​How do you lose weight, get healthy or fit using what you eat?  Is it all about cutting out foods we know are not the best for us?   Well the answer is a little yes but a lot no.  Let me explain. 
 
In order to get long-term,  good and achievable results your focus needs to shift more towards what foods are good for you rather than what food is not good for you.  How many of us have done a variety of diets that felt like pure hell?  Always thinking about the foods we aren’t supposed to be eating and driving ourselves crazy just trying our best not to eat them.
 
This year try a new approach.  Rather than focussing on what you “can’t eat” why not put your focus on what you need to eat more of.
 
If you eat natural produce (cuts of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, legumes etc none of which should be processed) as 80% of your diet, the other 20% can be the foods you have been telling yourself you can’t eat, it will help you reach your weight goals and health goals without the turmoil.
 
This year is all about changing the patterns that just didn’t work for you before, this includes ones that gave you short term results but nothing stuck.
 
So go and have a look in your fridge and imagine what it would look like if it contained 80% natural foods.  The next time you go shopping try to aim for 80% of your trolley to be natural produce (Your eating starts with your shopping choices).  Put your natural produce foods at one end of your trolley and your products at the other so you can have a clear visual.
 
You will need lots of easy tasty recipes if you are going to change your diet so feel free to check out my website and social media pages for these.  Don’t forget to like and share the ones you like and I’ll share more like those.
 
So this year I want you to focus on what you can have and not on what you can’t.
 
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com 
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 
 
 

This is not going to be about beauty being skin deep, or personality vs looks.  This is about how when you look after your insides your outsides will glow.  Most importantly your gut health, as this has the biggest impact on your skin, aging and weight.
 
The last few years have aged many of us, we either leaned into the lockdowns with baking, walking, taking time to relax or we folded under it, gaining weight, eating junk, drinking more alcohol and binge watching tv.  When things get tough the majority comfort eat.
 
So, what has that to do with outer beauty?  Lots, poor diet and health habits have a huge impact on our skin, hair, nails and more, it will age us quicker than anything.  There is good news though.  If you want to reverse those changes some simple diet tweaks can really help.
 
Include:

• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin C – lots of fruits
• Fibre – lots of veggies, nuts and seeds
• Oils – get in the good oils – omega 3, algae oils, avocados

 
Cut back:

• Junk foods
• Fried foods
• Eating late
• Alcohol
• Fizzy drinks

 
Remember your inner health will always show signs in your outer appearance, so if your hair breaks easily or won’t grow, if your nails are thin and ridged, if your skin breaks out or is dry/greasy then your body might be giving you a sign you need to adjust something.
 
 
Now is when we change that around
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads

- Winter is the breeding ground for bugs and viruses, we all get the sniffles, but this year so many friends and family spent the time they had off over Christmas either in bed or in isolation waiting to see if they had Covid. 
 
So does the advice I would give clients in the winter still hold true with what we are facing right now?  The simple answer is yes (with a few tweaks)
 
If we look at the symptoms of the latest variant of the Covid virus, they are upper respiratory in nature, affecting the upper lungs, throat and sinuses, leaving you feeling lethargic.  Now I am not selling a cure here, but by making sure you are getting in the nutrients scientifically known to support the immune system and the upper respiratory system you can have a positive impact on the level of symptoms you might experience.
 
Here are my top 5 nutrients, what foods they are in and why they are important:


Vitamin D3
- D3 is more efficient than D2.
It is vitally important for immune function
- Take as a sublingual supplement
Adults 4000iU (no more)

Vitamin C
- Vitamin C is probably the most widely studied nutrient in connection to the immune system.
 - Found in:
Citrus fruits
Kiwi fruit
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Green & red peppers
Strawberries
Blackcurrants
Acerola cherries
Rose hips
Thyme

Elderberry
- Elderberry is specifically linked to lung issues, has anti-viral properties and looks like the lungs
- Elderberry jam
Elderberry juice
Elderberry syrup
Elderberry tea

Honey
- Local honeys can help but Manuka honey has been found a more potent anti-viral
- Manuka honey

Polyphenols - antioxidants
- Helps to fight the inflammation caused.
Polyphenols have been shown in studies to reduce damage to the lungs
- Pomegranate specifically.  The pomegranate looks like the lungs when you cut a cross section

 
A simple way to think about food and health is:
You can either fuel your body or you can feed the disease.
 
So this winter try to include these foods to help your body fight whatever bugs and viruses come its way!
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

​If you are like me you are so sick of all these catchphrases that don’t ever change your life as drastically as they promise!
 
New year New you – What’s wrong with you?  Nothing!  This phrase is often used for dieting, I’ve probably used it myself years ago to my own shame.  Something I have learnt is that it’s all about celebrating who you are, not trying to become a carbon copy of everyone else.  That’s where your power lies and that’s how you stop dieting and get the body you really want, the one that you were meant to have, yours.  To accept you for all your amazing self, body, personality, what drives you, all of it.
 
