Wholesome Living

What is a superfood? Superfoods have been gaining popularity for years now, especially amongst those focused on healthy eating, and with good reason, but the term itself is often misunderstood. When people hear the term superfood it can often be associated with fads and faux science, but in reality it just means a food that contains an abundance of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and various other beneficial compounds. This article will focus on the best superfoods you can find in whole food shops, allowing you to focus on making the healthiest choices, without breaking the bank,   while supporting independent, environmentally friendly businesses. 1.  Almonds Almonds are one of the healthiest nuts you can eat, and an amazing superfood in general. Almonds contain a huge amount of vitamin E, which as well as being an antioxidant, also helps to maintain healthy skin and eyes while also boosting the immune system. On top of their remarkable vitamin E content, almonds are also packed full of healthy fats, fibre and protein. Almonds are not only incredibly healthy, but also delicious and easy to use! Whether you’re looking for a quick snack on the go, or a standout ingredient to use in your baking, with their distinctive, subtle sweet flavour, almonds really are the perfect choice. If you’re looking for even more uses for almonds, we recommend this overnight oats recipe to really get the most out of them. </s...

The information on food labels is how most of us determine what’s a healthy choice, what’s safe to eat and how can we avoid ingredients we know to be harmful to our bodies, so then why can they be so overwhelming and hard to read? From allergens, to E numbers and calories, there can be a lot of information all on one page, so knowing how to navigate food labels can really help you to make the healthiest choices without getting stumped by statistics and confusing-sounding ingredients.   In this article, we’ll break down each section of a food label piece by piece, letting you know what to look for and how to make the best informed decision you can! Step one: The ingredients section The first thing you should do when checking a food label is inspect the ingredients; this is where you find out what’s really in the product. In the UK, by law, the ingredients section must go in descending order by how much of each ingredient is in the product. Not only does having the ingredients in descending order mean that companies can’t hide sneaky, harmful ingredients in the footnotes, it also means that you can easily determine just how much of a product is made of healthy, whole ingredients. The ingredients section is also where you’ll find out if the product you’re buying contains any artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, also known as additives. Additives refer to things not naturally occurring in the ingredients, and while they’re not always harmful, it’s important to check what exactly they are. A ...

The best way to make your diet healthier is to cook more at home, and that’s always  easier with a well stocked pantry. Whether you’re making elaborate meals or just quick snacks, having an array of whole foods at your disposal is overwhelmingly beneficial. Not only does cooking at home save money, but by opting for whole foods you can avoid all of those nasty additives that are far too dominant in ready meals.   In this article we’ll go over some of the best whole foods to keep at hand in your kitchen, how to use them and most importantly their health benefits. 1.  Rice, which one to pick and how to cook it perfectly. There are countless varieties of rice out there, so for now we’ll just cover some of our top picks, and some useful tips. The first thing to decide when cooking with rice is whether you want to use long, medium or short grain. Short grain rice (as the name suggests) is smaller than its counterparts, with a starchier texture, like sushi rice for example. Long grain rice, like basmati,  on the other hand is longer, thinner and fluffier, making it a good all rounder. Finally medium grain rice fits in between the two, it has the size and shape of long grain rice, but with the texture of short grain rice, making it ideal for savoury creamy recipes like risotto.     However, if you’re looking for the healthiest whole food option above all else, your best bet is to go for either long grain brown rice or wild rice. Both brown and wild rice are packed full of fibre, protein and a vari...

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Rice is a staple in diets all over the world and with good reason, its countless varieties make it an incredibly versatile ingredient, with each type having their own taste, appearance, texture and most importantly nutritional make-ups. Across the world there are over forty thousand varieties of rice being cultivated, so for now we will focus on the most popular types of rice, how to cook them and their health benefits. Long, short or medium, know your grain In most cases rice can be assigned one of three categories, long grain, short grain or medium grain. As its name suggests, short grain rice is typically smaller and rounder with a starchier texture, making it ideal for rice puddings or sushi.  Long grain rice on the other hand is longer and thinner, with a fluffier texture, making it well suited for more general recipes. Finally as expected, medium grain rice fits in between long and short grain, it has a slightly sticky starchy texture like short grain rice, but is shaped more like long grain rice, making it a great ingredient for savoury creamy dishes, like paella or risotto.v Long grain white rice  Generic long grain white rice is rice that has had its husk, bran and germ removed, this makes it more easily digestible and provides it with its signature almost shiny white colour. White rice has a very neutral flavour which makes it a great base for building a meal around...

