings of anxiety - like frankincense, cedarwood, sandalwood, rosemary, vetiver, juniper berry. This is me 6am in the morning doing my breathing exercises outside. I remind myself during the day to take those deep breaths or practice the deep breathing when: I am driving (with eyes open :)) I am taking our dog out for a walk I boil water for my tea I exercise etc Why is deep breathing necessary? Breathing occurs without you having to give really thought to it. When you breath in, your blood cells get oxygen and release carbon dioxide. It's carried through your body and exhaled. When we are anxious we breath shallow and faster and often breath from the chest. Chest breathing causes an imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your body, resulting in an increased heart rate, anxiety, dizziness, tensed muscles and other physical sensations. When we breath deeply, using our belly (which is also called diaphragmatic breathing), we put our bodies in rest and digest mode, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Notice next time when you see a baby sleeping, how she/he breaths. Focused deep breathing: reduces anxiety lowers blood pressure lowers stress improves sleep promotes calmness improves concentration and focus supports a strong immune system reduces muscle tension, therefore may help with pain management helps to make it easier to fall asleep can improve your mood Belly Breathing A good starting point to put more focus on deep breathing is to practice belly breathing. We hopefully do that at night when we are in deep relaxed state of sleep. It's good to determine first whether you are using your belly or chest for breathing. Put one hand on your upper abdomen, near your waist. And put your other hand in the middle of your chest. Now take a few breaths and notice which hand raises the most. To breath properly with your belly, your abdomen should expand when you breath it and contract when you breath out. Breath in through your nose and out through your nose This breathing can be practiced anywhere and is very good to practice during the moments of stress and anxiety. It's also a good way to bring focus to the present and ground yourself here and now. Alternate-Nostril Breathing (nadi shodhana) I feel this breathing practice brings that extra needed air into my body and both hemispheres of my brain, bringing me into balance. This breathing technique involves breathing in through one nostril at a time, while blocking the other one and alternating between the nostrils. Position your index and middle finger together gently on your forehead just above your eyebrows. With your thumb close your right nostril. Inhale deeply through your left nostril. Close with your ring finger your left nostril and release your thumb from the right nostril as you breath out (you could also keep both of your nostrils closed and hold your breath for couple of seconds before you breath out). Then as you have your ring finger closing the left nostril, breath in from the right nostril, then close your right nostril with thumb, release your left nostril and breath out. Repeat 5-10 times. If you do feel a little bit lightheaded, take a break and breath normally through both nostrils. 4-7-8 breathing I learnt about this breathing technique from Dr. Andrew Weil lecture at IIN school, where I study. This is a deep breath that I have practiced in the mornings as well as when I am driving. Dr. Andrew Weil prescribes it as a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Put the tip of your tongue gently behind your upper teeth against the ridge of the tissue for the duration of the breathing practice. Exhale deeply through your mouth, making a whooshing sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose while counting to 4 in your head. Then hold your breath for a count of 7. And then exhale completely through your mouth to a count of 8, making a whooshing sound. You can repeat this 5-10 times and also throughout the day (you can set yourself reminders on your phone if that helps). Dr. Joe Dispenza breathing technique I don't know if there is a specific name of this breathing technique, but I started practicing it when I wanted to find ways to support my healing from a brain surgery. I typically end my breathing practice with 5 or so below breaths. Here is a video how Dr. Joe Dispenza explains this breathing technique . Sit comfortably on the chair, on the floor, or on the meditation pillow with your back straight. You start breathing in long and slowly, tug in your perineum, then your lower abdomen, then your upper abdomen. You move your attention while still keeping your lower body pulled in and tight, to your lungs, to your throat, to your head and then above your head. You can imagine, that you are pulling the energy through your spinal fluid from your sacrum slowly up to the top of your head, while you are taking a breath in. Remember, where you put your focus is where you put your energy. And then you release and breath out. Repeat 5 times or so. If you feel dizzy, take a break and breath normally. You might want to lie down after this breathing on the floor and sense how your body is feeling and whether you notice any change in energy. There are of course many more deep breathing techniques to practice, but if you haven't put your focus on deep breathing exercises in the past, above is a good start. If you are looking to reduce stress, anxiety in your life, wanting to understand how to better support your body during stressful life, don't hesitate to contact me at info@katrinpeo.com for health coaching.

