Trusting your body-key to healthy nutrition

Listening to our body and trusting its clues is such an important and easy way to stay healthy!
With food availability recently becoming more than excessive; with advertising becoming more sophisticated and intense by telling us we "need' to have this snack, drink or sandwich "right now"; with the modern fast- paced lifestyles that most of us follow and pressures to look thinner or younger...We simply disconnect from our bodies.
No wonder many of us develop habits of eating in many situations we dont need to: when we are stressed, sad, bored, distracted or because our diet plan tells us so.
Theres nothing wrong with eating when you aren't hungry and yes it's true chocolate can improve your mood...
But what we forget to do in these moments is to check whether this is what we actually want/need and fulfilling on the actual need.
When we aren’t in touch with what our body is telling us, we are missing out on a key component to our health - intuitiveness.We all have been given a natural ability to know what our body needs, what it doesn’t, and what it is saying when it comes to our nutrition.
This simple realisation took me 20 years to discover and has changed my life and health significantly.
The key points in intuitive eating are:
1. Pausing.
2. Checking-in with yourself & asking:
Am I actually hungry right now?
- If yes: then what do I actually need to feel satisfied and nourished?
-If no: then what kind of need is it?
How am I feeling, what is my mood?
Am I shaky? Sleepy? Irritable? Worried or anxious? Emotional? A little nauseated?
Once you identify your emotion you can meet your actual need- whether its talking to a friend, getting some fresh air, taking a break and resting, praying, reading an inspirational quote or book...
3. If you are having a meal then make sure you enjoy it and notice how you feel after.

This is a skill I believe all of us can develop -easily over time and it can help us lead a balanced healthy lifestyle.

Honey Loves Porridge

This is the easiest and yummiest way to get raw honey in your daily diet: porridge! Honey will enrich it with vitamins and loads of minerals plus give you extra energy to kickstart your day. Important: add honey only once porridge has cooled down, above 35C it looses its nutritional properties!
Today we served it with with oatly oatmilk blueberries and chopped nuts (picture).
Deliciously creamy and great for kids!

Here are some of the many amazing health benefits of raw honey (Dr Mercola):

Great for treating coughs: according to the World Health Organization (WHO) raw honey can act as a demulcent, or a substance that helps relieve irritation in the mouth or throat by forming a protective layer. Raw honey can be as effective as dextromethorphan (an ingredient found in over-the-counter medicines) in soothing cough caused by upper respiratory tract infections, especially among children. Raw honey can also serve as a remedy for sleep difficulties caused by these infections.

Helping with wound treatment: Raw honey has antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Research has revealed that unprocessed honey helped with both wound and ulcer healing. One study highlighted that 58 out of 59 wounds improved following a topical application of honey.

Delivering an energy boost: You can use raw honey to help provide a quick pre- or post-workout energy boost. Raw honey can be beneficial for athletes searching for a “time-released fuel” to deliver energy over a longer period of time.

Assisting with free radical elimination: Antioxidants called phenolic compounds are present in honey, which help protect the body from free radical-initiated cell damage.

Helping decrease allergy symptoms: More often than not, locally produced honey may contain pollen spores picked up by bees from local plants. Consuming locally produced raw honey is highly ideal because it can allow the honey to boost the body’s health and resistance against certain allergens.

Serving as a remedy against herpes wounds:  Good-quality raw honey can offer benefits against herpes sores by drawing fluid away from the wound. Raw honey’s high sugar content can suppress microorganism growth too. Worker bees secrete an enzyme called glucose oxidase into the nectar. When the honey comes into contact with the wound, the enzyme then releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide.

Very rich nutritional content: an incredible source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Help with improving digestive and immune health: Bifidobacteria, a type of bacteria that’s known to enhance digestive and immune health, is also found in organic raw honey. Organic raw honey can serve as an effective probiotic by stimulating Bifidobacteria growth in the intestine.