Five Favourite Things – August 2016

August 30, 2016

And so summer is in full swing. And let’s get started with some things I use in my life which help me feel superhuman!

1. Soapnuts

Yep, until recently I’d never heard of them either. They are natural ‘nuts’ that you can use to wash your clothes! Why? Because they are kinder on your clothes and skin that most of the chemical laden detergents that are available. I have for the last few years shied away from commercial products anyway, but this is a step further.

You can use about 4 nuts in a bag and use them for 4 washes, so you get great use out of them. I got mine from http://www.soapnuts.co.uk

2. Juicer

If you know me at all, you know I like my juicing! Juicing vegetables helps you get more nutrients into you that you could possibly eat (as you remove most the fibre). Sure, I still recommend you eat 10+ portions of veg a day, but there’s something magical about juicing that will make you feel super and I feel that everyone should be including a daily green vegetable juice into their diet. More on that here: and here:

But in terms of juicer. I was using a centrifugal one for many years without issue, but I upgraded to a cold press one as you get a better yield, taste and shelf life. By shelf life, I mean that provided you fill up the container (no air) it still tastes pretty good the next day. The centrifugal one’s in my 4 year experience with them, didn’t taste so good even 4 hours after juicing. Ideally you drink your juice within 15 minutes anyway, but occasionally you do need to batch.

I’m happy with this Kuvings. I did a lot of research into different juicers. Many are made in the same manufacturing plant anyway, so it depends a little on aesthetics, warranty (motor only or part, how long etc), ease of assembling and disassembling and cleaning.

3. Vivo Barefoot Trainers

You may have seen a trend towards barefoot running trainers. Why? Because some argue that its a more natural food action. When we have so much padding it affects the flexibility in our ankles and also how our feet react to the ground. We are also closing off circulation most the time as the shoes/trainers we traditionally use don’t allow the toes to spray outwards. The toes should be the widest part of the feet.

We have more nerve ending per square inch in our feet than anywhere else in our bodies, and by going back closer to nature we allow our feet to make full use of it’s capabilities.

I don’t often use my trainers to run in. Be warned, when you switch to barefoot running you can expect to start from scratch again. I use mine to walk in usually. Especially if I think I’m going to be in them all day. They are like wearing big comfy slippers or socks!

4. Grounding Equipment

You may recall that in my post about my August Book of the Month, I talked about Earthing. This is the idea that you spend time each day in physical contact with the ground. It’s been reputed to have a whole host of benefits from reducing inflammation, improving sleep, reducing cortisol /stress levels, reducing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and more. Check out the research on it I refer to on this blog: http://harikalymnios.com/book-of-the-month-the-most-important-health-discovery-ever.

Well, we can’t always be in contact with the ground. Especially in the city. So that’s where these products come in.

I have a strap, mat and sheet. They each have a connection wire that plugs in to the earth port of the three pin plug (we have here in the UK). This should (in a normal house) be connected to ground. I.e. it should connect in some way to the earth. Meaning you get to draw up all the negative ions from the earth (which we want) to neutralise the positive and destructive (mostly) free radicals that build up.

I sleep on a sheet (which gives me amazing sleep), and use the mat under my computer for my feet (which also helps against EMF’s, I’m told). I used to use the strap for healing when I bust my knee last year, and felt it helped.

Don’t take my word for it though. Do the research on grounding/earthing and see what your investigation throws up.

5. HappyCow App

This app is a godsend to me. It’s also a website. It helps you find vegan, vegetarian, veg-friendly restaurants and also stores in city across the world. I use it in London often, but it’s more useful to me when I go abroad. I use it to find places that would be great to eat in. Regardless of whether you are vegan or not, as typically they will list great places with plenty of healthy options. Even if you eat meat, it’s a good app to use to find good places.

It free and easy to use. A definite for any non-meat eater, but also perhaps those that do.

What do you think about this stuff? Let me know below.