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Nature has so beautifully created foods so that we would understand based on their appearance to what body part, organ specific food is good and healing for. The below is definitely not a complete list, but you will get the idea. You might want to bring next to reading this article an anatomy book, or simply use Google. You'll be amazed to see how organs, body structures resemble different foods. Photos: Unsplash, Pixapay, Wikipedia Eyes and Carrots- carrots are a source of lutein, beta-carotene, anti-oxidants. Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A, helping you in the dark. Next time you chop a carrot, just look at the pattern inside and compare it to your eye. Another food similar to eye and also contains lutein and antioxidant, is a blueberry (similar to our iris). Bones and Celery- celeries have silicon, which help with bone strength. Celery is also a good source of vitamin K, which helps together with calcium to build stronger bones. It also contains potassium, which neutralise acids that pull calcium out from the bones. Brains and Walnuts- walnuts improve your memory, cognitive memory speed and mental flexibility. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for good brain health. Head and Coconuts- coconut oil contains MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), which improve brain function and protect neurons by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Coconut oil is also good to put on your scalp and helps with dryness as well as with split hair-ends. Stomach and Ginger- ginger contains a compound called gingerol, which has the ability to prevent nausea and vomiting. Ginger also helps with digestive issues. Uterus and Avocado- avocado helps to support your productive health. They contain folic acid, important to be used when trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy for the baby as it helps to reduce the baby's risk of getting neural tube defects. Kidneys and Reishi- Reishi mushroom supports both adrenal and kidney health. It promotes energy and stamina, reduces inflammation, reduces production of urinary protein. Heart Chambers and Tomato- eating tomatoes reduces your blood pressure, also protects the heart from damage during the heart attack, reduces the risk of stroke and improves survival rates in people who have a heart failure. Lycopene in tomatoes help to lower the levels of LDL cholesterol. Also vitamins B, E and flavonoids help to boost your heart health. Human Body and Ginseng Roots- ginseng supports our whole body health. It increases energy, reduces blood pressure, helps to combat stress, improves our cognition, promotes relaxation. Lung Alveoli and Grapes- grapes contain anthocyanins, a flavonoid that is important for lung health as we age. Blood and Beetroot- consuming beetroot can help with blood flow, anemia, blood pressure. Beetroot is rich in iron, important for hemoglobin. It also contains nitrate, which transform into nitric oxide involved in dilating blood vessels and improving body's ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to tissues. Ovaries and Olives- olives protect reproductive health as they contain healthy fats important for manufacturing the reproductive hormones crucial for conception. Testicles and Figs- figs help to enhance fertility and can improve both the sperm count as well as motility. Pancreas and Sweet potatoes- sweet potatoes are great for supporting both pancreas and spleen health. They contain slow-releasing carbohydrates and also promote healthy blood sugar, which allow pancreas to do its job. It's even said that sweet potatoes can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Cells and Onions- onions contain vitamin C, sulfur, potassium. Sulfur helps to protect cells from cancer. Vitamin C is a great antioxidant shielding cells from damage. Potassium is required for normal cell function. Organ meats of animals support the same organs in people. Chicken and beef livers have high levels of B vitamins (including B12), promoting liver health. Animal hearts contain both iron and CoQ10, which support human cardiovascular health. Bone broth from animal bones, hooves improves our bones, ligaments, tendons, bone marrow, skin, gut lining. As you see nature provides us many clues, how we can support our body function and healing with foods. We just need to pay attention, be curious and include a variety of whole foods in our diet for our overall health.

Blood sugar (glucose) is your main source of energy. It influences how hungry or energetic you feel. Blood sugar is created when you break down any carbohydrate you eat- from a healthy carb like quinoa to a chocolate-chip cookie. The importance with blood-sugar is to keep it balanced: not too high and also not too low. Many of us walk around with high glycose spikes happening in our bodies without knowing it. We experience short term or long term the below: tiredness hunger though we just ate an hour or two ago energy dump in the afternoon cravings anxiety depression heart palpitations mood swings sleep issues weight gain acne on the face hormonal imbalances (like PCOS) fertility issues worsening menopause symptoms heart disease type II diabetes fatty liver dementia cancer faster ageing Optimising our glycose levels allow us to reverse the symptoms we are experiencing. If you eat with every meal adequate amount of protein, fat, fibre together with carbs- you naturally help to keep the blood sugar stable and have consistent energy throughout your day. How is blood sugar regulated in your body? Your pancreas creates hormone called insulin, that gets released into the blood stream to regulate blood sugar when you eat. The normal range for blood sugar (empty stomach) is 3,3 - 5,5 mmol/l. Insulin transfers the blood sugar into blood stream and into your cells for immediate energy or storage for later use. If you eat sugar or other carb-rich foods that get way faster converted into blood sugar, then your pancreas goes into overdrive to produce all the necessary insulin for the new blood sugar to be stored in the cells. Such an insulin surge tells your body that there is plenty of energy available and that it should stop burning fat and rather start storing it. Yes, insulin is a fat storage hormone. Low and high blood sugar Low blood sugar occurs when the insulin surge causes too much of blood sugar to be transported out of your blood. It can leave you feeling hungry, tired, shaky and anxious. As a consequence, you crave more sugar and carbohydrates, hoping that these will get you to a better place. But in reality, they start the cycle all over again. And your body ends up storing more fat. Contrary, high blood sugar occurs when your insulin is unable to transport enough blood sugar out of your blood. Blood sugar and weight Loss To help with long term healthy weight loss or healthy weight maintenance, you need to keep your blood sugar in balance in between the meals and where there is no excess insulin produced by the body. How can you balance your blood sugar? If you avoid simple carbohydrates and sugar, you can naturally balance your blood sugar. Definitely, do not starve yourself as this causes your body to produce stress hormones that prevent weight loss. The resulting low blood sugar from starvation causes your body to go into muscle burning, slowing down your metabolism. Eating balanced meals during the day is what you should be focusing on. Simple carbohydrates include different types of sugar, such as sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar (also in honey)), lactose (dairy sugar), glycose (blood sugar). You can read my blog post on sugar and why it's best to lower its consumption it here. All of the simple carbohydrates get metabolised fast and therefore most likely cause an insulin surge in the body. Think how you feel next time when you eat for example an egg with avocado for breakfast or when you drink a glass of fruit smoothie (with 100% fruit in it). The fructose in the smoothie will have you craving and eating throughout the day. The easiest and best way to stabilise your blood sugar is to eat protein, fat, fibre and greens with each of your meal. Fat- if you consume fat alone, it has no influence at all on circulating blood sugar. If you eat it with your meal, it slows down the absorption of your meal therefore helping to avoid spikes in blood sugar. I am talking here about the healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, ghee, coconut oil). Protein- it helps to keep blood sugar levels steady. Again, if you consume protein by itself, it has no impact on blood sugar. But you should be mindful and not consume too much protein as it may converted into glucose. A good size of protein per meal is the size of your palm. I have written a blog post on the highest protein containing foods. as well as the importance of consuming sufficient amount of protein at every meal at different ages in your life. Fibre- same as fat, fibre helps to slow down the absorption of nutrients, including glucose. All vegetables and fruits contain fibre and are best consumed in a whole state, rather than juiced. When you would want to juice your vegetables and fruits is when you are unwell and need a fast dose of vitamins and minerals into your body. But at other times, consume whole vegetables and fruits, make smoothies mixing the two and adding some protein and fat into it to slow down the absorption of carbs. You can read more about the fibre, why we need it and from which foods we can get it here. Greens- when you add greens like spinach, kale, broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, you add minerals and vitamins to your meals. For example magnesium in green vegetables increases your insulin sensitivity. Other tips helping you to keep your blood sugar in balance Different foods affect our blood sugar different ways. For some people eating a banana takes their blood sugar up high, for the others it does not create such a spike. Our bodies are different and how food affects us, is influenced by many factors- what our diet looks like during the longer period of time, what is the state of our health, how much we exercise, how much we sleep, what are our stress levels etc. Continuous glycose monitor One good way to measure how food affects your blood sugar, is to use continuous glycose monitor. You attach a sensor at the back of your arm and you will be able to track via app how the food, drinks you consume affect your blood sugar. This allows you to make smarter choices around your food. You can check out for example Levels and Veri. Vinegar in water before your meal Vinegar tells your muscles to uptake more glycose quicker. Vinegar also signals your mitochondria to burn more fat. You can help your body to not have such a spike in blood sugar if you take a tablespoon of vinegar in a big glass of water up to half an hour before you eat. You can try apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar. Eat your food on the plate in the right order Eat your salad, vegetables, protein, fats before your starches and sugar on your plate. This is especially good if you have a starchy meal, like pasta. If you are having a starch on its own without any fibre and fat, it gets to your blood stream very quickly and spikes the blood sugar. Eat a savoury breakfast not a sweet one Savoury breakfast does not have such an impact on blood sugar levels than a sweet breakfast (cereals, bagels, muffins). This allows you not to get hungry after couple of hours. Examples of savoury breakfast: Lentils or quinoa or buckwheat with soft boiled egg and avocado Oats with seeds and almond butter Smoothie that contain not more than half a cup of fruit or berries and contains good fat and protein Warm chia pudding with hemp hearts and ghee Rice cake with avocado, salmon and sesame seeds Sourdough bread with scrambled eggs, kale, cherry tomatoes, kimchi Sourdough bread with hummus, sauerkraut, hemp seeds and sprouts Chia seed pudding with raspberries, nut better and hemp seeds Ground chia seeds blended with cocoa and avocado Move after the eating After eating your energy goes from your head and limbs into digestion system. That's why many can feel tired after a meal. Your muscles are your ally here, where they help to soak up the circulating glycose from your blood stream. A 10 minute walk after a meal is a great choice or taking your dog outside for a walk. Eat fat or protein with your carbohydrates Don't eat sweet or starchy food without adding some protein, fat or fibre on it. You could put greek yoghurt on your cookie if you want to eat it. Eat your sourdough bread with some goats cheese spread and avocado on it. If you have some rice, have some eggs, chicken, fish with it. The flatter you manage to keep your blood sugar after breakfast and lunch, the better you will feel in the evening and the less hungry you'll be. If you are looking to understand more about better eating habits for your body, lifestyle, don't hesitate to contact me for health and nutrition coaching at info@katrinpeo.com. Learn more about my health and nutrition coaching services under Services menu.

