Tag Archives: Healthy living

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily…Live longer…

 

Welcome… This week will be slightly different I have not jumped on the scales but I am very pleased with my 12lbs that I mislaid…lol

However...Healthy eating should be the priority and the habit of a lifetime…No fads, no weighing every day or week and then beating yourself up because you haven’t lost anything.

It is about being aware of what you are eating and knowing if what you are eating is improving your health. It is not about removing whole food groups from our diets we need a healthy well-balanced diet to be at our optimum health.

What really matters is Our well being, Our Blood Pressure figure, Our cholesterol, Our blood sugar, Our inflammation markers.

Believe it or not thin people are NOT exempt from any of those … I know people who are as thin as thin and boast about how many doughnuts they eat in a day…

Does that mean because they are thin they do not have high Blood pressure or cholesterol or problems with their blood sugar?

NO, it damn well doesn’t!

Of course, you will probably lose weight if you improve your eating habits…That is a bonus and a great one…

BUT…the true tests for your health and wellness…

How many of these can you say a resounding yes to??

  1. I sleep better
  2. I can walk faster and further
  3. I can walk up and down the stairs without getting out of breath.
  4. I can play ball with my kids
  5. I have clearer brighter skin
  6. 1 have an increased sex drive
  7. I have less or no joint pain
  8. I have more money
  9. I feel less stressed
  10. I have more energy

These are all benefits of healthy eating… Your aim should be to feel better, to be able to play with your kids or grandkids any weight loss is a bonus.

But how do we feel when we try to cut out or down we feel yuk! But it is a habit and a dependency on Junk food… We are Junkies.

What is a junkie? A person with a compulsive habit or obsessive dependency on something.

I am now going to talk about Junk Food. 

fast-food-154556_640 (1)

When you stop eating sugar-laden food or processed foods you will get withdrawal symptoms you may experience sadness, irritability, tiredness, cravings…

Similar feelings to what anyone who tries to give up cigarettes, alcohol or drugs…You will experience Sugar Withdrawal and the first few days are always the worst …

It will get better!

I haven’t eaten Haribos or digestive biscuits(graham crackers) to some of my readers since I began my healthy eating drive… I even walk down that aisle now and can stop, look and walk on… It was hard the other day as they had those bright red strawberries and I did pick up the pack AND put it back…but if you really want that packet of sweets then have it BUT don’t feel guilty and see if you can limit how much of the pack you do eat…share it! that’s a good idea it means you feel good and eat less of them…Try it!

I gave myself a pat on the back and thought about what I really fancied which would also be good for me…All the food which is good for our health is not tasteless like cardboard there are some really nice, tasty alternatives… There really are maybe try and make a list of what you really like and think about what you also like that you could replace it with…

Food should be enjoyable no one will stick to any eating plan if they don’t like what they eat… We are all different what I love you may not and vice versa…

We are in this together so let’s help each other out…

Interestingly I read the other day that after all these years Weight Watchers has changed its name to …WW

Wellness that Works!

Will this be a complete and utter overhaul?

My question is are they no longer having weekly weigh-ins? Will, there be no slimmer of the week, month, or year?

Will they be using BP and cholesterol as markers?

I will be watching with interest because Wellness is different from Weight Loss…

Have we got any WW here who would be able to explain that to us??? We would love to know…

I hope you have found this interesting and I love to read your comments…So please let us know what you find easy or difficult…

Lastly, are you keeping those food diaries? Does it help? Struggling?

Compare this picture and be honest what would you rather eat? This or the Junk food above I don’t mind if you say the junk food…But what do you want to enjoy that burger or can of coke or be healthy??? Even if you feel healthy and know you eat a lot of junk do me a favour and get yourself a health check sometimes we need that call…

pasta and pesto

Pasta and Pesto

Pasta cooks really quickly and pesto keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

A quick tip…To stop the basil from turning brown Blanche the leaves in some hot water and then into cold…

A quick pesto recipe:

To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

So take some rocket or other greens a few tomatoes and maybe a shallot finely chopped, top with some pasta and pour over some pesto…

Quick and easy and tasty.

Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me today as always I look forward to your comments x

Healthy Eating…#How to Plan for social events…

I could say it’s that time of year coming but we can be faced with social events at any time of the year…a new baby, a new job, a new house, a holiday the list is endless…

In a few weeks, I am away for a few days …We are off to Bangkok…one of my favourite big cities for a few days and then I scuttle home…I can have a mocktail at my favourite hotel …The Shanghai Mansion in China Town…My son is back from quite a few months away and it’s Lily’s birthday she wants not only to see her daddy but to celebrate her birthday at one of the biggest and newest water parks…I’m sure it will be fun times all the way…lots of lovely food and a few cocktails…but I will be good where I can and enjoy where I can’t…

balancing on a piece of string

 

It is all about balance...A bit like walking a tightrope sometimes… I don’t expect to put weight on or lose anything just to stay the same will be a bonus…Challenging sometimes but doable…I know…x

Of course, food and drink are one of the major factors on a holiday…we want to be able to enjoy these foods without returning home with a waistline twice the size. Surely there’s a way to maintain your weight loss AND enjoy new foods on holiday?!

I know that now the covid restrictions have been lifted many people are going away…Keep reading and you find some great tips that won’t scuttle your weight loss or healthy eating plan…

Picture the scene...You are sitting watching the sunset …The waiter brings your sundowner…he then comes back with a plate of ” May as well ” foods.

Sunset Bangtao Beach

These are foods you would never really consider having at home but, because you are on holiday and they are there for the taking, you’ll happily just take one until before you realise the bowl is empty … “may as well.”

These usually include (but are not limited to):

  • Olives
  • Peanuts
  • Doritos
  • Dips
  • Something unrecognisable – but you take it anyway… “May as well”.

Doing this for no other reason than because you can is a surefire way of unnecessarily bumping up your overall calorie intake.

Now, I do believe you should try and sample the local cuisine but remember if you have a full week or two, to try and sample all the foods you fancy… there’s no need to keep nibbling until they are gone on the first day…

I know it’s tempting and most of these little bowls are not only put there to tempt you to nibble but they make you thirsty and you have another drink…

Limit the Booze…

In the past, I have been on all-inclusive holidays with a bar in the middle of the pool…  or we have walked to the beach stopped in a little cafe and had a wine or beer with our lunch…

By this time it is only 3 pm in the afternoon and we have had a few drinks…

It can be so easy to get carried away when you have a beer, wine and cocktails literally on tap and, whilst drinking can be a fun and relaxing part of your holiday, it’s a good idea to control your intake, helping to maintain your awesome weight loss results.

What can you do…?

Stay off the booze until 3pm (or later). As a general rule, the longer you wait until your first drink, the less you’re likely to drink overall in the day.

Set yourself a (sensible) drink limit. Giving yourself a maximum number of drinks to have will help keep your alcohol intake in check whilst freeing up when and how often you can drink.

Drinking water in between the glass of alcohol is what works for me and it keeps me hydrated as well.

It is also important especially in the heat to keep hydrated it doesn’t just have to be water. Teas, coffees, juices, even fruits like watermelons and peaches can all help you stay hydrated in the sun. Carrying a bottle of water with you though, that can be refilled and sipped on throughout the day, is always going to be a smart idea.

Also, remember alcohol will increase your chance of dehydration because it’s a diuretic, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day if you’re on the beers.

Neglecting your body’s need for water can lead to tiredness, lack of energy, muscle cramps and an upset tummy – not what you want on a relaxing holiday.

Alcohol as those of you know who read my post last week was the biggest factor in my weight loss …I am quite happy to keep it to a minimum on holiday and in all honesty, when I went away the other month, not one person said anything when I requested water instead of alcohol…It was really easy to not drink throughout the day and just have a couple of sundowners at sunset…

I also took my stock of green tea as I have learnt when I go away I can’t get it everywhere as often green tea is served with milk as an iced tea and I asked for it with no milk and it was foul it was some sort of green tea mix made to go with milk…

Banana Beach (5)

It also meant I could still apply my intermittent fasting and just drink my green tea while everyone ate their brekkie …I sat and watched the waves while sipping my green tea…

Who doesn’t love a walk when on holiday...or a few lengths of the pool..some even use the gym(not me) …Walking is my thing so whatever rocks your boat…

But, when you go on holiday it would be unrealistic to expect yourself to work out every day and count your calories – after all, holidays are meant to be a time for relaxing and taking a break from your usual day-to-day routine.

