Balanced beauty - the importance of breaking the rules

How to have your cake and eat it 

And not spoil your beauty detox superfoods diet!

These will add to your beauty detox diet plan to get you Ultra Beautiful in no time. There is no substitute for healthy eating!

Eat from the Superfoods list;
never eat the Major Agers and religiously get 

eight hours of sleep a night. A pretty tall order!  

Seriously, I struggle with this a lot.  The one thing that keeps me sane, and not feel like I'm missing out on all the fun things in life, is my rule of balance.

This is what happens if I don't get to indulge once in a while

If you're starting out on the
Ultra Beauty diet, you'll be pleased to read today's blog. I want to talk about
what happens when you get that insatiable craving for chocolate; are gasping
for a glass of wine, or just really feel like a 

hamburger. 










For those of you who are on
Everyday Maintenance, you'll know that you should be eating 80% of your diet
from the list of Superfoods. Well, the other 20% is important too. To stop
yourself from feeling deprived or fixated on eating perfectly, and to be able
to live a normal social life, you've got to break 

the rules from time to time.
Once a day, eat from the forbidden list. 



By not thinking of any foods as
totally off limits, you'll have a healthier attitude to your diet than if you
try to stick 100% to best food choices, and are less likely to slip up, have a
massive binge on cereal and decide to throw the towel in. Start to classify
foods as 'All the time', and 'Some of the time' choices. 












That way, you'll enjoy a dessert
or pizza without feeling guilty, and you'll even look forward to getting back
on track. Remember: you don't have to eat perfectly to be in perfect health.








































There's one thing that I do ask
though, and it's that you try and make better 

choices, where possible!

For meat - please try and get
organic, lean poultry, rather than processed meat such as sausages or ham,
which is full of nitrates, chemicals and all-round bad stuff. 



For dairy - organic and full fat
is better. The fat keeps you full and allows other vitamins to be absorbed. 



Alcohol - red wine is the best,
particularly Pinot Noir which has a high level of reservatrol - an antioxidant
famous for its anti-ageing powers. White wine is next on the list, and then
vodka and soda. Other spirits and cocktails come last (sorry..). Sambuca shots...well,
no-one ever drinks these of their own free will, right?



Sugar and carbs - wholemeal
flour products are better as they have fibre and are satisfying for longer. For
sweets, dark chocolate is the best as it's packed with polyphenols, good ol'
antioxidants and even minerals. Good quality chocolate (milk or dark) is the
best choice you can make as it has cocoa solids and normally less sugar. A good
excuse to buy Charbonnel et Walker truffles, if ever I heard one. 





 



So there you go: go forth and
eat cake. Once a day. Just get back to the diet for the rest of the meal. You
have my blessing!














Email me any questions - I love
'em!

For skin and beauty diets, eggs are hard to beat

The whole truth about eggs

Eggs are great additions to your beauty detox diet plan. The Ultra Beauty blog 

shows how healthy eating will get you Ultra Beautiful in no time

Egg white omelettes are a great way to get protein, right? Wrong!  When I lived in New York, everyone was eating egg white omelettes, so I did the same - and was always hungry, had no energy and even put on a stone in weight.  A lot of that was probably to do with my Crumbs cupcake habit, but I also think that I was simply missing out on a load of nutrients, which threw my whole diet off kilter.

Ditching the yolks might seem like the healthy thing to do, but skip the orange stuff and you are missing out on a whole host of skin friendly nutrients, good fats and protein.

Let's get straight to the heart (yolk) of the matter.

1. Whole eggs are a nutrient powerhouse, containing all but one vitamin. One egg contains only 77 calories, with 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein with all 9 essential amino acids. It is rich in iron, phosphorous, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5 (among others).

2. One egg yolk contains 113 mg of Choline – a very important nutrient for brain functions, among other things. A diet rich in choline is also associated with happiness. The chemical breaks down into bethane, which helps produce "happiness" hormones (and neurotransmitters) like serotonin, dopamine and norephinephrine. A technical way of saying you'll feel more upbeat!