It's soon two years, since Chinese authorities alerted the World Health Organisation of pneumonia cases in Wuhan city, in China. Total Covid-19 cases around the world as of Nov. 10, 2021: 251,885,543, with deaths 5,084,686. 40.4% of people are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and 51.7% have received at least 1 dose of the vaccine. Many people who have had Covid-19, whether mild or severe, have experienced various new or ongoing symptoms still for months. These include: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath fatigue cough brain-fog (difficulties with concentration and thinking) stomach pain chest pain headache pins-and-needles feeling muscle pain joint pain fever dizziness pounding heart etc As per studies, there is also an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, new neuro- or psychiatric diagnosis, and adrenal insufficiency. I have followed couple of functional medicine doctors to understand whether there is anything people can do themselves to support their body with diet, supplements- to strengthen it so it can fight the virus better if one contracts it, how to support your body when you have Covid-19 and how to support your body healing from long-haul Covid-19. I hereby share the insights, I have learnt. Eat more vegetables, fruits and fibre rich foods It has been seen, that Covid-19 has a negative impact on our gut microbiome. One of the great ways to feed the good bacteria in the gut, is to add more vegetables, fruits and legumes to your diet, which not only add more, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins to your body, but also more fibre to your gut. Some of the vegetables and fruits that are especially important to consume as they contain prebiotics, include artichokes, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, plantain, avocados. I have written a post about prebiotics as well. Also fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, kimchi are beneficial to consume on a regular basis as they help your good bacteria to grow in the gut. Eat more foods with polyphenols Polyphenols are organic compounds (anti-oxidants) found in plant foods- they include flavonoids, lignans, phenolic acids, and stilbenes. Polyphenols can improve digestion issues and is said to help treating diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases etc. By increasing polyphenol rich foods in your diet, you are supporting your body's ability to fight the virus as well as recovering from the virus. Here is a list of top polyphenol rich foods and drinks: Cloves Dried peppermint Star anise Cocoa powder and dark chocolate Berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries) Black currants Plums Sweet cherries Apples Pomegranate Beans (black beans, white beans) Nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans) Vegetables (artichokes, chicory, red onions, spinach) Soy (tempeh, soy flour) Green tea and black tea Red wine (in moderation) Vitamin D Though it's possible to get Vitamin D from food (oily fish (salmon, sardine, mackerel, herring), liver, egg yolks etc), many people are deficient off this vitamin. It's recommended to supplement with vitamin D during the autumn and winter months, when there is less sun. It's best to test your vitamin D levels with a blood test in the lab to understand where your levels are- you should have more than 80 ng/ml. Curcumin Curcumin is also a polyphenol, a compound found in turmeric, with anti-inflammatory properties. When you cook with turmeric, it's important to add fat and black pepper as then you increase the absorption of curcumin in your body. You can also take curcumin supplements, it's suggested to take 1,000mg a day. Quercetin It's a flavonoid, naturally found in onions, red wine, berries, green tea. Quercetin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that might help reduce swelling, blood clotting and is recommended in the early stages and prevention of Covid-19. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) It's an anti-oxidant that our bodies produce naturally to energise our cells. As we age, the levels of CoQ10 decrease in our bodies. Also, people who have heart disease, brain disorders, diabetes or who are using cholesterol lowering drugs, their levels of CoQ10 are reported to be lower. Also a migraine is mitochondrial disorder. Covid-19 virus is said to deplete the energy in your cells. And though it's possible to get CoQ10 from foods, one struggling with Covid-19 or with long-haul Covid-19, would benefit from supplementing. 400mg a day is a dose that has been recommended by functional medicine doctors. But of course it helps to mindfully eat more CoQ10 containing foods: Organ meats (liver, heart, kidney) Chicken, beef, pork Fatty fish (sardines, herring, salmon, mackerel) Vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cauliflower) Fruit (strawberries, oranges) Nuts and seeds (sesame seeds, pistachios) Lentils, soybeans etc. B3 (niacin) Niacin is needed for more than 400 biochemical reactions in your body- mainly related to obtaining energy from the food you eat. It plays a role in cell signalling and making and repairing DNA, in addition to acting as an antioxidant. As it's water-soluble, your body does not store it and excretes the excess what's not needed. Though deficiency is rare, I would still want to highlight some foods containing niacin so you can make sure you consume them on a regular basis: Chicken Turkey Beef Pork Liver Brown rice Nuts and seeds Legumes (beans, lentils) Bananas etc. NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) It's an amino-acid that increases glutathione (master anti-oxidant in the body) levels. Glutathione supports your respiratory health and detoxification in the liver and kidney. Cysteine is naturally found in protein rich foods, such as chicken, turkey, as well as in onions, walnuts, oats, legumes etc. EPA and DHA These long chain omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties on the body- promoting healthy mood, improving attention and behaviour, great for the heart, circulation and for immunity. Both EPA and DHA support many organs and body systems including the liver (by preventing triglyceride buildup), eyes (essential for retinal function), the joints (promoting joint comfort), and muscles (protecting against mobility loss as we age). They are abundant in fish, shellfish, algae and help with cardiovascular function, immune function, cognitive function. As per data you need a fairly high dose for example for cognitive enhancement, roughly 2400 milligrams of per day taken with a meal. I hope by adding more of the above into your diet and daily regime, you are able to combat the virus better if it were to hit you and hopefully your recovery will be quicker and better as a result.

Hair is considered as your crown, especially if you are a woman. A good looking and healthy hair gives you that boost of extra good feel. In my below article I will cover the life cycle of the hair growth, foods to eat to support healthy hair growth and other natural solutions to consider incorporating into your weekly self-care routine. What are the main reasons for hair loss? Most common hair loss is from excess androgens (super testosterone) in the body. It causes the thinning of the hair on scalp. Other reasons include PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome), thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism), decreasing oestrogens in menopause, stress (acute and chronic), chemotherapy, poor nutrition (low protein diet) etc. As you can see there are quite a lot of reasons for hair loss, but there is also a lot you can do yourself to reduce hair-loss and improve hair-growth. What does hair growth cycle look like? There are four distinct phases in the hair growth cycle: Anagen (upward, repetitive) phase- this is when hair is sprouting up in your scalp. Growth phase lasts from 3 to 5 years. Your hair grows around 1cm a month, up to 15cm a year. Catagen (end of anagen phase, down)- this is shorter phase- around 10 days. Hair growth slows down and hair follicles shrink during this phase. Telogen phase (resting phase, means also completion of growth phase, end). It lasts around 3 months- no active growth but hair does not fall out either. Exogen phase- in this phase hair is exiting the hair follicle and falls out. It takes around 2-5 months for hair in this phase. It's completely normal when you loos 50 to 100 hair in this phase. Each hair follicle is independent from each other, so we only shed certain number of hairs a day (80-100 a day on a healthy head of hair). How to have luscious gorgeous hair? There are several things you can do to improve the quality of your hair. Below I am covering the basic things. Nutrition Protein It's important to get appropriate amounts of protein in your diet as your hair is primarily made up of protein called keratin. In this article you can learn about the best protein containing foods. Biotin- known for fortifying and thickening hair and nails and improving the quality of your skin. You can find biotin in foods like almonds, egg yolks, nuts an seeds, liver, sweet potatoes, legumes, mushrooms etc. Vitamin D - Vitamin D helps with regulating the hair growth cycles as well as supports the overall immunity. Foods that are high in vitamin D- oily SMASH fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring); meat; liver; egg yolks etc. Iron - Iron - those who are vegan often suffer from iron deficiency, which also affects hair health. Also, women with heavy menstrual bleeding – this can cause more hair loss. Iron helps bring oxygen to the hair follicles. Heme iron, which we get from animal food such as meat, liver, oysters, is better absorbed by our body than iron from plant sources. It is important to consume foods rich in vitamin C together with foods rich in iron, as the latter helps iron to be better absorbed. Plant (non-heme) sources of iron include spirulina, lentils, white beans, spinach, chickpeas, broad beans, black beans, asparagus, kale, etc. Vitamin A - helps to produce sebum, a natural oil that moisturises hair growth. You can get it from carrots, sweet potatoes, liver, leafy green vegetables. Vitamin C - helps to protect hair follicles from damage. Eat different citrus fruits (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange), strawberries, sea buckthorn, kiwi, bell peppers. Omega-3 fatty acids - these are anti-inflammatory and counter-act the sympathetic stress response. They help with your overall stress-load. You can find Omega-3 fatty acids in chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts and in the SMASH fish. You can also supplement with a high quality Omega-3 fish oil. Zinc - is important for the repair and growth of the hair tissue. Great sources of zinc are beef, oysters, pumpkin seeds, lentils. Manage your stress In order to take care of your stress levels you don't need to swing to the other side of continuum- to do drastic changes in your day-to-day life. Think how can you reduce your stress even 5% a day- whether it's through meditation, hydration, walking outside, increase your levels of joy, taking a break from your computer, going to bed 20 minutes earlier etc. Taking small steps makes a world of difference over time. Think how can you improve your joy and happiness on a day to day basis. Essential oils There are different essential oils you can use on your hair. Below I am mentioning jus three of them. Rosemary - it's known to help with hair growth and itchy scalp. You can put it neat on the scalp or mixed with olive oil or coconut oil. After washing your hair in the shower- massage 8-10 drops of rosemary essential oil onto your scalp. Many people also claim that rosemary can prevent baldness, slows down greying, and can be used to treat dandruff and dry scalp. Peppermint - it will help to maintain the oil balance in your scalp to ward of dandruff and it helps to stimulate hair growth same way as rosemary does. Geranium - this is very great for soft and shiny hair You can also mix the three above essential oils together and put on the scalp. Hair masks It's also good to give some additional love and care towards your hair, by doing some home-made masks. Recipe 1 for softening and hydration Half of avocado, 1 full egg, a table spoon of olive oil. Mix or blend all together. Don't put the mask on scalp, but rather from mid-half to the ends of hair. Keep it for few hours and rinse it off with shampoo. Recipe 2 for adding additional shine 1 raw egg, 1 ripe banana, 1 heap tablespoon of honey. Mix all together and put from roots to tip of you hair. Keep for 30-60 minutes and rinse off. Hopefully you received some good tips how to start to better care for your hair, naturally.

If you are into healthy eating you probably know about sprouts and the great health benefits of sprouts. But if you are someone who has been low on consuming vegetables and salads in general, seeing sprouts sprinkled on top of soups, salads, in between the sandwich, could have left you a bit intimidated. Aside from great health benefits sprouts add a crunch and different flavour to the food. Below I will cover what are sprouts, different types of sprouts, the health benefits, how to prepare them and also highlight some risks you need to be aware of. Photo: Pixabay What are sprouts? Sprouts are the germinated seeds of vegetables. Sprouting of seeds helps to magnify their nutritional value, boosting vitamin content significantly. What are the different types of sprouts? Nuts and seed sprouts- sesame seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed sprouts. I have written about the health benefits of soaking and sprouting nuts and seeds in the past. Vegetable sprouts- mustard green, alfalfa, red clover, broccoli sprouts Bean and pea sprouts- black bean, lentil, mung bean, kidney bean, snow pea sprouts Grain sprouts- from quinoa and wheatgrass Microgreens are sown either in soil, coconut or hemp mats. They grow well in light, low humidity and fresh air. After the first true leaves appear, the microgreens are ready to eat. They are cut from the top of the growing area - the roots remain unused. The advantage of microgreens over sprouts is that they absorb nutrients from the soil, so their nutritional value is higher. Here you can read more about microgreens and how to grow them. What are the health benefits of sprouts? Sprouts have many health benefits. Sprouting helps to activate the enzymes, which are necessary for food digestion. All sprouts contain protein, which in turn contain amino acids that are building blocks for our bodies. Sprouting also increases the vitamin content of the young plants. When you expose sprouts to sunlight, then their chlorophyll and carotene content will increase dramatically. Below are a list of most well-known sprouts and some of their nutritional facts around macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (listed from highest containing to lowest in 100g). Broccoli sprouts 5 grams carbohydrate 4 grams fibre 2 grams protein 0.5 grams fat Vitamins and minerals: vitamin C (60% of daily value), vitamin A (10% of daily value), calcium (6% of daily value), iron (4% of daily value), vitamin E, B, K, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and antioxidant sulforaphane. Photo: Pixabay Sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale) slows tumour growth and stops benign carcinogens from converting into active ones. They are also sources of plant oestrogen's, similar to human oestrogen, and so are helpful in cases of PMS, menopause, hot flashes and fibrocystic diseases. In addition they help to detoxify the body, benefit the heart, support stronger bones, improve respiratory function and protect the brain. Mung Bean Sprouts 19.15 grams carbohydrates 7.02 grams protein 7.6 grams fibre 0.8 grams fat Abundant in vitamins A, B, C and E, the minerals iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, essential amino acids and antioxidants. Photo: Pixabay Sprouted mung beans contain as much as six times more antioxidants than regular mung beans, which help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Mung bean soup is commonly consumed on hot summer days in many Asian countries, which is believed to help with against heat stroke. Mung beans also help to lower the LDL cholesterol in your body and help reducing blood pressure. Alfalfa Sprouts 3.99 grams protein 2.1 grams carbohydrates 1.9 grams fibre 0.69 grams fat Vitamins and minerals: vitamin K (38% of daily value), vitamin C (14% of daily value), folate (9% of daily value), manganese (9% of daily value), copper (8% of daily value), phosphorus (7% of daily value), magnesium (7% of daily value), riboflavin (7% of daily value), zinc (6% of daily value), iron (5% of daily value), thiamine (5% of daily value), vitamin A (3% of daily value), antioxidants. Photo: Pixabay Alfalfa sprouts are rich in phytochemicals, protecting against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and fibrocystic breast disease. They help to stimulate natural killer cell activity, which strengthens your immune system. They are also beneficial in reducing symptoms of PMS and menopause, including hot flashes. They contain high amounts of antioxidants, the body’s defence against the destruction of DNA which is the cause of ageing. Lentil Sprouts 22 grams carbohydrates 9 grams protein 1.9 grams fibre 0.6 grams fat Rich in vitamins A, B, C, and minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium Lentils have phytic acid in them which is difficult for the body to digest. Sprouting nullifies the phytic acid letting more vitamins as well as minerals to be better absorbed by the body as digested. Lentil sprouts as well as other sprouts are high in antioxidants, so they are at fighting ageing and also prevent premature greying of hair. They promote the blood flow, therefore supporting heart function. And as sprouts, including lentil sprouts are high in fibre, they make sure to aid with digestion. Red Clover Sprouts 22 grams carbohydrates 9 grams protein 1.9 grams fibre 0.6 grams fat Rich in vitamins A, B, C, K, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium, magnesium, carotene, chlorophyll, antioxidants. Same as the other above sprouts red clover sprouts are rich in phytochemicals, in particular genistein, which is known to prevent the formation of new blood vessels inside a tumour, in essence starving the tumour. Red clover also contains naturally occurring plant oestrogen's, helpful with PMS, menopause, hot flashes and fibrocystic disease. There are several more sprouts to consume, but I hope the above gives you a good overview of all the health benefits you get when consuming sprouts on a regular basis. The risks you need to consider when consuming sprouts Though sprouts are very nutritious, they could also carry food borne illnesses like salmonella, E.coli. Most sprouted seeds are grown in humid warm conditions, that encourage bacterial growth. Also, if they are mass-produced, you have no idea whether the water that was used to regularly clean the seeds in the sprouting process, was clean; or whether the seeds and sprouts were handled following a good hand hygiene. How can you consume sprouts? To get the best and most out of the sprouts, you should consume them raw. You can of course steam, boil, cook, oven-roast them to reduce the risk of food born illness, but then you will loose a bit of their maximum nutritional value. Always store your sprouts in refrigerator. If the appearance of sprouts looks even a little bit slimy, musty or they have developed a side-smell- discard them right away. You can also sprout chickpeas, which make a delightfully delicious hummus. It is much richer in nutrients than hummus made from cooked chickpeas. Sprouts can really be added into any food- salads, as toppings on soups, sandwiches. You can also garnish your meat or fish with it. The usabilities are wide. How to grow your sprouts? It's not complicated to grow sprouts at home. There are couple of different ways you can do it. Method 1 You need a mason jar, cheese cloth, elastic band. Or you can purchase a sprouting jar, which you can get from your local organic food store (they look like on the image). You need organic broccoli seeds and purified water. Cover around 2 tablespoons of seeds with warm water and soak over night. Drain the seeds after 5-10 hours. Put them in the sprouting jar or mason jar. Either use the cheese cloth and elastic band or the lid that came with the sprouting jar. For around 5 days, rinse your seeds with clear purified water 2-3 times a day. Drain off the water every time you rinse them. Keep your seeds in a warm and dark place. In the first three days you will see the seeds split and you will start to see the beginnings of the sprouts. When the sprouts have developed yellow leaves, you can expose them to some sunlight. Be sure continue rinsing them. Sprouts are ready to eat wean the leaves are darker shade of green and more than 1.5 cm long. Method 2 (you can use this method for example for mung beans) Pour around 2 tablespoons of seeds in a fine mesh colander and put in a glass bowl filled with a little bit of warm water so that the seeds in the colander in the bowl are covered. Soak over night or longer (12-24h). Rinse the seeds in the morning, change the water in the bowl and put the colander with the seeds on top of the bowl. So you have water inside the bowl and seeds with colander at the top of the bowl. Then cover the bowl with slightly damp cloth and put the bowl in a dark warm place. For around 3 days, rinse your seeds with water 2-3 times a day and change the water underneath. After three days you should have nice sprouted seeds ready to consume. Method 3 (you can use this method for example for alfalfa seeds) Take a cheesecloth bag or seeds/nuts sack and put a tablespoon or two into the bag. Take a mason jar and put the bag with seeds into it, with the top of the bag hanging out from the jar. Pour water into the jar over the seeds in a cloth bag and leave it over night in a warm place to stand. Next day, dump the water from a jar and rinse the seeds in the bag underneath the tap water (ideally filtered water). Then simply put the cloth bag with seeds into the empty jar and hang the top of bag over the jar. The seeds will nicely germinate in the moist of the bag. Rinse the seeds during 5 days 2-3 times a day within the bag and put in the jar letting the bag opening hang over the jar. After 5 days you should have a beautiful bag of sprouted seeds. I hope you gained some inspiration from this blog post and you actually start to incorporate sprouting in your healthy eating habit. If you are looking to gain more knowledge around healthy eating habits, have health goals you want to reach, don't hesitate to reach out to me for nutrition and health coaching at info@katrinpeo.com.

