I hope you enjoyed last month’s edit all about eggs? Did those 10 good reasons motivate you to build them into your diet? If not yet, it’s never too late to get cracking! I love an eggcellent egg pun!
For the last 4 months or so, I feel I have been writing with COVID 19 at the forefront of my mind, giving tips and tricks for how we best prepare our mind and body for these challenging times. Well one strategy is to have a day off, and that’s what I’m going to do in this article! I would like to recommend that every now and again, we give ourselves at least a day off from the news, a day off the statistics, and instead focus on other activities that bring you joy.
The wonders of the world, the magic of nature can bring great joy. Now’s the time; don your hat and scarf, and enjoy what the world around us has to offer. The fall season prepares for renewal and bracing autumnal walks is a privilege. We are now in the season where the trees are shedding their leaves and preparing to bloom again after a little rest. I can identify with that!
The autumn colours, when you look and hold that gaze and take stock, are simply stunning. The reds, oranges, yellows, browns, greens and golds, tone wonderfully together. Walking in the fresh air, leaves crunching beneath you, and squirrels scurrying along branches brings wonderous awe. Fresh air, every day needs planning into your schedule, you deserve it. Why not sus out some new routes in your area and really take in your surroundings. Time out doors where you can be free, even just for half an hour, to clear your mind and be grateful is a tonic not to be missed.
After enjoying the outdoors in these cooling climes, there’s nothing better to come home to than a warming soup. One of my favourites is orange soup or more professionally known as roasted vegetable. Simply roast a colourful mix of seasonal veg in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning of your choice – salt, pepper, garlic, chili, curry, ginger. Now’s a great time for an orange soup, you can choose from sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, or why not all three, roasted with some onion and peppers. You can even add walnuts to roast in the centre of your squash. Roasting flavoursome veg means once it’s soft, you simply need to cover the veg with water or stock and then whizz it up nice and smooth in the blender. If you aren’t ready to eat it straight away you can pop it in a vacuum flask – remember to warm the flask with boiling water first, so your soup stays hotter for longer. I love nothing more than my autumnal orange soup for lunch when I simply have to serve it from the flask having made it the night before during supper.
Orange soup offers a plethora of health benefits. It is packed with:
- vitamin A which
- helps keep your immune system healthy
- is great for skin (both acne and anti ageing)
- may lower your risk of certain cancers,
- may help slow the age-related decline of eyesight
- supports bone health
- is good for reproductive health
- vitamin C which
- is a potent antioxidant, as well as having positive effects on skin health and immune function
- is vital for collagen synthesis, connective tissue, bones, teeth and your small blood vessels
The human body can’t produce or store vitamin C therefore it’s essential to consume it regularly in sufficient amounts.
- vitamin K which is good for
- bone health
- heart health
- blood clotting
Hopefully you manage to get some quality time outdoors and I hope you like your soup. It’s like rocket fuel for the body. Once you’ve got the ingredients it’s super easy to do and so delicious.
The next C word I will be discussing is Christmas, but not til next month!
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, I am happy to answer them privately, or in the next edition. Just email me dianne@rejuvenateathypoxi.co.uk. Previous copies of my health column can be found at www.rejuvenateathypoxi.co.uk
Stay safe, stay healthy. Best wishes, Dianne x