3. Whole eggs have immense satiating properties: Eggs score high on a scale called the Satiety Index, which means that eggs are particularly capable of making you feel full and eat fewer overall calories.

I love how Japanese meals often come with a half egg

4. Weight control: Eggs only contain trace amounts of carbohydrate, which means that they will not raise blood glucose levels. In a study of 30 overweight or obese women that ate either a bagel or eggs for breakfast, the egg group ended up eating less during lunch, the rest of the day and for the next 36 hours.

In another study, overweight men and women were calorie-restricted and given either a breakfast of 2 eggs (340 kcal) or a breakfast of bagels. After 8 weeks, the egg eating group had a:

61% greater reduction in BMI.

65% more weight loss.

34% greater reduction in waist circumference.

16% greater reduction in body fat.

…even though both breakfasts contained the same number of calories.

The opposite to what you'd think, all you yolk-skippers!

5. Eggs Are 'Perfect' Protein - Eggs are the "gold standard" when it comes to protein quality. That's because all of the protein found in an egg yolk and white can be absorbed and used by the body.

Calorie for calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle-building results. 

The way you cook eggs is important, and the preferred methods are poaching, scrambling or baking. That's because frying in fat creates harmful by-products. 

Poached eggs and smoked salmon are ideal because you get the double-whammy of anti-ageing fats and proteins.

So never throw away the yolks again, and enjoy one or two eggs a day. Cooking Light is a good website for egg recipes: just watch out for the bread and substitute it with wheat-free versions like oatcakes, porridge, pancakes made with buckwheat flour.

Want to find out about the total Ultra Beauty package?  Read about the quest for optimum beauty here!

      

Superfood Protein for lean, strong muscles

 Ultra protein power for your healthy diet (and beach yoga)









Protein is key to the Ultra Beauty blog beauty detox diet. Plan your healthy eating

 around good sources and get Ultra Beautiful in no time





Protein is one of the most important elements of your diet, and many of us aren't getting enough of this macronutrient. Protein molecules literally build your skin and hair, so it's no surprise that eating good quality protein, and lots of it, will give you clear, beautiful skin and thick, lustrous hair. 




Not only that, but it has amazing satiating properties - which simply means that it will keep you full until the next meal! A study showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast went on to eat 200 fewer calories over the course of the day. 



Ok, make mine a steak... Right? 





Which sources are best? Chicken, egg white, skimmed milk - these are the foods that come to mind when you think of protein. But eat only these and you will be missing out on a range of nutrients, and harming your health.



In fact, the Ultra Beauty diet considers mainly plant-based sources to be the best, because they are the cleanest, most easily digestible and most nutritious. We recommend that you cut out dairy and meat almost completely.



Eggs (whole - not just the whites!), fish, tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans should form the majority of your protein intake. Fish has wonderful anti-ageing properties and should be eaten as close to once a day as possible. If you are on the Everyday Maintenance diet then aim for 80% of your diet to be meat and dairy free, and with the remaining 20% of your meals you can have that grilled chicken salad.



For the Five Day Blitzers, you will be eating wild salmon for two meals every day and vegetarian sources for the other meal. Salmon has tremendous anti-inflammatory properties, and your skin will show a marked difference in just three days.










How much is enough?



The amount we need changes with age.



Infants require about 10 grams a day.

Teenage boys need up to 52 grams a day.

Teenage girls need 46 grams a day.

Adult men need about 56 grams a day.

Adult women need about 46 grams a day.

One important exception is pregnant or lactating women. The recommended intake for them rises to 71 grams of protein a day.



So in short:



Don't skimp on protein - eat it at every meal



Make like the Japanese and eat fish every day



Cut out meat and dairy and switch to veggie sources



Count the grams in an average day's food to make sure you're getting enough.

