BerryWeekly: Boba, Babies and Buses

Hello!

It's that time again - a wonderful Friday to reflect on the pictures of the week! 

This week I had popped down to London twice - both very fun days and the weather has been amazing the entire week, making the experience even more fun!

Coconut Drinks are the Best!

These two drinks were drank on different days - for the record! The one on the left is a smoothie - it has a bunch of great ingredients like Guava, Lychee, Pineapple and my favourite: coconut! It is a superfood smoothie and tastes so amazing!

Speaking of Coconut, we went to China Town on one of the days we were in London and I got the coconut milk tea (with boba, of course) and it tasted AMAZING!! Definitely recommend that one. Plus, it was cold and great for a hot, summer day!

Also on the day we had boba tea/bubble tea (whatever you want to call it), we had lunch at EAT. If you haven't heard of EAT. it is basically a chain of healthier foods and it has great choices! It was out of this or Pret, but Pret was super busy as usual, so we went with EAT. I had a falafel and hummus wrap and I totally recommend it.

On another day we popped down to London, we saw a '1' bus! If you live in London or know about buses, this is quite cool - like the buses I know of are mostly 3 digits or sometimes 2, but I've never seen the 1 bus!

Finally, after college one day, I went to go visit my nephew! He is super cute and just begun walking - we gave him ice-cream for the first time ever and he loved it. Obviously, we didn't give him too much as he was hyper enough already! haha! I just love how he knew to look directly at the camera!

So, tell me, do you call it boba tea or bubble tea, and whats your favourite flavour?

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: Watermelon Wonders

Hello!
Summer's in full blast at the moment, especially in England where the weather has been phenomenal for the last couple of days! I've been enjoying sitting out in the sun with my cold beverage and platter of yummy fruits while I read my book or watch the boys play sports!

One of my favourite fruits to enjoy in the summer is Watermelon!

I LOVE pretty much all types of fruit and this is one is no exception! There are so many benefits to eating fruits that contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals which are obviously bound to be great for the human body in numerous ways.
I enjoy researching about the foods I eat to gain knowledge about how they benefit me and wanted to share with you!

1. Hydrating
Even in the name you can guess that this fruit is full of water! It is made of 92% water and therefore is very hydrating. This is great in the heat when you tend to sweat (unfortunately!) and lose water, so it's important to stay hydrated to avoid headaches and... quite frankly, dehydration!

2. Antioxidant
The Red Pigment of the watermelon is a great antioxidant. It is also found in other fruits such as Papaya and pink Grapefruit. This pigment is found to reduce risks of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer!

3. Vitamins & Minerals
Watermelon contains vitamins C and A. This means it is great for eye health too. In addition, it contains traces of vitamins K and B. Loads of minerals are also found in watermelons, such as Manganese, Copper and Iron. It is also a great source of Potassium which helps muscles and nerves function properly which is essential for good health. In addition, is reduces inflammation which leads to diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

4. Nutrition
Watermelons are very low in calories with only 43 calories per cup! This is great for those looking to slim their waistline. It is also virtually fat-free and contains very, very little saturated fat. It is also low in sodium and contains no cholesterol, caffeine or alcohol.

There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelon grown worldwide - in Japan, you can even get square watermelons! This was done so it fits in fridges perfectly! haha! Oh, and did you know watermelons are originally from South Africa?!

Watermelons are one of the 15 'most clean' non-organic fruits - although seedless varieties are less 'clean' and not as organic.

There are SO MANY recipes you can create with watermelons, some ideas here:
Watermelon 'cake', smoothies, ice-cream, juice and throw in with some feta cheese and mint for a salad!

I hope you enjoyed this health post!
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Photo from HERE
Info from: here, here and here