Things you should never put into your shopping cart

Everybody’s in rush now. Try to think about those lazy weekends when you were a child. Where are those peaceful times? These days nobody cooks, nobody prepares healthy meals, because of lack of the time. Sometimes I’m even too busy/ lazy to prepare a pasta. I hate buying pre-cooked meals, they just taste awful. Even though, I don’t have time to chop all these vegetables and I have to admit that I just buy them packed and frozen. The myth that vegetables and frozen fruits are of inferior quality, has been overthrown! Unfortunately, on store shelves there are also products that I will highly not recommend! Although it would save you plenty of time!
First ‘evil’ thing is N*ella have a look at ingredients:



Where are the nuts I’m asking myself...
Now enjoy your spoon full of palm oil and sugar.
Next thing that you should stay away from are frozen French fries.
French fries are soaked in oil and do not provide our body with any nutrients, furthermore they raise our cholesterol and you can’t even call it a ‘meal’
Have you ever tried to peel potatoes and cut them however you like? You can also add some spices such as salt, pepper, paprika, gyros, garlic etc. Then mix it with a spoon of olive oil.
Coat them with oil/spice mixture and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven and I can assure you that you will never buy the frozen ones.
Enjoy!
Agata

Cravings: what should you know about them?

Cravings: what should you know about them?

Physical activity can help us relax and reduce our cravings for sweets. 

Eat more fruits and vegetables and try to choose these instead of chocolate or a cake.

How many times have you woken up in the middle of the night wanting to eat something sweet?

Anxiety about sweetness is something that happens to many people. You feel like eating something in the middle of the night and then you just get up and devour everything what’s on your way. As soon as you eat something the pressure and anxiety go down and you feel much better.

The problem is that this can become a dangerous cycle/vicious circle : after this little attack you start to feel guilty, your level of anxiety is growing again and later sweets are once more on your mind…does it sound familiar to you?

 If you feel that this problem concerns you here I give you some tricks that can help you in those moments when you need something sweet ( It will work perfectly too for those who are craving salty things!)

How to Avoid Sweet Anxiety:

Actually, sometimes the anxiety processes are nothing more than a desire to consume something with sugar.

Knowledge is a key issue here moreover, when you are aware that the effect of sugar will not last long and that you are going to crave sweets again, it will be much easier to resist it.

 First of all, it is important to know that the anxiety that you feel, sometimes has to do with stressful or depressive states, which logically are getting worst at night.

The glucose that sweet foods contain causes a temporary "well-being" that makes you feel better. However, it is a very short-term relief and, in the long run, it aggravates the problem, instead of solving it.

What we should know is that there are other nutritious  products  that contain minerals and vitamins and It is essential to have a proper and balanced diet that help to prevent that anxiety..

After all ... "we are what we eat".

Some Interesting Tricks

• Do some physical activity, it can even be walking. Your body will release endorphins and you will feel better and more relaxed.

• Do not buy sweets and fatty foods. What is not in your fridge, you cannot eat.

• Have fruit at your fingertips so you can have something between lunch and dinner without giving yourself a sweet binge.

• If you notice that the situation is beyond your control, it is time to go to the doctor.

What foods should we incorporate into our diet?

• Fruits and vegetables in a great quantity

• Non-fat meats and fishes

•a lot of water

•Nuts

What foods should we take away from our diet?

• Those with a high glucose content

•Chips

•Appetizers with lots of salt

•Alcohol

•Coffee

Try to follow these simple rules and you will never have this problem again.

Have a nice day,

Agata

Mango Lassi

Hi!

 Today I’m going to tell you about my special dessert. Or maybe drink? Anyway, it’s really worth tasting!

This yoghurt drink is very popular throughout the Indian subcontinent, it provides a lot of benefits for your health.

 First, it is horribly delicious, if you like mango it will be perfect as refreshment, as a dessert or even as a drink. It has a lot of variations; it can be salty, creamy, sweet-sour, sometimes subtly spiced.

 Second, If you have to wait ages for your food to arrive, it will work as a snack-dessert. Moreover, it’s a great way to refresh yourself during hot days, if you are not able to drink  just water, it’s really refreshing as it’s made with fresh yoghurt.

Are you more sweet or salty?

This question is very important because there are two varieties of Mango Lassi. First one is a sweet, traditional version and the other one is salty; also known as chaas. The Sweet one is almost always flavoured with sugar, honey or maple syrup. Due to the fact that it balances the natural sourness of the yoghurt it tastes so well.  Some people spice it also with saffron or pureed fruit. Have you ever been to India? If yes, you will know that mango is like their sacred fruit. Many Indians like to have mango lassi instead of a meal as the heat is exhausting there. 

      How To Make Mango Lassi

This is my version of Mango Lassi, I think it tastes just like the Indian one.  I hope you will love it as much as I do! This will be perfect for 1 glass just multiply the ingredients if needed. It's possible to add 1 cup of ice cream instead of yoghurt, it will be even more refreshing and sweet.

 It will also work perfectly with any other fruit, but please, do not add any chocolate or salty caramels J

INGREDIENTS

1 mango (about 1 cup), peeled and chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste Scant pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground cardamom (optional), for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1.      Blend together the mango, yogurt, milk, honey, and salt until smooth. Taste, and adjust with extra honey or salt ( you can add some ginger too).

2.      If your mango is particularly fibrous, strain the lassi through a fine-mesh strainer; otherwise, pour into a glass, and sprinkle with cardamom- it will give it a little bit of oriental taste.

Now enjoy your perfect Mango Lassi and have a nice evening,

Agata

Taste buds

Have you ever wondered about human sensations?