This recipe an inspiration from Julie Daniluk . I decided to add in banana, some cardamom, vanilla extract and reduce the amount of honey. You can actually omit honey altogether as the banana gives enough sweetness to the cookies. My daughter, who is often fussy with my healthy dessert recipes, says 'Mom, this tastes actually really nice!'. These cookies are gluten free, nut free, dairy-free, egg-free and refined sugar free. Hemp and banana cookies Ingredients Makes 12 cookies 2 tbsp of filtered water 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds (if you can ground them freshly, the better) 1 smaller banana, finely grated 1 cup of shredded coconut 1 cup of hemp hearts 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp of cardamom 1 tsp of ground ginger 1tsp of vanilla extract 1/4 pink salt 2 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil You can add raw liquid honey as well a tablespoon if you want your cookies a bit sweeter Instructions Heat the oven to 175C degrees (350F) Mix together water and ground flax seeds and let it sit for 10 minutes. In a larger bowl mix together shredded coconut, hemp seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt. Mix the banana and coconut oil (plus honey if you use it) into the flax with a hand mixer and beat until smooth. Fold the above wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Take a tablespoon and scoop it on the pan on the baking sheet. You should get around 10-12 cookies from the batter. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until slightly golden. You can keep them also in fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months. But you'll like them most probably so they won't have to stand on the counter more than couple of days and especially if you have a husband with a sweet tooth and kids. Enjoy!

Inflammation is an immune response in the body. We need it in small amounts to heal, as it helps to heal wounds, fend off bacterial, viral and parasitic infections. But if inflammation is running wild and for a long period of time, it can really cause damage to the body, leading to inflammation-related health issues, including autoimmune diseases. The challenge is that inflammation can start slowly brewing in the body without us noticing it for a while until we start to develop symptoms and will actually be diagnosed by our doctor. I have covered inflammation in one of my previous posts , how to diagnose it, what causes inflammation in the body, what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. Below I want to highlight how inflammation can affect different parts of our bodies and how it's the root cause of many health conditions. I also highlight how you might feel when you are developing inflammation and what are the things you can do to lower inflammation in the body. Cardiovascular (heart, arteries, veins) When you have inflammation in your heart, arteries or veins, it can contribute to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, anemia. Lungs Inflammation in the lungs can result in allergies and asthma. Brain Inflammation in the brain can lead to poor memory, depression, Alzheimer's, autism, multiple sclerosis. Liver Inflammation in the liver leads to an enlarged liver or fatty liver disease, which also causes an increased toxic load in your body. Kidneys Inflammation restricts blood flow to the kidneys, which can result into kidney failure, hypertension, edema, nephritis Gastrointestinal tract Inflammation damages the gut lining, leading to leaky gut , GERD, celiac disease, Chrohn's disease Thyroid Inflammation disrupts thyroid hormone function and reduces thyroid receptor count, leading to hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's. Bones Inflammation increases the bone fractures and leads to conditions like osteoporosis Skin Chronic inflammation affects both our liver and kidneys, which result in skin issues like eczema, acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, dermatitis, wrinkles and fine lines. Learn more about how you can support your skin healing from here. How do you know you have inflammation in the body? We all have experienced acute inflammation in our bodies, if we have fallen, hit our body part against something, have burnt ourselves with heat, steam etc. We experience pain, redness, swelling in the area. But with chronic inflammation, we could experience any of the below and for a longer period of time: Fatigue- chronic inflammation messes with our hormones, specifically with cortisol and other stress hormones. It can result in constantly feeling tired, having muscle weakness, trouble falling asleep, low blood pressure. Pain- inflammation created pain in our bodies to indicate to us that there is a problem that we need to address. If you are experiencing joint pain and stiffness, that's one of the signs that inflammation in your body is high. Depression and anxiety- inflammation creates an inflammatory-autoimmune response against your brain and nervous system. This can result into brain-fog, concentration issues, attention issues. How can you decrease inflammation in the body? 1. Eat wholefoods Food can be a major contributor to inflammation. It's important to avoid the most common inflammatory foods like too much added sugar , gluten, if you are celiac or have gluten sensitivity and ultra-processed foods and consume whole foods in your diet (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, cultured dairy, wholegrains, meat and seafood). But as we are all different, foods that could be healthy for me, could be causing inflammation in your body (eggs, nuts, nightshades etc). 