Burn Fat for a Good Nights Sleep

Many people who have taken the Tonic H.E.A.L Academy Beat Sugar ecourse have reported that they now sleep much better. It’s common for someone with blood sugar imbalance to have disturbed sleep and wake frequently through the night. Here’s an explanation as to why that might be:

When your body is craving carbs and sugar, you tend to rely on this for energy – which is a very short lived energy supply as they burn really quickly which creates a high, then a low in your energy.

A properly nourished body with stable blood sugar will burn fat at rest – and while you sleep. In fact your ability to sleep through the night depends on this very ability to burn fat as fuel – not carbohydrate. Fat is a very long lasting fuel which can keep you going for at least 8 or 9 hours – which is around how long you should be sleeping for ideally.

If your body is not used to burning fat – only sugars and other quick burning carbs – you will find yourself waking every few hours. This is your body running out of energy to get you through the night. So essentially your body wakes you to look for food.

If you want to try the Beat Sugar ecourse the full details are at www.tonichealacademy.com. It’s really fun and we have a great support group of students over in the Clients Only area. The healing results are great too because training your body to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs will really kick off a great weight loss if you need it.

Amazing Client Update!

Amazing update from one of my lovely ladies! Fitness addict but struggling with weight loss. Outstanding results without dieting. Go girrrrrl!

“3 months totally “Tonic” eating – 17lbs off!! Plus I’m feeling better sleeping better than forever!
Haven’t changed my exercise routine – still doing same as before so it’s totally down to diet and I’m definitely eating more than I was!!”

Losing weight or maintaining weight isn’t about diets, extremes or restrictions – or pills, potions and shakes. Just eat the good stuff and lots of it! I can offer private consultations for lifestyle change or I run an awesome little group called Slinky Minxes which is just £20 to join and you’ll get a whole host of lifestyle change and weight loss options.

Plus, I’m just about to redesign everything into an awesome ecourse so all current members will get an automatic free upgrade to the new sparkly course. https://www.facebook.com/groups/slinkyminxes/ so get in quick! Message me for joining details.

H.E.A.L Thy Self!

Many health conditions are poorly dealt with by the medical profession. Most of my clients come to me after going through the medical system for many years with very little success and being told they just have to live with conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, IBS and food intolerance because there is no cure. Our trust in the system often leads to approach seemingly simple dietary solutions with a little suspicion or mistrust. When in reality most health conditions can be very much cured or alleviated through a change in your diet – which was probably the root cause in the first place.

My aim is to empower you to find a dietary solution to your health issues through either personal consultation or through my range of e-courses.

A Tonic H.E.A.L Academy e-course will allow you to self asses your condition and self heal through a series of professionally designed treatment plans delivered straight to your inbox. You will have access to me at all times and most courses do come with a personal consultation too. You will also have access to my amazing Client’s Only area where you will be supported by other students who are currently going through treatment or have completed various courses. I achieve outstanding results with my treatment methods so why not take a look? Visit www.tonichealacademy.com for a full breakdown of all courses. Plus, you can join my free community hub – Tonic Nutrition Revolutionaries – where a lot of my clients hang out. Go over and ask them for yourself! https://www.facebook.com/groups/tonicrevolutionaries/

Raw Pistachio Balls

Here’s a little treat for you. A great little raw treat. Perfect for kids packed lunches or work snacks. Pistachio Bliss Balls. Gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.

150g soft dates
1 handful trail mix (organic no added sugar)
2 tbsp raw cacao (or you could use organic dark chocolate powder of you dont have cacao)
1 tbsp coconut blossom nectar (By Biona, available from any health food store or you could use maple syrup)
2 tbsp water

Blend everything together well then roll into balls.

Whizz up some pistschios into crumbs and coat the treats. Wet the balls a little if its not sticking. Enjoy the gorgeousness!

Bliss balls are so versatile. What’s your favourite combo? The Mince Pie Truffle ones I did at Xmas were pretty darn good.