Usually I make sauerkraut in autumn, but since I had two cabbages in the fridge- white and red, I decided to make a batch. It's a great addition to grilled meat during spring and summer as it helps to also break down protein more easily in the body. Why to eat sauerkraut? Before we humans had fridges, we ate a lot of fermented foods, as fermentation preserves vegetables, fruits and dairy products, but it also promotes the growth of natural bacteria. Consuming fermented foods will help your gut to inhabit more of good microbes that fight off bad bacteria and toxins. Sauerkraut, which is a fermented cabbage, is one of the easiest fermented foods to make, and contains hundred times more lactobacilli than raw cabbage. Eating just a single spoonful or two before your meal increases saliva production, decreases your stomach PH and activates specific enzymes so you digest your food better. People with heartburn, this is a good tip to try instead of acid blockers. If you want to learn more about different types of probiotics you can find in foods, then read my blog where I dive deeper into the topic. How to make sauerkraut? It's a very easy process. To make one patch of basic sauerkraut, all you need is medium sized cabbage (green or red) and 1 tablespoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt. Chop the cabbage into thin strips (you can also use the food processor). In a mixing bowl, mix together with your hands chopped cabbage and salt. Let it stand for 20-30 minutes. Then massage the cabbage in a bowl with the salt with your hands, working trough the cabbage for 10 minutes or so, until you get the brine out from the cabbage. You can also use a pounding tool to help with getting the liquid out of the cabbage. Then put the cabbage into a cleaned jar. Pack in the jar nicely and make sure you have the brine covering the cabbage as this creates the environment for the fermentation to be able to start. Also leave around 5cm from the top of the jar. Seal with a lid. I have special jars with air-lock systems for fermentation but you don't really need those specific ones to ferment your vegetables. Put the jar in a dark cool dry place. The fermentation process takes from 2-4 weeks during when the friendly bacteria eat the sugars in the cabbage, multiply and release high amounts of lactic acid, which created an environment inhospitable for harmful bacteria and also acts as a natural preservative for your sauerkraut. After the fermentation process you can keep your sauerkraut in the fridge for several months (remember to consume it on a daily basis). If you don't have the jars with air-lock system, it's important to check your sauerkraut on a regular basis, to make sure that the cabbage is submerged the brine and also to open the lid to release excess gas. This makes sure that your sauerkraut does not generate harmful bacteria or mould. Ingredients in the sauerkraut and their benefits You can make a simple sauerkraut by following the above instructions or you can also add any of the below or couple of them to your cabbage. I hereby highlight the benefits of different ingredients Cabbage- cabbage is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, B-vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, manganese, folate, potassium. As cabbage is high is fibre, it's known to help to detoxify stomach and colon. It has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, helps to clean your blood and keep your immune system strong. Cabbage is also great for your bones. Breastfeeding women can benefit from cabbage, when they struggle with breast pain or inflammation (simply put cold cabbage leaf on the breast to relieve the pain). Red cabbage is even more nutritious than green cabbage due to it's deep colour- it has 85 percent of the daily vitamin C, compared to green cabbage which has 47 percent. Red cabbage has more C vitamin than oranges. Red cabbage also contains 10 times more A vitamin, while green cabbage contains twice as much vitamin K then red cabbage. Red cabbage as also twice as much as iron in it than green cabbage. Caraway seeds (also known as cumin)- they are high in disease-fighting antioxidants, help keeping blood-sugar stable and promote good digestion. A tablespoon of caraway seeds added to your sauerkraut when making it (toasted on the pan to release the flavour) contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus. Juniper berries- help to detoxify the body, promote good digestion, skin and heart health and are also known to help with sleep. Juniper berries contain antioxidants and are natural antiseptic with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. You don't need to add more than 10 berries to a patch of sauerkraut to give the nice juniper flavour to it. Juniper berries are not recommended for pregnant women and for people who have issues with kidneys. Sea salt and Himalayan salt- both sea salt and Himalayan salt are rich in trace minerals. Himalayan salt has around 84 trace minerals while sea salt has around 60. Consuming sea salt and Himalayan salt sparingly on a regular basis helps to balance fluids and prevent dehydration. Sea salt helps to build immunity, eliminates mucus buildup, alkalises body and also improves brain function. Himalayan salt promotes bone health and sinus health, supports with respiratory health and absorbs food particles in the intestinal tract. Sea salt and Himalayan salt both help to prevent muscle cramps, help to regulate blood pressure, increase energy, help regulate sleep and promote electrolyte balance in the body. I hope the above makes you want to incorporate sauerkraut more in your diet and hopefully encourage you to make it yourself rather than going and buying it from the store.

If you are surrounded by health-conscious people and are yourself honed in to health, you must have heard of the term intermittent fasting or cyclic fasting. But if not, I will help to to get a good overview fo what is intermittent fasting and why we should practice it on a regular basis. What is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting shortly is going without food for a period of time. It's not that eating is bad, especially if you are eating healthy whole-food, but in today's world we tend to overdo with eating and not give our body the rest it needs in between the meals. Digesting food is an energy-consuming activity for the body. Intermittent fasting has been used for centuries during the time of famine or when food was scarce and as we know it's one of the central parts in different religions. Many of us also tend to be reliant on glycose stores for energy rather than utilising our fat storage for energy. Intermittent fasting is helping to switch that around, where we are not dependent on glycose and can utilise fat instead to keep our energy levels high. What are the health benefits of intermittent fasting? Improves your immune system and increases energy Intermittent fasting helps to lower your white blood cell count, recycle the immune cells not needed and triggers your immune system to start producing new white blood cells. Decreases insulin resistance It increases metabolism and also increases the production of beneficial enzymes, which help your body to adapt to stress better and fight chronic illnesses like diabetes. Heals the leaky gut As you give your digestive tract a rest, it allows your body to heal the gut lining and improve gut disorders like IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease. Click here to learn more about leaky gut and how to heal it. Encourages weight loss Hormone imbalances are often the cause of people not being able to lose weight. When your body is running on sugar-fuel, your body might have leptin (satiety hormone) resistance, which means your brain has stopped recognising leptin's signals to use your body's fat storage for energy. Promotes autophagy (cell self-eating) This is normal bodily process of cellular renewal, when our own cells are eating away old cells and studies have shown that fasting helps to improve this process. Helps killing off cravings and reduce emotional eating When practicing intermittent fasting, your hunger hormone in your body, ghrelin is decreased and at the same time your brain's dopamine levels are increased. By moving your metabolism from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner, you reduce the need for cravings and especially cravings for unhealthy starchy and sugary foods. Improves autoimmune conditions Intermittent fasting helps to reduce the severity of a a flare of those with autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis. Reduces inflammation in the brain and improves memory It enhances your brain cognitive function, slows down brain ageing and help with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Improves heart health Intermittent fasting helps to lower blood pressure and triglycerides, while raising beneficial HDL cholesterol. Improves lung health Helps to reduce asthma symptoms and oxidative stress. How to go about with intermittent fasting? There are different ways to go about intermittent fasting, but it's all about eating in a restricted time-window and of course focusing on healthy whole-foods, while eating. People who have not practiced intermittent fasting at all and have not been health-conscious eaters, it's better to start slowly. Meaning, start off with eating your meals within 12h and then giving yourself 12h rest from food- it could be eating your meals between 7am and 7pm and not eating between 7pm and 7am. If you feel comfortable with a 12h eating window, you can take it a step further and try eating within 10h window and then giving your body a rest for 14h before you eat again, so it would look like this for example: eating your meals between 8am and 6pm and then not eating between 6pm and 8am. And you can take it from there even another step further, where you eat within an 8h window and give your body then 16h of rest. It's all about finding the right eating window that works for your body, there is no one rule that works for all. You could also eat your meals between 12am and 6pm, if you are not a 'breakfast person' and not really hungry in the mornings. You could also do 16h fasts during the weekdays and 14h fasts during the weekend. Find your own sweet-spot. But it's important to mention here that women need to be more careful when intermittent fasting, read further to find out why. What to eat when you are practicing intermittent fasting? Beginner: Eating between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you haven't practiced intermittent fasting in the past, then it's best to start with 12h fasts or 14h fasts as this allows you to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner within normal hours while still getting the benefits of fasting. You can Breakfast around 8 a.m. Best is to start off your morning with a smoothie, that has good fat, protein, fibre, greens and small handful of berries in it. You can find some more information and inspiration how to put together and well-nourishing smoothie here. Lunch around 12 p.m. Have a healthy salad for example with a choice of greens (spinach, rocket, roman lettuce) , avocado, a choice of protein (wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, egg), sprinkle with some seeds like sesame or pumpkin seeds and add your salad dressing (just olive oil, a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, tahini dressing etc). Dinner around 5.30 p.m. Depending on what you had as a protein for lunch, you can have a different protein for dinner (fish, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck etc). Serve next to it some oven-roasted vegetables like sweet potatoes, beetroot, leek, cauliflower (the choice is wide). In between the meals make sure you consume enough water to avoid dehydration, drink tea such as green tea or matcha or any other herbal tea. Intermediate: Eating between 12 p.m and 6 p.m. This takes your fasting from 14h to 18h and usually means you skip breakfast and have your first meal at 12 p.m. You can sip herbal teas or green teas in the morning as they naturally help to reduce the hunger hormone ghrelin. You can either have your smoothie at 12 p.m. or have your usual lunch meal. If you do get hungry between your first meal and last meal, have something like a handful of soaked nuts or seeds (learn why you need to soak them from here). For dinner have a healthy protein together with either a salad or cooked vegetables. Is intermittent fasting for everyone? Women are more sensitive to intermittent fasting than men as they have more hormone called kisspeptin, which creates greater sensitivity to fasting. If women take intermittent fasting too far, it can mess up their menstrual cycle, throw off their hormones and have a negative effect on fertility. So women might want to try to do intermittent fasting just couple of days a week (let's say Mondays and Wednesdays) and while they have their period, try longer eating windows, like 12h eating and 12h fasting. It's not about stubbornly going in and pushing it though all days, no matter what. Intuition is key here. Also on fasting days, rather than going all in with hard-cardio exercise focus on yoga, pilates or any light-cardio exercise. If you have blood-sugar problems and/or are diabetic, it's important to talk to your healthcare provider, who helps to monitor your health, while you slowly go into intermittent fasting and increase your length of fasting as your blood glycose stabilises. If you have eating-disorders (like bulimia and anorexia), also talk to your healthcare provider. You will also benefit more going into regular intermittent-fasting slower. Though studies have shown, if done right with proper nutrition, people are able to heal from their eating disorders with intermittent fasting. If you are someone with anxiety, struggling with sleep and your circadian rhythm is not in balance (not able to fall asleep easily, stay asleep and wake up energised, then you are probably the one also who should step slowly into intermittent fasting. If you have thyroid problems, then it's also best to talk to your healthcare provider before starting to practice intermittent fasting. As you have hopefully learnt from above, intermittent fasting is definitely something to try and practice to reap the benefits from it for your health, but it's important to do it intuitively, listen to your own body and also work with your healthcare provider if you have current health issues to make sure you ease into the fasting the right way. If you have health challenges that you are struggling, whether it's around weight, digestion, nutrition, don't hesitate to reach out to me for nutrition and health coaching at info@katrinpeo.com.