We are all different, and each of us has a different body shape, personality, eating habits, eating needs, exercises that suit, times in the day we feel most alert, some are early to rise and others are early to bed. 
 

• Some thrive on a vegan diet, others need their meat
• Some can eat as much dairy as they like, others feel sluggish after any dairy
• Some are built for long distance sports whilst others suit short, sharp bursts of exercise
• Some can bounce out of bed whilst others need to be dragged out
• Some just love staying up late whilst others will fall asleep in their dinner
• Some are pure logical and great team leaders whilst other are pure emotional and great at seeing the needs of others before they see it themselves.
• Some are serious whilst others are jokers

 
We are all different and the sooner we realise that we are not all meant to be the same the sooner we can all start to see our worth.
 
So this year don’t strive for a new you, strive to be the best version of you.  If that is your diet then checkout @welovebreakingfads on Facebook and Instagram or take the quiz at www.breaking-fads.com to see what bodytype you are and how to eat the way your body wants you to
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads

​We are in that week between after Christmas but before New Years.  Still in food coma’s, tired after late nights, possibly licking wounds from tensions that might have flown, or just enjoying the company of someone you haven’t had the chance to see in a long time.  This week always seems to go in a blur.
 
This year why not take a breath?  Use this week to sit  down and make a list and ask yourself the following:

1. What is the one thing you want to do differently in 2022 than the way you did it in 2021?
2. Write down how you are going to do that, what It looks like, steps you need to make
3. Who did you feel good around in 2021 and how can you do more of that?
4. What is the one thing you would do if you had the opportunity in 2022?
5. Do you have the opportunity to do that thing?  If not can you make it come about?
6. If you could help 1 person this year, who would it be and how would that look?  This can be big or small.
7. What is one thing you can do each week to help you decompress your stress?  Factor in time to do it.  This could be Yoga, meditation, cooking, walking, swimming in the sea, breathwork, a catch up with a friend, reading a book.  You choose what works for you.

 
The main thing is to make your goals realistic and important to you, don’t do the same old same old and give up 2 weeks into January, let’s make 2022 our gamechanger.
 
 
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

Click herI might be vegan but I love cooking for others, and this is the best way to cook your turkey to stop it going dry (so everyone I’ve cooked it for has told me).
 
The best way to stop the turkey turning out dry as dust is simply by braising it in milk.  This helps to add some added moisture the turkey needs, we all know it can be a dry meat.
 
So this is my way of braising the turkey in milk, note you will need to start the process a few days before you are going to cook the turkey but it is worth it and you’ll thank me for doing it.
 
Ingredients

• 1 (10lb to 14lb) turkey
• 12 cups Organic Whole milk kefir or buttermilk (I use kefir milk for the added health benefits and I find it works better, but buttermilk is perfectly fine)
• 7 Tbsp fine sea salt

 
Method

• Place a large brining bag in a large bowl or sink.
• Pour kefir and salt in bag and stir to dissolve salt.
• Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling out air.
• Double-bag the turkey to prevent any leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute kefir all around the turkey.
• Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours.
• Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part
• Preheat the oven 230C
• Place the turkey that has been marinating into a roasting pan and pour the remaining marinade over the top of the turkey until covered and there is some settled at the bottom of the pan and place orange slices on and around the turkey.
  
• Roast the turkey until an instant read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast, without touching bone, registers 65C (about 40 minutes for boneless breast or 50 minutes for a bone-in-breast. For a 25lb turkey unstuffed, cook for 4-5 hours and with a stuffed turkey 4-6 hours).
• You may want to tent the breast with aluminium foil if it’s darkening too quickly.
• Put the cooked turkey on a large chopping board and rest for 10 minutes then carve.

 
If you want to use kefir and you don’t make your own, you can get some grains through fermenting Facebook groups, or you can buy kefir milk in Supervalu, Dunnes and your local polish food shops.
 
I have instructions on how to make kefir on my blog and social media pages.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
e to edit.

​ 
I am a big fan of Christmas, I love the coming together, sharing gifts, food, atmosphere, it has always been one of my favourite times of the year.  But I can also recognise how stressful Christmas can be.  Everyone is rushing, in a panic, trying to get it all perfect, find the money for everything and meet expectations or hold their tongue for everyone else’s sake.  It can definitely be stressful.
 
So this year, remember it’s ok to take some time to destress and remember what Christmas is meant to be about.
 
My top 3 stress busting aids are:

1. Rescue remedy – I love this little bottle, just pop some drop into water and drink.  Rescue remedy are Bach Flowers, which are homeopathic in nature.  They do not interact with anything else, and work by help your body deal with the stress when you cannot remove the stressor.
2. Breathing – I no we are all breathing or we would be dead, but certain breathing techniques significantly reduce tension in the body and help the body release stress.  My favourite is box breathing -  inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds then repeat.  Start by doing this for 4 minutes
3. Remove yourself- that simple, if you are in a situation that is stressing you out, if possible remove yourself and go and do something else.  Sounds simple but far too many of us do not recognise our own boundaries and stay in uncomfortable situations for far longer than is healthy.