People are different this is a common fact, everybody knows it but have you ever contemplated whether they have the same experiences as you in the same situations? Sometimes it happens that you hate raisins and your boyfriend loves them. Or maybe you are both having the same conscious experience but just reacting to it differently?

 Is it possible that raisins taste differently to you and to your boyfriend?

Do you even know how many and what kind of taste buds do we have?

Do you know that on our tongue there are different areas that are responsible for different tastes?

Look at the map:

Try to put some sugar directly on the bottom of your tongue,  I assure you that you will not notice that it is sweet.

These are only examples but try to think about colour blind people. They cannot distinguish certain colours and someone who sees perfectly will notice them all.

Did you know that people’s taste buds can differ in the levels of sensitivity?

 Something that is horribly spicy for you can be delicate for someone else. But remember that you can just have the different attitude towards it- maybe when you were a baby it was spicy for you and now you just have negative associations with it and you’re presupposing that it’s going to be spicy?

 It changes the way you will experience it later.

So! If someone genuinely seems to have a different reaction to your own, it’s likely that in your mind this difference is real ( like the raisins do taste differently).

 It means that the differences are not exactly in your raw sensations but in the interpretations of these sensations in your head.

So the answer is simple:

1.   Sometimes our taste buds are less sensitive than the other’s that means that we can perceive some things in the different ways.

2.The image that we create in our mind is very important, especially the negative one, sometimes it influences the way we perceive some taste.

The hardest part of ending is starting again.

               There are movies that you just can’t forget about and after watching them the only thing that you can do is to rethink the matter that they treat about, over and over again. That happened to me when I watched ‘Me before you’ adapted from the novel by JoJo Moyes. This film is not another romantic comedy which makes us cry and then lets us dream about that kind of perfect love.  Moreover, I think that the plot is terribly real and it makes spectators contemplate about one of the most difficult issues that can be raised, the euthanasia.

              

 It obviously starts with a rich, handsome Mr perfect, Will, who has it all till he gets hit by a motorcycle. What’s more, he gets paralyzed, this takes away his desire to live and his carefree life changes irreversibly.  Then there’s a light in the tunnel for him, he meets his new keeper Lou, she’s clumsy, open-minded, and cheerful and she literally bursts into his life. They start to become really close, then appears a special bond between them, she seems to be his last resort but is this enough to help him change his mind?

This movie is charming, even if its plot is quite sad and, as a matter of fact, hopeless, it has a lot of funny moments because of delightful main character of Lou who shows Will that his life hadn’t ended with the accident. Unfortunately, he had lost his hope and nothing’s going to change his approach.

I’m definitely going to read this bestseller as it has to be even better than a film. If you are looking for an unconventional and gripping movie this one will be a great choice. 

I would really recommend this film as it made me wonder a lot about the question of suffering and about transient human happiness.  Is it even possible to put yourself in that situation and be able to decide for someone who hurts so much?

Agata

Rainy days

Can you still find running entertaining when outside is raining cats and dogs?

Summertime is over and days are shorter, you don’t have time for anything but the most important things like work, family, university.

 Is there any possibility to go out with friends after the long, exhausting day at work?  

Autumn is not the best season to start doing exercises and doesn’t give us many opportunities to go for a walk or to spend some time outside as there is a grim weather and the only thing that you are thinking of is to rest on your comfy couch under the fluffy blanket with a cup of hot tea or chocolate.  What about sport?  During the summer you had 3 or 4 hours per week to go out and do some jogging, when august was about to end you were thinking of wearing your new running pants and a new jacket. 

What has happened now? 

Do you feel overwhelmed and there is nobody in the world that could drag you out of your warm house? Yes, I know what you mean…

And that’s why I have some advices and tips for you today to help you along:

  

1.Don’t panic. Once you get out of your house it’s only going to be better. Put on your nice, comfortable clothes and remember your attitude and motivation is a clue point in here.  Try to think about the feeling when you are already running.

2.       Be visible!  Remember that now the days are getting shorter and wearing bright clothes will help you stay visible.

3.       Try to do your workouts in a group; I can assure you that this is one the best motivators. If 2 people want to go jogging, you won’t stay home alone. Moreover, this will be a great opportunity to spend some time together.

4.       Think about all the romantic scenery in the rain ;)

http://www.abouttimemagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1920x1200-Wide-Wallpapers-Running-Autumn.jpg

There is nothing better than a quick run in the forest full of colourful leaves when you are really stressed and you feel too weak to go out of your bed.

Let me introduce myself :)

My name is Agata and I study spanish philology. Now I’m living in Poznań, but I come from Gdynia. It’s a beautiful city situated near to the sea. Gdynia is a quite small, modern city with great food (once you’re there, you have to go and eat fresh fish in one of the restaurants placed on the beach) and its has got a lot of nature parks too.

 I love Spain, travelling, languages, sport, romantic comedies and reading books. This is my space where I will write about my hobbies. First of all, I have to admit that my new passion is running and I will gladly share with you my running experiences and maybe some advices too.

What I trully love is running with my white dog Lucky, but recently he seems to be tired of this weather and he prefers some short-distance walks J 

On the other hand the topic that interests me is healthy lifestyle and food. I really enjoy cooking, especially pasta and some different Italian meals. 

Is it possible to survive this time of the year? If think so, but you have to be very clever. You can’t stop doing things that you love. This will keep you motivated.

Anyway, autumn is not my favourite season but there is nothing better than just staying on your couch, watching your favourite TV series and drinking delicious tea with honey, lemon and ginger. 

What do you think about it?

Hugs,

Agata