Oh-Goodies Snack Box: October

And we’re back with the Halloween edition of the Oh-Goodies Snack Box from MadeReal SG.

I definitely preferred this month’s box to last month’s paleo edition. The October box featured some pretty unique snacks, including wild mushrooms (they were crispy), apple-spiced quinoa granola, and citrus rings.

The apple-spiced quinoa granola was awesome! The oats were still crispy, and you could taste the crispy quinoa bits here and there. I was a bit skeptical of the use of quinoa in the granola, but they didn’t affect the taste. The apple flavour wasn’t very strong, but the sweetness was nice. This would be perfect with some greek yogurt.

I have yet to try the citrus rings, but I’m sure they’ll be a nice change to plain old tea bags. I appreciate the effort to offer something that stands out from the usual items 😛

I used the trick-or-treating trail mix to make some of my oatmeal-on-the-go bars for snacking, and stirred in some extra peanut butter chips as well. Everything paired nicely, with the bittersweet dark chocolate chips, tart cranberries and crunch from the pumpkin seeds.

I’m thinking of using the brazil nuts to make some pesto. All you need to do is blend brazil nuts, fresh basil, parmesan cheese and olive oil and you’ve got homemade pesto ready to go!

Peanut butter apple slices were slightly disappointing since they gave plain ol’ peanuts, which are kind of a cheap alternative to cashews and walnuts etc. The amount of apple chips inside were measly as well. I wasn’t impressed.

The mushroom chips are… actually really nice! I thought they would be gross, but I liked them. They are kinda sweet, and very crispy. The sweetness and the earthy flavour from the mushroom chips go well together, despite my initial reservations.

Well, there you have it for this month’s box!

Happy (belated) Halloween 😀

Oh-Goodies Snack Box: PALEO Edition (September)

Made Real’s September’s Box had the theme: Paleo!

What is Paleo? In layman terms, it’s when your eating habits are similar to what the cavemen used to do. That means lots of meat, fruits and vegetables… the natural foods and no dairy and processed food.

They even included a card about the benefits of a pale diet:

This month’s box came with a complimentary session with Momentum Bootcamps, which I have not gotten a chance to redeem (and I doubt I will heh). But apparently it’s worth $30, so if you’re interested, you can have my complimentary session. Just reach out to me and lemme know.

Let’s get back to the food 😛

I thought the names were lame at first, but then I realised that they were actually rather apt!

Pictures can be deceiving… but not in this case! Check out the real deal below:

The Caveman’s Trail Mix tasted rather Asian (if that’s even a taste) because of the strong flavour from the goji berries. I liked it, but I think it would have been nicer with a more robust nut, like almonds, rather than pumpkin seeds.

Earthy Mix was nice too, and I loved the hazelnuts. I felt like I was eating Ferrero Rochers 😀

Caveman’s Gold was the best name ever. Dried apricots are usually overlooked, but I do realise what a nutrient powerhouse dried apricots are!

Up next we have… Coco Nuts and Chunky Monkey

I have yet to try these, but I know I wasn’t a fan of the coconut chips the previous time. But I’m sure I’ll love the Chunky Monkey 😀

There were some Natvia Sweeteners too!

I added a sachet to my tea just to give it a shot, but I nearly puked. I think I’m not used to artificial sweeteners 😐

I loved the tea bags though, there was chamomile, english breakfast tea and one more… which I can’t remember hahaha.

Well that’s about it for this month. I just received October’s box, and I’m so excited to share about that.

Have a happy weekend 🙂

Oh-Goodies Snack Box: August (+ Random thoughts on Entrepreneurship)

I realised I’ll always have to review snack boxes a month late… cause it takes me a month to get through the snacks before I can let you guys know my opinion.

Just some spontaneous thoughts, after reviewing a few healthy snack boxes, I realised that a common trend in the business world is to hop on the bandwagon and start a business in an industry that appears to be doing well… only to oversaturate the industry and die out. I see so many businesses losing sight of why they even began, and getting caught up in profit-making that their product/service loses its personality. To survive, you have to be unique, and stay unique and true to your original intentions. It always helps to give back to society be it through donating some of your profits to a charity or promoting a cause you feel strongly about.

