Chia Seeds

Over the past few years there has been an increased interest in chia seeds (amongst other seeds). Someone asked me the other day about what they are and what they do. I realised I didn't really know the ins and outs of these little guys very well either so after a bit of research this is what I have come up with.

They are small black or white oval seeds. They can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. Some examples of what they can be added to are salads, smoothies, sandwiches, ground up and used to thicken soups just to list a few. 

What are the benefits?

•  They are rich in essential fatty acids which are beneficial for cardiovascular and neural health.
• Chia seeds can help regulate blood sugar levels. This is done by the seeds absorbing liquid in the stomach to form a gel. This gel slows the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. The regulating properties of chia seeds is particularly good for diabetics. 
• The ability for the chia seeds to form a gel in the stomach also makes you feel full faster. This is the result of the soluble fibre and is an added bonus for anyone trying to lose weight.
• The soluble fibre found in chia seeds also helps with digestion.
• Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids can be found in chia seeds. They are important for your heart and absorption of other vitamins.
• The seeds contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which all help to keep your skin, hair and nails healthy.
• Chia seeds are very absorbent and when mixed with water can make a gel to be used as a healthy substitute for certain oils.
• They help you to stay hydrated and to retain electrolytes for longer because they absorb and hold on to liquid in the stomach.

In my opinion introducing chia seeds to your diet would be beneficial for your body. It is important to remember that chia seeds are not a cure for illness or a body transformation miracle worker, incorporating chia seeds into your dishes is simply a step you can take to improving your health.

After my research I am excited to give them a go.

Have you tried chia seeds before? Are you now convinced to try them? What is your favourite way to use chia seeds?

Carbohydrates Are Not The Enemy

I feel like over the last few weeks I have been spending my time reading blogs and neglecting my own blog so here is a little nutrition bite to set me back on track.

Eliminating Carbohydrates from the diet has been a trend in fad diets for years. The misconception when it comes to weight loss and carbohydrates is that they are all bad and will make you gain weight. The truth of the matter is that you need carbohydrates to live. The only food your brain can live off is blood glucose which you get from carbohydrates. Many people don’t realise carbohydrates aren't just in bread and sugary products but they can also be found in fruit and most vegetables.

Grains and carbohydrates provide a vital source of energy that is easily accessible to the body. This makes them effective for fuelling physical activity. Carbohydrates from grains also provide vital nutrients such as vitamins and fibre.

I think when it comes to the grains food group it is all about making smart choices.

-Choose Healthy forms of Carbohydrates. If there is a multigrain option available choose that over the processed white bread or pasta. Wholemeal is the next best alternative. The more refined the flour is (white flour is most refined) the more nutrients are lost. High fibre cereals are also smart choices because they fill you up for longer. Cakes, donuts, and pastries do not fit in the carbohydrate category they are often high in sugar and saturated fat.

-Be aware of portion size. The Australian Dietary Guidelines say that men between the age of 19-70 years should be having 6 serves of grains per day, for females between 19-50 years 6 serves, and for females 51-70 years 4 serves. An example of a serve of grains is 1 slice of bread, 1/2 a medium roll or flat bread, 1/2 cup of rice, pasta or noodles. If you compare these serving sizes of the food you prepare at home or buy at a restaurant it will give you an idea of if you are over consuming carbohydrates.

-Don't be afraid to try something new. There are many different types of grains to choose from. As the saying goes variety is the spice of life. Some you might like to try could be quinoa, buckwheat or barley. 

-Timing of carbohydrate rich meals. Meals that have lots of carbohydrates are best eaten at the time of day where you are most active. For example before or after physical activity or at meals during the day. If carbohydrates are not used as energy they will eventually be stored as fat.

Reducing sugar can be beneficial but it is a different thing to cutting out carbohydrates completely.

When it comes to making food choices I like to use the theory everything in moderation.

Big Things Update

Graduation!

 

Last week I graduated from Uni! Although in the days before I wasn't really all that excited, when graduation day rolled around I was very happy to finally have the degree I worked so hard for in my hand.