I departed ways with majority of the gluten-containing foods (wheat, rye, barley, spelt) in January 2017. No, it was not an experiment that I thought of doing for a short period of time, it was a concrete step in my healing journey after having been diagnosed with Lyme disease in October 2016 and suffering from severe joint pains in my hips and knees and headaches as a consequence. I started to read a lot about what causes inflammation in the body and what can I do to reduce the inflammation levels. And one of the topics that came up amongst many health experts I read books from or podcasts I listened to, that gluten can be a trigger to inflammation amongst other inflammatory foods, such as added sugars, trans fats, processed meats, too many foods with omega-6 fatty acids, refined carbs and conventional dairy products. After going off from the mentioned gluten containing foods, my joint pains resided (it did take around 3 weeks for me to really start to notice that change). I this article, I would like to share information on: what is gluten why is it not good for humans and why you might want to consider going off the gluten containing foods what foods contain gluten what to replace the gluten containing foods with why should you be wary for 'gluten-free' labeled products What is gluten? Gluten is a sticky protein that occurs naturally in wheat, rye, barley and spelt. It's a family of proteins found in the seeds of grass that are soluble in alcohol. Gliadine is the gluten protein in wheat. Over the centuries wheat has been hybridised, crossbred with other grains and species to increase production levels, and sprayed with high amounts of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Due to the hybridisation process nowadays grains have fewer nutrients, more weight‐producing carbohydrates, more gluten and more phytic acid in them. Gluten gives baked goods their doughy elastic structure, but many foods also contain gluten for other purposes like for flavour enhancement and as a thickening agent. For your intestines gluten is like a glue blocking the normal movements of the small intestines. This can manifest in intestinal bloating, diarrhoea and other problems, even in people who are not sensitive to gluten. Your digestive system does not possess the enzymes to completely digest all the bits of this protein, therefore your stomach producing excess acids, slowing down digestion or creating acid reflux. Why gluten is not considered good for us? Many of us are consuming gluten on a daily basis. Just think about it- sandwiches, muffins, croissants, bagels, cereals, granola, hamburgers, hot dogs, wraps, cookies, cakes etc- they all contain gluten. Compared to other proteins in grains, gluten is difficult to digest and its presence in your digestive tract can inflame the intestinal lining, loosening the tight junctions and therefore contributing to a leaky gut syndrome. Gluten can create an underlying inflammatory process that can create collateral tissue damage in your body to all of your organs not just to your gut. Once the gut is leaky, you get systemic flow of gluten and wherever it goes, it can cause damage. Celiac disease You might have heard of celiac disease, which is a severe reaction to gluten and which is not very common amongst humans- around 1% of world population has celiac disease. For people with celiac disease, every time they consume gluten, their immune system triggers an attack to intestines. As it affects the villi in the intestines which are responsible for absorbing nutrients into the bloodstream, people with celiac disease experience symptoms like malnutrition. But there are more than 300+ symptoms reported from people with celiac disease, from neurological and psychiatric illnesses, stunted growth, cancer, and even death. People with celiac disease should avoid all gluten containing foods, but also be aware what other products (skincare) they use what contain gluten. People are tested for celiac disease using the below 5 pillars (meeting 4 out of 5): symptoms or signs linked to celiac disease: Positive serological screening tests (you would need to be eating gluten for accurate results) Presence of genetic markers HLA-DQ8 or HLA-DQ2 (but having these genes does not necessarily mean you definitely develop celiac disease) Intestinal damage detected by endoscopy/biopsy (you would need to be eating gluten for seeing the damage gluten causes) Symptom resolution by following implementation of gluten free diet Wheat allergy This is an allergic immune response whenever gluten containing foods are consumed. There are less people in the world diagnosed with it than with celiac disease, but nonetheless it can cause severe symptoms from hives, itching, swelling to difficulty breathing and even anaphylaxis. People with wheat allergy notice the symptoms immediately or soon after consuming gluten containing foods. People with wheat allergy should avoid gluten containing foods in their diet. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity But even if you are not celiac, you can still be gluten intolerant (also called having non-celiac gluten sensitivity), experiencing similar symptoms as with celiac disease, but body does not produce antibodies for gluten. People who have gluten sensitivity, feel better when they avoid gluten- and different people experience the symptoms at different levels of severity. There is currently no accepted test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity can result in changes to the gut microbiome and increase pathogenic microbes. As our overall health is very much linked to our gut, gluten intolerance can affect almost every cell, tissue and system in your body, since the bacteria that populate our gut help control everything from nutrient absorption and hormone production to metabolic function and cognitive processes in the body. Below are some of the most common symptoms linked to non-celiac gluten sensitivity: Digestive issues, including abdominal pain, bloating, cramping, constipation or diarrhoea Muscle and joint pains Skin issues, such as eczema, dermatitis, skin rashes, rosacea Tingling and numbness in the arms and legs Frequent low energy levels and chronic fatigue Difficulty concentrating and trouble with memory Frequent headaches Mood-related issues, such as depression and anxiety Reproductive problems, irregular periods and infertility Nutrient deficiencies, including iron deficiency and anemia Higher risk for neurological and psychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer’s and dementia If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or have been diagnosed with auto-immune diseases, like Lyme, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis etc., it's advisable to first rule out celiac disease and wheat allergy. Then try and go off from gluten all together not less than 3 weeks to see if the symptoms you are experiencing are getting any better. Of course if you have too much inflammation in the body, it's the best to go on an anti-inflammatory diet all together (where you cut out all inflammatory foods) to really support your own body's innate ability to heal. Gluten stays in your body for months after your have stopped eating it, even if you just had a bite of gluten containing food. It's also important to know that different grains contain different forms of gluten. In this article by Gluten Free Society, they list different grains including also rice, corn and oat and the type of gluten you can find in them. If you are someone sensitive to gluten or have celiac disease it's advised to avoid grains all together to see how your symptoms will get better. What foods contain gluten? Unfortunately the list is long, as gluten is really added to many manufactured and packaged products. Even if oats, rice and quinoa for example don't contain gluten called gliadin, the fact that they are often packaged in the same factories where wheat is processed, makes them not completely free of gliadin. This does make a gluten-free diet challenging, but I believe, if one wants to go gluten-free, then by eliminating the below foods, you are already doing your body a great favour. Wheat, all varieties (whole wheat, wheat berries, graham, bulgur, farro, farina, durum, kamut, bromated flour, spelt etc), rye, barley, triticale Baked wheat flour products (bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, pastries as well as sourdough bread though healthier than normal white bread) Canola oil and other vegetable oils Deli meats (including bacon)- check ingredients Granola- always read the ingredients label as though granola is supposed to be oat-based, many manufacturers do add wheat in them Spelt bread- thought spelt is considered ancient grain and talked about as a healthier version of a bread, it does contain gluten Couscous- also an ancient grain, that's unfortunately not gluten free Bulgur- same as couscous, it does contain gluten Protein bars- to improve the consistency of a protein bar, manufacturers often add gluten in the bars. So read your labels if you want to avoid gluten. French fries- many frozen french fries are dusted with flour before they are frozen Ketchup and mayonnaise- manufacturers of these products may use gluten products as thickeners, stabilisers or for flavouring. Better to make your own to be sure you avoid the possible gluten within these products. Meatballs- gluten (bread crumbs) are often used to keep the meatballs together Beer and vodka- you know that beer is made from barley, but if you do buy vodka, make sure it's not made from gluten-containing grains, but from potatoes, corn or grapes Sausages and hot dog sausages- some sausages have added gluten in them Roasted nuts- they are typically produced in the same factory facilities with gluten-containing products, so best to consume raw nuts (but good if soaked). Ice cream- check thee ingredients list when you purchase ice-cream as some ice-cream do contain flour for thickening. Gluten may also be added to other processed and packaged foods like: soy sauce fish sticks flavoured teas tomato sauces bouillon cubes ground spices marinades syrups spice mixes chewing gum Products labelled as gluten-free Even if you look at products in stores labeled 'gluten-free', you still find the below ingredients on product labels. So the fact that the product is labelled gluten-free, doesn't necessarily make it healthy. I follow this rule; if I don't recognise the ingredient on the product label, would not have it in my kitchen cupboard, I don't buy the product. natural flavourings whey protein concentrate rice malt or rice syrup dextrin, malt or maltodextrin modified food starch gelatinised starch hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP) hydrolysed plant protein (HPP) monosodium glutamate (MSG) whey sodium caseinate etc What to use instead of wheat, rye, barley and spelt? I do know from my own experience, it does take commitment and knowledge to go off gluten- you just need to be well-informed when you buy groceries and when you go and eat out. But if you know what gluten does do your body, it's much easier to decide to go off it. Since gluten containing grains also contain vitamins and minerals (especially B vitamins, E-vitamins, minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium), it's important to make sure you get these micronutrients from other food sources. Grains are also high in fibre, so make sure by removing gluten-containing grains, you get adequate amount of fibre in your diet. Below I list of grains and flours that you can consume as alternatives to wheat, rye, barley and spelt. It's not a complete list as there are more options out there, but hopefully it will drift you away from the thought 'what on earth am I supposed to eat instead of these grains and foods made from these grains'? almond flour coconut flour buckwheat flour plantain flour cassava flour bean flours (chickpea) starches (potato, tapioca) buckwheat quinoa amaranth Grains you want to be mindful of, as they do contain gluten, just different ones: brown rice wild rice black rice oats millet teff sorghum I hope the above provides you more insight into gluten. If you are experiencing digestive issues, joint issues, have auto-immune illnesses you might want to consider going off gluten and see how you feel. If you are looking for health and nutrition counselling, don't hesitate to contact me.