One or two weeks of some overindulgence isn’t going to be the end of the world…

But this shouldn’t mean we just forego all common sense and eat anything and everything in sight, doing our best sunbathing sloth impersonation each and every day…Just saying…

The trick is finding the right balance and even just one or two of the suggestions above will help you to strike the difference between relaxation and indulgence, whilst keeping things under control.

And if things don’t go to plan and you do end up putting on a few pounds more than expected?…. Don’t stress.

It probably means you had a great time …Of course, I will have a great time but all these tips apply to many social situations there are always temptations.

We have Halloween coming, Christmas coming, and New Year on the horizon, and someone is bound to get engaged, married, divorced or have a baby…

All of these are triggers…Life is one big trigger …We have to choose how we are going to live it!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a creative week ahead xx

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily…No more diets…But…The holiday season is coming…

No more...Diets Healthy eating 27th November

Good morning from sunny Thailand I am sure by now that for most of you your celebrations are in full swing…Some of you will have had all your presents labelled and wrapped since January I know I had a friend who did just that…Until one day her kids found them and opened them…I don’t think I need to tell you how the rest of the story went and ended…

Halloween for those of you who celebrate it will soon be upon you and then the Christmas preparations will begin…

There are 56 Days, 4 hours and 41 minutes at the time of writing this…

Now I am not a party pooper and I wish you all a joyous time and I will be leaving you with a few tips to help over the Christmas period and then I will leave to enjoy it and come back just after the New Year…

As you know I have lost quite a bit on my eating plan...But I do not wish to put those lbs back on…

Christmas is more low key here…Thais don’t celebrate Christmas but the New Year… So not so many temptations for me…I do however remember the rounds of Christmas get-togethers all the goodies everyone used to bring into work…It played havoc with the diet and the waistline.

Lips-chocolate-woman

Lips and chocolate

Chocolate… So many different ones, fudge, Turkish delight, marzipan fruits, after eight mints, quality street, pick and mix, sugared oranges and lemons, sugared almonds and so many more…We all know that Dark chocolate is good for you this link gives you some tasty options my favourites are anything with mint, orange or chilli…Now you just knew I was going to get that one in didn’t you?

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/healthy-delicious-chocolate-bars-dietitians-eat/

The sausage rolls and mince pies we used to have so many of them when I was at work…Homemade ones, Marks & Spencers Finest and they were not bad…I am salivating here…The good news is Marks & Spencer is so far away from me that is all I can do…

What can you do?

Keep a little pot of these spiced mixed nuts/ Thai nuts with you at all times.

  • 2 cups of raw nuts I used walnuts, cashews, almonds
  • 2 tbsp coconut or olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. red chilli flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder ( I chop fresh garlic very finely) and stir in at the end of the cooking time.
  • 1/4 tsp. rounded cayenne pepper (or more/less to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Let’s Cook!

Heat oven to 325 degrees and line a small cookie sheet with parchment.

Combine all the spices in a medium bowl; add oil and mix until smooth.

Add the nuts into the bowl and stir until they are evenly coated.

Spread evenly on the prepared pan in a single layer.

Bake nuts for 12-15 minutes, stirring at the halfway point.

Remove from oven and stir once more before letting sit on the pan to cool for about an hour.

mixed nuts

Store in an airtight container.

Hubby loved the nuts I liked them..Next time I will double up on the spices xx

My second recipe is a Thai one and most bars serve these with the drinks I love the addition of basil and ginger…I have also done this one with walnuts as they are my favourite nut…

Let’s Cook!