The Digestive Enzyme Solution

Food intolerance and IBS are usually super easy to rectify using a food elimination process. Within 2 weeks you’re usually symptom free and ready to start food testing and reintroduction. But, sometimes digestive discomfort can be caused by more than just a reaction to foods – it can be caused when your body doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes to break down your food. Symptoms of this include bloating, floating stool, nausea, indigestion, aches and pains, stomach pains, blood sugar imbalance, belching, feeling full before you’ve finished a meal and constipation.

Enzymes are essential for every cell in your body – in fact all of your physiological processes. They are composed of amino acids and there are around 3000 different ones. But, those are just the enzymes that have been discovered. Some scientists believe that there may be more than 50000 more yet to be identified.

Enzymes are responsible for reducing inflammation, energy production, nutrient absorption, detoxification, breaking down fats and balancing hormones. A deficiency in these enzymes can cause all sorts of discomfort.

According to Dr. Edward Howell you are born with limited enzyme producing capabilities and if you don’t get enough enzymes from the food you eat then a lot of strain is put on your digestive system to produce enough to break down your food. Most digestive and metabolic enzymes are produced by your pancreas.

A typical western diet is made up of processed and cooked foods. This, along with the overuse of medicines and drugs like antibiotics, can lead to a massive imbalance in your ability to breakdown and absorb nutrients from your food, leading to chronic health conditions and deficiencies. Not only this, but your immune system starts in your gut, so any deficiency in the gut can greatly impair your immune defences.

The best way to get enzyme rich foods is to eat them raw. So adding a high raw element to your diet is always advisable. The use of mouth washes and chewing gum can affect the enzyme in saliva, further causing digestive upset.

Some foods contain specific digestive enzymes, these include sprouted seeds and legumes, papaya, pineapple, avocado, coconut and extra virgin olive oil, mango, kiwi and grapes.

A lot of raw fruit and veg is termed as “pre-digested” food, so its very gentle on your digestive system. In fact, most people spend 80% of their energy simply digesting food! The digestive system wasn’t designed to be so over worked which could be why a large portion of the population suffer with low energy levels and fatigue.

The use of supplemented digestive enzymes could be beneficial for those suffering with digestive discomfort and mist be taken with a meal. They are safe but I would always recommend speaking with a qualified professional to asses your symptoms first before taking anything you don’t really need to be taking.

http://www.tonichealacademy.com

Vegan Lemon Crunch Bars

Ermmmm. Let’s just take a moment to bask in the glory of these lemon coconut crunch bars. 😍 heaven. And raw too 👊

These are right up my street. I make all sorts for Mr. Tonic and the boys but I rarely eat any because even without any sugar, I just find things like that too sweet these days.

But these…oohhh THESE 😋

Lemony, crunchy, a little sweet but salty too. I made them into bars and saved some to have as raw granola. You could also use this as raw crumble topping over some fresh raspberries.

150g soft dates (I use Whitworths. Most supermarkets stock them in the baking aisle already bagged)
1 handful walnuts
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 or 3 tsp lemon essence
Pinch sea salt

Blend everything together. Next add:

1 handful organic no added sugar banana chips
2 handfuls trail mix
Half cup coconut oil (or more if needed)

Pulse everything roughly together. Press very firmly into a lined tin and refrigerate for an hour. Turn out and slice up. You could roll them into bliss balls – they may hold together better in balls rather than slices if your mix is quite chunky. Alternatively keep in a jar or tupperware if you want to use it as granola.

You’re welcome! 😘

Sunny Mega Raw Breakfast Pot

Beautiful day for a mega breakfast pot. Banana, raw coconut flakes, mixed berries, more flakes, walnuts and 85% dark chocolate so not 100 % raw but im ok with some artistic license 😂

What’s on the menu for you today? Get involved and let’s talk food!