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  What is Gluten? Gluten is a group of proteins found in grains such as: Wheat, Barley, Rye and Oats. Oats do not naturally contain gluten; however, they can be cross contaminated with gluten when processed Gluten is a protein that is added to many foods for a range of reasons: To add elasticity, flavour, texture, shape, and to help make food rise. It is not an active ingredient; an activation or chemical reaction takes place when wheat flour is mixed with water. How does gluten affect the body? For most people, gluten is completely safe to eat. Nonetheless, gluten is not always tolerated by everyone’s body. Some people can be born with (or develop) Celiac Disease or an intolerance/sensitivity to gluten. This is where your immune system attacks your digestive system, causing uncomfortable symptoms from mild to severe. Others can have a wheat allergy , where there is a similar immune response to the proteins in wheat specifically. Gluten can also be an issue for people who have thyroid issues. The gluten protein (Gliadin and Glutenin) closely resembles the same protein found in the thyroid gland and the body can mistakenly attack this, causing similar issues to celiac disease.  Gluten-free baking? Luckily, we live in a world where there are plenty of gluten-free alternatives to eat and cook with. Yet, when it comes to baking, you might be wondering- how do you not use wheat flour when that is half the recipe? Gluten-free flours: Rice, almond, coconut, tapioca, cornstarch, teff, sorghum, buckwheat and even potato flour . Finding the gluten-free flour source is the smallest problem in baking. What you have to consider is how you are going to mimic the structure of gluten with your alternative flour. This all depends on what you are baking....

Oat Flour Oats are a versatile ingredient used in cooking and baking. Oats are a filling addition to meals and a great pick for sweet and savoury dishes. When using oats as an alternative for gluten- induced flour, it comes with plenty of positives. Oat flour is a common supermarket flour, with organic options in farm shops and whole food shops. However, oat flour is fairly easy to make at home with the right equipment. If you have a bag of ground oats and an electric blender at home, you are three quarters of the way there already. Oat flour is a great alternative for plain flour as it has a soft and fluffy cake texture, like the consistency of most cakes. Oat flour will rise slightly on its own, but needs an addition of baking soda for high-rise recipes like bread, scones, and cakes. With its fluffy texture, oat flour can make some great sweet or savoury recipes. For all the sweet tooth bakers here are some simple yet effective ideas: Oat flour in your crumble recipe can transform the dessert to include a gluten-free crumble topping with a sweet, toasted flavour on top of the tasty baked fruit choice.   For the bakers with a preference on texture, oat flour can give you chewy, crispy cookies, taking you back in time to the 19 th  century when they first became a hit.   Oat muffins and oat pancakes are a great new breakfast choice. Incorporating fresh fruit, yoghurt, and some chocolate chips for extra sweetness.   When considering the common ‘full’ effect oats have, oat protein balls are a grea...

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Beans , whether dried or tinned, are a very versatile and affordable pantry staple. They are also very healthy and nutritious. Beans are a fantastic source of healthy plant-based protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. You can add beans o soups, stews, salads, chilli con carne and veggie burgers or even make cakes (kidney beans brownie!) What is the best option for you - canned beans and dried beans?   Canned beans Canned beans are convenient, quick and easy to prepare. They have been cooked so you don't need to cook them. They can be eaten straight from the can and added to any dish like a soup , stew, and salad. Canned beans also cheap and even if your local supermarket doesn't stock them, you can easily find organic canned beans in  online stores. Canned beans can be high in sodium because of their salt content. If you are trying to reduce salt consumption, you can look for low-sodium or even no-salt-added tinned beans. Also, draining and rinsing canned beans significantly reduces their sodium content to safe levels.  Some people claim the flavour might ...