  • 2 cups unsalted peanuts
  • 2 heaped tsp chilli oil (with the flakes and oil)
  • 20 dried lime leaves, crushed (hard stems removed)
  • 20-25 leaves Thai basil, chopped (reserve a couple tbsp for garnish)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 clove garlic, grated or very finely chopped
  • small piece ginger, grated
  • salt to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss all the ingredients together on a baking sheet, and bake the nuts for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven, toss with the reserved basil, and a little more salt if you like, and serve or when cold store in an airtight container.

Some Tasty Snacks.

Turkey Rolls.

  • 4 slices turkey breast.
  • 4 teaspoons cream cheese.
  • 4 pickles or cucumber strips.

Place turkey breast slices on a large plate. Spread 1 tsp of cream cheese on each slice. Place a pickle or strip of cucumber on each turkey slice and roll up.

Olives.

Olives are one of the nutritious staples of the Mediterranean diet. They are very high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and contain powerful antioxidants like oleuropein.

Depending on their size, 25 green or black olives contain about 100–175 calories.

Tomatoes and mozzarella sliced is a lovely thing..

Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Sun-dried tomatoes contain more lycopene than regular tomatoes.

What’s more, they are usually packed in olive oil, which helps your body absorb more of the lycopene.

A 3.5 oz (100 grams) serving of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil provides 170% of the RDI for vitamin C and contains a little more than 200 calories.

Marinated Artichoke Hearts.

Marinated artichoke hearts are delicious and nutrient-dense.

Artichoke hearts contain fibre and are a good source of vitamin K and folate.

Studies have shown that artichokes help protect the cells lining your arteries and contain prebiotic fibres that nourish the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

A 3.5 oz (100 grams) serving of artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil contains about 190 calories.

Homemade Beef Jerky…The Thai Way…

  • 1 lb top round steak, cut into strips measuring approximately 4 inches long, ½ inch wide, and ¼ inch thick
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark or light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp ground white (or black) pepper
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Let’s Cook!

Heat the oven to 120°F and set a rack in the middle of it. Spread out the beef strips on a large cookie sheet and let them dry out in the oven for one hour. Turn the beef strips over and let them dry for another hour.

You know the beef strips are ready when their surface is dry to the touch while the texture is still somewhat soft and elastic. When that happens, remove the beef strips from the oven or the drying basket and place them in a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat up some vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or an 8- to a 12-inch frying pan with a raised edge on medium heat. You only need just enough vegetable oil to come up to about 2 inches from the bottom of the pan. Line a platter with a piece of paper towel and keep it nearby.

Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and sugar to the beef strip bowl and toss; make sure that all of the beef strips are evenly coated with the seasoning sauce.

Test the oil by sticking a wooden skewer or chopstick into the oil, making sure the tip of the wooden skewer touches the bottom of the pan. If you see tiny bubbles rising from the point where the wooden skewer touches the pan, the oil is ready.

Shake excess seasoning off of the beef strips and fry them in two batches. Be sure to stir the beef strips around to ensure even cooking. On medium heat, the beef only needs to be in the oil for less than a minute. You’ll see that the beef will brown up and develop a nice, glossy coating. When that happens, transfer them to the paper towel-lined platter.

Serve the fried sun-dried beef with spicy Thai dipping sauce and sticky rice.

Enjoy!

N.B. I dry my beef outside before frying but have given instructions to oven dry as I know many of you don’t have the weather I have here.
All these little snacks are lovely if you are drinking with friends or taking a few bits into work…I love a sausage roll or mince pie but I do feel very sluggish if I eat too much fat/ sugar so snacks like this work fine for me…They don’t make me feel bloated and it is nice to have a little nibble with a drink when you are socialising isn’t it?

Going out for drinks or a pre- Christmas dinner?

I will say just plan for that make a pot of soup so you always have soup to heat up either at home or take some to work… If you have breakfast and then a cup of soup as you need it through the day then you can go out and enjoy your festivities…Eat, drink and be Merry! A nice bowl of porridge which will/should stop you snacking until lunchtime… Or a nice protein drink or smoothie…These smoothies always keep me going and with the beetroot which helps give it that lovely colour it is one of my favourites.