The Diet/Mental Health Connection

I treat clients through diet for many different health conditions; arthritis, autoimmune, hormone imbalance, skin conditions, food intolerance, IBS, acid reflux etc. But one I see regularly is anxiety and depression. Though changing my clients diet we can get awesome results in curing or managing anxiety, depression and panic attacks. In fact, I have had clients who have been too anxious to even leave the house alone, who are now almost fully recovered or able to manage their symptoms and reduce or eliminate medications. So, I read some latest medical studies with interest as they seen to back up the success I, and I’m sure many other naturopaths, have had with their clients.

(Source: Biological Psychiatry, 2015; 77(7): 607)

The study suggests that a typical Western diet, which is high in saturated fats and sugars, could be responsible for depression and psychiatric disorders. Now, I know this to be true so it’s brilliant that medical studies are proving this too so patients have other options than simply being reliant on prescribed medications.

A diet high in undesirable fats, sugars and processed foods will change the bacteria in your gut (these are known as the gut micro biome). Your gut bacteria are responsible for the health of all your body as a whole – including your brain. Changes in gut bacteria can affect cognitive ability, memory and increase anxiety.

A typical Western diet is also responsible for causing persistent inflammation in the body and, you guessed it, in your brain too. So this not only leads to depression but also to more serious psychiatric disorders too.

Test subjects eating a typical Western diet appeared to show behavioural problems which included anxiety, impaired memory and repetitive actions similar to OCD. They also showed symptoms of inflammation in the body and brain as well as gut permeability – this means that the lining of the gut has been damaged to the point of letting food particles, toxins and faecal matter seep into the blood stream.

This is something I explain to clients who come to me looking for a solution to their anxiety of depression. The toxins from a leaky gut can be neurotoxins which will directly affect brain function.

Eating a more authentic diet will greatly reduce inflammation in the body, repair the gut and clean the blood. This is vital for overall heath – including mental health.

Interestingly, it’s not just adults who suffer with the mental effects of diet – I see it very commonly in children too. Symptoms include tantrums, lack of concentration, tearfulness, aggression, and slower learning in school. Physical symptoms can include persistent or regular runny nose, ear, nose and throat infections and regular virus or raised temperatures.

Health is wealth! Simple changes in your lifestyle can bring the most profound improvements in your wellbeing.

Breaking News: I’m not Perfect *gasp!* haha x

We’ve all got strengths and weaknesses when it comes to our diet. It can be really easy to beat yourself up about how you’ve over indulged or had too much sugar in your tea or cracked and ate 3 extra biscuits. My weaknesses are definitely crisps on occasion and some days having one too many decafs. Sometimes I even go out with my friends and drink too much and flare up my Gilbert syndrome for the next 2 weeks 

But screw all of that. Did I enjoy the extra coffee? Yup. Did I totally love my weekend bag of salt and vinegar Tyrells? You freaking know it! Did I have an awesome night out? Of course! Good then! Move on!

Let’s focus on the good instead:
Most of the time I eat a fully raw diet
Most of the time I drink enough water
Most of the time I remember to take the supplements for my Gilberts syndrome

So, my point is don’t focus on what you perceive to be the bad parts of your diet. Look at the good! I bet it’s better than you think.

What are the best bits about your diet?

Cheeky Monkey Breakfast Stealer

Trying to have breakfast with these two veg monsters around is pretty impossible!

When it comes to kids and smoothies do yourself a favour and get a really decent blender or bullet. At least 800W.

Most kids hate bits – it’s just a kid thing so make it easy on them and offer up a smooth smoothie. Riley (pictured) will drink muddiest, greenest, bittiest, thickest concoction I could give him. But his brother Charlie – no way. If it’s not straight up chocolate, banana or strawberry he won’t drink it. But he will eat all his veg so I’m good with it.

If you’re just changing your eating habits don’t expect overnight results from your kids. It takes time, consistency and for you to lead by example. TRUST ME. I have a lot of mommas in my groups and slowly but surely they report big achievements from their kids. Don’t give up!

Any of my amazing mommas want to share their stories please feel free!