We all have those moments where we crave our favourite guilty pleasure. For most, it tends to be something sweet like a big bowl of ice cream or chocolate cake craving that hits out of nowhere. Often the cause of those cravings can be due to an unbalanced day, especially if one of your meals was processed food or high in starch. Eating properly balanced meals not only gives your body energy and fuel for the day but also can help to prevent sugar lows which can cause cravings.
Here are a few tips to help combat sugar cravings naturally.
At Fresh Healthy Cafe, our menu is specially created to offer customers healthy and convenient choices with their meals, while still keeping things delicious. With the warmer weather, most of us have a shift in appetite. Heavy meals are out. Fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables are in! Salads are a great choice for lighter meals but don’t always pack a powerful nutritional punch to give you energy. Our Power Bowls are the perfect mix of smoothie meets parfait. The ultimate superfood blend. What by the way, actually is a superfood? Well, it’s a non-medical term used to describe foods which are high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The best of the best you might say.
We’re thrilled to announce the opening of the newest Fresh Healthy Cafe franchise, in the heart of downtown Boise. We want to welcome the newest additions to the Fresh family, Zaira and Eric. Next time you’re in the downtown area, be sure to drop in to meet the team, check out our healthy choice menu and grab lunch or a healthy fresh squeezed juice! A little bit about Zaira and Eric…
Fresh Healthy Cafe reFresh Juice Program is now available at select locations! Whether you’re looking for a full on juice cleanse, or to add a healthy boost of vitamins and nutrients into your diet; our all natural, fresh squeezed juices offer nutritional options for everyone.
Juice Cleanse
A juice cleanse is meant to reset eating habits, support your body’s natural detox and kickstart a healthy diet. Most commonly done over a three day period by replacing heavy solid foods with healthy, nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables, your body absorbs energy from the juice. Selecting a balanced juice cleanse program is very important. Just drinking one type of juice combination won’t give you all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis.
Water is vital for all of your body’s systems to function. When you are dehydrated, your body will will experience critical malfunctions, that could be fatal if left untreated. Dehydration causes a drop in blood volume.
Our bodies are made of up to about 65% water, and blood accounts for most of that. This can cause your body to compensate by increasing your heart rate and overheating your muscles. The imbalance will drop your energy levels, and you will lose mental clarity, as your body focuses on trying to conserve fluid.
Salads get a pretty bad rap for being healthy, but unpalatable. Most people imagine limp, bitter greens, that don’t inspire any culinary delight. Most of us know that we should be eating salad, but do you know why?
Salads are a convenient and simple way for you to increase your fruit and vegetable intake in one meal. They’re also the building blocks of good health because of their fiber content. Lettuce, and vegetables like celery and carrots provide fiber that can help to lower cholesterol levels and make you feel fuller for longer.
As a part of a healthy lifestyle, daily physical activity has been shown to lower risk for many types of diseases, including cancer, and diabetes.
If you don’t have time to join a gym, there are some easy ways that you can increase your daily physical activity simply by making a few changes to your regular regimen.
As a part of a healthy lifestyle, there is one thing you can do every day in order to reduce your risk of major illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It will even increase your life expectancy.
It has been shown to be more effective than anti-depressants for depression, and for most people, it can its effects can almost be felt immediately.
What is this amazing drug? Well, it’s not a drug, it’s exercise. Physical activity has been shown to improve health and is even linked to a healthy mental state and happiness. That’s right, exercise can lead to a happier and healthier life.
Chronic and degenerative disease risk like diabetes and cancer risk is reduced and research has proven that exercise can reduce the risk of mental illnesses like depression, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
Exercise and physical activity is beneficial at every age. It is especially beneficial for the elderly, and helps to stave off the effects of aging. Regular moderate activity lasting at least 30 minutes a day, and at least 150 minutes a week is medically proven to lower the risk of diabetes, colon and breast cancer, bone disease, depression, and heart disease and stroke.
In todays world, average adults spend more time sitting at work sedentary than they do moving around, and as a part of a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise helps to combat this.