 

I wasn't very organised when it came to putting together my outfit. I went shopping a few weeks before with my mum and sister for fashion advice. I chose this white Dress from Zara. It has a high neckline and a large cut out on the back from the waist up to the top of the back where it connected with 3 buttons. This was not originally the style of dress I was looking for. I wanted a skater style dress. Once I tried this one on I was comfortable, liked the dress and the price impressed me as well coming in at about $90. The white looked good against the black of the gown and the colour didn't clash with the red hood. I borrowed a pair of nude coloured peep toe heels and a gold necklace from Caitlin (who is particularly good at saving the day). To complete the outfit I wore an engraved gold bracelet Ryne gave me for Christmas last year and a rose gold bangle with little crystals in it from Ryne's parents which was a gift for graduating.

(Not the best quality photo sorry it was taken on a phone)

 

It was an early start arriving at Parliament House at 9am, and all over by lunch time. It was nice to have My family and Ryne's parents there to celebrate. I had a nice lunch with my family and a glass of champagne to make the occasion.

 

I've booked my tickets to the USA!

Yesterday I booked my flights to America! I am really excited to be going to visit Ryne and hopefully do a bit of travelling. I will be gone for about 2 and a bit months and as much as I am really looking forward to being in the USA I also am going to miss my family and friends. I will be posting about what I get up to on my travels.

Ryne's team is doing really well and is still undefeated in the 6 games they have played so far. 

Keep your eyes peeled for another nutrition related post coming soon.

How To Save 20 Minutes When Getting Ready

As a child I was an early riser. I had no problem getting up early. These days every extra second that I can sleep in makes me happy. So you can imagine anything I can do to reduce the amount of time it takes me to get ready is a good thing. One thing that takes up a chunk of my morning is washing and drying my hair. This is where dry shampoo comes in.

How does it work? Spray it into the roots of your dry hair and the powder soaks up any excess oil. Massage it through. Then brush out any of the powder that is left in your hair and style it as you wish. By doing this I can get away with washing my hair every second day.

Dry shampoo freshens up your hair and gives it an extra boost of volume without having to wash it. I even use this product after letting my hair air dry completely to give it some extra volume. Other benefits of dry shampoo include less damage to your hair from heat styling and not stripping too many natural oils from the hair.

I use the dry shampoo by Batiste. I especially like the one that is for medium and brunette hair because the powder has a brown tint to it making it easier to blend into the hair. It also has a delicious vanilla scent. 

The price varies depending what size and where you are buying it from but generally the biggest size (400mL) is less than $18. Honestly I can’t say exactly how long a can lasts me because I can never remember how long it has been between repurchasing.

Have you tried dry shampoo? Do you have any tricks to save time in the morning?

Where have I been for the last month?

I have been missing in action for the last month and this is where ‘big things’ in the title of my blog comes into play.

Less than a year ago Ryne (my boyfriend) was offered the opportunity to move to America to play Rugby Union and work. Of course he accepted the offer because it is an amazing opportunity for him to further his Rugby career as well as a once in a lifetime experience. He has some big dreams for his time over there and I believe that he can achieve whatever he puts his mind too. Ryne left to begin his adventure last week. Long story short I have been spending as much time with him as possible over the last month and being a bit sad that he was leaving didn’t really feel like writing any posts.

I have known about this plan for about 9 or 10 months so let me run you through my rollercoaster of emotions. When I first found out about this plan I had a moment of shock. I had been with Ryne for a couple of months and I was already head over heels for him. The shock only lasted for a second while my brain caught up. Then it was pure excitement for him to be given this opportunity. He had my 100% support from the beginning. As the months went on every time Ryne moving to America came up in conversation I would just feel so proud of him and all he has done to get to this point. I had a few moments where I was sad because I knew that I was really going to miss having him around all the time but I also knew that what we have can’t be changed by distance. The few days after Ryne left I was a bit of an emotional wreck, not because I was worried about anything I just really missed having him by my side. I am still missing him after a week but I’m also doing much better because we are able to talk regularly.

I am hoping to go and live with Ryne as soon as I can save enough money and navigate my way through the many visas available.

So that is an update of what has been happening of late. I hope you have all had a good month.

Bridget x

Have any of you had a long distance relationship?

Lessons I have learnt in life

Recently I have been trying to appreciate the little things in life. Today I am writing this post remind myself of things I have learnt and maybe even inspire others to do the same. We learn best from our mistakes.

Lesson number 1:
When something is written down the tone in which you wrote it can be lost.