Fruit and veg - count to ten

Add these to your beauty detox diet plan. The Ultra Beauty blog 

shows your how healthy eating will get you Ultra Beautiful in no time

For optimum health and beautiful skin, fruit and vegetables are nature’s powerhouses. Packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre, they are key to the Ultra Beauty diet. Eat a wide range of fruit and veg and you'll get the full spectrum of micronutrients - and will benefit from glowing radiance. 

Current government guidelines recommend eating five different fruit and veg per day, and allow you to count tinned and juice products in that five.  Ultra Beauty advises you to eat closer to ten, and these should not include juice, but can include tinned tomatoes (an excellent source of lycopene) and all frozen vegetables.

The ten food heroes should be made up of six or seven servings of vegetables, concentrating on the green variety, with the remaining three or four being fruit.  Healthy choices are pretty much always available; don't be afraid to ask to customise a meal or adding sides of greens!

You can always make better beauty food choices, even if you've stepped off a
twenty hour flight and have stumbled into a robot restaurant! 

Why ten servings per day?

We believe that is it only possible to achieve optimum, glowing health by consuming a large number of these foods, of which most should be dark green leafy vegetables. 

Greens have more valuable nutrients than any other food group on the planet. That much you know already. You might be surprised to learn that greens even have high-quality, easily-assimilated amino acids – in other words, loads of protein!

Looking at the Everyday Maintenance diet, it might seem as though your bank account is going to take a hit from all the fresh produce.  

Frozen spinach is mega cheap and so nutritious!
Choose whole leaf rather than chopped - it looks and
tastes nicer when defrosted.

Don’t feel as thought you have to spend half your income on bagged spinach; there are many more affordable solutions.  Frozen spinach is around a tenth the price of fresh, and comes in portion-sized balls which you can just throw onto a plate in the morning, to defrost for dinner time.  Kale is cheaper than spinach at around £1 for a large bag, and one of the most nutrient dense foods grown.  Spring greens are even less expensive and when cooked, are a delicious addition to salads, soups and stews.  Just be careful not to overcook them.  We're aiming for 'greens', not 'greys'.

Isn’t too much fruit bad?

Let’s be clear.   Humans evolved eating tons of fruit.  For millions of years of human evolution, fruit has been abundantly available on trees and bushes – the original fast food.  Some diets might advise not eating fruit because of the sugar it contains, but in fact the high water content of fruits (between 90 and 95%) means that the sugar is a relatively low component.  Choosing a wide range of fruit to add to your diet in the form of snacks and dessert will protect you against illnesses, boost your immune system and keep you full for longer – the best form of bulk there is! 

For your skin, the concentration of antioxidants and beta-carotene, plus vitamins A and C mean that your skin will retain elasticity and plumpness, and will get a radiant glow.  Lycopene in watermelon, resveratrol in grapes and beta carotene in apricots are just three of the nutrients essential for glowing skin. Each type of fruit contains a different cocktail of nutrients; so try to choose different ones each day.

Below are our favourite fruit and vegetable choices:

Berries and antioxidants

You know antioxidants are good for you, and berries are chock-a-block full of them.  A quick lesson from NetDoctor on why this is important. Feel free to skip this if you know the score already.

"Your body constantly reacts with oxygen as you breathe and your cells produce energy. As a consequence of this activity, highly reactive molecules are produced known as free radicals.

Free radicals interact with other molecules within cells. This can cause oxidative damage to proteins, membranes and genes.

Oxidative damage has been implicated in the cause of many diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer's and has an impact on the body's ageing process.  External factors, such as pollution, sunlight and smoking, also trigger the production of free radicals."

Therefore, berries are also anti-cancer foods (especially for cancers that occur along the digestive tract).  One study says, “Through their ability to scavenge ROS [reactive oxygen species], and reduce oxidative DNA damage, stimulate antioxidant enzymes, inhibit carcinogen-induced DNA adduct formation and enhance DNA repair, berry compounds have been shown to inhibit mutagenesis and cancer initiation.” That basically means berries help protect you against environmental toxins that are all around us.  