Opposite stretching (movements that are opposing to what you normally do, like back bends), are essential to balancing the body. Stretching every hour of sitting will reduce repetitive strain injuries, and allow the eyes to take a break as well.
Exercise improves circulation and blood flow, delivering oxygen, essential vitamins, and fluids throughout the body. Physical activity works all systems in your body, from respiration, metabolism, endocrine, brain, muscle, skeletal, and digestive system. High intensity exercises will break fat bonds for energy, and stimulates nor-epinephrine, which triggers the receptors for epinephrine, a hormone responsible for feeling good. All amazing things for your body, and necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
High intensity aerobic activity like running is also linked to growth of brain neuron cells in the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain responsible for memory, learning new skills, understanding new ideas and navigating.
The hippocampus is also the first area to be damaged by memory type illnesses and dementia related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Regular exercise and physical activity is a part of a healthy lifestyle. Whether you’re growing neurons after high intensity aerobic exercise, or building muscle after weight lifting, FRESH has a way for you to re-fuel and re-hydrate. Repairing muscles? Try one of our protein bowls. Check out a delicious FRESH café near you.
Water is by far the best way to stay hydrated, but it can get really boring trying to get to your optimal hydration levels. Human beings are made of about 65% water, and if you can remember your grade 9 science class, water is required as a catalyst in many metabolic reactions.
Long term dehydration leads to chronic hydration issues, which brings with it a whole host of nasty symptoms like pain, headaches, join stiffness, issues sleeping, lack of energy, and problems focusing.
This kind of dehydration may even slow down your metabolism and reduce endocrine function. You will also need more than the recommended intake of fluids if you are exercising regularly, breastfeeding, are ill (even more if you have symptoms of the flu), consuming diuretics, and if the temperature is really high. 8 glasses of water a day (at about 8oz each glass) is the minimum recommendation for optimal hydration. Depending on your level of activity and metabolism, you may likely need even more. You can offset your water needs by trying these 5 other ways to stay hydrated.
Adding vegetables that naturally contain more water is a great way to supplement your water needs. Not only are you increasing your hydration, you are also adding nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and fiber as well. Try cucumber, celery, radishes, tomatoes, and lettuce.
Eat some fruit. Many fruits are high in water content, and are a way to satisfy your sweet cravings at the same time, without any processed sugar. Fruits high in water are melons, grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, and kiwi, and offer a delicious way to increase hydration.
Coconut water is a natural beverage that is harvested from young coconuts. They are high in electrolyte and potassium, which is vital for nerve and muscle function. Electrolytes imbalances occur when you are severely dehydrated, and also when you drink too much water as well.
Smoothies contain a lot of water filled fruits and vegetables, which means that you can quench your thirst and give your body a boost of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Smoothies are nutrient packed, and can be a way to hide vegetables that you don’t like as much either. A smoothie in the morning can break your night’s fast gently, and a balanced smoothie won’t give you an energy crash like coffee and tea.
Green tea. Loaded with antioxidants, green tea may help lower your risk of cancer, increase mental focus and clarity, and even help increase your metabolism.
Water is still the best way to stay hydrated, so moderation is important when consuming the above alternatives. They don’t replace water, but do help to offset your daily water requirements. For a delicious way to stay hydrated, come into FRESH to try one of our FRESH squeezes, smoothies, or green tea. Find your closest location here.
Fresh Healthy Cafe reFresh Juice Program is now available at select locations! Whether you’re looking for a full on juice cleanse, or to add a healthy boost of vitamins and nutrients into your diet; our all natural, fresh squeezed juices offer nutritional options for everyone.
Water is vital for all of your body’s systems to function. When you are dehydrated, your body will will experience critical malfunctions, that could be fatal if left untreated. Dehydration causes a drop in blood volume.
Salads get a pretty bad rap for being healthy, but unpalatable. Most people imagine limp, bitter greens, that don’t inspire any culinary delight. Most of us know that we should be eating salad, but do you know why?