That said, I strongly support the idea of starting your own business, especially if it is something you feel strongly about and I admire Roslyn and Fangmin for coming this far. I came up with some business suggestions at the end of this post, so that might be useful 🙂

But without further ado, let’s move on to my review of the August Box!

This month’s theme was The Independence Edition, which featured products from local producers. 

I really liked that they supported the local businesses for this month’s box, rather than importing everything. We do have promising businesses in Singapore, and I think they should be given a chance to make a name for themselves.

There was the usual drink from TOP Taste:
Peppermint Honey Drink

It was okay. Better than the almond drink previously, which I didn’t enjoy. But not something I love.

Arab Dates:

It was my first time trying dates actually, so I don’t have anything to benchmark it against. I liked it though! I don’t see how some people can eat more than 10 dates? They are SO sweet.

Gula Melaka Cookies:

Like the laksa cookies in the previous box, this was my favourite!! The gula melaka flavour wasn’t super pronounced, but it was there. More of a butter cookie with a hint of gula melaka. Two thumbs up!

Banana chips:

It was good, but I’d rather eat a fresh banana haha. I could smell the vegetable oil, which wasn’t terribly appealing. It was almost diesel-like 😦

Pili Nuts:

The Philippines Trade Industry sent me Pili Nuts previously, so I’m no stranger to Pili Nuts. These were the same. Nuts will be nuts!

Kaya Granola:

My next favourite item in the box! It was crazy. At first it just tastes sweet, then the kaya flavour hits you. And you just want to keep munching. It was so weird. They included desiccated coconut inside as well which was a nice touch (since kaya is a coconut jam).

Roasted Black Beans:

It was as the name stated. Hahaha. But yup, I can’t exactly make black beans sound like a gastronomical wonder.

Ideas for Made Real! (and other healthy snack boxes out there)

As a business/accountancy student, I look at things from the business standpoint. I do understand the need to make profits, and the constraints of delivering certain products. But in order to sustain a business, you need to create a product that is unique so that you won’t be swamped with direct competitors. You should offer a product that your customers cannot easily create/access without your service, so that would identify a need for your product.

I liked how the independent producers incorporated a local element into their products. I didn’t really see how the dates/black beans were very unique/singaporean, but I guess food is food. I feel that there is a lot more potential to healthy eating then just sticking to the conventional foods like fruit and nuts. By default, these are go-to healthy snacks, but I think to really stand out, the products need to go beyond the norm. Or at least create something out of these basic ingredients! After all, I can get my own dried fruits/nuts, so you need to convince me (or the consumer) why we should choose you, instead of another supplier, or even not at all!

So a suggestion to Made Real, since you already have connections with these local producers, you could work something out with them to healthify their products and set yourself apart from the health boxes, I think local health food producers could be your unique selling point!

Oh-Goodies Snack Box: June

I’ve been sampling quite a few healthy snack boxes lately! Imagine the not-so-healthy amount of goodies at my disposal. The sheer quantity probably negates the healthiness of these snacks.

Anyway, adding to the list is Oh-Goodies! Snack Box by Made Real SG. I used to write for Made Real, as a nutrition editor, and you can check out some of my previous posts here.

That said, the lovely ladies, Fangmin and Yixin were kind enough to send me a box of Oh-Goodies to review. As always, all opinions are my own 🙂

Their box was bigger than BoxGreen‘s, about the size of a shoe box.

If you don’t already know about Made Real, here’s a short snippet from their website:

Why Made Real?

We hope to tackle the increasing problem of body-image dissatisfaction in our generation, which is closely associated with eating disorders and obesity. To shape a community conducive to recovery and health improvement for these individuals, we promote open discourse to eliminate the taboo of a destructive self- and body- image. Body image dissatisfaction refers to a perceived gap between one’s actual and perceived body image. Such concerns are exacerbated by media and peer pressure towards a socially ideal weight and body shape, in addition to a high-stress schooling and working environment.

I completely support their cause, and I think it is important for individuals to learn to love themselves regardless of their body size. Especially with the picture-perfect photos flooding our news feeds, comparison is inevitable… and unhealthy. I think social media feeds an unhealthy reliance on society to determine our self-worth.

I suddenly feel motivated to do a post on body dysmorphia/body-image. But that’s for another time.

Let’s move on to the box!

They included some promotional pamphlets and a snippet of the latest inspirational story on Made Real by Mitchelle.

