Drinking water and keeping hydrated is important for so many reason,  however at this time of year you might be looking for some more interesting and healthy non alcoholic option for your family rather than just plain water.  So here are some suggestions you might like to try that will keep you hydrated between or instead of alcoholic drink that have additional health benefits without excessive  sugar or artificial sweeteners.

​Mocktails are great options for Christmas Day or New Year's Eve, they look amazing are fun and nutritious.  Barkers NZ fruit syrups and Kapiti Kitchen are great brands to use as your base for your mocktails, with  25% less, low and sugar free options.    I also like using St Andrews fresh lime juice or lime cordial see the links below.  They are all available in your local supermarkets.

http://www.barkers.co.nz/shop/fruit-syrups/
http://kapitikitchen.co.nz
http://www.limes.co.nz

Including the following juices into your mocktails or on their own, mixed with sparkling or still water, will give you additional health benefits while you are drink them.  They are all high in antioxidants and have specific health benefits that are well known and researched. 

Elderberry -   This fruit has antiviral benefits  great for fighting off colds and flus, and shortening the duration of influenza.  It can also be used for inflammation and chronic fatigue.

Blackcurrant - Is known for its high levels of antioxidant that help prevent diseases such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis.  It contains high levels of vitamin C and anthocyanin which helps protect the eyes and improve your circulation.   It is also good for asthmatics by helping to reduce lung inflammation.

Pomegranate - Is a natural anti-inflammatory, helps regulate blood pressure and thought to lower high blood pressure,  it also helps reduce hunger if eaten as a whole fruit due to its high fibre content. 

Watermelon - Is made up of 92%, water, and contains vitamin A and choline which with this combination are great for treating skin conditions.  Due to its high water content its also good for treating constipation.

Helpful tips to consider when you are making your own healthy mocktails 

Prepare them with fresh fruit or real fruit juice not fruit drink.  Look for options in your supermarket with no added sugar and use reduced sugar fruit syrups such as the ones recommended above.
Pick fruits high in antioxidant for additional health benefits
Use fresh herbs or zests to add flavour
Use, chilled water or sparkling water, as mixers instead of soft drink. 

Another option is Infusing waters with fresh or frozen berries, pineapple, fresh wathermelon, or citrus fruits or slices of cucumber or herbs.  A large jug of infused water looks beautiful on your dinner table.    You can also take infused water with you while at the beach, going for picnics or out walking or biking to keep hydrated in the sun.

Using an infusion drink bottles is a great idea to encourage your kids or yourself to drink water over the summer.  You can add the fruits, herbs etc to a seperate part of the drink bottle so it not messy and flavours the water.

Here is some combination options to try
Slices of cucumber , lemon and crushed mint leaves  (detoxing for the body)
Chunks of frozen or fresh pineapple , with slices of orange and strawberries (alkalising for the body)
Frozen  or fresh raspberries and  pineapple with crushed sage leaves
Chunks of watermelon with mint (calming on the stomach)
Sliced strawberries, sliced lemon and crushed basil leaves

Vitamin water recipe
1 cucumber sliced
1/2 grapefruit sliced
1 lemon sliced
1 lime sliced
12 mint leaves
2 cups of dices watermelon
Add sparkling water and lots of ice to a large glass jug.

Another option is drinking cold fruit teas which can also be put into your infusion or any water bottle, or made up into a large jug.  Red seal have a selection of great fruit teas which are sugar free.  Great to take on your tramping trip or camping to flavour your water if it has to be boiled or, keep teabags in the cupboard at home or at the bach and keep a jug of ice tea in the fridge.  You can add sliced fruits, herbs, etc to the iced tea.

Fruit teas are available at your supermarkets in the tea section.  Some of our favourite flavours from Red Seal are, blueberry and blackcurrant, lemon and lime, raspberry and strawberry, apple and elderberry, Strawberry and rhubarb or Blood orange.

Along with your Christmas and picnic  salads you can also eat your water by consuming lots of fresh salads and fruits.   Here is a list of fruits and vegetables that all contain over 90% water. 

Watermelon, peaches, pears, blueberries, grapefruit, strawberries, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mung beans, iceberg lettuce, peppers, spinach.

Keep hydrated and enjoy your summer holidays!



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​Add an elderberry latte to your day for something different.  Perfect to protect you against any virus.

Immune Boosting Elderberry Latte

1 cup almond milk
1tsp ground ginger
1Tsp Barkers Elderberry Syrup
Pinch of cinnamon

Heat milk in a pot add the ginger and syrup.  Pour into cup and top with cinnamon.

