Yummy and good for your tummy?

I am always on the hunt for good health and nutritional advice, whether it be from a magazine or book. Recently, I came across nutritionist Dr. Joanna McMillian Price's book, "Inner health, outer beauty", the title intrigued me because for some reason I never thought that looking good, could be attained by just eating right... could it be this simple?

McMillan Price says YES! Unlike other nutrition books, this one doesn't just tell you what you should be eating, but why and what's wrong with the crazy fad diets out there. I learnt that cutting out all carbs isn't necessarily the best for my body, it's choosing the right type of carbs to have. Yea for good carbs!

The information is also presented in big font and bright colours, which is a big help fause you don't feel like you're studying, you are indeed reading funsies! What also makes this book so darn enjoyable and realistic, are the recipes which consume half of the book. I'm talking about recipes like chicken with lemon and garlic and rosemary lamb backstrap with char-grilled sweet poatato with feta salad. Yum! There are also 15 minute meals, perfect for those of us who have had a really long day at work as well as lunches you won't get sick of. The ingredients involved are also realistic, they don't involve spices which was handpicked my monks from a country which sounds made up. s

The only minor annoyance with the book is that there are no pictures of the recipes. There are photos of Joanna with her dog, who is adorable! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great general overview of nutrition and also prove to many that food can be yummy and good for your tummy.

Retail price: $34.99
Available from Dr. Joanna McMillian Price's website or from leading bookstore

Big ouchie! Mouth ulcher ONE. Kat ZERO.

The last couple of days I have been suffering from THE worst mouth ulcer I have ever had. I realise that I might sound like I'm being dramatic, but the location of ulcer was right next to my back teeth, so whenever I moved my mouth it would irritate my ulcer and incite a stinging pain.

I had tried Bonjela and putting salt directly on the ulcer in the past, but it would take a few days to heal and putting gel in my mouth just felt plain weird, like eating Vaseline. No thanks! So I looked for an alternative... And I found it! Oral B's Amosan Mouth Wash, it was just sitting on the shelf of my local chemist, waiting to relieve my pain. It comes in a box with 20 sachets of the powdered mouth wash for $12. You dissolve one sachet in 2 tablespoons of warm water and swish it in your mouth after meals. It is recommended that you don't eat 20 mins after you swish and you should swish 4 times a day.

When I initially picked up the box and read the instructions, I was skeptical. Then after my first swish I was still a little skeptical because the smell and taste of the mouthwash was just like Macleans toothpaste. It was my third swish that I realised my ulcer was healing and eating was fun again!

Got juice? (Insert photo of me with a juice moustache)

On the Urban Remedy detox, you GET juice!

This detox system has passed the lips of Vogue and madison editoral as well as early morning starter Melissa Hoyer (as well as many Twitter-ettes), and since I’m such a sucker for experiences which others have tried and tested, I thought I’d give the 1 day juice detox a try. Urban Remedy‘s 1 day detox involves 6 juices you have every 2 hours from 9am to 7pm. You’re not allowed to eat, but if you must it allows you to have some cucumber sticks or mashed up avocado. So it’s not the end of the world, but damn was it difficult (yes I caved and had cucumber sticks- they were the best cucumber sticks in the world!).

The awesomeness involved in this process is the cute mini esky you get with the juices (it can later be turned into a lunch bag post detox) and a juice delivery right to your door (minimal effort=me likey). You also don’t have to think about what to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And suprise! The juices are quite filling.

The not-so-awesomeness part was the drinking of the juices, some just did not taste so great, but it all depends on the person. I mean if you don’t mind beetroot, silverbeet or parsley in your juice then you’ll love every sip of these juices. I did have a favourite; pineapple, apple and mint. It was dee-licious!

So how did I feel the next day? Meh… I was expecting a boost in my energy levels, especially since I was feeling so lethargic and tired before my detox, I actually felt the same as I did before, so I suspect that the 1 day detox did not incite much change. I would consider doing the 3 day detox next time, but as a first-time detoxer the 1 day detox was definitely a good idea.

Like a ‘dance’ virgin - Confessions from an uncoordinated dance floor

Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow have demonstrated to us (through their extremely fit bodies) that the Tracy Anderson method works. Tracy has also sculpted the bodies of Shakira, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston and cougar Courtney Cox. So who the heck is she?

Initially an aspiring dancer, Tracy was battling some weight issues. After gaining more than 25 kg during her pregnancy she was determined to ‘cut the fat’. She began questioning doctors and doing extensive research and discovered that the key to weight loss was working the accessory muscles (not those ones that make you pick up that cute handbag), rather than the large muscle groups. So after using herself as a guinea pig for six weeks she had slimmed down to her current size and has stayed the same shape ever since (FYI Sam is now ten).

Tracy then decided to take this out into the world and tested on 150 customers, which confirmed that she “could take any woman from any genetic background and turn her in this teeny-tiny dancer type”. You could even eat whatever you wanted and still maintain this shape - She had me at eat whatever I want.

I was an eager beaver and bought two of Tracy’s DVD’s; The Tracy Anderson Mat Workout (which will be reviewed at a later date) and the Tracy Anderson Method. When the DVD arrived I thought “Woohoo, small dancer’s body here I come!” Then I hit play - turns out in order to achieve a small dancer’s body, you must dance. Who would have thought it! A choreographed dance routine from multiple views, intended to ‘get her flow’, left me feeling less like a dancer and more like an uncoordinated relative on a wedding room dance floor.

To get a second opinion I then let Elise borrow the DVD and her response was “It's hard, but for the wrong reasons. She isn't a good instructor. Her moves felt like an 8 year old trying to choreograph a routine in her backyard after 6 months of dance lessons.” So it’s not just me. Phew!

Despite my reaction to the DVD, there really is no stopping this petite dancer/fitness guru as a reality series is in the works that is said to be a ‘docusoap’ that will chronicle her life in New York City.

I also still have her Mat workout to try; my current expectation is that it’s a mixture of Pilates and dancing – review to come soon (without photos of me prancing around Tracy Anderson-style, this dance is not visually friendly).

Picture Source: EzyDVD