2. Focus on good quality sleep Read from my blog post about the importance of sleep and what can you do to improve it. 3. Practice deep breath and meditation Both of these put your body in a rest and digest mode, allowing your body to heal itself by itself. Learn more about deep breathing exercises here . 4. Reduce stress When our body is constantly in a fight or flight mode, our bodily organs are in overdrive. We don't sleep well, we don't digest our food well. Learn ways you can reduce stress from my blog how stress affects our bodies . 5. Incorporate different types of exercise Though vigorous exercise can actually trigger inflammation in the short-term, it helps to reduce it in the long-term. Choose different exercises to keep your heart racing, your muscles and joints flexible (cycling, swimming, walking, roller-blading, badminton, yoga, golf, pilates etc). If you need support and guidance how to reduce inflammation in your body with nutrition and lifestyle modifications, contact me for health and nutrition coaching at info@katrinpeo.com .

You don't need to look at the cycle of life as inevitable, that it's all doom and gloom at the end. We don't only want to add years or our life, but also add life to our years. And while our genes load the gun, the environment we create for ourselves, pulls the trigger. It's estimated that around 80% of your health and how long you live, is not genetic. You can change the rate at how you are ageing, how fast, by focusing on doing the right things. And on a high level, it's important to: Eat healthy foods Drink enough water Incorporate regular physical movement Actively manage your stress levels Get adequate amount of quality sleep Make sure you stay social and foster good friendships throughout your life How can you support longevity and slow down ageing? Intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, fasting Fasting turns on longevity pathways. Practising intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, fasting can all support the cell regeneration. You can learn more about intermittent fasting from this post . Women should take their hormones into consideration when fasting- read more here . I typically tell my clients, that everyone benefit from going without food 12h a night, for example from 7pm till 7am next morning. Physical movement As we age, we start to loose muscle and gain fat. It's important to do regular exercise to keep muscles engaged. The choices are wide and it's important to have fun and enjoy what you are doing. Prioritise sleep When we sleep, our body and mind, detoxifies and regenerates itself. Learning ways to improve your sleep, if you are struggling with it, is paramount for health, strong immune system. Learn more about the tools for better sleep here . Keep your blood sugar levels balanced Any food we eat raises our blood sugar, but some foods like sugar, starches affect our blood sugar much more than other foods. An easy way to help to keep your blood sugar in balance and avoid steep blood sugar spikes is to eat your foods during your meals in the right order: 1. vegetables 2. protein 3. fats 4. starches and sugars Learn more about blood sugar balance and why it's important for your health and lowered inflammation levels in your body . Focus on lowering your stress levels Whether it's by practicing deep breathing , meditation, spending more time with your family and friends, spending more time in the nature, incorporating fun and revitalising activities in your life. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. Expose yourself to a extreme temperatures- hot and cold One of the activities to include in your daily or weekly regimen is to either have cold showers, do ice-baths, practice cold-water swimming, go to sauna and jump into snow or ice-hole etc. Exposing your body to extreme temperatures creates hormesis, where body feels uncomfortable, so it needs to fight back, making it more resilient. Eat the right foods Certain food groups are inflammatory for the body, such as sugar, processed carbohydrates, processed cooking oils, gluten. Focus on eating the fresh whole foods, specifically vegetables, berries, fruits, beans, lentils, fish, nuts and seeds. Below are some of the more specific foods and drinks that are studied to support cardiovascular health, bone health, gut health, skin health and cognitive function, which you can incorporate into your diet to improve