Serves 1


Elderberry is a remarkable little berry that has antiviral properties. It has been proven to be able to reduce the duration of cold, flu and many viruses.  

If you are already unwell with a virus it would be more benificial to use a theurapeutic strength elderberry syrup which I can provide for you if necessary. The syrup can also include echinacea and zinc two other important immune boosters.

I have used elderberry for years with amazing results.  For use in the recipe above as a maintenance dose, Barkers elderberry syrup can be used.  It is sold in most supermarkets and made in NZ.

And finally another little super hero turmeric.  

Anti-inflammatory Turmeric Latte 

2 Cups of Almond Milk
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ginger powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp raw honey or maple syrup

Blend all ingredients in a blender.  Heat in a saucepan for 3 minutes or until hot but not boiling.

Enjoy.  Serves 2



Turmeric Late spice mix (make up in bulk)

1/2 cup tumeric powder
1/4 cup cinnamon powder
2tsps ground black pepper
2 tsps ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

Mix all ingrediants together.

Heat 1 cup of Almond milk and add 1 tsp of spice mix for 
1 serve.  Add raw honey or maple syrup to sweeten.


Including a turmeric latte into your day will help your liver to detox effectively.  Turmeric is also anti-inflammatory and can help ease any aches, pain or inflammation.   The added benifits of cinnamon, ginger, ground black pepper and cayenne all help to increase circulation and  enhance the absorbtion of the active ingrediant curcumin found in turmeric.

Wishing you health & happiness


Deanna
Ph 0274773025
info@wellnesscoach.co.nz

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Without judgement take a moment to think about where  your stress levels are  at today? 
What thoughts have been going through your head?  Are they positive or negative?   How are you feeling in your body?   Where are your emotions at?

Taking time to check in with yourself and practicing  mindfulness is a great ritual to help you manage your stress levels.    Being mindful doesn't eliminate stress or try to fix it, instead it will enable you to be aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations that keep stress going.  When you are aware you can think of and be open to possibilities and action that may help you to change your situation.

If you are experiencing high levels of stress, in your mind you may have negative self talk, or anxious thoughts, and be unable to concentrate.  You  might feel like you want to withdraw from others, want to over eat or drink or  crave stimulants like coffee, sugar, alcohol or cigarettes.  Your body might be feeling tired from not sleeping well.  You may feel aches and pains,  feel bloated, or be experiencing poor digestion.  Your heart may be beating rapidly.  Emotionally you may be feeling overwhelmed, irritable,  lonely or sad. 

If you are experiencing wellness you may in your mind have positive self talk, be feeling calm and focused.  You are enjoy the company of your friends and family or enjoying your work.  You feel comfortable saying no and setting boundaries in order to take care of yourself. You will be nourishing your body with the right food for you and you would of  slept well and  woken today feeling energized.  Your body will feel rested and  you can move freely without pain.  You will feel happy and  able to cope and ride the waves throughout your day.   You will feel excited or looking forward to something in your day. 

Where ever you are in this moment,  take the time to become aware and acknowledge how well you are doing and acknowledge any  feelings associated with stress.   What do you need to do in this moment to encourage your health and wellness?

Here are some suggestions of ways  you can reset yourself from this moment  if you are feeling stressed.

Prioritize what is important today
Say no to someone, or avoid a situations that may stress you further
Move your body, exercise, or stretch to get rid of tension
Breath mindfully for 10-15 breaths
Sleep if you can, or plan to go to bed early tonight
Nourish yourself with food or water
Call a friend or ask for support
Be kind to yourself

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn



 

 It's your day!   No cooking, cleaning, running the kids around or organising stuff.  A day designed for you to take a break, sleep in and  put your feet up.  

This day was created just for you,  to take a break and to be shown gratitude and appreciation for all that you do as a Mother.  

What better gift could you be given this Mother's Day, than time out to relax,  and take care of your mind, body and spirit.  I hope you have been given this opportunity.  

We have  Anna Jarvis to thank for making Mother's day possible.  Anna, lived in the early 19 th century in West Virginia US.  She was the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, who was responsible for setting up woman working groups after the civil war in the US.   Anna was truely a daughter who valued all that her Mother did, not only for her, but the wider community.

Anna's inspiration to campaign for a Mother's Day holiday came about at the age of 12, when she  overheard her mother  praying, that one day there would be a holiday to celebrate all Mothers and would allow them a break from their duties.    Her Mother died on the 2nd Sunday in May 1905.   Anna celebrated and remember her Mother on this day each year by wearing a white carnation which was her Mother's favourite flower.