When I grew up and had any skin issues, like pimples, eczema- I typically put on specifically indicated topical cream or over the counter ointments. They sometimes helped a bit, but often it was time that was required for the issue to resolve or get better. People struggling with chronic skin conditions are referred to dermatologists, who prescribe topical antibiotics, gels, creams and often also prescribes medications and/or antibiotics that need to be taken internally. But little did I know back then that instead of focusing on what to put on top of the skin to hopefully heal the skin condition, we need to focus on the inside of our bodies- what we eat and drink, how we take care of our gut and how we take care of our liver. No, food is not the only area people with skin issues need to focus on, but this is a good starting point, especially if you have not been really thinking whether and how the food you eat, affects your body and your skin. In this article I cover the importance of taking care of your bodily organs to support the health of your skin. Caring for your gut Your body has two external surfaces to defend itself- one is your skin and the other one is the lining of your intestinal tract- your gut. What's inside your intestinal tract, isn't technically inside your body- your gut lining, when in a good condition, is helping to make sure no food particles are getting into your blood-stream. But when your gut lining is in a bad condition, also called 'leaky', it means, the food can get into your bloodstream which causes your own body to fight against the foreign invaders. I covered the term ' leaky gut ' in an earlier post in my blog, explaining what it is and how to treat it. Microbes in your gut protect you from the outside world- they support to remove old cholesterol and oestrogen, synthesise vitamins and antioxidants. Eating greens is crucial for the production of glutathione, your master antioxidant in the body to fight oxidative stress that ages your skin. Have you heard about face mapping? Face mapping has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries as one of the tools to evaluate what's happening inside human's body- person's skin is a reflection of their inner health. Ancient medicine practisers have mapped the human's face, where different parts/areas are connected to different inner organs. If the body is out of balance, the skin will show it either via dry skin, redness or pimples and the location of these issues on the face represent often the organ that's affected. I think it's good to pay attention to the facial skin and examine it's condition and consider whether the issues you are currently experiencing could be linked to an organ and its condition in your body. Source: Mukti Organics Reducing inflammation inside your body has a positive affect on your skin I have experienced it first hand myself. Since I went off the most common inflammatory food groups one by one couple of years ago (gluten, sugar, lactose (still consume occasional cheese once a week or so), plus gave up using make-up on a daily basis, my skin turned more clear and softer. I use organic moisturising cream on my skin only during the winter months- the rest of the year, I use avocado oil oil or jojoba oil with a drop or two of an essential oil meant to be used on the skin , depending on my mood I am looking for. If you are suffering from any of the skin issues such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hives etc, I would highly recommend to try the following for 3-4 weeks to see if your skin issues see any improvement (you have nothing to loose I promise, only win). gut out added sugar from your diet gut out dairy products (you can try and introduce raw dairy, kefir, plain yoghurt later on back if you want, but conventional dairy products are often linked to acne) gut out foods containing gluten avoid trans fats and processed foods avoid consuming too much alcohol- best to avoid it for the 3-4 weeks when you try to reduce inflammation in your body to allow your body to heal Focus on consuming wide variety of colourful vegetables, salads, berries, fruits (but not too many), herbs and spices, healthy fats (extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, camelina oil), nuts, seeds, fish (wild salmon, sardines, herring etc), seafood, organic meat (grass-fed beef, chicken, turkey, lamb), mushrooms and legumes, cultured dairy. Add in prebiotic and probiotic rich foods and check out my leaky gut article for additional supplements you can take to support the gut healing. Healthy gut helps to lead to healthy skin. Do not forget to consume enough purified water on a daily basis as dehydration ages the skin faster. You can also drink herbal teas or matcha to add in additional antioxidants to your body. In addition you can read how can you support your skin topically and learn more about skin microbiome from one of my articles earlier this year. Getting adequate night sleep and regular exercise are also key areas to help your skin to heal, so putting more focus on these areas will definitely benefit you. If you are interested in getting a better understanding what causes inflammation in the body or how do you know that your body is in need for a detoxification , read the relevant articles in my blog. I hope the above steps, even if taken one at a time, will lead you to a happier you about your skin and overall good energy. If you need support from a health and nutrition coach, who can guide you with nutrition and lifestyle changes to help and improve the health of your skin from inside out, don't hesitate to reach out to me at info@katrinpeo.com .

Though the 2020 is coming soon to an end, we are still deep in the pandemic, plus we are also in Europe in a cold and flu season, I thought I would touch upon a topic, what you can do to be more resilient, so your body is able to fight off the viruses if you contract them. I have written on how to strengthen your immune system and on immunity boosting foods already in my blog in the past, but in this article I want to focus on specific vitamins, plant pigments, hormones etc, that have been studied to help people to combat viruses, such as corona virus. We all have a risk to contract the corona virus- in some shape or form. We can take the preventative measures- wear a mask, wash our hands, respect physical distancing, but there is more you can do. I like to use the functional medicine approach to COVID-19 as towards to any other illness, which looks at the body as one system and has a food first approach to start to treat the illness. By avoiding sugary drinks and foods, highly processed foods, and other inflammatory food groups (foods containing trans fats, gluten (especially of you are celiac or experiencing gluten sensitivity), lactose) and instead eating wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, wild caught fish, occasional grass-fed meat, you are already helping your body to better combat the outside stressors and viruses. What are some of the things that help you to be the healthiest you during the pandemic and strengthen your immune system? Having diabetes, weak metabolic health, obesity, auto-immune illnesses, fighting with cancer- they all often don’t result in good outcomes when it comes to being diagnosed with COVID-19. But being fearful and just hoping all will go well if we do get the virus, is definitely not the best strategy. I believe in taking matters into your own hands and focusing on what you can do to support to be the healthiest you. Below are the vitamins, minerals and supplements that I know of from my own research and listening to health experts that are essential for the strong immune system. Vitamin D It's known that during the dark autumn and winter months our bodies get depleted of vitamin D. And since there is hardly any sun during this time of the year, we need to supplement with a good quality vitamin D. I would always suggest to test yourself as well to understand where your levels are at, but supplementing with 4000ui to 5000ui vitamin D daily would be a good start. Also, it's recommended to take vitamin D with vitamin K2, as while D vitamin helps to get the calcium into the body, K2 helps to transport the calcium into your bones. Vitamin C Eating vitamin C rich foods is very important to help your body fight with viruses. Some of the foods highest in vitamin C (starting with the highest containing): Acerola cherries, sea buckthorn, rose hips, chilli peppers, guavas, Camu Camu, bell peppers, blackcurrants, thyme, parsley, kale, kiwis, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lemons, lychees, papayas, strawberries, oranges. You can also supplement with vitamin C, but it's important that you check the ingredients list and that it does not contain any sweeteners. The best absorbable form of C-vitamin supplement is ascorbic acid. Quercetin Quercetin is a flavonoid important for reducing inflammation, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and also helps with allergies, is anti-cancerous and brain-protective. Foods that contain highest level of quercetin include onions, asparagus, green peppers, green tea, tomatoes, cilantro, watercress, radicchio, Serrano peppers, Kale, elderberries, cranberries, blueberries, black berries, figs, apples, mulberries I have bought Quercetin Plus supplement from Biocare, but there are other brands out there as well to use. NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) NAC is a supplement form of cysteine. Cysteine is important for your body as it helps to replenish the most powerful antioxidant in your body, gluthathione (along with the other amino acids glutamine and glycine. You can find cystein from many protein-rich foods, like turkey, chicken, fish, oatmeal, eggs, yoghurt, sunflower seeds, legumes. People do supplement with NAC, especially if they are suffering from chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, flu, diabetes, osteoarthritis. But if you are taking any medication, it's best to check with your healthcare provider about NAC. Vitamin A Vitamin A has many health benefits, including supporting a healthy immune system, protecting eyes, lowering risk of certain cancers, supporting bone health etc. Foods highest in vitamin A include carrots, tuna (be mindful of its mercury levels), butternut squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, red bell peppers, pink grapefruit, broccoli, liver, meat, fish, dairy. Curcumin Curcumin is a bioactive chemical in turmeric. It reduces the inflammation in the body and helps to increase the levels of endogenous antioxidants. It can also help with anxiety and depression, reduce LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glycose. I have added both turmeric and curcumin to foods while cooking, such as into scrambled eggs, frittatas, while frying chicken or roasting vegetables. But I also add it into warm drinks with almond and coconut milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom. I make sure that when I eat curcumin, that there is also fat in the food (coconut oil, butter, olive oil) and that I have also added some freshly grounded black pepper as it helps with the absorption of curcumin. I personally have never supplemented with curcumin or turmeric, but as with any supplement it's important to pick the best one recommended and always check the ingredients list. Zinc Zinc is an important mineral as its present in every cell of your body. Zinc helps with digestion, metabolism, nerve function, brain function and is paramount for healthy immune system. As our bodies don't store zinc, it's important to get it through the food. In order to get adequate amount of zinc through your food, consume the following regularly: raw oysters (highest in zinc), beef, chicken, beans, crab, lobster, wild rice, peas, yoghurt (plain), pecans, hemp seeds, oatmeal, shiitake mushrooms, pumpkin seeds. Of course there are other foods and supplements to add in to further help and support your immune system, such as Chinese Skullcap, medicinal mushrooms, adaptogens, but the above is a good start. Other things that help to support the healthy immune system: time restricted feeding (intermittent fasting), where you eat your healthy meals within for example 8 hours (let's say between 7am and 5pm) and fast for 16 hours. This allows your body to rest, repair and recover. regular restful sleep with 7+ hours a night regular exercise with focus on HIT and strength workouts and yoga and pilates in between daily outdoor walks in the park, in the nature practicing mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress It's never too late to critically look through your weekly shopping list for food, optimising your lifestyle, so that if and when you do get infected with the virus, your immune system is strong to fight it and you are able to have just a mild case of the coronavirus- not developing pneumonia, requiring oxygen etc.