 
My wish for you all is a fun filled and peaceful Christmas but if that’s not on the cards I hope you remember these 3 tips and that they help you recentre and enjoy your Christmas.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

​Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one.  The same is true very often with health and diet.  I ate a very typical diet (years ago) so I didn’t think anything of it.  It was normal to eat lots of things that came in packets, crisps on a regular basis, fizzy drinks, etc.  Sure everyone ate like that, it was normal.  I was a vegetarian that wasn’t that keen on vegetables.
 
The thing is my diet was normal for my generation but completely different from the generations before me.  How had our diet changed so quickly?  A lot had to do with advertising, making foods that were not nutritious look normal, foods with added nutrients rather than food with natural nutrients.  We all started using microwaves, diets were in all of a sudden, you always seemed to be on the latest one, sure everyone was doing it.
 
20 years later and I am seeing increases in most chronic health issues, cancers, childhood health issues, maybe it’s time to simplify things a little again.
 
So here are a few tips from me to you on how to identify food that is beneficial for your health:

1. Buy live food – fresh produce, not something that could live in your cupboard quite happily for the next 2 years.  Most of your shopping trolley should be produce with a few products and not the other way around
2. Hydrate with water – Get a glass of water into yourself every 2 hours. 
3. Cook from fresh – it doesn’t have to be worthy of a Michelin star restaurant, even an omelette or stir fry is far better for you than something from a packet
4. Get creative – don’t eat the same thing over and over
5. Eat a proper meal – 2- 3 proper meals a day will curb cravings, picking and binging, give you energy for the day and a better sleep at night.
6. If your food looks beige you will eventually show signs of nutrient deficiencies (even if you supplement)  add colour (and I don’t mean ketchup)
7. Think more about what your grandparents ate than what your best friend eats. 

 
The interesting thing is, my diet is far more interesting and tasty now that I eat food that fuels my body rather than my cravings.
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

So if you read my article last week you will see there are some fairly everyday reasons you might be hungry and some simple ways to rectify the situation.  We are all different and the best way to rectify a situation is to really understand how it has come about.
 
So here is a little list of 5 more reasons you might be hungry and how to resolve it:
 

1. You’re not eating enough vegetables.  If I’m honest this is the no 1 cause of most of our weight and diet related health issues today in my mind, we simple eat too little vegetables and what we do eat is lower in nutrients than our parents and grandparents had.  How do we adjust this?  Add more vegetables and what you add try to make it local grown organic.
2. You are eating in a hurry – we just don’t give our food the time it needs, we don’t see it as important for our wellbeing so other things in our lives are given more priority
3. You aren’t drinking enough water – you knew that was coming.  Hunger and thirst can often be misinterpreted by our body so if you are always hungry, think if you are drinking enough water.
4. You are stressed – as I said before about sleep, stress needs lots of calories and nutrients so this can increase your need for calories, the downside is you would think if you’re burning it off you would loose weight, but you’d be wrong!  Stress impacts the hormones and you tend to gain hormonal weight around the middle.  Another reason stress can make you think you are hungry is you may start eating your feelings, using food to suppress your emotions.
5. You’re just hungry.  Some people have higher metabolisms than others and you may just burn off the calories quickly which can mean you have a need for  a nutrient and calorie dense diet.

 
 
Follow myself and Shona @welovebreakingfads on Instagram and Facebook for recipes, tips and videos, and keep any eye out for our launch of our new and improved Breaking Fads Bodytype programs in Early 2022.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

 
Growing up I always struggled with my weight, on one diet or another.  A negative relationship with food always.  There was no real education on how to eat healthy, just some very vague ideas that didn’t always work for me.  I never really thought what food was doing for me or when I ate the wrong foods, what it was doing to me.
 
So here is a little list of 5 reasons you might be hungry and how to resolve it:
 

1. Too little protein in the diet – each meal you ideally need the palm of your hand in protein
2. You’re not eating enough – you may be on a starve binge cycle without realising
3. You’re not sleeping well – this puts stress on the body, stress burns calories, so you end up hungry.  Sleep also regulates and appetite stimulating hormone called ghrelin, sleep down – ghrelin up.
4. You’re eating too many refined carbs – bread, pasta, pizza, whire rice etc.  A simple switch to brown can make a big difference
5. Not enough fat in your diet – yep, you heard me!  We have had fat drummed into us for so long as a negative that many people don’t eat enough now.  Healthy fats help you feel fuller and more satisfied for longer

 
The truth that I wasn’t aware of was that if I ate like my friends, I gained weight when they didn’t, and that is very frustrating and destroys a good relationship with food.  When in fact all I needed to do was to eat in the way that suited my bodytype and suddenly everything fell into place.
 
Follow myself and Shona @welovebreakingfads on Instagram and Facebook for recipes, tips and videos, and keep any eye out for our launch of our new and improved Breaking Fads Bodytype programs in Early 2022.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice 
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads