Tag: pumpkin seeds

[Recipe #1] Plant-Based Protein Slices

by JMReflex, posted in cooking, Fibre, Health & Wellbeing, Healthy eating, Healthy Snacks, Nutrition, Prebiotics, Probiotics, superfoods, Supplements, supplements, Vegan, vegetarian

These nutty and chocolate-y slices are exactly what you need if you’re looking for a healthy snack to complement a higher fat/lower carb diet, or if you’re looking for an innocent sweet treat after a meal.

I’m not really one for writing or following recipes: I tend to just throw things together with whatever I have in the cupboards and hope for the best! So when I posted these slices on Instagram I felt a little out of my depth with people asking after the recipe… however, after promising I would share it, here it is:

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 tablespoons of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 3-4 tablespoons of protein powder. I used That Protein Blissful Brown Rice and Raw Cacao Super Protein. If you didn’t want to use protein powder then just raw Cacao powder would suffice here.
  • 2 tablespoons of Pecan nut pieces.
  • 2 tablespoons of Walnut pieces.
  • 2 tablespoons of Brazil nut pieces (note – use whichever nuts you prefer. Macadamia would also work here).
  • 2 tablespoons of Lidl Alesto Super Seed Mix. This contains milled Golden Linseed, milled hulled Hemp Seeds and milled Chia Seeds.
  • 2 Tablespoons of Holland and Barrett Organic Omega Shake. This contains Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Brown Linseeds.
  • 1 scoop of Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Fibre Blend. This powder contains Apple Powder, Psyllium Seed Husk Powder, Inulin Powder, Chia Seed Powder, Hemp Protein Powder, Fructooligosaccharides, Bacillus coagulans for a healthy gut (optional).
  • 1 teaspoon of Agave Syrup and 1 teaspoon of Manuka Honey (these are to sweeten. You can use whatever sweeteners you like and adjust the amounts to taste).

Method:

  1. Line the base of a regular loaf tin.
  2. On a low heat, slowly melt the coconut oil and then remove from heat.
  3. Stir in the remaining ingredients one by one until they represent a pan of delicious melted nutty-chocolate.
  4. Carefully pour into the lined tin and refrigerate overnight.
  5. Once set, slice into portions and enjoy!

Jackie Marsden MAR is a qualified reflexologist, acupuncturist, promoter of healthy living and independent consultant (Group Leader) for Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic. Jackie leads and mentors a growing team of consultants (many of whom are therapists integrating organic products into their existing businesses) via the NYRO social selling channel, holding regular team meetings, one-to-one coaching via phone and facetime, and a closed facebook group. All views are her own.

Brain and Cognitive Health

by JMReflex, posted in Healthy eating, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, Organic, Oxygen, Reflexology, superfoods, Supplements, supplements

ID-100273701This blog gives a general understanding of cognitive health and outlines options for improving yours.

Good fats are essential to our brain health and function. A fatty brain is a healthy brain: 60% of brain tissue is fat. Good fats literally allow us to embrace change.

One type of good fat is Coconut Oil: If you search for coconut oil + brain fog on the internet you will find pages and pages of anecdotal evidence to suggest coconut oil can help lift brain fog and make the brain sharper, improving memory.

Coconut oil is a medium chain fat which means the body can use this type of fat as energy – another great fuel for our brains. It does this by converting into ketones which are used as a source of fuel for the body. Apparently brain cells function with far greater efficiency when they are utilizing fat (ketones) as a fuel source as opposed to sugar.

Pumpkin seed, hemp, flax, avocado and evening primrose oils are all other examples of good fats and these can be found in Beauty Oil.  They provide the essential nutrition that our skin and bodily tissue needs to renew, maintain and repair. This Beauty Oil contains nourishing omega fatty acids, essential nutrients and anti-oxidants that the skin needs to replenish itself.

Encourage healthy brain function and balance through reflexology. This is a two-fold approach. The reflex point for the brain is on both the big toes (and thumbs). As a therapist I always dedicate attention to this area during every treatment along with the spinal chord (Central Nervous System). However the second approach to improved brain function via reflexology is the physical act of touching the feet: the sensory rich plantar area of the foot is going to stimulate and increase neurological messages from here all the way up to the brain. Think about how many messages this will create during a 50 minute reflexology treatment and you can see how the opening up of those potentially dormant neurological pathways can be so beneficial to our health.

The key ingredients in Cognitive Supplement are also fascinating to learn about when it comes to brain and cognitive health:

  • L-Glutamine. This is brain fuel. It is the only compound other than sugar that can be used by the brain for energy. It can easily cross the blood-brain barrier.
  • Choline. Aids nerve transmission by supporting myelin production. Myelin is the fatty nerve insulation that facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses. It is attacked via an auto-immune response in MS sufferers.
  • Green Tea. Contains L-theanine which helps us to keep calm, yet focussed. For example, when we meditate.
  • Ginko biloba. This is a herb from the Biloba tree. Suggested that it improves memory. Used to treat dementia. Antioxidant.

Antioxidants. What do we know about these?

Your brain uses roughly 20% of the oxygen you breathe in, so its cells are particularly susceptible to oxidative damage, known as free radical damage.

Free radicals trigger brain inflammation which contributes to ADHD, brain fog, anxiety and memory loss as well as serious neurological disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer’s.

Eat lots of organic fruit and vegetables. Berries are a Number One brain food because they are super antioxidant and also their compounds have been linked to improvements in many cognitive skills including memory, learning, reasoning skills, decision making, verbal comprehension and number capability.

Image courtesy of dream designs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jackie Marsden MAR is a qualified reflexologist, promoter of healthy living and independent consultant (Team Leader) for Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic. Jackie leads and mentors a growing team of consultants (many of whom are therapists integrating organic products into their existing businesses) via the NYRO social selling channel, holding regular team meetings, one-to-one coaching via phone and facetime, and a closed facebook group. All views are my own.

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