Author: Claire Schillaci

Most of us have got the message about sugar – that we should eat much less of it or possibly cut it out altogether. But perhaps some of you did what I did and turned to artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are just that – they are artificial. Our body does not recognise them and as such can’t process them. And if that isn’t bad enough they have some terrible side effects – from headaches and migraines to kidney and liver damage and cardiovascular disease.
And a lot of us may have been drawn to them because they’re low calorie, but in fact, artificial sweeteners are actually linked to weight gain!

The worst thing is that they make us crave sweet things even more which makes them just as addictive as sugar.
So Tweaklet friends, it’s time to get smart about artificial Sweeteners. Ditch any of those products with DIET in the label. Throw out the diet, lite or low cal sodas. Stop putting ……………………………………………………………………………………… in your hot drink.

Read your labels because Artificial Sweeteners are often hiding in things like toothpaste….. chewing gum, sweets……chewable vitamins…..low and no-calorie drinks…….salad dressings…….frozen yoghurt.

But my fellow sweet tooths, don’t despair. There are plenty of natural sweeteners we can enjoy including maple syrup……coconut sugar……stevia……raw honey…..and real fruit of course. And you can gradually retrain your palette to enjoy NATURAL sweetness by adding tangy, warm and savoury flavours from things like vanilla……licorice…..nutmeg and cinnamon.

Phew! There’s hope for us yet! Play around with today’s Tweaklet and please let me know how you get on Sweet Tooths. I love hearing from you!

Aw isn’t it beautiful! The humble avocado is making a comeback, has been for a while actually, and I for one couldn’t be happier.

I love avocados and If you’re not yet a fan, then my mission today is to convert you. This ruggedly handsome fruit is often misunderstood. So, don’t be put off by its tough armadillo looking exterior, inside it’s all smooth, creamy green deliciousness.

One avocado is full to bursting with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that provide very real benefits to the overall health of your skin and body. You might remember from previous episodes that fat is back! Good fats are essential for good health and avocados are top of the good fats list!

And avocados are SO VERSATILE! Here’s just a few uses…

Because of their neutral taste avocados are a great in baking where you need butter or shortening. Add them to salads, in slices or as a dressing and to pastas and sauces. The classic is of course guacamole and you can add them to fritters and juices and soups.

Two of my favourites include putting half an avocado in my breakfast smoothie to make it really creamy and sustaining. And creating a superfood chocolate mousse, using avocado and raw cacao. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, its Amazing!

You can work avocado into your breakfast, smashed on gluten-free toast or crack an egg into the seedless side and baking it in the oven for a few minutes. Drizzle with a little chilli for some added zing!

You can even make a face mask out of them!

And something I didn’t know till recently is that you can crush the seed, which is full of fibre and antioxidants and add that into smoothies and your favourite recipes as well!

Rich in potassium, B vitamins, fibre as well as antioxidants and folate, avocados promote healthy cell and tissue development so they’re good for pretty much everyone. Did you know that avocados also naturally boost libidos in both men and women? Woohoo! Just another added benefit of this funny looking fruit.

Here is a link to my Favourite blender, it’s the one I use for all my smoothies! 

The humble cauliflower – pale and lumpy looking but don’t underestimate it!

In fact who would have thought, just a few short years ago, that cauliflower could become such a popular vegetable and not just because it contains almost every necessary vitamin and mineral whilst managing to be very low in carbs and therefore calories, it is also a really versatile vegetable.

Honestly, cauliflower is like vegetable playdoh because of all the things you can make from it!

As people want more low carb and gluten free alternatives the cauliflower has a solution for just about everything……. I’m sure you’ll have heard of some of them…….cauliflower rice…..cauliflower steaks……cauliflower pizza crust……cauli tacos……an alternative to mashed potato…….You can have it baked, roasted, smashed, fried, ……. in soups, salads, and used in every style of cuisine.

But it’s the health benefits that really make it special.
Cauliflower is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich which makes it great for your heart and brain health. It provides huge amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Beta-carotene, magnesium, potassium and so many more vitamins and minerals that support healthy digestion and detoxification.

It’s from the cruciferous family of vegetables which really sends it into superfood status….as this family of vegetables helps slow tumour growth and helps kill cancer cells.

We’ll talk more about the cruciferous family because they’re amazing for all round good health. But of all of them, the cauliflower is probably the most versatile as you can cook it in so many different ways. It’s an excellent low carb alternative to eating potatoes, pasta, rice, and it’s full of easily digestible fibre.
Cauliflower – you’re a great all-rounder and certainly a good friend of mine.

I have lots of fabulous cauliflower recipes so let me know if you need some to get you started. Or if you’d like to share your favourite cauliflower recipe please let me know in the comments below this video.

You might have heard the term Leaky Gut so let’s understand what that is.

Leaky gut is quite literally when your gut gets a little hole in it, which happens when your intestinal wall gets irritated by what you’re eating.

That tiny hole then allows toxins, bacteria and even particles of food to leak out of the gut into your bloodstream. This is very bad news because the body’s immune system tries to fight off these intruders and ends up attacking itself.

So how does the gut become leaky?

Some causes are antibiotics and anti inflammatories. And the weed killer gly-PHOS-ate that’s in a lot of our foods. But one of the worst offenders in making holes in our gut lining is the simple protein gluten.

Gluten is found in grain which means it’s in many of our staple foods – regular wheat bread, pasta, baked goods and cereal.

I know, I can hear you yelling at me from here….How am I going to give up bread? Or Pasta? Or my favourite cereal?

Well, all I can say is think about it. Like everything on Tweaklets, this is just about tiny tweaks and cutting back….or cutting out….gluten is a small price to pay for preventing and healing those holes in your gut that cause terrible digestive issues, as well as things like chronic fatigue…, hormonal imbalances…., skin conditions……, fibromyalgia….., arthritis…., migraines and asthma.

So before you butter that toast or fill your bowl with cereal, think twice. Think Tweaklets – this tiny food tweak that could make all the difference to your health .

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