Nutrients are the building blocks for health, whether that's making sure your bones are strong or your heart is healthy, they are crucial to a long and healthy life. It can seem difficult to make sure your diet is loaded with enough nutrients to really feel the benefits but eating healthily has never been easier, and these powerful wholefoods are a great way to start improving the nutritional content of your cooking.        Lentils   Lentils should be a staple of any healthy diet, however their high protein and iron content make them particularly crucial to those on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Not only are lentils packed full of protein and vitamins, they are also high in fibre but low in fat and calories making them a great wholefood for those looking to manage their weight.   As well as their health benefits lentils are an incredibly versatile legume, they are a widely used ingredient in Indian, Greek and Mediterranean cooking while also being a great meat substitute in plant based dishes. To prepare lentils, simply soak in water for 20 minutes, then boil them in fresh water for 10 minutes, before simmering them for 30 minutes.    Quinoa   Quinoa is perhaps one of the best known wholefoods in the world and with good reason. Despite technically being classed  as seed, quinoa is a wholegrain that originates from the Andes Mountains, where it has been a staple of South American cuisine for the last 5000 years.  Quinoa is a complete protein, which essentially means that one serving contains all 9 amino acids that humans can’t produce on their own. As well as being protein dense quinoa is a great source of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and fibre. Because of its many incredible health benefits quinoa...

The unprocessed food diet , also known as a  whole foods diet , focuses on consuming foods in their natural state , with minimal to no alteration. The premise of this diet is to avoid foods that have been refined, added to, or artificially enhanced in any way. The goal is to prioritize nutrition by eating foods in their most basic, unadulterated forms. What is Unprocessed Food? Unprocessed foods are those that are free from industrial processing or additives. These foods are in their whole, natural form and retain most of their original nutrients. Examples include: Fruits and Vegetables : Fresh, frozen (without added ingredients), or dried without added sugars or preservatives. Whole Grains : Brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole wheat, barley, and other grains in their natural state. Nuts and Seeds : Raw or roasted nuts and seeds, but without added oils, salts, or sugars. ...

Adding even just a few ultra-processed foods to your healthy diet is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, the new study shows.   Sadly, mental health decline may happen even if you are trying to follow a healthy plant-based Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet.  All these three diets are considered the healthiest as they are based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds while eliminating red meat, refined sugar, trans fats and ultra-processed foods.   The new study published in the American Journal of Neurology proves the association of ultra-processed foods with mental disabilities.  According to the study, if you increase your ultra-processed food intake by 10%, it increases your risk of cognitive disablement by 16%.    On the other side, adding more unprocessed foods or minimally processed foods to your diet is beneficial to your general health as it was linked with a 12% lower risk of cognitive disablement.    Ultra-processed foods include meat cuts and slices, sausages, ready-to-eat packaged products like sweets, biscuits, cakes, candies, crisps, instant soups, instant sauces, frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals, ice cream and fast foods like hot dogs, chips, burgers, sweetened drinks.  Ultra-processed foods are high in calories and contain high quantities of added sugar, salt and fat. At the same time, they are nutritionally poor and low in fibre. Eating them every day leads to many health issues, including weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, experts say.   Unprocessed foods include fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, eggs and milk. Minimally processed foods include cooking ingredients such as salt, oils, canned foods and frozen vegetables.    Eating more ultra-processed foods such as sausages is linked to a higher risk of stroke and cognitive decl...

  Derived from the Latin species ‘Spices’ are a type of seasoning predominantly used to add and enhance flavours in different meals. Spices can come from fruits, plants, seeds and bark. They can be used for many purposes as well as in cooking. Throughout history spices have been used in economical trading, decorative dyeing, perfumes and even for medicinal purposes.   Black Pepper  Black pepper corns come from the fruits of the black pepper vine. They hold the strong flavour out of all other coloured pepper corns and can be used hole and ground. When using hole pepper corns, you want to put them in dishes that need lots of flavour- red wine sauces, stews, soups and homemade stocks. The whole pepper corns give off a flavoursome kick, so be careful with the amount you use in your dishes. Ground black pepper is one of the most common types of seasoning and can be used in most savoury dishes. Black pepper is a typical herb (paired with salt) to be sprinkled on top of cooked meals to add to extra flavour for the taste buds.      Cayenne Pepper Cayenne pepper is an adaptable spice that goes well with many savoury dishes. The unusual herb is packed with warmth and spice, but it is also a great flavour enhancer in drinks. The sweet smell can be deceptive to the taste buds, as the pepper has a quick spicey kick that lingers on the tongue. The powder and peppers are known to be used in small amounts as the kick is powerful and lasts a w...

  Cayenne Peppers are classic red hot chilli peppers used in curries, sauces, dressings, soups, meat and fish marinades. The cayenne pepper derives from the ‘nightshade’ pepper family and produces a relatively spicy flavour. Originating in South America, these peppers are said to have been discovered by the explorer Christopher Columbus, where he brought them over to Europe in the 15 th century. The peppers were quickly experimented with and proved to work well in cooking, by drying and grinding them into a powder, which was then mixed into different edible dishes.   Cayenne in the Kitchen   Cayenne pepper is an adaptable spice that goes well with many savoury dishes. The unusual herb is packed with warmth and spice, but it is also a great flavour enhancer in drinks. The sweet smell can be deceptive to the taste buds, as the pepper has a quick spicey kick that lingers on the tongue. The powder and peppers are known to be used in small amounts as the kick is powerful and lasts a while. The pepper can also be used as an alternative to salt, for those considering their diet and cutting down on their sodium intake.   Cayenne Pepper Dishes   Marinade for Chicken burgers. <li class="l...

Derived from the French word ‘ vin aigre ,’ (sour wine) the solution holds various uses and has been a beneficial item for thousands of years, used in cooking, as a preservative, medicine, and even wellness drink. Today, Vinegar is just as popular.     What Is Vinegar?     Vinegar is made up of either complex carbohydrates (barley, potatoes, rice) or simple sugars (apples, honey, grapes) and is fermented into an alcoholic product (using acetic acids). This acidic bacterium uses the alcohol and oxygen within the vinegar solution to create the memorable sour flavouring that vinegar holds. The process of fermentation can take weeks or even months to create high-quality natural vinegar (some can take up to 25 years). However, with industrialised methods, vinegar can be made and sold in bigger batches and in half the time (take note on any preservatives or additives that come alongside this). Have a look for vinegars in supermarkets, you can even take to buying vinegar online.   Different Types of Vinegar   Red   Red vinegar refers to Red-Wine Vinegar and traditional Chinese Rice Vinegar . Red wine vinegar is ma...

 In the hours we spend awake in the day, sometimes it can be hard to stick to the basic routine of three meals a day. Whether it’s because you’re off schedule, too busy for routine, simply forget, or just aren’t in the mood, snacking can be seen as a quick and easy solution. That is, if it is done correctly. I’m sure we would all love to snack on the sweet and savoury snacks we know and love, all day every day. Who doesn’t love the taste of a chocolate biscuit? Or a sneaky packet of crisps? The cravings are natural, and it is good to treat yourself. And… in all honesty, sometimes you just need the serotonin boost to prop yourself up on a bad day. On the other hand, snacking on your favourite things can lead to more bad than good. Yes, you get a great serotonin boost, but the come down can make you feel worse than before you even ate. Snacking on sugary and salty foods can causes lots of problems with your hormones, weight, sleep pattern, blood sugar levels, and nutrient/mineral intake. It all comes down to the ultra-processing ingredients and emulsifiers that are hiding in the products.   Can Snacks Be Good for You? Now, we are not saying snacking is out of the question. Snacking is not bad for you. There are plenty of sweet and savoury healthy snacks out there, and they have plenty of benefits. Healthy snacks can increase your nutrient intake, sustain and replenish your energy and hunger levels, and even help with muscle recovery. You just have to pick your food wisely. Avoiding foods that has been processed (food that has b...

  ‘Macadamia’ is a type of tree relating to the flowering plant ‘Protea’ and a type of fossilised pollen. The Proteaceae family (Banksia, Grevillia, Persoonia, and Macadamia) was originally distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, and the Macadamia tree was specifically discovered in Southern Queensland, (Australia) during the same time Australia was separating from the mega-continent of Gondwana. The Macadamia nut has become a popular seed in many continents around the world. They are grown commercially in countries such as- Hawaii, China, South Africa, Australia, as well as West and South America.    History of Macadamia The orchard nut has been enjoyed for over fifty million years, and dates back thousands of years by the aboriginal people. Initially called ‘ Kindal Kindali ’ Macadamia nuts were collected and traded between tribes. They were suggested to be a delicacy and were used as ceremonial gifts. Found in the fringes of rainforests, they were prevalent between the native people and animals. The native aboriginals had names such as ‘ Goomburra ’ and ‘ Boomberra ’ for the nuts. In the 1850’s natives showed European botanists the seed and they became intrigued; for years they were confused for chestnuts and black beans. The nut was notably exchanged for tobacco, tommy axes, and rum by European settlers. They were collected and researched by Australian botanists throughout the 1850’s. By 1858 it was named ‘Macadamia’ after scientist John Macadam, the Secretary of the Victorian Philosophical Institute. The first orchard tree was planted,...