health and longevity: Blueberries (for their cognitive benefits and reducing cellular damage) Bone broth - important for digestion, bone health Turmeric Dark chocolate - rich is flavonoids and polyphenols Avocado - contains phytochemicals, keeping your arteries healthy and young Figs Nuts (slow cognitive decline and great for improved heart health and reduction of type 2 diabetes) Medicinal mushrooms Salmon - helps to increase HDL cholesterol and decrease triglycerides Maca (balances hormones like testosterone, oestrogen, progesterone) Green tea (like matcha ) Below is a list of anti-aging supplements, which you can also get either from food, from herbs, through exercising, through fasting: CoQ10 (organ meats, fatty fish (herring, sardine, mackerel, trout), sesame seeds, pistachios, strawberries, oranges, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, beef, chicken, lentils) Omega 3 Fatty Acids (fish and seafood, nuts and seeds (flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds) Resveratrol (found in grape skins, red wine, cocoa, berries (blueberries, cranberries) Quercetin (citrus fruits, apples, onions, sage, parsley, red wine, tea, grapes, dark cherries, blueberries, blackberries) Vitamin D (salmon, trout, mushrooms, egg yolk, canned tuna, sardines, Swiss cheese, cod liver oil) Vitamin K2 (egg yolk, beef liver, butter, sauerkraut, hard cheese, eel, natto, chicken, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, prunes, kiwi) Vitamin C (Acerola cherries, Camu camu berries, Amla berries, rose hip, chili peppers, , sweet yellow peppers, blackcurrants, cantaloupe, parsley, kale, kiwis, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lemons, papayas, strawberries etc) Magnesium (spinach, kale, chard, black beans, almonds, cashews, potatoes, pumpkin seeds, avocados, bananas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, dark chocolate, tofu, salmon, mackerel etc) Selenium (Brazil nuts, fish, pork, beef, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, brown rice, sunflower seeds, baked beans, mushrooms, oatmeal, spinach, lentils, bananas etc) Zinc (oysters, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, red meat, legumes, cashews, cheese, eggs, quinoa, oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dark chocolate etc) Vitamin B12 (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, liver, kidneys etc) Curcumin (turmeric) Berberine (goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape) Sulforaphane (broccoli, pak choy, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) Astralagus NAD+ (also through exercise and fasting) Though we can't outrun the time, as you have learnt above, there are things we can do to support our longevity and slow down our ageing. If you are looking to achieve a better health and nutrition and need a coach who can be your support and guide on the side, don't hesitate to reach out to me at info@katrinpeo.com.

This fudge recipe is from Mary Shenouda , who calls it a phat fudge. It helps to provide instant and sustained energy, focus, memory, fight inflammation and is a natural fat burner. Plus it satisfies your sweet tooth, though there is very little sweetener in there. I used the ingredients from the original recipe, but chose to add some cocoa nibs, walnuts, goji berries and hemp seeds for decoration. I also believe you can replace tahini with sunflower seeds butter, cashew butter, almond butter- if you don't like sesame seeds. Though there is a reason why Mary Shenouda used tahini in this recipe- it has protein, fat, carbs, fibre, thiamine, vitamin B6, manganese, phosphorus (last two are important for bone health). Thiamine and B6 are important for energy production. 50% of the fat in tahini comes from monounsaturated fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. Tahini is also rich in antioxidants (lignans), helping to fight with inflammation and may offer anticancer effect. Maca is rich in antioxidants, improves memory, enhances energy and mood, improves sexual health, boosts fertility and balances oestrogen levels. It contains protein, carbs, fat, fibre, vitamin C, copper, iron, potassium, vitamin B6, manganese, niacin, calcium, riboflavin. Fat fudge Makes 25 or so fudge pieces depending on the silicone mould you use. Ingredients 1 cup of tahini 1 cup of butter or ghee 1/4 cup of cacao 1tbsp of turmeric 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon 1/2 tbsp of maca powder 3 tbsp of raw honey 1tsp of vanilla 1/8 of cayenne pepper Instructions Melt the butter in a pot in a low heat, add more tahini, then honey and then rest of the ingredients. Mix well and pour with a spoon into the moulds. Freeze for 2 hours. You can keep them in the freezer or fridge and just take out a piece, when you need just something to get your energy going before exercise or if you want to have that little something after your meal. My teenager son approved the fat fudge and asked for more. Let me know in the comments below what you thought of it after you tried making it.