This is something I learnt back in primary school. I remember my group of friends wrote a letter to our teacher saying we didn’t like the way that he favoured other students in the class (It didn’t turn out well. Not my proudest primary school moment). Moral of the story if you have something important to tell someone try and do it in person or over the phone (gasp! Actually talking to someone rather than texting them!). When you are actually speaking to a person there is opportunity to listen and also to explain what your view.

Lesson number 2:
Sometimes it is better to relax and go with the flow.

I must admit up until this year I was terrible with just being patient and seeing how things turned out. I always planned things way in advance not leaving anything to chance. It would always make me slightly uncomfortable when someone says ‘let’s just meet up at … and see what we feel like doing’ because how am I supposed to know if I should bring my swimmers or my running shoes? I think this is why I have such a big and heavy handbag, I’m prepared for everything. When I was younger and stressing about something (usually dance) mum would recite a verse from Desiderata a poem by Max Ehrmann:

‘You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.’

I found the last line of this poem comforting. Over the last year the relaxed approach to life of my friends and boyfriend has rubbed off on me. Something just clicked in my brain that not everything had to be planned. Surprisingly my favourite memories from this year have been the ones where there were no plans.

Lesson number 3:
Assignments or projects of any kind should not be left to the last minute.

I learnt this lesson many, many years ago but after 13 years at school and 3.5 years at uni I am still not able to get things done in advance (for example writing this post rather than the nutrition presentation I am giving on Sunday). I tell myself it is just because I need the pressure of the deadline being a day or an hour away to do my best work.

Lesson number 4:
Attitude is everything.

I find when I start my day with a positive attitude I am more likely to have a good day. If I have a determined attitude before going out for a run I will push myself to run that little bit harder. Changing your attitude is easier said than down but it is worth the effort.

I hope you have had a great day,
Bridget x

How To Fix Moisture Craving, Sensitive Skin

This year the winter weather has dried out my skin like never before. It got to the point where I had a very unattractive red dry patch on my cheek. I have very sensitive skin. Anything with a nice scent or colour will make my skin burn. I was previously using a face moisturiser by the brand simple. It didn’t irritate my skin but it also didn’t seem to be helping it.

Last Monday I paid a quick visit to Lush. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this incredible store they sell fresh handmade cosmetics. I love their bath and shower products but had never really tried their face products (other than a Cupcake Face Mask. Yum!). I asked the shop attendant for advice on which products would be most moisturising and soothing. We eventually settled on two products a face moisturiser, Celestial and a Fresh Face Mask, Oatifix.

Celestial is made specifically for sensitive skin. It acts as a barrier cream so that moisture can’t escape from the skin. It is also supposed to have a calming effect. The scent is light, clean and reminds me a bit of milk. It is more on the thick side compared to some other moisturisers but it doesn’t feel heavy on your face. I have been using this moisturiser morning and evening. It comes in a 45g container. I find I only need a tiny bit to cover my whole face. In Australia it will cost you $27.95. The ingredients: Vanilla Water, Almond Oil, Almond Milk, Glycerine, Cocoa Butter, Fresh Singapore Orchid Extracts, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Oatifix is said to ‘cleanse, soften and moisturise dry sensitive skin’ exactly what I needed. I have used this three times so far and I am really enjoying it. The only thing I am not a fan of is the chunky texture which makes it hard to spread evenly and can be a bit messy. It smells like banana and cinnamon porridge. When on the skin it feels relaxing and calming. I leave it on my face for the full 10 minutes because I need all the moisture I can get. The Fresh Face Masks have to be kept in the fridge because they have a short shelf life of about 3 weeks due to the fresh ingredients used. The shop assistant suggested that it is best to use this face mask 3 times a week.  It comes in a 75g tub and costs $16.95. The ingredients: Glycerine, Fine Oatmeal, Fresh Organic Bananas, Water, Ground Almonds, Illipe Butter, Kaolin, Talc, Vanilla Pod, Vanilla Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Coumarin, Benzyl Cinnamate, Linalool, Perfume, Gardenia Extract.

Within 2 days of using these products my skin was already looking fresh and moisturised. There were no dry patches in sight. I love Lush products and would recommend them to anyone. The staff have always been very helpful and knowledgeable.

What are your favourite Lush products?