I really liked that they included a card to describe the theme for the month, and a short descriptor for each snack. It shows their commitment to stick to the theme for the month.

Laksa Cookies by Spatula&Whisk

Laksa cookies caught my eye. Cookies are usually sweet, so the idea of having spicy savoury cookies intrigued me. These were made by Spatula & Whisk.

The smell of the laksa leaves hit me when I opened the bag of cookies. I just caught a whiff of the aroma, and was kind of stunned for a bit.

The cookies are bright orange, just like the spicy laksa gravy you get. And they are bite sized, kind of like famous amos cookies! The fresh ones, not the weird-smelling and strange-tasting pre-packaged ones.

The laksa cookies were so good. I really enjoyed them, much to my surprise. They had the texture of butter cookies, and not much taste initially, but then the laksa flavour lingers in the aftertaste.

My reaction was pretty much:
“This doesn’t taste like laksa. It’s like a butter cookie with a muted savoury flavour. Almost like dried prawn. It smells like laksa though….. Oh wait. OH wait. I taste the laksa. Oh my gosh. That’s so cool. I can taste the laksa. This is good.”

I highly recommend these cookies!

Cheng Tng Granola by Eastern Granola

Cheng Tng Granola? That was the next crazy item that caught my eye. It was good stuff too! It didn’t exactly taste like Cheng Tng though, just rather sweet. But it smelled good. I guess it’s hard to replicate something that is associated with a smooth, cool dessert with a snack that is crunchy and dry. The textures are completely different!

It’s like creating Tau Suan Brittle or Ondeh Ondeh Chips. They don’t exist by the way, I just made up these strange concoctions 😛 (Somebody should attempt to make those though. Haha, I would try it for the novelty)

I would eat this on yogurt… not with milk. I can’t imagine the flavours infusing into the milk, and leaving you with Cheng Tng flavoured milk. Bleh.

Kacang Puteh

Tasted like Kacang Puteh? Haha. Nothing much to comment here.

Almond Drink

I was expecting almond milk, but it was far from it. I didn’t like this at all. It tasted like the chinese almond jelly dessert, with the strong almond essence, which is not my thing at all. But if you like the chinese almond jelly dessert… this is like a watered down version of it. Imagine drinking the jelly before it’s set.

Jackfruit Chips

I have yet to try this, but I’m sure it’ll be good. Greenday has pretty decent snacks. I had their dried strawberries once, and they were crispy and sweet.

Teh Si Siu Dai Sng Bao
According to the content list, this was supposed to be in the box, but it was missing in mine. It sounds rad though. Frozen tea sticks? I wonder how they intended to deliver it.

Conclusion
I loved June’s box! Oh-Goodies stands out from other snack boxes with their monthly themes which make each box a surprise and a delight to eat. The variety was there, the quality of the snacks were there, the novelty was there. Pretty much everything I look for in a snack box. I love trying new snacks, and with the bonus of having snacks that are (relatively) healthier for you, I give two thumbs up to Oh-Goodies!

Calci-YUM

Milk is good for you.

No surprise there!

We need milk to get calcium… I’m sure we’ve heard that many times.

But many of us have stopped drinking good ol’ glass of fresh milk apart from maybe a dash of milk in our morning coffee or tea, or perhaps from ice cream or cream puffs or something random like that.

Contrary to what most people think, there are many other non-dairy alternatives where you can get your calcium from.

I felt that a post about Calcium was in order especially since most of the readers are in their teens to early twenties, which is a critical stage for calcium absorption.

Calcium is not just important for strong bones… it also helps hearts, muscles and nerves function properly!

If you’re between 14-30 years old, you’ll need between 1000-1300mg of calcium daily. That’s not too hard.

Here are some ways you can make sure you get enough calcium in:

Just make sure you get in four-five servings of any of the following high-calcium foods:

Food sources of calcium, including milk, cheese, ricotta, yoghurt, sardines, kale, broccoli, spinach, soy beans, kidney beans, lentils and figs (as per USDA nutrient databank).

1) Whole Milk (I’ve explained why full-fat milk is the way to go)
2) Oatmeal
3) Spinach
4) Okra (Ladyfingers)
5) Tofu
6) Sardines
7) Cheddar Cheese
8) Baked Beans
9) Non-dairy milk alternatives
10) Various types of beans
11) Bok Choy
12) Salmon

Let’s see… playing around with these foods, you can get a whole day worth of eats!