If you are a health-nut like me, then you know that 70-80% of your immune system resides in your gut, which means that in order for you to take better control over what's happening with your body is a lot determined by what you put at the end of your fork and also how your good nutritional habits are supported by other healthy lifestyle choices. If you didn't know this yet, then in this article I will cover what a leaky gut means and how can you help your gut to heal if you are experiencing health issues. I was quite a lot sick before I started my wellness journey in 2017 January. Don't get me wrong- I have always been physically active, ate relatively healthy, have never been fond of sugary foods. But still once the autumn came, I was sick for 3-4 times before proper spring was in the air. And there were couple of years in a row, where I fell sick in December with seasonal viruses or cold and ended up developing bronchitis in the new year, so complete healing took really 1.5 months or so. But since I really started to pay attention what I eat, I have been noticeably less ill with seasonal flus, viruses or general cold. What is leaky gut? Your intestines are protected by a single layer of epithelial cells that are linked together by tight junction proteins, which are the gateway between your intestines and your bloodstream. These tight junction proteins control what is allowed to pass into your bloodstream from your digestion system, which should only be vital nutrients your body needs. If your gut is leaky (it has cracks and holes), partly digested food molecules, bacteria, yeast, parasites, toxins that should never be able to get into your bloodstream start to make their way through the gut lining. The first reaction your body has to these foreign bodies in your bloodstream, is to fight against them. Your immune system gets into action, where its job is to neutralise, get rid off and also let the rest of the body know about these foreign invaders (by producing antibodies). Your immune system increases inflammation around your gut wall, but at the same time it also raises the inflammation levels in the rest of the body. And if there is too much inflammation happening around your gut and you don't do anything to help to fix it, it gets worse and worse and results in chronic inflammation. This can lead your body starting to fight against itself and leading to different autoimmune illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, Hashimoto's etc. It also increases the changes you developing IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), histamine intolerance (causing allergies, seasonal allergies). If your gut is leaky, this also puts more burden on your liver and the whole detoxification system. What causes leaky gut? Your diet Food allergens are one of the biggest route causes for leaky gut (like allergies to grains, dairy, legumes, nightshades, nuts etc). But also too much added sugars and people, who consume regularly alcohol, tend to have weaker guts as well. Another reason that can cause leaky gut is toxins overload in the body, like having mercury and heavy metals. Your health condition You can also develop leaky gut if you don't have enough stomach acid, enough enzymes to break down your food or have bacterial imbalance in the gut (having taken too many medications (like anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics in the past). You can also develop leaky gut as a result of candida, H.pylori etc. If you have had in the past traumatic brain injuries, chemo or radiation treatments, hormonal imbalance- these could be additional reasons for you to develop leaky gut. Your lifestyle Chronic stress is something that not many people think about when it comes to your gut health, but it can have a big impact on the condition of your gut- both mental and physical stress. One of the things I did not know in the past, is that also over-exercising is a stressor on your body (since exercise increases cortisol, also known as 'stress hormone') and can contribute to causing leaky gut. It's because exercise pulls the blood away from your intestines when you are stressed. You should also check for any environmental toxins, such as mould in your house. And last but not least, sleep deprivation- focusing on getting more than 7 hours sleep a night can help your body to heal much better. What are the signs you might be having a leaky gut? Skin - your gut and skin are very tightly connected. If you have issues with your gut, they very often reflect on your skin (rashes or itchy skin, rosacea, psoriasis, acne, hives) Immune system - food allergies, autoimmune conditions (some mentioned above), high inflammation, asthma, thyroid disorders Brain - anxiety, headaches, brain fog, depression, memory loss Gut - chronic diarrhoea, bloating, gas, constipation, burping, nutritional deficiencies in the body I have listed more signs for leaky gut in this article . What are the nutrients that can help to heal your gut? Though as you can see above there are many things that can cause leaky gut, there are also things you can do to fix it. I would say the first thing to do is to try and eliminate most common inflammatory foods from your diet- foods containing gluten, lactose (conventional dairy products) and added sugar . All at once or one at a time. I would also remove processed oils and foods with additives and artificial sweeteners. Some people might also need to go off nightshades (eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers) and eggs for a short period of time until gut heals as these are also common inflammation triggers in people whose gut is already inflamed. In addition to taking out foods from your diet that cause inflammation, add in the following gut-friendly foods to help with the healing process: Apple cider vinegar Bone broth Coconut products Foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, sardines and other wild caught fish that has no mercury) Kefir (coconut kefir or yoghurt; or if you can tolerate dairy products, raw cultured goat's dairy kefir or yoghurt is ok as well) Fermented vegetables Sprouted seeds (chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds) Ginger Turmeric Slippery elm Fermented vegetables and other probiotic rich foods Fruit- 1-2 servings a day (good to focus more on those fruits that are naturally high in digestive enzymes- pineapple, papaya, mango, bananas, avocados, kiwi) Raw honey - should be consumed sparingly but contains variety of digestive enzymes) As a next step I would use dietary supplements to help repairing the gut lining. Zinc - a deficiency in zinc can lead to the mucosal lining losing strength and therefore becoming more permeable. Zinc helps to also decrease inflammation in the gut. You can get zinc from Meats, seafood products. But if your gut is already compromised, then consider supplementing (zinc carnosine for example a well absorbable form of zinc in the gut) L-glutamine - it's a primary fuel source for cells that make up the gut lining, acts as a repellent for irritants and is very important for the growth and repair of the gut walls. Digestive enzymes - take 1 or 2 capsules before every meal which help to ensure that foods get fully digested in your body. Make sure that the digestive enzyme supplements are containing proteases (help to break down protein), lipases (help to break down fats) and amylases (help to break down carbs). Do consult with your healthcare provider as digestive enzymes are to be taken if you really need them for your digestion and helping breaking down food and they should not be taken for long periods of time. Aloe vera gel or concentrated extract of aloe - make sure it's pure Liquorice root - balances cortisol levels and improves acid production in your stomach. Especially good for those, who are experiencing chronic stress, as liquorice can help to improve the way your body produces and metabolises cortisol Marshmallow root - it has antioxidant and antihistamine properties Collagen- can help to produce production of new smooth muscle cells that then help to heal intestinal lining Colostrum supplements Peppermint MSM powder L-carnitine And as a last step I would add in good quality probiotics that help to rebalance the gut, as they promote resistance to the forming of harmful bacteria and also regulate the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food, plus provide your epithelial cells energy. As said above, it's not only about what you eat, but also how you are able to manage your stress levels, sleep adequately and exercise regularly but moderately. Putting more focus on these areas on top of food and supplements, will get you to a good state with your gut sooner. If you are experiencing digestive issues, skin issues, brain fog, aching joints, and want to understand how you can support your body's natural healing, don't hesitate to contact me for health coaching at info@katrinpeo.com.

One of the healthy breakfast options I prepare every 3 to 4 weeks or so is our homemade muesli. It's easy to make, it's healthy and it keeps you full for hours. Here is a list of ingredients I add to my muesli, but really it's a food where you can use your creativity and vary the ingredients based on how you feel and want to eat. To highlight the healthiness of muesli, I also add some health benefits these different ingredients contain. I mix the below ingredients together in a big pan and bake in a pre-heated oven (160C or 320F) for 35 minutes or so. I stir the mixture on the pan from time to time so all the ingredients are evenly baked. Oats- I make sure I buy gluten-free oats (steel cut or rolled). Steel cut are the best as they are the least processed and are higher in fibre. However, rolled oats do have the same amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat content as rolled oats. Both steel cut and rolled oats are better than instant oats, as they have more fibre, therefore are slower to digest and also have higher nutritional value. Oats are one of the top foods in the world to keep you full for hours. They contain carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre. They are high in resistant starch, which helps to slow the digestion. Protein found in oats is similar to protein found in legumes. Oats contain many vitamins (B) and minerals (manganese, phosphorus, copper, iron, selenium, magnesium). Nuts and seeds- I soak and sprout my nuts and seeds before using them to increase their digestibility and bioavailability for the body. I tend to use a mix of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts). You can also add raw pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts. I add soaked and sprouted pumpkin seeds to my muesli and don't tend to add really other seeds. But you can add also seeds like sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Nuts and seeds are high in protein, fat, carbohydrates and fibre, plus they include different vitamins (B, E) and minerals (magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, calcium). Coconut meat- I like to add coconut flakes or shredded coconut to my muesli depending what I have at home. I don't add a lot, maybe a tablespoon and a half to the whole patch I make. Coconuts are large seeds (yes seeds) of coconut palms. Coconut meat is high in fat, but also contains protein, carbs and fibre. It also contains minerals like manganese, selenium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc. Spices- you don't need to add spices to your muesli, but I feel they give a nice additional flavour. My favourites are cinnamon (Ceylon and not Cassia) and cardamom. A teaspoon of cinnamon and a half a teaspoon of cardamom is enough. You can also add vanilla beans. It's also about what smells you want to have lingering around your house when you make muesli. Cinnamon has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. Cinnamon helps to lower blood-sugar levels and blood pressure. Cinnamon (as well as peppermint) are good for treating infected wounds. Cinnamon contains carbohydrates, vitamin A and minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium). It also contains some traces of vitamin K and B and the antioxidants like beta-carotene, choline, lycopene, lutein, alphacarotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. Cardamom is also known for its anti-oxidant and health promoting properties. It is a great source for potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese and contain vitamins like B and C. Honey or maple syrup and coconut oil I like to sweeten my muesli a little bit, whether it's by adding a tablespoon of honey or a tablespoon of maple syrup for the whole patch. As I want to also add a little bit of crunchiness to the muesli, I add three tablespoons of coconut oil to honey and just warm it up on a very low heat, so I am able to mix it into the oats and nuts mixture. I use my hands for this. Honey has several great benefits for your health, but when used in moderation. Maple syrup is less healthier option than honey, but it also contains some vitamins and minerals (calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese) Additional ingredients to upgrade your muesli You can further 'upgrade' your muesli, by adding goji berries, bee pollen, cocoa nibs, hemp seeds before you serve your muesli. I don't tend to add dried fruits to my muesli due to their high content of sugar. We either sprinkle our muesli on top of our regular smoothie bowls or we eat it in a bowl with almond milk. You can also top your muesli bowl with some fresh berries like blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries.

I grew up with bees during summers in my childhood, meaning my grandparents had 30 or so beehives, so I was very well aware of where the honey came from and this was one of our childhood snacks- either fresh honey on freshly home-baked bread or sucking on a piece of honeycomb. Bees have always been the insects I have admired and adored- for how they look, what they do and what they produce. One of the nature's wonders in my opinion. I am trying to get them to come to our garden during summer by planting more and more lavender pushes- both because I love these plants and bees love them for their nectar. Many of us know that bees produce honey, but did you know that bees also produce bee pollen, bee bread, propolis, royal jelly and all of them have their own purpose in the bee hive and also their own health benefits for us. I will briefly write about all them. Honey In the bee hive, honey is bees' food (their carbohydrate), their main source for energy. For humans honey is a great source for antioxidants, which help to protect your body from cell damage due to free radicals. Raw honey can also kill unwanted bacteria and fungus. You can take a teaspoon of honey before bed (before brushing your teeth :)) or put honey in a chamomile tea to calm the body and wind down before bed. You can also use honey topically on your skin as it helps to protect the moisture barrier. Honey is highly enzymatic, so it's great for digestion and only food on the planet that does not really expire. Manuka honey is a specific strain of honey. It comes from a Manuka plant (native to New Zealand), which is similar to Eucalyptus plant. Manuka honey is famous for its anti-viral capabilities, but so is all good quality raw honey. What makes Manuka honey different, is that it contains enzyme called methylglyoxal, which is unique to only Manuka honey and has because of that the honey has very high antibacterial properties, used for example to heal wounds. Buckwheat honey is something that I personally have not tried yet, but which is said to be one of the highest in antioxidants and can be used instead of cough syrups. People with seasonal allergies could try and consume local raw honey, since then they are ingesting local pollen which over time might help the person to become less sensitive to this particular pollen. It is important to note, that though honey has many great benefits, it's still a form of sugar (a combination of fructose, glycose and sucrose). It should be used sparingly as it does effect your blood sugar levels and liver. Always purchase a good quality raw honey, which means, it's minimally processed and not heated nor filtered. Pure honey is thick and creamy and not runny (should have less than 18% of water), plus contains pollen (therefore should not look clear). Bee pollen Bee pollen is so called a raw material from which bees produce bee bread. Bees collect the pollen dust from the wide variety of flowers to make sure the pollen has all the necessary vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats in the right ratios for optimum honey bee health. It's a mixture of flower pollen, nectar, bee secretions, enzymes, honey and wax. When the bee pollen is not consumed by the bees, it gets fermented and turned into bee bread. Bee pollen has a very nutrient-rich profile, containing vitamins B1, B3, B7, B9, vitamin E, carotenoid pigments, polyphenols and enzymes. When consumed by humans, bee pollen: helps to restore your liver function increases appetite and physical capacity lowers blood cholesterol sharpens memory is an effective remedy for anemia strengthens sexual function reduces blood clotting strengthens capillaries stimulates bile and urine secretion reduces the risk of prostate enlargement slows ageing process I take 0.5tsp of bee pollen 15 minutes before my breakfast, but also add it now and again to my smoothie, smoothie bowls or pancakes. Bee bread Bee bread is an additional source of food for bees, what they produce from bee pollen. First bees collect the pollen from the plants, then they bring it to the hive and compress it into a thick lump in a honeycomb, which they then moisten with their digestive fluids fill with honey and finally cap with wax. As there is no oxygen reaching the bee bread, it starts a 2 week fermentation process, which results in an increase in acid and sugar content and also the production of vitamin K. During the ripening of the pod, the outer skin of the pollen grain gets damaged and as a result, the nutrients found in the pollen become better absorbed by the bees. Bees use the bee bread to feed larvae and young bees. Bee bread contains around 55% carbohydrates, 35% proteins, 3% vitamins and minerals, 2% fatty acids and 5% of other substances. It has been for centuries in medicine and for healing for its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Bee bread is considered as a concentrated form of pollen, so should be consumed less than pollen. As a guideline for consumption a day, 3-4 pieces for children over 1 year and 6-12 pieces for adults. Unlike pure pollen, bee bread rarely causes allergic reaction. However, if you are allergic to bee's venom, I would be cautious consuming both pollen and bee bread. Propolis Propolis is a bee glue that bees produce by mixing beeswax and saliva. It's an immune system of the hive- bees medicine. The base ingredient of propolis is plant and tree sap, which bees collect and take back to the hive where they then put it through an enzymatic process. Bees use propolis to line the entire beehive to keep it germ free- all walls, including inside of the cell walls of new baby bees to keep the environment sterile. They also have a 'propolis mat' in front of the entrance of the beehive to protect the hive from germs and bacteria. For people, propolis is a great immune supporter as it's anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and high in flavonoids. It's also used for cold sores, diabetes, sores inside the mouth, for burns, for certain cancers and for upper respiratory tract infections. Propolis can be taken in different forms- through oral sprays, as capsules, in a liquid forms. You can also make your own propolis tincture by mixing two parts of propolis and nine parts of high quality vodka in a dark glass bottle. Mix it well and store in a dark place. Shake it once or twice a day. It should be ready for consumption after two weeks. Royal jelly Royal jelly is a honey bee milky secretion used as a food for bee larvae and as only foods source for queen bees throughout their lives. It contains water, protein, sugar, fats and A, B, C and E-vitamins, 20 amino acids, folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, gelatine and several other great nutrients. Royal jelly is known for its wide range of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant benefits as well for its use in beauty. Royal jelly is believed to help with: healing wounds treat diabetes manage the symptoms of menopause improving red blood cell count promoting fertility reducing PMS symptoms asthma energy and vitality cognitive support skin issues In Estonia I have purchased bee bread, bee pollen and propolis from Sangaste Mesi. Also Beekeeper's Naturals products are highly recommended by health professionals.