Spruce tips are one of my childhood memories as our grandparents farmhouse was surrounded by tall spruces, so in spring, early summer we were munching away on sour spruce tips. Little did we know, that they had so many health benefits. So my father asked me this weekend if I wanted to pick some spruce tips as they have a spruce hedge next to their house. They had themselves made some spruce tips syrup and apparently it was very good. So, I thought why not explore and try the different ways how to use them in food. What are spruce tips and why to eat them? The spruce buds are the tips of the spruce branches that emerge in Estonia spring, early summer and they have this beautiful fresh green colour. Spruce tips have several health benefits, they: are high in Vitamin C (fresh or dried) are rich in magnesium and potassium contain carotenoids, which enhance your immune system contain chlorophyll, which is good for healing and growing tissue, healing wounds they help to relieve sore throat and cough transport oxygen to cells, therefore boosting energy help with weight loss as help to control blood sugar balance help to control cravings relieve constipation and gas bonds poisonous metals in your body What are the ways to consume spruce tips? You can eat them raw as they are or freeze them for winter to add into food. You can add them into smoothies- a little goes a long way. I created a smoothie from avocado, banana, kiwi and added couple of spruce tips. You can add them into salad You can make a pesto out of them (I used basil leaves, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, spruce tips (little goes a long way), olive oil, salt, pepper). You can use them as a flavour for your water You can use dried spruce tips for the tea You can make syrup out of the spruce tips and use it as a sweetener in tea, drizzle it on pancakes, in a greek yoghurt, drizzle over soft cheese (like goat cheese), use as a glaze on meats. I tried and made syrup ready to be used immediately. And I also tried something different- where I mixed the spruce tips and coconut sugar together and letting it now to stand and mature in the sun for a month- let's see whether and what comes out. It's said, that you get a very flavoursome syrup out of spruce tips giving it time to do it's job. I hope you'll get inspiration from this post and give the spruce tips a try.

If you are looking for a bit of a break from the summer grills and want something different, healthy and delicious- then give the below pizza recipe a try. Photo taken by my friend Anne-Ly I took the inspiration of this recipe from Simply Quinoa and this has been a pizza we have made in our family for a few times already. Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all 9 amino acids, that our bodies can't make on our own. As you know quinoa is naturally gluten-free, is rich in antioxidants- and has more protein and fibre than white rice. So definitely a healthy choice. Artichoke is actually not really a vegetable, but a type of thistle. It helps to lower blood sugar, improves digestion, is great for your heart and liver health. Artichoke is a great prebiotic and probiotic food and contains apart from fibre, protein, carbs, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C, K and minerals like calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Artichoke is considered one of the most antioxidant-rich of all vegetables. I made the below recipe lactose free, but you can easily use parmesan cheese in the pesto instead of nutritional yeast and also top the pizza with some chunks of buffalo mozzarella or some shavings of goat's cheese Ingredients 4 persons For the pizza crust: 1,5 cups of quinoa- soaked for 6-8 hours in water 2 cups of fresh spinach 1 tsp of baking powder 2 tbsp of olive oil 1 tsp of Himalayan salt 1/2 of water For the pesto: 2 pots of basil leaves 150g of pine nuts a squeeze of lemon 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast 0.5 tsp of truffle oil 1 clove of garlic a pinch of salt and pepper Blend it all up with the hand blender Additional toppings: 1-2 cans of cooked artichoke hearts (I used canned, either in olive oil or in water) 2-3 tbsp of nutritional yeast Microgreens , like broccoli Instructions Heat the oven to 215C (425F). Line your baking pan with parchment paper and slightly oil it with olive oil. Rinse the quinoa properly after it has been soaking in the water. Add all the pizza crust ingredients into the high-speed blender and blend until creamy. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 16 minutes. Now is the perfect time to make the pesto and drain the artichokes. Then take the pizza out from the oven, put a new piece of parchment paper on top of the pizza and flip it over. Remove the parchment paper that was under the pizza in the oven when you baked it. Then put pizza back in the oven for another 8 minutes. Top the pizza with artichoke and nutritional yeast and put it back into the oven for 2 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, top it with micro greens and serve immediately.