For a few more ideas and just in case you missed it then this post will help you plan…

Raspberry Protein Drink

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup of coconut water
  • 1/3 cup of Greek yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 medium beetroot(raw) peeled and diced.
  • 1 tbsp honey ( optional)
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds ( optional)

Raspberry Protein Shake

Let’s Blitz!

Measure all the ingredients into your blender and blitz away… The colour was amazing a beautiful colour and it tasted very nice not too sweet and I did add honey.

Lastly, go for your evening jolly and…Enjoy!

Until January I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Health Column – Major Organs and Sysems of the Body – The Immune System and Your role in its efficiency

For many of you the colder, damper weather is looming as is the threat of colds and flu…A good post to read to ensure you have the tools to avoid the dreaded flu/colds..Stay well xxx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Last week I began a series onThe Immune System and how it works.

This week I would like to show you how your role it your immune system’s efficiency is critical and possibly life saving.

I spent most of the first 40 years of my life in ignorance when it came to my body. I had studied biology at school and apart from a scary film on childbirth (meant to be the ultimate contraceptive), I knew more about the insides of a frog.

As a family we ate well… But it was not related to our health in any way. Certainly as I stuffed food in one end I gave little thought as to what happened to it on its journey to the other end. I was more concerned that my sugar craving was satisfied and I was then a happy bunny.

It took the short and very sharp…

View original post 2,223 more words

Healthy Eating… No More Diets…The plan that works…It really does…

Welcome to this week’s Healthy Eating…

Cheat week this week as by now I am on my way to see a friend until Friday so I have copied a previous post one of my early Healthy eating posts…But I will be back as normal next week…With news of my exploits and hopefully, the scales won’t tell too much of a tale of any excesses…haha…Holidays are to be enjoyed are they not??

Now to an earlier post but the advice stays the same and all these months later tHe weight is still coming off…If you have read this before ..my apologises but it may serve as a timely reminder it did for me…and for my new followers or anyone who hasn’t read the following…It works! FACT!

My first sourdough loaf is cooked, eaten and was divine…I was so chuffed at the lovely comments I received…Of course, I had to sample it in the name of quality control and with proper butter as well…haha…

It was lovely I thoroughly enjoyed it…No guilt…Just pure enjoyment…It was healthy( wholemeal) grass-fed butter and my home-baked bread …I savoured every mouthful…

Hubby ate the rest either a sandwich or toasted…

Sourdough Wholemeal loaf

The rest of the week has been just normal healthy eating and walking which has increased due to 2 factors one is that our granddaughter is staying with us for 8 weeks( school ) holiday and two my smartwatch is keeping tabs on my steps…The daily recommended guidelines are 10,000 steps which sounds a lot but doable…

As you know I advocate eating healthy balanced meals I don’t believe in cutting out food groups like meat, most fruits or pasta/rice/potatoes…I do believe we should avoid or eat little highly processed foods, food with added sugars, we should choose good quality cooking oils, avoid excessive intake of high mercury fish like tuna…Alcohol enjoy just not in excess. 

For me, that is easy to follow and coupled with the 16/8 intermittent fasting and exercise I am seeing results.

That hasn’t always been the case...At this moment I am the lightest I have been for a good few years …I have also accepted I will never be the weight I was when I married… More fat on a chip my husband used to say…haha

Life happened, I got married, I had kids… I ate what they didn’t, I worked and shopped in my lunch hour and while queuing to pay eyed the strategically placed sweets by the till ( those stores) know how to tempt one don’t they? The mums and friends who mean well…Just have one…That won’t hurt…

box four doughnuts iced

I feel your pain I know what you have been through or going through so does my friend Sally…Who is a Certified Nutritionist and knows the pitfalls and curve balls life throws at us …Both of us have struggled with weight at times during our lives …

It ain’t easy and while I may make it appear to be …I have eaten my share of what I shouldn’t and moderation did not come into it…I am now older and wiser…haha…Believe what you will…But I have realised I need to cherish this body as it is the one and only one I have or will have…Better late than never…

How to manage people…The well-meaning ones of course…

And remember…Losing weight is not a sprint, it is a marathon and your mental and emotional attitude towards the project is a key factor in your successful weight loss.