Breakfast could be banana and peanut butter oatmeal cooked with a cup of milk. Lunch could be a ricotta and spinach lasagna (calcium from the ricotta cheese, spinach, milk used to make the white sauce and cheddar cheese topping) and Dinner could be asian-style with rice, and tofu, sardines, and okra for the side dishes! To top it all off, have some ice cream for dessert and you are good to go.

See, it’s not that hard if you make a conscious effort to incorporate calcium into your diet, now that you know calcium doesn’t always have to come from dairy.

How do you ensure that you have sufficient absorption of calcium?

Vitamin D is key!

Vitamin D and Calcium are like Peanut Butter and Bananas or Oreos and milk… you see where I’m going?

You can’t have one without the other or it won’t be the same.

How do you get Vitamin D? 

There are two ways, firstly you could get some sun 😀 Direct exposure to sunlight helps to produce Vitamin D in the skin. So drink a glass of milk and head out for some sunshine.

You could also get Vitamin D from various types of food. Vitamin D can be found in eggs, butter, fatty fish, liver, and fortified foods such as milk, orange juice, and cereal.

Time is ticking!

The body’s ability to produce vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and to absorb calcium and vitamin D decreases with age…

So it’s important that you start building the calcium stores now! Before your body can’t absorb anymore calcium, and relies on your existing calcium in your bones to sustain itself. If you don’t have sufficient calcium, you’ll be at risk of osteoporosis even earlier on in life.

Enjoy your Calci-YUM 😀

Getting enough calcium doesn’t have to be a chore. You could take calcium supplements, but while you’re at it, you might as well have some fun.

Make your own healthified ice cream using milk and fruits and any flavours you like, or perhaps enjoy some yogurt and granola for a snack. Blending spinach to make a green smoothie is a sneaky way to hit your five-a-day and add in some calcium too!

Eat right to sleep tight.

It’s been a while since I have done a post on Made Real, so here’s my most recent post as seen on Made Real:

I was talking to my friend the other night, and we were discussing ideas for a potential post, and she suggested foods that help you to sleep better! So inspired by her suggestion, we’ve got an entire post dedicated to eating well to catch your ZZZs.

I found this to be a really good idea especially since most of us students probably have a major sleep deficit after exams.

So I’ve compiled a list of 7 simple foods and drinks that will help you to sleep better and heal your terribly sleep-deprived body over the summer break.

1) Bananas

Bananas are known to be a quick energy booster and competitive swimmers love to eat it before a race since they are easily converted to energy. I remember a friend of mine who used to eat an entire bunch of bananas while waiting for his race.

Surprisingly, bananas are great sleep-inducers too! Being rich in potassium, bananas act as a muscle relaxant to relax you before you sleep. Vitamin B6, found in bananas, also help melatonin synthesis which is the production of the sleep hormone.

2) Walnuts

Not only are walnuts good for your brain, they are good for your sleep cycle too! Walnuts have a high amount of tryptophan which is a sleep-enhancing amino acid that helps produce serotonin and melatonin to set your sleep-wake cycles.

3) Rice

I wasn’t expecting this, but I guess there’s a reason why more traditional Asians sleep so early, especially the Japanese, instead of staying out all night partying.

White rice has a high glycemic index, so it makes you fall asleep faster. (Seems more like a food coma to me haha)

In particular, jasmine rice is said to make you sleep faster according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which found that people who ate a meal that included jasmine rice fell asleep faster than when they ate other rice types.

4) Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea helps you to sleep better as drinking it would lead to an increase of glycine, a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles and acts like a mild sedative.

And I must admit, it does sound pretty soothing to sip on a hot cuppa tea as you snuggle up with a good book before going to bed.

5) Whole-grain toast with Nut Butter 

In particular, almond butter would make a good choice as one tablespoon of almond butter offers up a good dose of magnesium which helps you sleep better! Apparently, magnesium deficiency leads to insomnia and muscle cramps which would lead to less enjoyable sleep. Whole grain toast makes a good choice since it also contains magnesium, and a good balance of carbs.

6) Cheese and crackers

Does anyone remember this childhood snack?

This savoury snack is a great pre-bed snack since the tryptophan found in dairy can help you sleep better! Again, paired with sleep-inducing carbs, and you’ve got a nice long night of shut-eye ahead of you.