I love making salads as they allow me to put my creativity in full action. I often take inspiration from somewhere for a salad and change the ingredients in the recipe where I need. But with the below salad from Kelly LeVeque , I actually did follow most of the guidelines and this salad has been turning into our summer hit salad. Broccoli salad Ingredients Serves 8 2 broccoli heads 1 pack of bacon 1 red onion 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds 4 tbsp hemp hearts 1/2 cup of raisins For salad dressing 1 cup of mayonnaise (I make my own, see ingredients and guidelines below) 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar 1 tbsp of maple syrup 2 tbsp of olive oil Salt and pepper Instructions Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the baking sheet on the pan and lay the bacon strips on there. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. While the bacon is baking in the oven, chop the red onion into small pieces (I put the onion to soak in salted (Himalayan salt) water for 15 minutes as it helps to lower the intensity of the onion taste). Double chop the broccoli florets and the thinner stalks. I keep the the bigger stalk and use in other recipes (soups, sauces, vegetable juices, smoothies, dips etc). Pour the chopped broccoli on a service plate or into a bowl. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan on the stove. To make the mayonnaise, take 2 room temperature eggs and separate the egg yolks. Squeeze 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and whisk through. Then when vigorously whisking, add very slowly extra virgin olive oil. Continue whisking until the mayonnaise takes a desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Make the salad dressing, by adding the white wine vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper to the mayonnaise. Mix well. Mix the raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts into chopped broccoli. When bacon is nice and crispy, take it out from the oven and cool it down. Chop into smaller pieces and add to broccoli mixture. Pour the salad dressing on to the broccoli mixture and mix well. Enjoy!

It has been very hot last couple of days. If you are looking for a cooling healthy snack, try and make the below frozen, chocolate, banana, nut butter bites. I got the recipe from my school's IIN social media page and served them as a welcome snack to my dear sister's family when they visited us in Estonia. Frozen chocolate, banana, nut butter bites For 8 persons Ingredients 2 bananas (yellow, but not so ripe where bananas have brown spots on the peel) 150g of dark chocolate (I used with 87% cocoa content chocolate) 2 tbsp of coconut oil Nut butter- I made with both almond butter and peanut butter Instructions Slice the banana into 1cm thick pieces. I used a silicone mould for cookies, but you can also place them on a parchment paper-lined plate. Put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Take the banana slices out from the freezer and add a small spoonful of nut butter to every other banana piece. Then lay the slices without nut butter on top, so you have sandwiches. Freeze again for another 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate with coconut oil on the stove. Dip the banana sandwiches in the chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt and put them into freezer for 10 minutes or so. Then they are ready for serving.