I have been asked by couple of people to share some recipes I am using in my weekly meals. I am one of those who want to and need to eat breakfast as I need that morning good steady energy from food to last me till late lunch. I tend to try and do intermittent fasting couple of times a week, where I either skip dinner because I have had late lunch or I eat something light early in the evening to make sure I have 4+ hours before bed where my body gets a rest from digestion. I will cover intermittent fasting in my future blog in more detail. What I cover below, you can either put it in a bowl and enjoy with a spoon or pour it in a glass and enjoy as a drink. How I prepare my smoothies or smoothie bowls is very simple. I follow the basic guidelines from one of my favourite wellness experts, Kelly LeVeque, where when you assemble your smoothie, make sure you include the following: protein, fat, fibre and greens. This will insure, smoothie keeps you satiated, keeps your blood sugar nice and stable and that you get what you need from a meal. Why is eating protein important: it's a source for amino acids, which are building blocks for cells in your body and is also a source for collagen to repair damaged cells. it's gives a signal to your brain, that you are full. Protein also releases dopamine. it contains minerals and B-vitamins that aid with overall food absorption in your body. You can also read my other blog on foods highest in protein and the importance of picking a good quality source of protein. Why is eating fat important: it increased satiety it hydrates your cells slows digestion down makes you feel more relaxed and calmer reduces your fasting insulin levels increases loss of stored body fat Why is eating fibre important: it's a food for your gut bacteria it helps to remove toxins from the body it slows down the absorption of glucose it helps you keep regular in the toilet it has anti-inflammatory properties Why is eating greens important: to get minerals and vitamins they produce antioxidants that repair cells they feed gut microbiota (containing resistant starch) they detoxify and serve as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents they provide phytonutrients and phytochemicals Assembling smoothie or/and smoothie bowls Here is a short guideline to get an understanding about the quantities (for 1 person): A cup of liquid- filtered water, almond milk (make sure if you buy from the shop, that the ingredients list states just water, almonds, sea salt), coconut milk (use half a cup or less and rest water), unsweetened coconut water (skip fruit if you use this) 100-170g (4-6oz) of protein (I use 1 scoop of protein powder) 1-2 tablespoons of fat 1-2tbs of fibre Handful of greens Fruit or berries- half a cup Below I list of different options to pick from in different categories (protein, fat, fibre, greens) so you can enjoy different smoothie bowls and really create a smoothie that tickles your tastebuds. Choices for protein (make sure it's a good quality and not with added sugars, artificial sweeteners etc- single or two-three ingredient list is good depending on the protein): Pea protein powder (I have used from the following brands: iConfit, Sunwarrior) Collagen protein powder (I have used from the following brands: Sunwarrior, iConfit, Ancient Nutrition) Hemp protein powder Bone broth protein (I have used from the following brand: Ancient Nutrition) Choices for fat Avocado MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) oil Coconut oil Nuts (make sure you buy raw and not toasted or salted)- almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts. I soak and sprout my nuts for easier digestion. Nut butters (make sure you keep the nut butters in the fridge, once opened as they go quicker rancid in room temperature). You can make your own or buy from store. Best options for nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashew, hazelnuts Seeds- hemp seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds Choices for fibre Ground flaxseeds Chia seeds Psyllium husks Green banana flour Choices for greens Spinach leaves Nettle leaves Fresh dandelion leaves in spring and summer Matcha tea powder Greens powder (I have used Sunwarrior Ormus Supergreens) Mint leaves Choices for berries and fruits This is where we tend to overdo with smoothies, putting in too much fruit. We need to remember that though berries and fruits are very healthy in terms of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre- they do contain fructose and too much of fructose has a negative affect on your blood sugar levels and it taxes your liver. So quarter to half a cup of berries, fruits, vegetables is all you need per serving. Blueberries Rasberries Blackberries Strawberries Cranberries Bananas- rather greenish as then the resistance starch content is higher Peaches Apples Cucumber Pumpkin puree Lemon Lime Watermelon Mango Cherries For smoothie bowls you can sprinkle at the top: homemade muesli (I will share a recipe I use in the future) cacao nibs hemp seeds Goij berries bee pollen pomegranate seeds You can also upgrade your smoothies with following superfoods, herbs and spices (by adding them in the blender with other smoothie ingredients), but definitely not limited to only these: maca powder L-glutamine (to support the healing of your gut lining) Acai powder Raw cacao powder Basil leaves (add to try with strawberry smoothie) Ashwagandha powder Rhodiola Astralagus root powder turmeric cinnamon (Ceylon) cardamom ground clove ground ginger seeds from vanilla pod nutmeg (add to try with apple smoothie- consider also adding cinnamon) If you do want to sweeten your smoothie further, consider the following options (but good to keep it as a treat now and again rather than a daily habit if you tend to have a sweet tooth): one date (remember to take the pit out as I have ruined one of my NutriBullet blender by accidentally leaving one in) monk fruit stevia (from fresh leaf) half a teaspoon of raw honey I hope you find ideas and inspiration from above to start your day with the perfect balancing food for your body. If you are looking for guidance how to improve your nutrition, don't hesitate to reach out to me at info@katrinpeo.com.

For me, autumn has always been the time when I draw my attention more to forest and to mushrooms- searching and picking them, then savouring them in a hearty mushroom soup, just frying mushrooms in a pan with butter, adding them to a shabu-shabu or pickling them for winter months. Over the years I have also discovered a wonderful world of medicinal mushrooms. What are medicinal mushrooms? Medicinal mushrooms are a specific type of fungi that are scientifically proven to have a wide range of health benefits in your body. While there are couple of thousands species of edible mushrooms in our forests, only a few have notable properties that categorise those mushrooms as 'medicinal'. Best known medicinal mushrooms Below are the most studied and potent medicinal mushrooms. Chaga mushroom Chaga mushrooms are known as 'The Gift from Heaven' by shamans in Siberia and they are growing on birch trees. Chaga has the ability to stimulate the immune response, thanks to its high melanin and betulinic acid content. It’s highly regarded by natural healers and is considered to be one of the most sacred medicinal substances there is. photo: Wikimedia Commons Chaga mushrooms are rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants- all good for heart health and longevity. One cup of Chaga mushrooms equals 0.4kg of carrots when it comes to antioxidants. Chaga mushrooms help to: reduce inflammation in the body and speed up recovery support health in a stressful times prevent skin, hair, eyes from ageing prematurely Chaga mushroom can be consumed as a tea where you simply add a teaspoon of Chaga mushroom powder to a cup of boiled water and mix it thoroughly. But you can also add it to your morning coffee. Cordyceps mushroom Cordyseps are considered as one of the superheroes in thee fungi world as they really help with many health challenges- energy, appetite, libido, stamina, sleeping. photo: Wikimedia Commons Cordyceps mushrooms increase endurance and cellular performance, which is why they are great for athletes- they also help to lower recovery times. They promote healthy adrenal glands and help with brain performance Lower LDL cholesterol Protect against premature ageing and illnesses as they neutralise free radicals Add Cordyseps mushrooms powder to a cup of boiled water to make a nutritious tea or add it to your morning coffee. Lion's Mane mushroom Lion's Mane mushrooms have been used several centuries by monks as they help with focus during meditation and improve general health. They also used to increase cognitive abilities and brain function in general. photo: Wikimedia Commons Lion's Mane mushroom: Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety Restores damage nerves and improves nerve health Protects stomach lining from damage and lowering your chance of developing stomach ulcers For consumption, it's best to add lion's mane to soups and stews and also make a cup of mushroom tea following the same principles as with the other medicinal mushrooms. Reishi mushroom Reishi mushroom, also known as the mushroom of immortality, is believed to nourish our spiritual essence of being. Reishi was originally used for its anti-aging properties and for its benefits on immune system. photo: Pixabay Reishi mushroom: Eases anxiety, reduces stress and calms the mind Improves your sleep, especially deep-sleep Improves skin appearance and health Lowers blood pressure Boosts immune health as is anti-inflammatory Fights allergies and asthma I drink Reishi tea in the evening before going to sleep, mixing it either into water or almond milk and adding some spices, such as cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, clove, ground ginger. But you can also add it to soups and broths. Shiitake mushroom Shiitake mushrooms, also known as 'Elixir of Life', are used often in Asian cuisine. They are full of beneficial vitamins, minerals and amino acids. photo: Pixabay Shiitake mushroom: Offers protection against inflammation in the body Helps with blood circulation and blood pressure Improves immune response Boosts brain function and overall energy Supports heart health Helps with liver detoxification You can use Shiitake mushrooms in a wide variety of ways in your kitchen to get the instant umami flavour for your food- in sauces, with scrambled eggs, sautéed vegetables. But of course you can mix it into boiling water for a nice and earthy tea. Turkey Tail mushroom Known for being able to combat powerful pathogens, turkey tail has been used to cultivate a strong immune system. Turkey tail is also believed to enhance body's energy, improve bone health, boost digestive health. photo: Pixabay Turkey Tail mushroom: Decreases your chances of coming down with cold or flu Helps to grow healthy bacteria in your gut Assists in recovery from various types of cancers, such as breast cancer As with the other medicinal mushrooms, mix turkey tail with boiling water and enjoy as a tea. When to consume what medicinal mushroom for increased benefit for the body? Morning: take Lion's Mane or Chaga Afternoon: take Cordyceps for a boost in energy Evening: Reishi and Turkey Tail to calm the mind and the body Majority of the mushrooms are not meant to be eaten raw as us people don't have the enzymes necessary to digest them, so it's best if you fry them in a pan or cook them in a soup. Medicinal mushrooms are sold in powder, tincture or supplement form. Powders and tinctures are more concentrated, which means you need to use less to get the health benefits. I you are looking to improve your nutrition, or have any health goals you want to reach, don't hesitate to reach out to me for health and nutrition coaching at info@katrinpeo.com.

Dry-brushing is something I had for the first time done to me now some years ago in a spa in Estonia. The therapist brushed through the whole body and then brushed chocolate mask allover me. I truly enjoyed the whole treatment and it left me feeling energised yet calm and with a soft and youthful skin. Dry-brushing has now turned into my daily 3 minute morning habit. Why dry-brushing is good for your health? It stimulates the lymphatic system As you know we have a lymphatic system (a network of delicate tubes) running throughout our body. Its main role is to manage fluid levels in your body, deal with cancel cells and other cells that could result in a disease, react to bacteria and absorb some of the fats in your diet from the intestine. In summary, lymphatic system role is to remove toxins from your body and prevent you from getting sick. If your skin has too many dead skin cells or toxins, it may not be able to eliminate waste from the body that easily. So one of the ways you can keep your lymphatic system working properly, is to practice dry-brushing. If your skin is healthy, it's easier for the body to release toxins. Removes dead skin When you are young, your skin renews itself. When you get older, it's good to support the process of removing the dead skin to have a healthier skin and fresher appearance. As skin is our largest organ, it's also one of the main area where we excrete toxins. Reduces cellulite on your body Dry-brushing helps to stimulate the cells underneath the skin and break down toxins. As you know cellulite is often caused by the fluid retention, lack of circulation in addition to increased body fat and by any hormonal imbalances. So brushing the skin will help to get the fluids moving. Unclogs clogged pores Your pores on your skin can get clogged fro all the different cosmetics, dead skin cells and pollutants from the air. Dry brushing will help to unclog the pores, so your skin can absorb more nutrients and is able to release the toxins more easily. Relives stress and rejuvenates nervous system As from my own experience, having the dry-brushing done on the body, it truly helps with lowering stress or any anxiety you might have. How to do dry-brushing? First of all get yourself a natural bristle brush (don't use anything synthetic). If you have the brush with a long handle, that will help you reach all areas on your body. Take off clothes and stand in the shower or in the bath so you won't dirty floors with dead dry falling skin. Always start at the bottom of your feet and move with soft motions towards your heart. Go over the whole body dry-brushing towards your heart. But don't also overdo it and press too hard so you don't end up damaging your skin. Be extra gentle on the sensitive areas of your body. Shower after dry-brushing. Wash your dry-brush regularly as well to remove any dead skin or essential oils if you use them (read below). If you want, you can also use essential oils when dry-brushing. Add a drop or two of the preferred essential oil on the brush before dry-brushing. Below are some suggestions, depending what you want to achieve. To support detox- melaleuca, lemon (with lemon, since it's photo-toxic, avoid sun-exposure 12-24h after using it on skin) For extra energy- cedar-wood, black pepper For stress and calmness- lavender, patchouli, wild orange For tones skin- rosemary, cypress, grapefruit (same as with lemon, avoid sun-exposure) You can also add a drop I hope that dry-brushing ends up on your daily self-care activity list, giving you that extra me time and time to care for your body. If you haven't tried tongue-scraping and oil pulling yet to improve your oral health, it's definitely worth trying it. Read more here about tongue scraping and oil pulling. If you want to explore more how you can support your health with good health habits or how to improve your nutrition, reach out to me for health and nutrition coaching at info@katrinpeo.com.

