Not so guilty pleasure Archives - Enhance What's YoursEnhance What's Yours

Posted on June 8, 2014

9 healthy ways to conquer sugar cravings

Let’s face it, it’s pretty hard to eat clean 100% of the time. With tempting adverts all over the media and friends and family who practically make it their job to have you drooling all over and wanting a slice of your favourite dessert, you can easily fall off track.

Luckily, you don’t always have to give in to these temptations because like most things, a sugar craving can be conquered with foods and drinks that aren’t so bad for you –in moderation, that is.

While some of these suggestions might not work for everyone, I’ve certainly found one or two of them pretty useful for combating my sugar fix and they tend to get pretty serious in certain times of the month – sorry lads!

1. Bananas
This is my go-to snack when I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Not only are they naturally sweet, but they’re also great for keeping your tummy full and your body energised.

2. Dried fruit
From raisins to prunes and dried apricots and cranberries – there are just so many to choose from.

3. Carrots
Here’s another one of my go-to snacks. I like to have them raw and chunky and the best part about carrots is, they’re ridiculously cheap!

4. Coconut water
It’s naturally sweet, refreshing and a single glass has a lot of health benefits. Have a look here to find out the beauty benefits of this super drink.

5. Protein bars
Instead of reaching for a Snickers bar, head straight to the kitchen and make a few homemade protein bars for yourself. One of my delicious recipes actually does taste like snickers (no joke!).

6. Smoothies
I genuinely feel like you can’t go wrong with homemade smoothies. You decide what you put in it, you decide how much of it you want and YOU decide how much of it you’re going to drink – the ball is in your court.

7. Strawberries, raspberries, cherries…
Need I go on?

8. Aloe vera water
I’ve just been hooked on this stuff for a really long time now. Sometimes I feel like the sweetness of aloe vera water is enough to conquer more than just one sugar craving – it’s nearly enough to keep me going for a few weeks!

9.Just get moving
That’s right, do a bit of exercise and get your blood flowing. The last you want if for all your hard work to go to waste, so the more you exercise, the less you’ll want to give in – it works for me anyways!

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Posted on May 11, 2014

2-ingredient juice cleanse recipe

Not so guilty pleasure/ recipes

I have recently become obsessed with beetroot. I know, it’s a weird obsession to have, but I suppose it could be a lot worse.

Beetroots are well-known for helping the whole detoxification process. They help purify your blood and your liver, so if you’re on a juice cleanse or if you need something after a night of heavy drinking, then this is the stuff for you.

The anti-inflammatory properties of beets helps protect the skin from pre-mature aging and if you dab some juice on your face, it helps control blemishes.

If you’re a fitness junkies, then you’ll be happy to hear that beet juice helps improve stamina. So if you want to last longer during a workout – of any shape of form, then a glass of beet juice can help you do that.

If that’s not enough to get you juicing this superfood, then I don’t know what is!

Here’s what you need:

1 beet
1 stalk of celery
Water to facilitate blending

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Filter the contents into a glass using a sieve.
3. Put whatever is left in the sieve, back in the blender and add some more water.
4. Blend and repeat process.

I hope you get the chance to give this recipe a try, it’s so simple make and actually tastes pretty good!

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Posted on May 10, 2014

Energising carrot juice

Not so guilty pleasure/ recipes

Carrots are full of vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamins A, C and E, all needed for good eyesight, a better immune system and maintaining healthy cells – but it doesn’t end there.

Since they’re also loaded with antioxidants, a regular consumption of carrots (or this energising carrot juice) can help promote glowing skin.

You ready to get started? Here’s what you need:

2 large carrots
Thumb-size piece of ginger
Zest of lemon
Honey (optional)

1.Throw everything into a blender with water and process it until it gets frothy.
2.Filter the mixture into a glass using a sieve or a cheese cloth.
3.Put the remainder back in the blender with more water and repeat.
4.Serve right away or keep in the fridge.

