​ 
My passion has been Herbal medicine for many, many years now, it’s helping me in my own health journey and I have seen time and time again the amazing results achieved with simple herbs.
 
This time of the year I’m all about the Hawthorn berries, lining nearly every hedgerow in this beautiful island we live on.  Mythology connects Hawthorn to the fairy folk.  Hawthorn has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, prescribed by the Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides in the first century AD as a remedy for heart problems. Those red berries could remind you of blood cells.   
 
The beauty of herbal medicine is when you consult with a practitioner that loves the craft, it is through knowledge and intuition that they will create a formula that targets your specific needs.  Some herbs I would have often used alongside hawthorn would be – black pepper, ginger, cayenne, gingko, garlic, motherwort, nettle, cleavers etc.  But let’s get back to the hawthorn berry and what we herbalists traditionally use it to help:

• Protect against heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Studies show increase in coronary artery flow
• Supports strong healthy heart beat
• Symptoms of heart failure
• Improves hearts ability to withstand stress
• Angina
• Improves circulation
• Reduce histamine production
• Digestive health
• Physical and emotional heart strength

 
 
What is in hawthorn berries that make them such a powerhouse:

• Antioxidants
• Specifically high in high in oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs) – known for heart health benefits
• Flavones
• Enhance the availability of Vitamins A, C & E
• Quercetin

 
Remember as with all forms of medication, if you are currently on a medication regime, check first for interactions or contra-indications.  
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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We all use spices of some form in our daily life, whether it’s hot spices in a curry or aromatic spices like cinnamon in a cinnamon bun.  Spices come from various parts of the plant – seeds, roots and fruits.  We don’t think about them too deeply normally, but here are 5 of my top tips when it comes to buying, using and storing your spices to get the best out of them.
 
Top 5 spice tips:

1. Buy whole – what I mean by that is if you have the option of buying whole or ground buy whole and grind when you need – I love a good pestle and mortar but a cheap electric coffee grinder is a fab buy for your spices.  The reason you want ot buy whole is to make sure you are getting all the goodness out of the spices and the flavour will sing.
2. Just enough – like goldilocks, you don’t want too little, or too much.  With spices don’t go too heavy.  A little nutmeg can elevate the flavour of so many dishes but a whole nutmeg and you could find yourself hallucinating
3. Store right – This will help with flavour, volatile oils, health benefits etc my rule of thumb is:

          i.Airtight container
          ii.Dry space
          iii.Away from heat
          iv.In the dark

1. Give it a good roast – certain spices are even better after roasting for 3 minutes (do not burn), this is particularly seen in Indian cooking, spices like cumin, fennel,  mustard and sesame will release more flavour from this process
2. Get brave – just add spices to your meals, any of the following:

i.1. Cumin, Caraway, Cinnamon, Bay leaves, Smoked paprika, Garlic, Star anise, Saffron,  Nutmeg, Coriander, Cayenne pepper, Cloves, Turmeric, Mustard, Cardamon, Allspice, Chili, Ginger, Black pepper, Vanilla.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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I love cooking but sometimes we make mistakes and think we have to start again.  Here are a few hacks that will help you if that happens
 
Burnt rice
Firstly don’t scrape any of the burnt rice up into the rest of the rice.  Remove what you can, place it in a bowl and cover it with a few slices of white bread.  The bread will absorb the burnt aroma leaving you with useable rice
 
Over salted soup/stews
We’ve all done it, slipped or just been heavy handed with the salt.  Simply add a peeled potato to the soup/stew and it will balance out the excess salt
 
Thicken sauces
Add a lasagne sheet to the sauce, it will absorb excess fluid, then remove the sheet before using the sauce
 
No stick cakes
It’s rotten when you bake a delicious cake and it sticks to the pan, it ruins it.  But there is a simple solution when using ceramic or metal dishes (not glass).  When you take the cake out of the oven place it on top of a damp tea towel and leave sit for a few minutes .  When you turn the cake over it should just slip out.
 
Soften raw onions
Not a mistake per say but can definitely ruin a  dish.  Sometimes raw onion can be a little too sharp.  Just place it in iced water for a few minutes and it will take the sharpness down a notch
 
 
Too sweet
Add a dash of sour – lemon juice
 
Too salty
Add a dash of lemon juice or mild vinegar
Stir in starch – quinoa, rice, pasta, couscous
Use a little Indian cooking trick “tarka” garlic, aromatic herbs and spices are sauteed separately and added at the end of cooking  to add a burst of flavour in the final step
 
Too sour
Add a little sweet – sugar, syrup, honey
 
Too spicy
Add some fat – butter, coconut milk/cream
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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Here are some more kitchen hacks you wish you’d always known
 
 
Clean your wooden chopping board
Place coarse salt on the board then cut a lemon in half, rub the salt round the board with the half lemon, inner side down.
 