Eat a mix of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, acai berries—whatever you can find! Try a new type, be it fresh or frozen - different berries have different specialties. They’re all total powerhouses, packed with flavonoids, vitamins, minerals.

Garlic

Garlic has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer, especially of the stomach, colon, bladder, and prostate. It’s a strong detoxifier in the body and it revs up the immune system so you’re naturally more able to fight off malignant cancer cells. When your immune system is depressed, those cancer cells are more likely to thrive; garlic keeps the immune system strong.

Kale

Ideally, you would eat kale every day!

It’s not just delicious and fibre-rich, it can also help prevent cancer—especially lung, stomach, colon, and rectal cancer. In those potential cancer sites, a study showed a 64 percent inverse association between the likelihood of developing cancer and the consumption of kale and similar vegetables. If you can't find kale, or just don't like it, you can get the same benefits from other members of the brassica and cruciferous veg family, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, mustards, and cauliflower. 

Spinach

Popeye had it right all along! As a rich source of lutein and beta carotene, this vegetable is a skin favourite. Spinach works to prevent cancer when carcinogens are introduced to the body. And you guessed, it, it also holds powerful anti-cancer properties.  In one study, carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) were introduced to two groups of rats via cooked meat. Feeding one group spinach reduced the likelihood of tumor development from 58 percent to 32 percent.

Broccoli Sprouts and Broccoli

Broccoli sprouts and broccoli contain compounds that help the liver detox the body, which is crucial for us optimum beauty seekers.  Moreover, scientists have discovered that broccoli and Brussels sprouts have the ability to stop the spread of cancer. Eating the vegetables encourages the body to produce a substance known as 13C (indole-3-carbinol) which fights cancer and blocks cancer cells from proliferating.

In fact there are a wealth of studies adding to the evidence of the anti-cancer and health properties of broccoli and Brussels sprouts.  In a study published in 2010 in the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University found that the compound sulforaphane, which is found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy and Brussels sprouts, has strong anti-cancer properties, particularly when it comes to prostate and colon cancers. Even more promising results have been found with broccoli sprouts, which have more than 50 times the amount of sulforaphane than found in mature broccoli.

A study led by Victoria Kush, Ph.D of Cancer Care Ontario in Toronto and published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that greater consumption of dark green and cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli and cauliflower, was associated with a decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms can inhibit the growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer by suppressing aromatase (an enzyme that contributes to the conversion of testosterone into estrogen) activity in the body. Shitake mushrooms in particular are often used to boost the immune system as preventative medicine regarding cancer and AIDS. 

Mushrooms also contain lentinan, a compound said to slow tumor growth or prevent them from growing at all.  In addition, a study in Japan showed that mushrooms decrease the rates of stomach cancer.

Mushrooms can be used in “meat” mixes, combined with seeds or nuts for wrap fillings or salad toppings.

Spring Greens

An affordable, versatile veggie with skin friendly vitamins and cancer-fighting enzymes.  

Spring Greens are major detoxifiers, contain large amounts of beta-carotene for healthy, glowing skin, plus they’re anti-inflammatory. Their bitter tast (when raw) is because of the four glucosinolates they contain.  

We love them because they make an easy side dish, plus they're sturdy enough to be used in stews and pies.

Tomatoes

The good things packed into tomatoes seriously know no bounds!  For ultra beauty, the lycopene in tomatoes has been shown to protect against sun damage to keep skin looking young. Plus, dedicated tomato-munchers have higher levels of pro collagen in their skin, which is the molecule that slows down ageing and gives skin its bounciness. Read this Daily Mail article for more info on this interesting study.

Health-wise, tomatoes have been linked to a decreased risk for cancers, especially lung, stomach, prostate, cervix, breast, oral, pancreatic, colorectal, and oesophageal. This is one fruit I recommend eating cooked, as it is only on exposure to heat that antioxidant lycopene increases.