7) Tart Cherry Juice

Now I can’t vouch for this one, cause I have yet to try it, but after doing much research, tart cherry juice came up several times so I thought it would be apt to include it in the list.

In a small study conducted, it was found that melatonin-rich tart cherry juice was shown to aid sleep. When adults with chronic insomnia drank a cup of tart cherry juice twice a day they experienced some relief in the severity of their insomnia.
Source

So there you have it!

Good night, sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite! 😀

Mythbusters: Egg-citing news

I have some egg-citing news for you all. Today’s myth buster will be on EGGS!

I’m sure you’ve heard one too many times that you shouldn’t eat too many eggs, especially since egg yolks are high in cholesterol. There was even a nutritionist who told me not to eat more than three eggs a week. (I beg to differ)

Indeed, egg whites are favoured because they are high in protein, and low in calories… often the reason why you see people loading up on egg whites and tossing the yolks. But, I’d like to say that you don’t have to avoid egg yolks like the plague (if you used to).

In fact, egg yolks contain more nutrients than the egg whites!

First, let’s address the issue on egg yolks contributing to high cholesterol.

Two studies (here and here) have shown that the effect of egg yolks on cholesterol is very minimal, and that when cholesterol levels are raised, it is “good cholesterol” not the artery-clogging kind. So basically egg yolks don’t raise the risk of heart disease.

One of the studies concludes with this:

For these reasons, dietary recommendations aimed at restricting egg consumption should not be generalized to include all individuals. We need to acknowledge that diverse healthy populations experience no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol but, in contrast, they may have multiple beneficial effects by the inclusion of eggs in their regular diet.

And I couldn’t agree more! People who have high cholesterol may have to limit their intakes, but these restrictions should not apply to the entire population.

Not convinced?

Here are some benefits of egg yolks that you’ve been missing out:

1) Egg yolks are high in antioxidants
Antioxidants are known to protect the eye. So by consuming more eggs, you could reduce the risk of macular degeneration and the risk of developing eye cataracts.

2) Egg yolks are high in Vitamins
Each egg yolk contains seven vitamins: B6, folate, a B vitamin, B-12, A, D, E and K. Of those, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are found only in egg yolks and not in egg whites.

Egg yolks are one of only a handful of foods in which vitamin D is naturally found.

Furthermore, egg yolks contain all the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin found in an egg. They also contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

3) Egg yolks contain heart-healthy Omega-3 fats
If you only eat the egg whites, you’re missing out on a lot of heart-healthy omega 3s! When you eat the yolk, you get a good balance of healthy fats, which helps in the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. Without fats, ingesting these vitamins wouldn’t even be of much use.

I hope that’s enough to encourage you to go ahead and eat the whole egg! Eating only the egg white would mean you cut calories, but you’ll be  missing out on a whole lot of nutrients as well.

Once, again another myth is BUSTED.

Maybe the saying should go.. “An egg yolk a day, keeps the doctor away” instead. Haha. 😀 So, don’t worry, go enjoy eggs done your favourite way!

Balance is key
Another thing is, don’t spam egg yolks (or egg whites) alone. I think God created them together for a reason. So just enjoy the whole egg as it is. 1-2 eggs a day is good for you! I think eggs are one of the healthiest and tastiest foods out there. I love how they can be prepared in so many ways from good old fried eggs, to hard/-soft-boiled to poached and even ramen-style (my favourite!). They make a handy snack too 🙂

I hope you found this to be an egg-celent post. 😛

Mythbusters: No food after 7pm?

I was having quite a lot of fun doing the Eating Healthy in College series so I thought I would do another series for Made Real!

There are so many dieting rules out there, many of which contradict each other,  leaving readers confused as to who to listen to. One day fat is evil, the next its glorified. Another day, carbs are bad, and the next high carb low fat diets are all the rage.

Honestly, I don’t support all this. I believe in a well-balanced diet. What is well-balanced? An apple in one hand, and a treat (read: ice cream) in the other. It’s about nourishing your body, but also treating yourself to unhealthier foods that you enjoy. It’s about nourishing both your mind and body.

In a bid to encourage you not to feel as if you have to be restricted by all these dieting rules, I’m starting up this series to show you whether these rules are fact or fiction. I hope to debunk some of these myths and relieve you of any restrictions you’ve had because of these food myths.

