Friday Food Favourites and YBBF Challenge

I'm loving smoothies. I tend to make my own and most recently I've been combining a handful of blueberries, a few slices of beetroot, a small handful of kale and an apple. It's an excellent mid morning snack. If I need to go anywhere and want to take my smoothie with me, I have been putting it in a protein shaker bottle, so I can shake it up before drinking it. It's worked wonders! 

I know that Jen has mentioned Ruby's of London before and they so deserved to be mentioned. They made the most amazing red velvet cake for my birthday and coming home to a slice has made the working week very bearable! Especially when it's vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened and seriously yummy.

I have also found an amazing farm shop that is a healthy food haven. I picked up Doves Farm Agave Nectar Flapjacks, which gives a sugar fix without actually eating sugar. Hurrah! 

THE YBBF CHALLENGE

All over Instagram, Pinterest and online, I keep seeing the turquoise eyeliner trend. I really like it but when I've tried it, it hasn't looked quite as I wanted it to. Below is an example – the water line is lined with a blue liner but it doesn't make the eyes pop.

So, my challenge to Jen is to find a wearable turquoise eyeliner look that is striking but not too much. 

Sugar Free Chocolates on the High Street.

The thing with going sugar-free, gluten-free or dairy-free, is that if you're out and about and haven't packed your own snacks, buying convenient food is a little tricky. Don't get me wrong, most places, even smaller stores are getting so much better about providing alternative snacks, but finding something can take time – especially if you don't just want a piece of fruit and would prefer to indulge! However, knowing where to buy things from, makes it all a bit easier so, with that in mind, I went searching for yummy options.

Hotel Chocolat

A Diabetic Gift Box for £25, which includes: Gianduja Bombes, Supermilk Puddles, dark chocolate Brazil Nuts, Cocoa & Peppermint Infusions and two Rabot 1745 bars (whatever they might be!)

The Sleekster Even Less Sugar Collection for £22, which includes: Hazelnut & Ginger Crunches, Pistachio Pralines, Gianduja Bombes, Orange Pralines, Milk Chocolate Batons, Milk Canapés, Dark Chocolate Batons, Dizzy Pralines and Chilli Pralines.

The H Box Less Sweet Selection for £12, which includes: Hazelnut & Ginger Crunch, Pistachio Praline, Gianduja Bombe, Orange Praline,  Milk Chocolate Baton, Milk Canapé, Dark Chocolate Baton, Dizzy Praline and Chilli Praline.

www.hotelchocolat.co.uk

Thorntons

Thorntons are great for gluten free chocolate. Nearly every regular bar and special occasion chocolates are gluten free. My mum is really allergic to wheat and certain types of gluten and is always fine with Thortons chocolate. Just double check the ingredients before you buy. 

Chocolate bars start at £2.25

www.thorntons.co.uk

Conscious Chocolate

This chocolate is organic, raw chocolate that is naturally sweetened with agave nectar and is dairy and gluten free. It is vegan approved and most importantly, it tastes so yummy. When I tried it, I thought it would be pretty bland but it is seriously good. So good in fact, I often eat the entire bar in one go. Yes, I am a hog. 

There are various flavours but my favourites are Plain Jane (which is the plain chocolate), Essential Orange (orange flavoured chocolate) and Goji and Coconut (which is great for baking and using with coconut flour based treats).

They are sold at health food shops but personally, I would order them from the website and chuck one in your bag before you leave the house. 

Chocolate bars start at £3.

www.consciouschocolate.com

www.hollandandbarrett.com

Holland and Barrett

What's great about this chain is that they have stores in almost every town, so buying snacks that are suitable for allergies or preferences is fairly easy. They sell sugar free sweets, dairy free chocolates, gluten free biscuits, vegan ice cream and a load of savoury snacks. 

www.hollandandbarrett.com

Supermarkets

Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's are doing a great range of 'free-from' items but what is even better is that Tesco Express is stocking some of those items, so grabbing something that won't send you into a sugar coma or give you the world's worst stomach ache is easier than ever.  

Craving sugar?

It's about this time, halfway through January, that resolutions to eat healthier, be healthier and everything else healthier are starting to dwindle. I mean, it's cold out. We are still waiting for a snow day (aka, a day off) and it's dark and rainy and have I mentioned that it's cold? That whole shamozzle does not help anyone to be 'healthy'. 

However, not trying to do everything at once is probably better. Cutting out anything vaguely fattening and working out three hours a day probably isn't motivating and enough to make anyone want a Dairy Milk.  If you have fallen off the wagon, do not worry. Try it again...slower. You haven't failed. You have worked out what doesn't work for you and realised that you need to alter the way that you do things. Research, if you will. 

There is one main change that I have made. I have cut out sugar from my diet. Salt is in. Bread is in. Pasta and anything else that I fancy is in. I was asked to do this by medical professionals prior to Christmas to help my good bacteria multiply. I did it to help my symptoms and at this point it wasn't to help my appearance. 

However, after a week I felt so much better. My cramp in my legs had gone, sickness had gone, bloating had gone. I was starting to be a convert to this no sugar thing. Of course, I did lose weight, which was a bonus but taking that out of the equation, I had more energy, I didn't feel jet lagged and my skin was so much better. I did not look sallow. The eyes weren't looking tired, nor red (not devil like but blood shot) and my early signs of aging seem subdued. It was a Christmas miracle! 

I have decided to continue to cut sugar out for a while longer. I want to see how my skin and innards will fair in the long term. So, for me, it's not 'Dry January' but 'Sugar Free January'. I intend to re-assess the situation in February. 

With sugar in so much of what we eat (pasta sauces, juices, crisps, dips, salad sides, dressings, ketchup, mayonnaise, mint sauce, prawn cocktail, baked beans to name but a few) label reading is the key to supermarket shopping. To be really hard core, rule out honey, brown sugar, glucose syrup, fructose, corn syrup, maple syrup, golden syrup, lactose and artifical sweeteners. 

I wouldn't have done this unless I had been requested to but I am so glad that I did. It really does make a difference to how I feel and look. My skin has not looked this bright in years and I have managed to stay up longer than 8.30pm, which means that I am no longer a social recluse. Hurrah! 

If you decide to cut sugar out or have done so already, let us know what you think. Also, if you are still craving a sweet treat try following these Instagrammers for great, clean eating recipes: @sammybfit @withpeanutbutterontop @neuroticmommy @fitness_dishes . These are my favourites for yummy snack ideas that won't leave you on a sugar high. 

withpeanutbutterontop.blogspot.com

neuroticmommy.com