Since it is the time of the year, when colds and viruses are starting to catch us easier than during the summer months, it's always good to think of different ways how can you protect yourself and your immune system. Since many of the germs (bacteria and viruses) enter our body through our mouth (apart from nose, eyes, breaks in the skin etc), it's a good place to start to see what you can do to make the environment in your mouth less favourable for the bacteria and virus to spread into rest of your body. One of the morning rituals I have in my daily health practice, just after I wake up, is tongue scraping and oil pulling followed by brushing my teeth. If you didn't yet know what the tongue scraping and oil pulling are, continue reading. Tongue scraping In Chinese medicine tongue appearance plays an important role in determining person's health condition. A tongue covered for example with white coating is a warning sign of bad oral health and that there are other health issues present- whether temporary (like dehydration, as a result of some medications (antibiotics, steroids)) or more serious ones (like illness, infection, candida yeast infection etc). A healthy tongue should be pink in colour and have a rough texture. How? For tongue scraping its best to use a tongue scraper made of copper. Stick your tongue all the way out of your mouth, place the tongue scraper at the back of your mouth and gently pull it forwards. Even though this health practice is called 'tongue scarping', do not scrape the tongue, but rather gently pull with the scraper along the surface of the tongue. You don't want to cause damage to your tongue. Aim to do this scraping action four to five times. Remove any coating from the top of the tongue and wash it all down the sink. If you are unable to scrape all of the white coating off your tongue after practicing this ritual for couple of days, it could be a sign of more serious health condition. Oil pulling Oil pulling has been around for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine and it's one of the best ways to remove bacteria and fungus from your mouth. It helps you maintain your mouth's natural PH and flora, and also promoting gum and teeth health. The oil sucks the toxins and debris out of your mouth and creates a clean antiseptic oral environment. Oil pulling may help with: Bad breath Plaque Bleeding gums Sensitive teeth Cavities Gingivitis Moistening the lips, mouth, and throat Ulcers Kidney function How? There are four main oils that are used for oil pulling- coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil and sunflower oil. Coconut oil is highly absorbable, and it has also the power to kill candida. Sesame oil is known to strengthen your gums, teeth and jaw, as well as prevent bleeding gums and tooth decay. Make sure the oils you use are of the best quality (cold-pressed and extra-virgin). Store open sesame-oil bottle in the fridge as this oil can go more easily rancid. Take a tablespoon of oil into your mouth and simply swish it around for 10-20 minutes while you go about your morning preparations for the day. Then spit the oil out in the trash bin as contaminated oil can clog your pipes. Rinse your mouth with warm filtered water, with little bit of sea salt and apple cider vinegar to ensure all oil is out of your mouth. Brush your teeth thoroughly to remove any bacteria left. Hopefully you start to notice a different in your oral health and condition after practicing the above for some time.

Since I have been following a gluten, sugar and lactose free diet for years, I also tried to find banana bread recipe that worked for me. For me banana bread is something you don't need great baking skills, as it's pretty forgiving for bakers like me, who like to be be creative in the kitchen. I use different flours- almond, coconut, plantain, gluten-free oats blended fine depending on what's available at home and might also switch between different nuts, like walnuts, pecan nuts and sometimes add dark chocolate chips or cocoa nibs of additional flavour. Below is the basic recipe I use. Gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free banana bread Ingredients 3 bananas (when typically I choose greener bananas when purchasing bananas due to their higher pre-biotic fibre, then for banana bread make sure you use the yellow and ripe ones as they give more juiciness to the bread). I smash two and keep one sliced for decoration. 3/4 cups (3oz) of almond flour 1/4 cups (3/4oz) of coconut flour 3/4 tsp of baking soda 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon) 2 tbsp of melted extra virgin coconut oil 3 eggs 1/4 cup (2 1/2oz) of honey or maple syrup 2 tsp of vanilla extract 1/2 cup (1 1/2oz) of walnuts Instructions Pre-heat your oven to 180C (350F) and use either a loaf tin lined with parchment paper or silicone loaf pan. Mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, soda, cinnamon. In another bowl mix together wet ingredients: mashed banana, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup or honey. Mix the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until a batter is formed. Lastly fold in slightly chopped walnuts Put the mixture into the lined baking tin or silicone loaf pan. Put the sliced bananas on top on the mixture, laid out. Bake the bread in the oven for 50 minutes. You can test with a toothpick at the end- if it comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the bread, it's ready. Cool down slightly and enjoy its own or with normal butter, cinnamon butter, smooth goat's cheese spread.

I got my scoby from my mother three years ago and I have managed to keep it alive till today. I am consuming Kombucha on a regular basis, but more like once or twice a week not on a daily basis. I am sure majority of the people out there already know what is Kombucha, have tried it- some of them love it, some of them don't. It is a matter of taste, truly. In this blog, I will try and cover as much as possible all about Kombucha- it's health benefits, why you should be mindful not over-consuming it and how to make it. What is Kombucha? Known for over 2,000 years Kombucha is a fermented and cultured health drink. It's made from a bacterial culture, called SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), that creates probiotics and enzymes, black tea and sugar. Chinese call it Immortal Health Elixir. Following the fermentation process, Kombucha turns into carbonated drink, which contains probiotics, enzymes, vinegar, B-vitamins and acid. The fermentation process also produces lactic acid, which gives Kombucha its distinctly sour taste What are the health benefits of Kombucha? Promotes digestive health- it has detoxification and cleansing properties as it contains glucaric acid, probiotics, enzymes and amino acids , which all help to increase your energy levels, help with both cleanse within the body and support your body's detoxification processes. As you hopefully have learnt from my other posts, probiotics are involved in everything from immune function, nutrient absorption to mental health. Great source of antioxidants as Kombucha is typically made with black tea (high in flavonoids) to promote immune support and fat loss. Glucaric acid is actually created during the process of fermentation. Good of your body's ph balance and joint health as it contains glucosamines and hyaluronic acid Supports mental health due to its content of B-vitamins (pyridoxine (B6), riboflavin (B2) , folate (B9), thiamine (B1), cobalamin (B12)) Fights bad bacteria as the live cultures in Kombucha can destroy bad bacteria that are responsible for infections in your body Supports the management of diabetes, liver and kidneys if you are consuming low-sugar varieties. How to make Kombucha at home? It's very easy to make it. On the photo I have a 3l jar, which typically lasts for me over a month. What you need: A glass jar A piece of cloth or coffee filter Rubber band 1 SCOBY disk- best source if you don't know if any of your friends have it, is to ask from your yoga teacher. It is possible to divide the SCOBY into smaller parts as it is layered and it produces baby SCOBY'S. But make sure it is given to you in a kombucha liquid as SCOBY requires it for fermentation (same as you make kefir over and over again, using a little bit from the previous batch to start the new kefir process again) 3l of filtered or distilled water 1/3 or 1/2 a cup of of organic raw cane sugar or raw honey 1 1/2 tsp of black tea (people do make it from green tea as well, but it's a matter of preference. I like it more with black tea than with green tea). 1 cup of pre-made kombucha Directions: Bring water to boil and add sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the water Then add the black tea in a tea diffuser (make sure you use something you can close so the tea leaves don't leak into the liquid. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Remove the tea diffuser Let the liquid cool down to room temperature. Pour it into the jar Add the pre-made kombucha to the liquid Drop in thee SCOBY Cover it with a cloth or coffee filter and use a rubber band to close it. It's important that the air can pass through, therefore, don't use any thick cloth. Allow the final liquid to sit for 7-10 days in a warmer dark place. Depending whether you want more or less acid, you can start to consume it after 3-4 days or wait longer as then Kombucha becomes more acidy and develops also more taste. How much should you be drinking Kombucha to see the health benefits? Kombucha is fantastic for health if you consume it in moderation. Drinking it regularly is a great way of supporting your immune system on top of other things you do to keep your health strong. You don't need a lot to reap the benefits of Kombucha. If you haven't tried it before, I would start with couple of tablespoons every other day. I would not drink it more than half a glass a day and leave couple of days in between. It's best if you incorporate it as one of your sources of probiotics and opt for variety you get from different foods and drinks. Side Effects There are some kombucha precautions that you may want to consider. Be sure to use sterile equipment when making Kombucha at home and opt for high quality ingredients. Some people do experience allergic reactions, bloating, nausea when drinking Kombucha. Because Kombucha can be highly acidic, people with stomach ulcers, heartburn or generally sensitive to acidic foods should be cautious when consuming it. People who are histamine intolerant should be mindful when drinking Kombucha, as it is fermented and fermented foods in general are increasing the histamine release in the body. If you are suffering from candida overgrowth or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, it is better to avoid drinking Kombucha as the Kombucha does contain several strains of yeast. While some yeast are good for the body, others are not. And you don't know what yeast a particular Kombucha you are planning to drink contains. Note: If you are buying Kombucha from a store, do check the sugar content in the nutrition facts. Remember 4g is 1tsp of sugar.

My son turned 13 today and one of his birthday wishes was to get blueberry muffins for breakfast. And since it's sometimes a struggle to get kids to eat the same food us as parents, I decided to create two versions of it- a healthy version and more child-friendly version. It took in total 45 minutes to bake the muffins. Almost all the muffins were eaten and since my sister asked if I can share a recipe, I thought I will share in the blog. You never know when any of you need an idea what to bake for your child's birthday or for any other occasion. Interestingly, children who ate also the healthier version of the muffin said it was very tasty. Blueberry muffins with wholewheat flour Makes 12 Ingredients 1 3/4 cups of wholewheat flour 1/2 tsp of baking soda 1 tsp if baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (I use Ceylon) 1/3 cups of coconut oil 1/2 cup of raw honey or maple syrup or palm sugar 2 room temperature eggs 1 cup of plain Greek yoghurt 2 tsp of vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups of blueberries 1 tbsp of raw cane sugar for sprinkling on top Instructions Preheat the oven to 215C (400F). In one bowl whisk together first all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon). In another bowl mix first together melted coconut oil and honey (or if you use maple syrup or palm sugar). Then beat in eggs and finally add Greek yoghurt and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Before you add blueberries into the mixture, put 1tsp of flour and mix into blueberries in a separate bowl. Very gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Grease the muffin tray and put the paper muffin liners into the tray. Then scoop the batter into the liners. Sprinkle the top of the muffins with raw cane sugar. Put in the oven and bake for 19 minutes until the muffins are golden brown. Cool them slightly before eating. You can also freeze the muffins. Blueberry muffins with almond flour and cassava flour Makes 12 Ingredients 1 cup of almond flour 1 cup of cassava flour 1/2 tsp of baking soda 1 tsp if baking powder 1tsp of fine sea salt 1tsp of cinnamon 2 tsp of cacao nibs 2 tsp of vanilla extract 4 tbsp of honey or maple syrup or palm sugar 1 cup of coconut milk (full-fat) 4 tbsp melted coconut oil 2 room temperature eggs 1 1/2 cups of blue berries Instructions Preheat the oven to 215C (400F). In one bigger bowl whisk first together all the dry ingredients (almond flour, cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon). In another smaller bowl mix first together melted coconut oil and honey (or if you use maple syrup or palm sugar). Then beat in eggs and finally add coconut milk and vanilla extract. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix in the cacao nibs. Before you add blueberries into the mixture, put 1tsp of almond flour and mix into blueberries in a separate bowl. Fold the blueberries very gently into the batter. Grease the muffin tray and put the paper muffin liners into the muffin tray. Then scoop the batter into the muffin liners. Put muffins in the oven and bake for 19 minutes until they are golden brown. Cool them slightly before serving. Enjoy!