The Weekly Dose
#19 Supporting gut health whilst travelling, free yoga classes, what's in season this month, the August challenge and a tasty way with dark leafy greens.
Hello and a very warm welcome to all the new subscribers who have joined recently, thank you so much for being here. It honestly blows my mind how many of you are interested in making positive and sustainable changes to your health and I’m honoured you’ve chosen to join us here. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ve loved creating these weekly posts for you over the past few months and can’t wait to share more tips, tricks, digestible nutritional information and recipes over the coming months. If there is anything you’d like to see more (or less) of, please let me know so I can make these posts as valuable as possible.
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August brings the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, such an exciting time of year. The city feels even more alive with the never ending shows and the buzz is infectious. I have a long list of restaurant/cafe/bakery/coffee shops/streetfood/drinks/pub recommendations so if you’re venturing up, do let me know, I’d be delighted to share them.
Wishing you all a wonderful and healthful month…
Latest on the blog: How to support gut health whilst travelling
For those who are lucky enough to be taking some time off this summer, whether that’s jetting off somewhere a little sunnier than the UK (not hard...) or perhaps exploring somewhere new on a staycation, this can come with a side of anxiety.
A change in routine, being away from your own kitchen and not being able to cook for yourself, exercising less, perhaps eating out and drinking a little more than usual, can all be contributing factors to this angst. A fear of ‘ruining’ progress that has been made by over indulging is common, however, this doesn’t have to be the case!
When making long-term, sustainable changes to your health, giving yourself permission to enjoy all foods in moderation without restriction can enable you to approach holidays in a different way, without the ‘all-or-nothing’ mentality, as you know you can enjoy these tasty foods when you’re at home too.
What’s in season:
This Month’s Recipe: Kale & White Bean Caesar Salad
A super tasty salad that takes minutes to put together and works well on its own or with other veggies, meat, fish, poultry or tofu. A great one for any leftover vegetables lying around in the fridge too.
I use Bold Bean Co organic white beans and Engevita nutritional yeast which is available from most supermarkets. Nutritional yeast provides a slight cheesy flavour (as well as Vitamin B12) and is therefore very popular amongst those who are dairy free or follow a plant based diet. I love Linwoods Hemp seeds, also available from most supermarkets, which are an excellent source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids and fibre.
Serves 3, 25 minutes
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
40g hemp seeds
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove, peeled
125g Kale leaves, chopped
360g white beans, cooked & drained
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Cut the bacon into small pieces using scissors before cooking in a medium sized pan over a medium heat.
While the bacon is cooking, make your dressing. Add the hemp seeds, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and garlic to a small blender or food processor. Process until smooth, adding more water to thin if necessary.
Place kale in a large salad bowl and pour the dressing over top. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale.
Add the cooked bacon and white beans to the bowl and toss well. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Divide between bowls and enjoy!
Notes:
Vegan & Vegetarian: Omit the bacon, or use coconut bacon.
Leftovers: Keeps well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
More protein: Add cooked chicken, additional lentils or tofu, or serve alongside your chosen fish/meat/poultry.
The environment we eat in can be just as important as what we eat when it comes to digestion, appetite, cravings and weight management. Research shows that eating mindlessly in front of screens or other distractions increases the risk of feeling unsatiated after the meal, experiencing heightened cravings throughout the day and eating beyond fullness. So I challenge you to give this ago and look forward to hearing how you get on.
This month’s recommendation: Luul yoga classes
Steph, the amazing woman behind Luul Yoga happened to be hosting a retreat in Paros a few weeks ago and very kindly offered a morning class to myself and two friends. It was amazing, we loved her teaching style and all felt incredibly revitalised afterwards.
As well as hosting heavenly retreats, Steph also offers online yoga classes (in addition to her studio based just outside Paris) and has a few free ones available (Vinyasa and Yin) which you can access via this link.
I can’t recommend Steph or her classes more and hope you enjoy a dose of movement, joy and calm.
What client’s say:
‘I couldn’t be happier with the sessions and the life changing yet gentle advice which has been easy and a pleasure to implement. I felt the benefits so quickly and eating well for enjoyment has become a new normal. What is amazing is that I knew quite a bit of the theory (I’ve read the books!) but until working with Claudia I had never been able to follow it for a week let alone embed it in my life. I feel empowered and energised and excited to continue on this journey. I love being able to message in between sessions.’ - KC
I’d love to connect on Instagram and if you’d like to find out more about working together, you can find out more about my 1:1 Power Hours or book a Complimentary Discovery Call here.