Note: Carrots are naturally sweet so you don’t need to add any honey to it. For extra hydration, you can add some celery to the juice!

Let me know how you get on with this!

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Posted on February 4, 2014

Why you should eat more avocados

food/ Not so guilty pleasure

I’m a huge fan of avocados. I love how you can have them with something sweet or you could enjoy them with something savory. Something hot or something cold. As a side dip or a main…..they’re just so versatile!

Lately, I’ve been trying to get a lot more of these into my meals. Since the average avocado has over 200 calories as well as healthy fats, it’s the perfect fruit – yes it’s a fruit, to build muscle tissue and gain weight. Not to mention how good it tastes…..

Now you know why I like my avocados, but why should you get more of these into your diet?

Healthy skin

Of course, anything that’s good for your skin doesn’t get past me. Not only do the antioxidants in this fruit help get rid of the toxins that promote early aging and wrinkles but, they’re also high in vitamin E which is well known for protecting the skin- clearly you’re in good hands!

Good fat

Again, healthy fat. The ones your body actually needs. People with a low-fat diet usually find themselves with sugar cravings (that won’t sit well in the belly!)

Filling

Since avocados contain fiber, you will find only one of these will keep you full for a while. You won’t feel hungry again until long after you’ve had a full avocado – sounds like a lot for some, but believe me, after a work out I could eat a horse – no joke!

Healthy oils

This means it can help restore your healthy body weight. So even if you aren’t trying to gain weight, you could still do with a bit of avocados every now and again,

Versatile

Use it to make a salad or a smoothie. It works well as a replacement for butter or to make ice cream (yeah that’s a new one, but it’s actually nice!)

Hope I’ve convinced you to eat some more avocados, if not, check out my avocado ice cream recipe below (not the time of year for it I know, but I guess you can say I’m a bit contrary!)

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Posted on September 27, 2013

5 Benefits of Coconut Water

Not so guilty pleasure

It’s been a while since I wrote a ‘Guilty Pleasure’ post, never mind a ‘Not So Guilty Pleasure’ so I decided that it was time for me to get around to paying a bit more attention to the nutritional side of things (especially after my new found love for coconut water)

If you follow my posts on Facebook or Twitter you would know that I am now addicted to coconut water (there’s worse things out there….)

After the Dublin Fashion Festival, where I met the beautiful Darren Kennedy pictured somewhere on the right, I was just hooked on Vita Coco coconut water and then of course I was introduced to KOH Coconut water which is even tastier that Vita Coco‘s (not to mention the difference in price)

The point is, enhancewhatsyours.com loves coconut water and here are 5 benefits of coconut water that we put together to help you Enhance Whats Yours:

1. Anti-aging: The antioxidants in coconut water slow down the aging process because it helps fight free radicals (can’t go wrong!)

2. Weight- loss: Coconut water is low in fat, calories and sugars and rich in vitamins and nutrients so it can help you feel full pretty quickly. This will help suppress the feeling of hunger

Note:don’t use it as a replacement for food, it’s just something to keep you going until you have a real meal

3. Glowing Skin: Coconut water is considered to be one of the purest ones (after water that is) – it’s great for hydrating the skin and making your skin look more youthful and supple. Some say that coconut water has positive effects when dabbed on the skin but I’d feel pretty guilty for doing that so I guess that’s something I’ll never know……

4. Vitamins and Nutrients: Coconut water is a natural source of nutrients as it contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium (”more potassium than a banana”), zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamins of B so if you aren’t feeling the best, drink some coconut water and you’ll surly be energized!

5. Flushes toxins out: Coconut water is very beneficial for your digestive system, it helps remove toxins from your body and also provides hydration which will relieve you from any tiredness or fatigue (again a great energy boost!)

Honestly I just like the taste of coconut water, the fact that it has all these benefits (as well as beauty benefits) is just a bonus for me….

Have you tried coconut water yet? If so what do you make of it? Feel free to leave your thoughts below!

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