So let’s begin with the rule that sets a time limit on when we should eat.

I’m sure you’ve heard people telling you not to eat at night and not to eat past 7/8/9/10pm. Well is that true??

Let’s ask a dietician:

Meet Christine Rosenbloom (PhD, RD, CSSD, of Georgia State University in Atlanta)
“There’s no proof for this myth, Rosenbloom says. She notes some small studies with mixed results, tests on animals, and a belief that because eating breakfast is linked to lower BMI, eating at night isn’t as good. But all in all, Rosenbloom says, it’s your calorie total that matters, day or night.” (Taken from here)

To put this myth to the test, I ate at really late hours for the past month or two just to show you that nothing happens! I’ve been eating all kinds of things ranging from ice cream (quite often actually), sandwiches, fruits and biscuits past 9 and 10pm, with the latest being 1am just to see how far I could stretch myself.

And do you have any idea how much weight I gained from eating late at night?!!!

*drumroll please*

None at all. Not any more or less than if I had eaten earlier in the day.

While I don’t encourage you to stay up late just to see if anything happens, or to purposely delay dinner/supper until midnight, I just want to reassure you that you don’t have to be constrained by the time limits imposed by diet websites! You can eat whenever you want.

Well, I’m glad to DEBUNK this myth, and let you know that it doesn’t matter what time you eat, it’s what you eat that matters. You won’t gain any more weight from eating at night, as compared to when you eat in the day.

Ultimately, weight gain only comes about if your caloric total exceeds what your body needs/burns in a  day. And it’s really hard to gain weight unless you can get 500 extra calories a day, on top of what your body needs for survival and what your body used up in daily activities like studying and walking.
You’ll need 3500 calories excess each week if you want to gain 0.5kg in a week. Not so easy huh!

So take your eyes of the clock, let loose a little.

If you’re hungry for a snack before you sleep… go for it! You’ll be able to fall asleep with a happy belly rather than tossing and turning cause your huger keeps you awake. (Happened to me one too many times before I broke this imaginary ‘time barrier’)

Time matters when you spend it with friends or when you’re studying/working or when you’re sleeping.
But when it comes to food…let your hunger cues aka ‘tummy clock’ tell you when to eat!

If you have any suggestions about food myths you would like me to cover, just drop me an email or comment below, and I’ll be glad to cover them 😀

Eating Healthy In College: Eating in Moderation

For my last post in the Eating Healthy in College series, I would like to end off with a post on moderation. 

If you couldn’t already tell from my posts, I’m a strong advocate of a balanced healthy lifestyle. Eat like you did as a child would be a good guiding principle to encourage a healthy mindset toward food! That means no extremes or restrictions on the food you eat or strict exercise regimes that you have to abide to. Life is so short, it’s best to enjoy yourselves 🙂

Instead of my usual seven rules, I have 3 simple tips for you. Tips, not rules, since these aren’t like something you have to abide to. Its just some things that I felt would be useful for you guys!

1) Don’t sweat the small stuff

Missed a workout? Had one too many helpings of dessert? Went overboard at the buffet? Don’t beat yourself up 🙂 It’s fine to slip here and there. Just drink some water, sleep it over, and start again the next day. Nobody’s perfect and you don’t want to be ‘nobody’ right! (Geddit?)

When you go out with your friends, don’t freak out about the nutrition stats of the meal or what not. Just enjoy yourself and have fun with your friends.

2) Treat yourself!

If you indulge, don’t feel guilty about it. You should enjoy yourself! By regularly treating yourself, you won’t feel deprived, and won’t have an “All or Nothing” mindset when it comes to desserts especially. For instance, knowing that you can eat cake whenever you feel like it will leave you more satisfied with a smaller portion of cake rather than wolfing down a gargantuan slice the one time you’re allowed to eat cake.

3) Go with your gut.

No, I don’t mean let your gut stick out and get flabby… As strange as this sounds, I’ve found that its best to follow your gut feeling when it comes to treating your body. Don’t overthink about what’s right or wrong when it comes to food and exercise. Do what feels good for you. Everyone has different nutrition and fitness requirements. What works for someone may not work for you, so just listen to your body. It knows what it needs.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this series, and here’s wishing you a happy healthy new year!