I’ve previously mentioned that I visited the Good Food Show in London. It was around the time that I was doing a lot of late night shifts in preparation for the peak season at work and I wanted something to keep me going while I was there.

This is where I found Stur, it is a liquid water enhancer and they are so great. There are 6 different flavours; cranberry and pomegranate, tea and lemon, green apple, blackcurrant and apple, tea and peach and orange and mango. My favourite has to be the tea and peach one so far!

Per serving you get 100% of your daily vitamin C, no sugar, calories or fat, all natural flavours and they are lightly sweetened with natural stevia extract. Then in each bottle you get 30 servings, however I have to disagree with this as I think I must have got half of the amount out of each bottle I’ve tried so far.

There are two good bits of information in the box the drinks came in.

“Good to know…vitamin C contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue”

“Enjoy a…varied balanced diet, drink plenty of water and maintain an active lifestyle for good health.”

What makes it a great company is that it is family-run and it was originally for the founders’ pregnant wife to drink more water. They are passionate about better health and happiness.

Check out their website here for more information and prices.

What's in my bag?

“Why is this relevant?” I hear you ask but what I carry around with me on a daily basis is important.

This beautiful green satchel is from ASOS but unfortunately it’s sold out now and it was hard enough to get in the first place!

Water and paracetamol. I always like to stay hydrated and I always have water in my bag. As with paracetamol, I will very rarely leave the house without it.

Lip Balm. I have several that I tend to rotate, so this is the one I’m using at the moment. It smells like strawberries and is soft on your lips.

Hand sanitizer. Again a must have. We always need clean hands!

Salisbury Life and a few other leaflets. Some magazines I picked up while I was out. They were free so I thought I could try and get some inspiration.

Korres Nail Varnish in metallic sand (33). This is a beautiful nude colour that I will be wearing more often. Thanks Mum!

A notebook and pen. I never know when I’ll need to do some writing!

My Filofax. My absolute go to. One of the best presents I’ve had and so important to keep myself organised. I use Filofax stickers too to keep it colourful!

itizer. Again a must have. We always need clean hands!

My iPod. I always have this connected in my car to listen to my favourite songs at that moment.

A present for my sister. Something I picked up in a vintage shop. Happy Birthday Hope!

My Purse. I’ve had this Juicy Couture purse for the best part of 4 or 5 years now and I will never change it!

My car keys, a bit of an obvious one!

And lastly my iPhone, I need something to take pictures with!

Metabolism Boosters

It's taken me a whole to come up with this list. A lot of the time there are all kinds of weird and random foods that come up when searching for foods that boost your metabolism but finally I came up with this list of everyday foods that will be readily available to you. 

I'm going to try to get one of these into every meal to get my metabolism going. 

1. Hot peppers (jalapeños, cayenne, chilli etc.)

I personally would add some form of chilli to my meal if it worked. It's the one ingredient I swear by and I always have it in the cupboard. Not only does it boost your metabolism but it reduces any cravings you may have (probably because it just sets your mouth on fire and you can't taste anything). It boosts your metabolism  y up to 25% and when it peaks! that spike can last for up to 3 hours. Sounds pretty great huh?

2. Whole grains: oatmeal and brown rice

Honestly, I'm really surprised by this. Carbs get such a bad image now and if you're on a diet it's basically a no-go. So here I am to deliver the good news to you! These whole grains are a metabolism booster! They stabilise your insulin levels and are also slow release carbs, keeping you going for a bit longer.

3. Broccoli

I personally really like broccoli! We always have it at home because it's one of the only vegetables my brother will eat. It's really high in calcium and packed full of vitamins C, K and A. It would be better off steamed though so that it retains it's nutrients which can often be lost in water then you aren't getting as much goodness from them.

4. Soups

Another surprising one but they are included in so many diet plans so there must be a reason for that! They reduce the intake of excess foods, so you won't need to grab a snack so quickly after eating this.

5. Green Tea

I won't say anymore (and also because you're probably bored of me going on about it)! There's a whole blog post on it here.

6. Apples and Pears

Make sure you eat the skin though! They contain a lot of vitamin C but be careful as they also contain a fair amount of sugar.

7. Spices

From all the research I've done, what I can gather is that basically any will do but please do correct me if I'm wrong! So get seasoning your food like crazy with anything you can find at the back of your cupboards.

8. Citrus Fruits

This is similar to apples and pears, very high in vitamin C. Try adding lemon to water and letting it infuse for a bit, it tastes great and makes water more interesting.

I just had to add this in because it looks so pretty, someone give me this for my birthday cake next year please?

9. Foods high in Calcium

At first I found this quite strange, but once I did a bit of research about it, it actually makes a lot of sense! It helps because it is involved in so many metabolic processes which binds to fat cells and doesn't allow them to be absorbed by the body! I'll be downing pints of milk at this rate!

10. Foods high in omega 3's

Now you do hear quite a lot about how you need your omega's. It reduces production of a hormone called leptin, a natural chemical that lowers your metabolism. Get rid of that leptin!

I made this salmon before, the recipe for it is here, and it is so yummy!

11. Water

Okay, okay, I know this isn't really a food but it's just too important not to include. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and detoxifier. I've been making a real effort to drink water when I feel a bit hungry to distinguish the feeling between thirst and hunger.

Anyone who knows my family will know that my brother is super skinny! Yes, he does an unbelievable amount of exercise but he does eat his fair share of bad food... However, he does eat a lot from this list so it does make you wonder if it could make a huge difference. What do you think?

Review. Arizona Green Tea

If you have been reading my blog for some time then you will know that I love a bit of green tea! While I've been on holiday, I've tried a few different flavours of Arizona Green Tea and I thought I would write about them for anyone who is interested. They're imported from the US and come in the prettiest bottles. As far as I know you can't ge them many places in the UK unlike here where you can get them in every other shop.

First up, Green Tea and Honey:

Personally, I found this way too sweet compared to the fruity ones. It tasted like I was basically drinking sugar and water. Not something I'll be trying again! It was over 30 degrees or so everyday on holiday so I would rather have had something slightly more refreshing.

Pomegranate Green Tea:

To sum it up in one word: delicious! (My favourite word at the moment). It was only a little bit sweet but it was quite fruity and so freshening which is just what I needed. It was almost gone after 2 minute! If it didn't contain so much sugar I would want to drink it more often.

Blueberry White Tea:

This was quite similar to the pomegranate green tea but was more like water with a hint of blueberry juice. Unfortunately, this was the third and last one I tried (the hotel didn't have any more flavours), and it was also the only time I read the label (a lesson to be learned here). 

That sweetness I tasted in all of them? Yeah, that would be because the second ingredient, after water, was sugar. It explains everything! 

Although there was just under 150 cal in the whole drink which considering the ingredients, I thought was quite good.

The quote on the bottle says "here's to your health" but with carbohydrates at 7g per 100ml, I'm not seeing how it is beneficial to my health in any way.

My point is, that despite the pretty bottles and false advertising, you are probably better off choosing a different drink!

I liked this quote so I thought I would share it ❤️