I wanted to make myself and those around me a little treat last weekend. I had a hard time finding what I was looking for, so it ended up being a “two in one” version by combining two different cakes in one. You can make it vegan using margarine instead, and the almond meal can be switched to wheat, coconut or perhaps more of the gluten-free flour.
The first layer is pie dough. I didn’t use any sweetener in this one because I like the salty in contrast to the sweet filling. On top of that I put an apple crumble pie, made with almond meal for a bit more characteristic taste, and lovely oats.
“I felt high on sugar from only a small amount and would never have guessed that it didn’t contain any sugar.”
As sweetener I used powdered Stevia. And if you think that just won’t do it, let me tell you, it does! I felt high on sugar from only a small amount and would never have guessed that it didn’t contain any sugar. It may be due to my sugarless living these past months, and if so, I love it! Hopefully I’ll keep being that sensitive and won’t crave the real deal, aka table sugar.
“…could a revolutionary probiotic dramatically extend the human life span?… Marco Ruggiero launched a probiotic supplement which contains 10 bacteria, vitamin D and E, chondroitin sulphate, colostrum and kefir…produce something similar to the human protein Klotho… Ruggiero states that Klotho Formula “will induce age-reversal”. It’s Benjamin Button stuff.” – Kate Spicer, Vogue April 2019
I’ve been nagging about gut problems, different invaders, conditions and what we can do to feel better. But one thing that’s becoming more and more popular these days are the probiotics and prebiotics. If you’re like me you’ve picked up the growing popularity towards the topic “gut health” and “gut-brain-connection”. All the health gurus and websites recommend their favorite supplements and guidelines towards “healing your gut to healing your body”. Even most influencers have jumped on the bandwagon. And they all have the answers under the sun as to how they healed everything. So in this blog post I’m going to share my favorite probiotics and prebiotics with you, because they really work!
Recommendations
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the topic isn’t a newsflash for today’s “money focus society”, trying to trick us into something abstract and misleading paths, but been around for thousands of years (as Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”). With that said. Today we have more products available than ever before, which shows how it’s been growing in the past couple of years. A few years back the pharmacy had like three brands on their shelves. Since then it has all grown like the green grass after a long winter.
I did my research as usual and found valuable information. Mainly on websites and YouTube. Some pretty reliable sources I would recommend are Dr. Berg (link YouTube), Dr. Axe (link YouTube) and Thomas Delauer (link YouTube). Delauer is a favorite of mine due to the fact that he’s digging deep amongst the thousands of articles and researches that’s been done, and give you valuable information that broadens your perception. For example, he mentions that gut strains from Lactobacillus Acidophilus grow faster than most bacteria and can outnumber several other important ones (link).
And as I’ve said before, not only are we built with more bacteria than cells. But there’re also many different kinds of strains with different purposes. Therefore you have to vary your intake. Not only with a pill, but the way you live so the bacteria can thrive, and with food containing naturally fermented bacterias. My two favorite probiotics (and I’ve been trying a couple) contain more than ten strains. The more the better, but as you have just been reading, it’s also important to get the right ones. Delauer mentions that Lactobacillus Rhamnosus is the most researched one (link), so choose a brand with a high amount of it.
Quotes from Vogue
In Vogue’s April issue they surprisingly had an article on this subject, as I quoted above. They brought up a couple of other things worth mentioning; “The solution lies not in antibiotics but in probiotics…”. Instead of killing our microbiome, we can tweak it to fight all kinds of issues” – Eve Kalinik author of Be Good to your gut
“The human body contains many trillions of microbes. Their interactions create vitamins, break down our food, fight infections and communicate with our genes: without a microbiome we are royally buggered. A healthy person has several hundred different species of microbes in their gut; an unhealthy person can have as few as 30.”
“…it predicts your visceral fat mass… Before the day when doctors start prescribing medical-grade probiotics targeted to treat illnesses… we will see them being prescribed alongside drugs.” – Caroline Le Roy researcher at King’s College London
“If you give someone obese with type 2 diabetes an FMT (Faecal Microbiota Transplant) from the microbiome of a skinny person, you can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism” – Le Roy
“Study after study has shown that gut problems are more common in those with mental health issues.”
I hope this is enough inspiration for you to start taking your probiotic!
These ones you feel immediately, my stomach starts to rumble and it feels like a battle going on between the ones I just sent down and the ones already living in there. In my opinion they give you a more regular, optimal and healthy gut in a couple of days.
Probi Holistic (don’t know if this product’s only available in Sweden)
These are good if you’re having loose stools after a vacation, sickness or bad food. They’re also effective in treating diarrhea after antibiotic use. More remedies regarding the gut will soon be posted.
Hello! If you’re a vegan or a vegetarian or just looking for a drinkable protein powder, keep reading!
Since my mission nowadays is to cut back on sugars and keep my protein high I’m forced to find alternatives due to the fact that I’m not a meat-eater. It has not been an easy task, there’re a lot of quite disgusting options out there, to say the least… But now I think I found the best ones for me yet!