Still chopping board
It’s so annoying when you’re chopping board keeps moving so a quick tip is to place a damp tea towel underneath it and it won’t budge
 
Non-stick measuring cups
When you’re baking or cooking and you need to measure out liquids or sticky substances, you don’t want half of it to stick to the measuring cup.  Simply coat the inside of the cup with some oil
 
Removing the fat
Often we want to remove the excess fat from a stew/stock/sauce.  Place an ice cube on a large spoon, place on the surface of the liquid, the fat will rise to the cooler temperature and just scoop it out on the spoon. Another way is to place the ice in a muslin cloth, tie up and dip into the liquid, the fat will stick to the cloth
 
Poached eggs x12
If you are making breakfast for a gang, poached eggs can be a pain, but here is a quick hack.

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) water to each cup in 12-cup muffin pan. 
3. One at a time, crack eggs into each cup. Season eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. 
4. Bake until egg whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 9 minutes. 
5. Let stand for a few minutes. 
6. Scoop out with slotted spoon, gently patting dry with paper towel.

 
 
 
 
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What do varicose veins, broken capillaries and haemorrhoids have in common?  They are all sign of weakness in the capillary and vein walls.  Often caused by internal or external pressure.
 
So, does that mean you can use a similar solution for them all?  Yes, you can, if you are talking about using topical Witch Hazel.  I have seen all these issues improve very quickly by using Witch Hazel on the areas.
 
Whether it is a case of:

• Chronic piles/haemorrhoids – often caused by constipation/straining
• Broken capillaries on the face (often the cheeks) or anywhere else on the body
• Varicose veins – often due to age or during pregnancy

 
This is such a simple solution that works so quickly it’s almost magic.
 
So what do you do?

1. Clean the area
2. Pour some Witch Hazel onto a cotton pad
3. Apply to area and leave it on for 10-15 mins ( for piles place a towel over a closed toilet seat and sit on the Witch Hazel soaked cotton pad)
4. Do this 1-2x daily till the issue is resolved, the issue often resolves quicker for minor issues and can take a bit longer if the issue is more severe

 
So why does it work?  Well, Witch Hazel contains:

• Gallic acid – antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, cardio supportive
• Tannins  - cause the astringency and also anti-viral properties
• Antioxidants
• It is astringent and has haemostatic properties that both tighten the vein or capillary but also can stop bleeding

 
So this cheap bottle of herbal topical treatment, the thing you would see in your grannies cupboard, that was often put on your cuts and stings as a child is also one of the best remedies I know for Haemorrhoids, Varicose Veins and broken capillaries.  
 
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​Over the years I have had to have many conversations with clients about diet change, how certain foods could be the root problem when it comes to the symptoms they are suffering.  It’s not always the cause but I have definitely seen food choices impact most of my clients outcomes.
 
So what really makes the difference?
 
I would definitely say that mindset is right up there.  How we think about our choices, what they make us feel.
 
Does someone asking you to remove a food you eat regularly make you feel:

• Empowered? – you finally get to take control of this by making a choice
• Angry? – life is hard enough, without some stranger telling me I can’t have the thing that makes me happy
• Sad? – I like that food and I’m going to miss it
• Anxious? – what am I going to do?  What if I can’t do this/don’t like the food she wants me to eat

 
So let’s get rid of all of those and simplify things.  What if I just told you that “it’s what you do on a regular basis that makes the difference, what you do every now and then makes little difference” (except if you are allergic, diabetic etc)  This works both ways, if you eat foods that help your health on a regular basis you will see a positive change, if you only do it every now and then you really won’t see much change, but you also see the same when you eat foods that are not good for your health, do it on a regular basis and you will start to have symptoms of ill health, if you eat them every now and then you won’t see  those changes.
 
Any food choices have to be sustainable or you are just going to keep needing help every time you stop, so make it simple.  Don’t make it about absolutes, just make what you do on a regular basis a healthy choice.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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www.breaking-fads.com
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​We have heard for so long the idea of low fat diets, low fat foods for health and weight loss that it can be hard to drop the idea.
 
The science shows that we need good quality fats as part of a healthy diet, the fats we do not need are those we find in processed foods, fried foods and by using the wrong oils for cooking.
 
So how do we ditch the idea of low fat fads?  The best way is to focus on what we can eat and increase that in our diet.  So here are some of the best healthy fats to introduce into your diet and some ideas how:
 

• Avocado
• Coconut oil/coconut
• Extra virgin olive oil – in dressings and over warm food (not to cook with)
• Raw nuts, nut oils, nut butters
• Seeds and seed oils – chia, flax, sunflower, sesame etc
• Fatty fish – salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, 
• Eggs – go organic all day long
• Dark chocolate – 75% or higher

 
Ways to add:
Breakfast

• Add seeds & nuts (nut butters) to your porridge, chia pudding, nut butter on toast with berries
• Try eggs 2x week for breakfast – scrambled, poached, omelette
• Add some dark chocolate/cacao to your porridge
• Use coconut yoghurt

 
 
Lunch/dinner

• Make a salad dressing with oil, vinegar, citrus, herbs, avocado
• Use coconut oil to cook
• Try fish 1x day or take a good quality fish/krill oil
• Fish – grilled with veg/in a salad/ tuna on jacket sweet potato
• Add nuts and seeds to salads, stews, curries, stir fry’s etc
• Add avocado to salads

 
Snacks

• Avocado/nut butter on rye toast
• Nut granola bars
• Protein balls
• Guacamole on crackers
• Protein smoothie with added nut butter

 
Low fat yoghurt are the most common low fat food that comes up in conversation, but more often than not they are lacking the goodness that we eat them for and the fat is replaced with sugars, salts and artificial sweeteners and flavourings.
 
