Benefits of Beetroot

Illustration by my very talented sister (instagram: mollymole9)

Recently there's been so much hype on super foods like kale (which I'm still trying to condition myself to actually like), spinach and chia seeds but where's the emphasis on beetroot?? Well here is all you need to know on why you should incorporate this vegetable into your diet.

Whilst touring the nutrition department at the University of Reading on an open day, I saw an article on how eating beetroot can increase vasodilation (the widening of a blood vessel) and therefore decrease diastolic blood pressure. This is due to beetroots high nitric oxide levels and this lowered blood pressure in turn decreases the risk of strokes and heart attacks. 

Furthermore, beetroot is full of antioxidants and soluble fibre reducing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the 'bad' type of cholesterol) which helps to protect the artery walls. This protection lowers the risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and also decreases the likelihood of having a heart attack.

The silica in beetroot helps the body utilise calcium which is well known for it's role in bone strength. It therefore aids skeletal health and decreases the risk of developing osteoporosis. It also has a high iron content and is therefore essential in the diet of someone who is anaemic or even a vegetarian.
Even the leaves of a beetroot are beneficial to health as they aid digestion.

Follow my blog for a future post on how I like to incorporate beetroot into my diet!

You can find me on instagram @alicebethanyy

Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments of any foods that you want to know the nutritional benefits of!

Alice x

The First Small Change - Green Tea

Okay so I am over a month late on the whole new years resolutions thing but one thing I wanted to do was to make lots of little changes to my lifestyle every now and again as opposed to setting myself several massive, unobtainable challenges at the beginning of the year.

And of course, like every other person in the world, one of the changes I wanted to make was to my diet, however, I wanted to go about it in a sustainable way. Instead of drastically cutting out every sugary and fatty (and delicious) food in my diet, I wanted to change one thing every two or three weeks.

The first change? Swapping hot chocolate for green tea.

Every day when I get home from college after spending 45 minutes on a freezing cold bus, I would find myself reaching for the hot chocolate. Now I am a massive lover of hot chocolates and I am not about to completely deprive myself of something I feel so passionately about, but I do always find myself feeling sluggish instead of refreshed after indulging in it. Hence the swap. The plan is to turn hot chocolate into a treat, drinking it just once a week as opposed to 5 or 6 times!

The Benefits of Green Tea

1. It boosts the metabolism and increases fat burning... of course the extent to which this works is dependent on the individuals lifestyle (diet and exercise) but never say no to a helping hand!
2. It contains an outstanding amount of antioxidants (flavonoids and catechins) which reduce the number of free radicals in the body and therefore can help to reduce the chance of cancer
3. It contains just the right  amount of caffeine to boosts your energy levels yet maintain them at a stable rate and the caffeine works with a special amino acid to boost brain function too
4. It lowers the risk of type II diabetes by improving insulin levels and reducing blood sugar levels
5. It kills certain types of bacteria, giving it the ability to lower the risk of infections

These are just 5 of the reasons as to why green tea is so beneficial to your body and I highly recommend trying it if you are yet to do so. 

I am currently trying out Tetley Green Tea, a trusted and basic brand, though there are so many others to try! Please leave any recommendations down below on the teas you have been loving!

alice x 

Benefits of Drinking Water

Drinking water has soooo many benefits and while dieticians rave on about it and you think yes i will start drinking more water, it's quite easy to forget to do so. So I thought I'd share some health and beauty benefits of drinking water with you in order to try and get you to actually drink that water.

5 Beauty Benefits of Drinking Water

•  it keeps your skin looking young, (filling in and plumping the skin, reducing wrinkles) hydrated (meaning it's less likely to dry out) and healthy
•  your hair is made up of 5% water so the amount you drink reflects in the glossiness of your hair 
•  it removes toxins and waste from the body, thereby cleanses it internally and externally, getting rid of  those under-skin spots
•  drinking enough combats skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis 
•  it keeps your skin toned and tight

5 Health Benefits of Drinking Water

• it can relieve stress - in order to function properly, all of our organs (especially the brain) need water and when they are deprived of it, it can lead to stress
•  it helps burn fat by boosting metabolism 
•  it builds healthy muscle as it carries oxygen to the cells that build muscle tissue
•  it aids healthy joint movement by acting as a lubricant around the cartilage 
• it helps you lose weight because it deceives your stomach into thinking it's full and therefore you are less likely to snack 

friendly reminder, drink more water!!

alice x