Sally’s posts are both informative with a little humour and she will tell you it is not easy she knows but I will let her tell you her story…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/16/smorgasbord-health-column-size-matters-the-sequel-before-you-get-started-managing-people-environment/

♦♦♦♦♦

Stuck for Recipes? Need some inspiration?…

Honey…Nectar of the Gods and so good for us…Sally will tell you the why and I will provide the recipes…Enjoy!

 

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/smorgasbord-health-rewind-cook-from-scratch-with-sally-cronin-and-carol-taylor-honey-nectar-of-the-gods/

♦♦♦♦♦

Diets come and go...Faddy things aren’t they? Mostly a flash in the pan and not sustainable…A new one has arisen…A hybrid of the Paleo diet and the Vegan diet…All the good bits…The Pegan Diet…

I know it just had to happen, didn’t it?

The basics of the Pegan Diet…3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat/fish @ each meal, the meat/fish from good quality sources…( no hormones and antibiotics)…It focuses on eating more fibre and low glycemic index fruits, eliminating sugar, dairy unless it comes from ( goat/sheep) products eating little or no highly processed foods thus avoiding foods produced using chemicals and pesticides…eliminating legumes except for lentils…

Great in theory and first glance and sounds similar to what I believe in however it is quite restrictive and would need some planning and the bottom line is we need a Healthy Balanced Diet…No eliminating essential foods… It seems to me that the people who market and promote all these diets think they have to come up with something new all of the time and I suppose celebrity endorsements don’t help that trend…

Frankly just because a celebrity endorses a product doesn’t mean it works…No one size fits all, no one’s lifestyle is the same as Fred’s next door we are all individuals with different needs, Stress levels, family commitments, work commitments so much factors into the equation…

Healthy Eating is a lifestyle choice and takes time to adjust…You will have blips or bad days/weeks but it is how you deal with it…

We just need to eat sensible, normal healthy foods and a balanced diet…Most of the time.

♦♦♦♦♦

 

Smartwatch Corner.

Smart phone and watch

I am still impressed with my new toy…I will say it keeps me focused…

So far I use the step counter…It does have other functions like running and workouts but I enjoy walking …The recommended daily steps are 10,000 which is doable…..Last Thursday I achieved 14,000 plus steps in one day…I was out and about doing kids things and shopping so although tired it was a revelation as to how many steps I did do that day…An average day for me is 6-7000 I am working on getting to 10,000 more often…

The other function I love is the sleep function...

lady sleeping

It shows 3 levels, Deep sleep, light sleep and Rem sleep plus gives you the normal range and tells you where you are in that either normal, high or low. Plus it gives your overall hours of sleep, how many times you woke up with an explanation of your total hours of sleep and how long you were in the stages and what happens to your body while you are in each stage of sleep…

It also offers an explanation as to what causes any changes and how you can remedy it with links to other sites for further info.

I am finding this really interesting as I am gradually seeing a pattern forming and am realising which factors are influencing my sleep for example what I am doing prior to sleep or what I have been drinking as I don’t eat after 8pm.

It also tells me my heart rate …An explanation can also be found on heart rates.

What I do find amusing is the little green man who buzzes and waves at me when I have been inactive for a while…

It also has other functions which I don’t use yet or may not as I purchased this mainly to keep a little eye on my health. Which while it may not be exactly spot on but accurate as these can be but as the watch is on your pulse give or take a few beats it is accurate enough for me…

Thank you for reading and please tell me in comments your thoughts if you have a smartwatch…x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

Eat Smart! Eat Healthily! Supplements why take them??

I have had a great week basking in all the compliments but I still have 7 kilos to go…A pound off this week…But I am so pleased that my long term eating plan is working…

I try really hard and Sally’s series of where the recipes I have made with the Vitamins for that week has made me think…I know roughly which foods to eat and which foods have Vit C for example but some of the other vitamins I have learnt a lot from Sally and know my food much better…Sally has also struggled over the years and is now on top of it by healthy eating…Between the two us we can help you…Need to increase your B3?