This protein powder from Weider is made from pea- and rice protein. It’s gluten-free, lactose-free, and sweetened with Stevia. I’ve tried chocolate, vanilla, and Iced Cappuccino, and the last one’s my favorite. It almost tastes like real iced coffee. Put it in a glass with ice, water, and cold coffee, and you get yourself a perfect drink for warm days.
I recently found Bulkpowder, and they’re having a lot of great options. This one’s also made with pea- and rice protein, and sweetened with Stevia. If you get a stomachache or other issues related to protein powders, these contain digestive enzymes and may be a great solution for that.
Lastly we have another one from Bulkpowder. This protein powder is similar to the one above, but it also contains pumpkin protein and fewer ingredients, which in my opinion, is a positive advantage.
I would suggest blending them with coconut milk (not canned), almond milk, or oat milk. My personal favorite, when it comes to oat milk, are the products from the brand “Oatly”. Cheers!
Sometimes you just want something sweet, right? To be honest, I find it quite hard to decide what to bake/cook. There’re so many delicious recipes and I want to make them all! However, I’ve been craving chocolate for the last couple of days, so I was so pleased when I made the recipe that I’m going to share with you. The result was absolutely satisfying!
“The final product didn’t disappoint.”
I avoid refined sugar as much as I can. The Swedish brand Cloetta has dark chocolate that’s sweetened with steviol glycosides and maltitol, and it’s also vegan. Due to my desire to make everything totally vegan, I swapped the dairy products and syrup for coconut cream and agave. And because you only use almond and coconut flour, it’s gluten-free (but if you want to, you can make it with ordinary cream and chocolate instead.) The final product didn’t disappoint.
Christmas is around the corner, so I wanted to try writing down all my favorite traditions and hobbies during the month. I’m one of those people who start listening to Christmas music in September, I would fill my home with Christmas decorations from October and bake Christmas goods every week if I didn’t control myself. I think we need these holidays to look forward to. We need the calmness it brings (to most of us) and all the beautiful decorations surrounding us. So, here’s a list of some of the things making me get into a holiday spirit;
“Take deep breaths, look at all the shimmering and sparkling on the ground, listen to the creaking snow under the shoes, and get your nose and cheeks all red.”
Lighting candles and listening to Christmas music. Every morning I start off lighting a candle on the table, making the whole room light up. If you can, choose a Christmas scented one (Yankee Candles have both high quality and wonderful smells). I then put on some classic Christmas music while sipping on a cup of coffee or tea. It’s a simple thing to do, and it will cheer you up for the rest of the day.
Consume clementines and oranges. Not only are these giving you an important C-vitamin boost, but the delicious smell will also fill your house.
Watch a Christmas series. Here in Sweden we have a Christmas calendar show on the tv and radio every year in December. An episode every evening is a cozy tradition.
Watch Christmas movies with a cup of hot chocolate. “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings,” “The Holiday,” “Christmas with the Kranks,” “Home Alone,” “The Santa Clause,” “It’s a wonderful life,” “The Polar Express,” “Love actually,” “Miracle on 34th street” are some of my favorites, to name a few.
Go for long walks. Take deep breaths, look at all the shimmering and sparkling on the ground, listen to the creaking snow under the shoes, and get your nose and cheeks all red. Your body will love new oxygen in the blood, and you can clear your head at the same time – the cheapest form of therapy.
Bake something festive. Saffron buns, cinnamon buns, gingerbread cookies, bread with apricot, fig and nuts, oat cookies or apple cake. Add frosting, cowberries, sprinkles or dry fruit for an even more special treat.
Add cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg to most of your dishes make them go from a dull to a warming and cozy meal.
Make your own mulled wine with raisins and almonds or choose a Christmas spiced wine or beer.
Make your own Christmas cards and send them to your friends and family. Getting busy with your hands to let your creativity flows is an excellent way to get into the Christmas spirit. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Use whatever paper, colors, scissors, glue and pens you have at home. Or just buy a few cards and send them, I can guarantee the receiver will appreciate it.
Try to read more books or your favorite magazines. Just let your eyes rest from the tv and computer a bit and make up the pictures in your head and escape to another world.
Have a family/friend evening at home, where you play table games, wrap Christmas presents, decorate gingerbread cookies, and walk around with your comfiest clothes eating candy.
Make your own ornaments – candlesticks, wreaths, garlands, and so on. Like I mentioned before, it’s creative and fun. And if you’re doing it with someone, it’s quite social compared to other activities.
Make your own Christmas gifts. These days, most of us have more than we need, so giving something from the heart can be more special than ever. Don’t get anxious about the amount of money you have to spend. Just writing a couple of notes with inspirational quotes or complimenting messages in a jar, can mean so much. Paint something on a canvas, stone or piece of wood. Knit, crochet or embroider something. You give your time and energy, and it’ll show. (Side note: I don’t mean that buying gifts are any less than making them yourself. But if you want to give something unique and love to use your imagination, that’s a great idea.)
Go skiing or sledding. Fun and exercise combined into one activity.