In 1910  a bill was passed  in West Virginia after many years of Anna campaigning and Mother's Day was established.  It  was celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May the day of Anna's Mothers death.   The day was spent in church and  young children would write heart felt letters to their Mother showing their  gratitude for all that they do.  White carnations where worn to remember those Mothers that had past, or red or pink carnation for Mothers still living.

However, ironically Anna spent the last years of her life and her entire family inheritance fighting against the commercialisation of Mother's Day and was even arrested on Mother's day in 1930 for protesting to abolish the holiday altogether.  Anna became so outraged at the fact that the florists and greeting card companies where making large sums of money from this holiday.  

Happy Mothers Day to all you amazing Mums and a big THANK YOU to Anna Jarvis for her hard work in creating this day for us.  

​I hope you got a well deserved break today!




  

You want to cook healthier meals right?  Sometimes it can just seem impossible.  When the pressure is on the last thing you may feel like is spending time in the kitchen when you get home.  But home cooking needn't mean spending hours slaving away in the kitchen.  15-20 minutes prep time the night before or in the morning, before you leave for work, is all you need to prepare a tasty, healthy nutrient dense meal that can simmer away while you are getting on with your  day.

Slow cookers or crockpots, can be a great way to deliver flavour packed nutrient dense healthy meals for the whole family.  Because they cook so slowly there is no danger that the food will boil, spill or burn on the bottom while you are out.  It's the perfect way to get an amazing wholesome meal on the table without all the stress.

You can be inspired by all types of different cuisines from around the world that can be prepared in your crockpot.  Spices, herbs, pastes, stocks can all be used to add flavour without extra calories.  Vegetarian or meat soups, casseroles, pies, curries, lasagna, burritos, roast meat, even breakfast porridge can all be prepared in the crockpot.

Once or twice a week I will use my crockpot often to prepare a curry or soup which can accomodate us all if we are home at different times.   I also freeze left over curries to use for pie filling for another quick meal options.  In the weekends I like to have a pot of minestrone soup available for lunch after the kids morning  sports.  I find the crockpot saves me so much time and effort.  All you need is some good recipes, which there is no shortage of, and a little pre-planning so you have the ingredient available.

Here are some online links to some delicious recipes for you to consider.

Vegan / Vegetarian

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22294/slowcooker-sunday-16-plantbased-recipes.html

Vegetarian 

http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/tag-4340/slow-cooker-vegetarian-recipes.aspx

http://www.vegetarians.co.nz/articles/vegetarian-slow-cooker-recipes/

Meat & Vegetarian 

https://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipe-Categories/Slow-Cooker-Recipes

http://www.foodtolove.co.nz/recipes/collections/top-10-slow-cooker-recipes

https://www.countdown.co.nz/recipes/487/slow-cooked-country-chicken?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy5GMgeCr2gIVgyQrCh13cAWLEAMYASAAEgJxS_D_BwE


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 Do you currently have a healthy eating plan in place in your family?  Are you teaching your kids healthy eating habits and why its important to make healthy food choices?  Have  you thought about what family routines  and values you  are creating around eating?   

Creating habits and routines that encourage  healthy eating in your family will teach your children how to make healthy choices.   Learning to make healthy choices for themselves  is an important life skill.  It’s the small habits that you create around food in your family today that will contribute to long lasting life skills in your children and help them become healthy adults. 

We are living in a society full of unhealthy, overweight adults with epidemics of diabetes, heart disease and stress related illness such as anxiety and depression.  Most cases of these diseases are lifestyle and diet related.  

You might like the idea of meal planning and getting  the kids involved in helping prepare  or cook meals  but how do you make it happen in your busy schedule?  I often talk with Mum’s who are bored with cooking the same things each week or think that they have to have new and exciting recipes all the time to get the kids interested in eating healthy foods.  Its funny really because a lot of kids kind of like the same stuff all the time and they like to know what they are having in advance .    

There was a period of time in our family when our son was an incredibly fussy eater.  Meal times were    stressful.  Over a course of 6 months we overcame this problem by putting together  an action plan that he was in control of.  This may seem like a long time but in the scale of things, it's not at all.  Was it easy? Not really!  Did we have set back? Yip!  Was it important for his long term health? Absolutely!   Are meal times more enjoyable and less stressful now because we persevered? Yes!  

Our goal was we wanted him to choose  to make healthy choices and understand why it was important.  He is now a fantastic eater and knows how to make healthy choices.  There are still some foods he won’t touch but he has a well balanced healthy diet which includes his own home made baking treats he bakes for us once a week.  At age 11 he  has become a master baker which I encourage and I believe it is a balanced way of approaching eating and is teaching him many  other skills.  Lemon drizzle cake is his signature dish.

