Health Benefits of Flaxseed

Hello!

It's been a long time since I've done one of these, and since I had this on my peanut butter toast this morning, I was wandering why exactly these little Flaxseeds were actually meant to be so good for you, and to my surprise, there are more health benefits than I had thought! 

If you don't know what Flaxseeds are, they are basically seed like sunflower seeds, chia seeds etc. They are also called Linseeds, which is what they're called in England.

Flaxseeds are getting more and more well known recently and many people add them to many different meals and snacks… but what is the big deal about these teeny tiny seeds?

- Very High Fibre Content, hence lowering bad cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar, help proper functioning of intestines.

- Source of Antioxidants, these are also very good and also helps to balance female hormones

- Has healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids, this reducing inflammation, prevents heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and some cancers - by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumour cells

- Also a source of B Vitamins, Magnesium and Manganese

Some call it the 'most powerful plant foods on the planet', and clearly these benefits are the reason why!  However, be aware that Flaxseed Oil doesn't contain the fibre nor phytochemicals (antioxidants) of the whole flax seed. In addition the benefits of the flax is easily damaged by heat and oxidations, so be aware to store in a dark, dry place.

You can eat them sprinkled on yogurt, on cereal, porridge, shakes, cereal bars, juice, baking (flaxseed muffins), pb toast like I did or even find them in seeded bread!

Have you tried Flaxseed? If so, what do you eat them with/on? 

sources: image, info, info

BerryHealthy: Charming Cherries and Pick-Your-Own Farms

Hello!

Hope you guys are making the most of the sunny weather - going to have picnics, going to the beach, having dinner in the garden or... going fruit picking! We have a tradition to go fruit picking every year during the summer months, usually we go to a local strawberry farm but this year we decided to pack up and take a mini road trip to the cherry farm, which is slightly further away but still not that far! YAY Road Trips!

Cherries are in season in July in pick your own farms and they are so yummy! Not only that but they are full of vitamins and minerals that are great for your body! Did you know, these beautiful fruits are 75% water?! I didn't know that until I dug down into some research!

We entered the farm and there were multiple rows of these trees with little red ball-like fruits hanging off them. The entire first 2-3 rows were left almost bare of cherries but there were still so many delicately hanging from the other trees. These cherry trees were quite short - which is good for me because I'm short and then I can reach the highest cherry and it makes me feel like a giant - come on, I'll never get to feel like that with normal trees!

Cherries are a great source of potassium, consumption of potassium leads to lower blood pressure. This is done as potassiums removes excess sodium in our bodies - so when you're not feeling like eating a banana, grab a handful of cherries for similar benefits! Cherries also help fight cancer, due to the dark pigmentation we can see that they're great antioxidants! Cherries contain an antioxidant called Flavonoids that help fight cancer by preventing cancerous cells from growing.

Also you insomniacs that like cherries may be happy to know that cherries help you get a good nights sleep - tart cherries contain a hormone called melatonin which promotes sleep. So, you want a good nights sleep? Have a glass of cherry juice before bed - check this post why squeezing your own fresh juice may be better than cartons from the store.

Moreover, cherries contain anthocyanin which is shown to improve memory! So, you need a study snack? Try some cherries to make sure the notes you're reading stick! Anthocyanin is also said to increase insulin production by 50%, this is great for diabetics.

Cherries are also said to be great for the skin, the vitamin A and high carotene content allows this fruit to be great for the immune system and to beautify your skin!

With all these benefits, I couldn't help but put a basket together for me to take home - well, it was a pick-your-own farm, so obviously I was going pick-my-own!

I picked all my cherries in twos so the stem contained two cherries at the end of them - because to me, that looks cute... and this way the cherries don't get lonely! LOL! Is it just me that thinks like this?

Also, the pick-your-own farm had other fruits like strawberries and raspberries, but during this time cherries were the main attraction! Oh, and they had loads of wheat!

 They looked lovely in the sun, all yellow and happy-looking! Did you know if you rub this between your hands you get sunflower seed-like seeds which you can just eat? They tasted nice and chewy - and this was legit WHOLE-GRAIN wheat - with the total nutrients.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my Watermelon Wonders post to see the benefits from watermelons!

So, yes, that was how I spent my Sunday and I had so much fun! How do you like to make the most of the sun? Comment below!

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Info from here, here and here. 

Fresh Juice over Cartons... Why?

Hello!
Many of you may be aware of the 'Juice Cleanse' craze going on at the moment, and to be honest, I love it!
From a family who has freshly made juice almost everyday of the week for at least the last 6-7 years, I am a huge fan. My parents had seen a tele advert for a juicer and jumped on it and since then we've been served with carrot, apple and ginger juice for a very long time (with the occasional melon or over-ripening fruit added to the mixure!)... oh, and for a change we'd have freshly squeezed orange juice too.

Anyway, the REAL reason I'm writing this post is to tell you the reasons why freshly squeezed juice, orange juice in particular, is much more beneficial than the cartoned juice. I am not a huge fan of juice in general, I don't remember the last time I drank soda and nor do I enjoy fruit juice or any sort of cartoned juice in general, but when it comes to fresh juice... YUMMY.

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice in my Summery Glass! 

You may know that food (vegetables/fruits etc.) in general lose nutritional value when they're cooked, by that I mean raw broccoli has more vitamins and minerals than cooked, such as steamed, broccoli, therefore if orange juice is cooked in any way, the nutritional value is reduced. "Cooked juice? WHAT?"you may ask, well, legally (in the UK anyway), all juice has to be pasteurised before sold to ensure longer shelf life and the idea that bacteria is killed. Now, pasteurised means heating the juice, which is basically cooking the juice, what does this mean? This means the nutritional value is reduced!

Therefore, store bought orange juice, no matter how healthy and high in nutritional value it may seem (I'm looking at you, Tropicana), it won't beat the freshly squeezed, legit juice. Also, the sooner you drink it after it is squeezed, the higher in nutritional value as it is said that the longer it sits, the decrease in nutritional value.

Moreover, many store bought juices have added sugar and ingredients that you may not be aware of, so you may think it's great for you, yet it's not. So, even though it takes a little more effort, I recommend freshly squeezed NON-PASTEURISED juice to ensure you're consuming the most nutritious beverages with the highest amount of nutritional value to nourish your body.

Woah, I feel like I said 'Nutritional Value' a million times in this post! Anyway, I hope you learnt something from this and decide to join me and my family with the fresh juice consumption.

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Disclaimer: I am not trying to say the juiced/cartoned juices are BAD for you, just that there are many benefits of fresh juice - and if you find that you crave some orange juice and don't have the time or energy to squeeze it fresh, by all means buy the cartoned version over that soda (try and avoid added sugars, though)... :)
Oh, and I'm not a nutritionist or anything, just a curious person who likes to research stuff! :D