When you eat more food that nourishes your body, the craving for foods that are not so good tends to go away.  It’s a win win all around.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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www.breaking-fads.com
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I am a big fan of eating foods we love that love us back!  This is a no bake chocolate cookie packed with goodness.  They are straight from the freezer so great for the warm weather too.
 
Ingredients

• 4 cups oats
• ½ cup almond butter
• ½ cup coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp vanilla essence
• 6 Tbsp cacao powder
• ½ cup agave/maple syrup
• ¾ tsp salt

 
Method

1. Mix everything in a large bowl
2. Drop by Tbsp onto parchment paper
3. Put in the freezer till they are solid
4. Now it’s time to eat and enjoy

 
 
 
Body benefits

• The oats are great for the digestion and very soothing and calming
• The coconut oil is a great healthy fat, great for the digestion
• The nut butter is a great source of protein
• The cacao is packed with nutrients, wonderful for heart health, support digestive health and good for energy.

 
If you tend to snack here are a few easy rules to live by that will help improve weight and health issues related to your snacking:

• Make healthy snacks and have them ready – if you wait till you are hungry and a healthy snack will take a little longer to make you will make more unhealthy choices
• Never snack after 7pm – anything you eat later in the evening may not be fully digested before you go to bed, this can then increase weight and decrease sleep quality.
• Keep snacks small – they are snacks not meals.  If you need to snack regularly you may not be eating enough at mealtimes(increase the amount of vegetables on the plate) or you may just be bored or thirsty.
• Take a drink of water first – often we confuse thirst with hunger

 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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Everything feels so stretched these days and never more so with the food budget.  Food prices have gone through major hikes in recent times.  So how do we continue to make healthy choices when our incomes remain the same but food prices increase?
 
Each month I will include a recipe for a Healthy plate on a budget!
 
Sometimes you have enough in your fridge already but need a little help to see how to bring it together.
 
This month I’m going on a fridge raid.  That is my whatever’s in the fridge fried rice, the everything but the kitchen sink of dishes.

Fridge fried rice
Ingredient

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cup rice/quinoa/millet – cooked and cold
• 1 onion – red/white/spring(5) chopped
• 2 Cups of whatever veggies you have in the fridge – chopped
• 1 cup protein – chicken/fish/tofu/beans/pulses
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 spring onion – chopped
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

 
Method

• Add ½ the oil to a wok and heat on medium-high heat
• Add the onion and stir-fry for a minute
• Add the veggies and continue stir-frying for 5 minutes
• Add the protein and stir fry for another 3 minutes
• Add the rice/quinoa/millet and stir fry for  further 4 minutes (all the grains should be separated and no longer clumped together
• Push the contents of the wok to one side, add the remaining oils and crack the 2 eggs into the wok.  
• Scramble the eggs before mixing into the remaining contents
• Add the sesame oil and oyster sauce to coat
• Finally garnish the dish with your chopped spring onion and sesame seeds

 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
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Many of these hacks I learnt from my mother and grandmother or just figuring it out myself, a few of them were just happened upon by chance and every now and then I see one on social media that surprises me still.  So, here are some of my favourites 
 
Retrieving egg shell
We’ve all dropped bits of egg shell in our eggs when we cracked them and they can be a pain to retrieve.  I noticed years ago that if you use the rest of the shell to scoop out the broken off piece it acts like a magnet
 
Fresh test – eggs
Pop your egg into a glass jug of water.  
If it lies flat on the bottom it’s fresh: 1-3 days old.  It will gradually tip upwards the older it gets and if it floats to the top it’s time to bin that egg
 
Quick peel – garlic
Place the garlic cloves under a saucepan and push down till the garlic smashes
Place all cloves in Tupperware and put the lid on.  Then Shake it up.  All the skins will separate from the body of the garlic
 
Saving fresh herbs
I love the smell of fresh herbs in the kitchen but sometimes you just have too much.  Rather than waste any simply chop them up and place them in an ice tray and add olive oil then freeze.  Take out a cube at a time.
 
Buttermilk alternative
I don’t know how many times a recipe needed buttermilk and I didn’t have any.  Simply add a Tbsp of apple cider vinegar/vinegar to each cup of milk and leave sit for 10 minutes
 
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Rest & Reset webinars -  follow us on facebook
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
Rest & Reset