I also have a daughter, who decided at the age of 5 that she was  turning vegetarian. It was partially my fault as I started talking to her about where her food came from.  I thought this was the right thing to do.  She was happy about honey coming from bees and apples growing on trees but when she found out her chicken leg was once a chicken  she was horrified.    She physically couldn’t cope with the idea of eating a chicken or a lamb and would vomit if she was forced to eat it. 

We had to adapt to overcome this, as she was very determined.   Luckily she had a mother who was prepared to cook vegetarian meals and who had the knowledge to teach her how to eat healthy as a vegetarian.  At 14 she is an active, athletic, healthy vegetarian who has stuck to her morals and never faulted.   She cooks regularly  and knows how to get the necessary nutrients from her diet to be at her best.   Our daughter has learnt that people have different ethical, religious and cultural values around eating food and in particular meat.  Although she would like everybody to become vegetarian she realises  people have different views from her own, but she also doesn't have to compromise her values to please others. 

I remember I also use to struggle with our kids having friends over for dinner or afternoon tea and not knowing what to feed them because their friends didn't want what was on offer.   I would often revert to giving treats that I knew everyone would eat to keep them happy and then I realised, I was sending the wrong message and going against all my values around encouraging healthy eating.    Kids are so over exposed to treat foods and I didn't want to be contributing to the problem.  So now  I only offer healthy options that are commonly liked and I let the kids choose if they want to eat or not.  It was important to me to be consistent with my message around eating for my children.    However there are occasions when we just indulge in takeaways, like birthdays,  holidays or family get togethers.   It's a treat, and for our family thats something we enjoy but don't miss it in-between and also realise we don't feel that great afterwards.  


Do you Know what obstacles or challenges you would like to overcome around healthy eating in your family?  What has and hasn’t worked for you in the past?   What knowledge do you need for your family situation to move forward?   Your values and routines around food may be different to mine and you may be facing similar or different obstacles than the ones I have mentioned.    However, regardless of the challenge  you are facing in your family,  creating a plan and knowing how to implement that plan is what will get you the results you are looking for in teaching your children the life skill of healthy eating.

If you know that you will succeed, where would you start today?







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                                  Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.
                                          Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
                                                                   Alan Cohen

Summer holidays are a great time for making New Years resolutions as you relax on the beach with plenty of time to enjoy your friends and family.  However,  often you can get back into work and slip into your old patterns of constantly being  busy and rushed.  Slowly the idea of change seems all to hard in the reality of  real life. 

So here is a little New Years challenge to check in on your mental and physcial wellbeing and make a consious note of how well you are tracking.

Try to become aware of what thoughts are holding you back and what action you need to take to get yourself back on track.  Starting in one area that you want to work on and making an easy first step is a great way to get started.  Small daily steps can help you create the long term outcomes you are looking for.  

Focusing on an outcome rather than  a goal can help you to get motivate and keep you on track.    What behaviour do you need to change to get the outcome you are looking for?  
 
Take a moment to consider the following checklist.  

• Am I sleeping  well most of the time and waking up feeling refreshed?  If not, what is keeping me awake?   What is the first step I can take today to resolve my sleeping issue?
• How am I tracking with my healthy eating?  What is one thing I can do today to nourish myself with nutrition?
• How long have I been sitting?  Am I moving regularly throughout my day?   What exercise can I do today that will suit my circumstances and my energy levels?
• Am I over scheduling myself and creating busyness? What are my priorities and what can I let go of today?
• Am I scheduling in time for myself and enjoying the thing I love to do?  What small thing can I do for myself  that I will enjoy?
• Am I actively relaxing at some point in my day?  What can I do to relax?
• Am I feeling supported?   Who can I ask for help?
• Are my thoughts postive or negative toward myself and others?  What and who am I grateful for today?  What is going well for me?

Sleep, nutrition and exercise  all contribute to your mental wellbeing and help support you to be at your best.  If you aren't sleeping well this can often be a catalysis for poor eating habits and lack of motivation to exercise,  which can lead to  poor mental wellbeing,    The irony is that good nutriiton and exercise will both help you to relax, unwind and sleep.  They will also help support and  improve your mental health.  Your thoughts and your self talk can create a mindset that can either de-motivate or motivate you to get the outcomes you are looking for.

Challenge yourself to take some action that feels right,  is in tune with your current energy levels and is working toward the outcomes you are looking for.  There is no right or wrong place to start.  


Wishing you Health & Happiness