I tried another new salad this week and was asked to share the recipe. Since I was privileged to pick fresh kale from the field, I thought I would want to try and make a salad from kale. I typically search for inspiration from quite a few nutritionists, dieticians and functional medicine doctors I follow. The below recipe is inspired from Culinary Nutrition and goes very well with grilled meat. Kale and quinoa salad with cilantro balsamic vinegar dressing For 6 people Ingredients A large punch of kale 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed before boiled 2 avocados, pealed and cubed 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, unsweetened if possible 1/2 of slivered almonds 1 big Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced Optional add-on: goat's cheese you can crumble For salad dressing Juice of 3 lemons 1/2 cup of olive oil 2 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar 2 tsp of fresh ginger, finely grated 1/2 tsp of dried parsley 1/2 tsp of dried basil 1/2 tsp of dried oregano 1/2 tsp of dried marjoram Pinch of salt A little bit of pepper A small bunch of cilantro You can also add a garlic clove, this time I didn't Instructions Wash thoroughly and boil quinoa. It should take 15 minutes to cook, then let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Cool the quinoa down. Wash kale, remove the leaves from the thick stem and then chop into small pieces. Add some lemon juice and then massage the kale with hands. This really helps to turn kale softer, so it's not hard to chew. Let the massaged kale stand in a salad bowl while you make the salad dressing. Put all the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl where you can use a hand blender or put all the ingredients in the normal blender. You should blend until the dressing becomes creamy. Add the apple, avocado, cranberries to the kale. Then mix in cooled down quinoa and finally add the salad dressing. If you want to also add goat's cheese, add it at the very end and don't mix into the salad. Rather crumble the goat's cheese on top of the salad. Enjoy!

One of my clients recently said that she is struggling to stay on healthy eating habits when travelling, especially as there are not really good options when having to wait for the flights at the airports, food choices at airplanes etc. Many of the petrol stations you drive past where there is a cafe, shop, don't focus on providing lots of healthy food options, but rather hamburgers, hotdogs, kebabs, pies, pastries. So how can you make sure you don't run into a food emergency when travelling and can still follow your healthy eating habits? Below I will share with you some ideas to try. 1. Have your own trail mix along It's very easy to create your own trail mix of nuts, seeds, dried berries or fruits. They are packed with healthy fats, protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and keep you satiated till your next meal. Make a mix of any of the following, you can also toast nuts and seeds slightly in the oven: walnuts, pecan nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips, hemp seeds, goji berries, dried figs, dried apricots, dried plums, mulberries. Make sure you purchase dried berries and fruits preservative free (no sulfur dioxide). You can also add cocoa nibs to the mix. 2. Vegetables with hummus Depending on the travel distance and mode of travel, you can also cut some vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, paprika, celery, endives, kohlrabi and make a hummus from chickpeas, lentils- so you can get a good amount of fibre, protein, healthy carbs, fat, minerals and vitamins. 3. Boiled egg or omelette If it's not a long-haul flight or long-distance travel, where you don't have an option to keep food cold (cooler bag, car fridge), you can boil couple of eggs or make an omelette along. Eggs are a nutritious food, filled with healthy fats and protein- keeping you full for hours. You can also put some hummus into the omelette before eating. 4. Nut or seed butters with vegetables or fruits Nut butters travel well (make sure you put them into small below 100ml jar if you travel by airplane as it's a liquid). In some countries you can purchase easy nut butter travel packs. You can eat the nut and seed butters with fruits (like apples, pears) and vegetables (carrots, celery). You can of course have some rice or buckwheat crackers along and spread the nut or seed butters on those as well. Nut butters you can purchase in the store or make yourself: almond butter (I have bought in the past these easy travel packs of nut butter from Jason's peanut butter (make sure you purchase ecological that contains only nuts and sea salt to avoid any unnecessary ingredients and also exposure to mould as peanuts are more susceptible to mould than other nuts or legumes cashew butter tahini (from sesame seeds) sunflower butter (from sunflower seeds) 5. Seaweed with rice, vegetables, guacamole Take along seaweed sheets (that you use for sushi making), some sushi rice (you can also skip the rice), vegetable sticks (cucumber, paprika, celery), guacamole (mashed avocado with some lemon or lime juice, some salt, pepper or cayenne pepper). Easy to assemble if you need a quick meal. 6. Olives Olives are a great nutritious snack to take along. You can purchase them pitted so they are easier to eat or stuffed with for example garlic. 