What foods contain B3 and how to cook them…This is just one example of how we can help…

green foot prints eco system

I am also very much more conscious of my foods carbon footprint and buy local or we grow some things as much as I can be…Also because as you know if you read all my posts that not only do I cook as healthily as I can while at the same time I enjoy the odd doughnut or piece of chocolate…I don’t as I have said many times leave out any food groups I concentrate on buying mindfully and not buying highly processed foods often at all…I eat smaller portions than I did and eat some foods with moderation in mind…I also practise intermittent fasting…

I have also stopped having my daily sundowners it has been since Feb…Which has also helped with my weight loss…I did, however, have two lovely cocktails when I met my son in Bangkok the other week and even had a G & T…Which I thoroughly enjoyed…

The reason I have added the statement… Why take supplements is two-fold…I don’t take supplements…End of…I sort of have a thing about tablet or medicine taking…If I have a headache which is not often I don’t reach for the pills…I make sure I drink plenty of water and if necessary I would lay down for a while…Pills are a last resort for me…

The last time I took any supplements was after I had my operation and I was put on HRT…not happily I will add but my doctor (he was) a handsome man…took my hand and patted it and said basically just take them…I did for a couple of months until I had recovered enough to start researching…There was so much at the time on HRT in the newspapers on TV everywhere…So I weaned myself off the tablets I cannot remember exactly what I took… I know Vit E was one of them…I haven’t looked back…I didn’t have noticeable menopause symptoms…My friends hate me for that..No hot flushes for this girl…

All I am saying is if I thought I was lacking in something and needed to take a vitamin pill then I would…After I had exhausted other avenues by that I mean a diet change maybe.

I know big pharma is a big money-making business as are diets and many other things…I also dislike blatant profiteering and money making at the cost of either health or the environment…

This first tablet was drawn to my attention by one of my friends shall we say little outburst…

Krill Oil Tablets…

The Norwegian name for Krill is Whale Food…Whales, Penguins and Seals are probably the largest predators and there are 100’s of smaller animals who depend on Krill who are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans. Since the 1970’s the Krill population has declined by 80%…Scientists believe it is Global warming and also overfishing…The further decline in the Krill population may result in the decline of the Penguin population for without Krill the Penguins wouldn’t survive…

My take on all this is these celebrity doctors and the ilk always have to have a new “better ” product to peddle…They are getting cute and before we ask it is always sustainable …They are also good at peddling outright lies…The cost also well if anyone has that sort of money surely they can find a worthy cause to donate to…

The second way to make me raise my eyebrows was just because of the sheer marketing etc…

After Drink supplement for people who drink…

3 tablets before you go out and 3 tablets when you get home …All it promises is LESS of a hangover…Oh, and they contain 25 vitamins…Can you hear the sarcasm creeping in…Hark! But because it has they only say mentioned in some online publications and some dubious news outlets we should all be queuing up to buy them…

I could write more but I am bored now…I did my research and came to the conclusion that no tablet if you drink that much, is going to prevent the hangover and I have a better solution…

Hangtown Fry:

What an intriguing name? It is a type of omelette with the original and most common version being made of Oysters, bacon, and eggs which sounds like a wonderful combo to me. It was originally made famous in the Californian Gold Rush in the 1850s there are also many tales surrounding this dish from prisoners on death row ordering one as their last meal knowing that the Oysters have to be shipped in so many tales I am sure there is a book somewhere…

One of these omelettes or drinking pickle juice apparently helps…

I am guessing now I think unless it is absolutely necessary that by reading Sally’s posts with my recipes on all the vitamins you could be deficient in.. we can help…What are your thoughts on supplements?

A healthy diet has helped me in many ways… yes I have to think about what I eat and cook also shop but I am in charge of my life and body no one else..Me…

So please if nothing else don’t buy Krill Oil Tablets…Thank you for sticking with me through my little rant …This helps reduce the stress levels you know…haha..Laughter also helps …Good food and laughter never hurt anyone…xxx

lady feet weighing scales

Next week I will be back on track with some recipes to help you whittle away those lbs ready for your summer holidays…Although I know in some countries the sun is a little sparse…That is one thing I would if I could bottle and send you…Enjoy your week and be mindful …xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a creative week ahead xx