7. Tapenade on cracker bread You can make your own tapenade or purchase a jar. To make your own, chop finely some olives, pistachio nuts, grate some parmesan or pecorino cheese and add olive oil- mix all together. 8. Beef strips, beef jerky There are healthier options for packages beef strips or beef jerky. In Estonia, Liivimaa Lihaveis sells beef jerky in different flavours. Always check the ingredients list, that it doesn't have any preservatives, dextrose. 9. Protein bars, seed bars, energy bars These are a great options for a quick snack and diminish the biggest hunger, but please do read the ingredient list before purchasing. Many bars on the market are nothing but overpriced candy bars filled with artificial sweeteners. What you want to have in your bar is: protein (pea, hemp, collagen) healthy fats (nuts, seeds, MCT oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil) if sweeteners then natural sweeteners like dates, honey or other fruits or berries are the best. Stevia is also ok as it has no impact on blood sugar. Erythitrol is ok, though can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal issues for some. Better options for non-nutritive sweeteners are allulose and monk fruit. You can check my post on sugar for more options for healthy and unhealthy sweeteners. What you don't want from a protein bar is artificial sweeteners, like sucralose, maltitol, aspartame, dextrose etc. A bar should ideally contain less than 5g of sugar (and fructose and agave are not healthy sugars). look for a bar that contains at least 5g of fibre- whether as nuts, nut butters, chia seeds, flaxseeds, inulin. If the manufacturer has fortified the bar with vitamins and minerals, be aware, as often they are cheap and poorly absorbed by the body (sulfate, gluconate, magnesium oxide etc). Also make sure that the bars don't contain any gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, if you have food sensitivities. Here are a couple of bars on the market to try: RXbar , Aloha , Epic , Bulletproof , Lärabar , Sakara , Truvani The Only Bar Loodusvägi , Ampstükk , BeMore in Estonia also have bars, but they are higher in carbs, some lower in protein but definitely healthier options than other protein bars, energy bars sold in Estonian market. Nakd bars is also healthier choice but has also higher carbohydrate content due to dates and raisins in the bar. Puls (can also be bought in store in Estonia) in Finland has two bars, a chocolate bar and peanut butter bar which I have bought for my teenage son for energy or after-workout quick snack. 10. Canned salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna with a cracker bread If you fly, this is not a good option, but if you travel by car, this a quick and easy snack to have. Just make sure, you purchase the canned fish in water or olive oil (avoid other oils as these can be inflammatory). These fish are full of protein, healthy fats- just don't overdo with tuna as tuna contains mercury unlike the other suggested canned fish options. For cracker bread, you can purchase rice crackers, buckwheat crackers or other non-gluten options. 11. Avocado on a cracker bread Avocado is packed with healthy fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It's easy to take along a ripe avocado, use a knife to cut it in half, scoop out the mixture (discard the pit) and mash it with a fork or a knife on a cracker bread. 12. Homemade muffins Good thing with muffins when you make them at home is that you can really make them nutritious, choose what you put in there and they travel well. I have a few recipes I have shared in the past for muffins: macadamia and cashew nut muffins , pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins . 13. No-bake protein balls These are a great snack you can also get your kids involved creating. Blend together in the food processor gluten-free rolled oats, nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew), chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts), some dried fruit for sweetness (dates, raisins, prunes, apricots, cranberries), shredded coconut, protein powder (pea protein, hemp protein, bone broth protein etc), cocoa nibs. Roll into small bite-size balls and put in the cooler. I hope you found some tips for easy healthy snack foods to take along on your trip alone or with kids. If you have any other healthy snacks you have tried, please do share in the comments below.