“Lifestyle Health is a family owned business in Ballito, on the north coast of KZN. Established in 2006, we recently celebrated our 10th Birthday. Lifestyle Health was born out of an overflow of a longstanding passion for all things healthy, natural and organic. The design of our shop reflects this passion. We truly search for the best possible products, with the best possible ingredients to inspire an holistic healthy environment for all. We live and work by our motto: “bringing hope, restoring health”. We firmly believe that it is never too late to incorporate healthy habits to improve one’s quality of life.
LOW CARB ORANGE, ALMOND AND MASCARPONE CAKE
This is truly a lovely cake; very moist and flavourful, gluten free and low carb, easy to make and delicious. Once you’ve made the puree, it literally takes 5 minutes before your cake is in the oven. Seriously. This is one recipe to add to any healthy cook’s repertoire!
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 300g whole oranges (to make 300g puree)
- 9 eggs
- 375g xylitol
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 375g almond flour
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 250g mascarpone
- 250g heavy cream
- ¼ cup xylitol
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 punnet raspberries, to decorate
Method
- First make an orange puree. Put the oranges, whole, in a medium saucepan and cover with water.
- Place the lid on the pot and boil over a high heat until they are completely soft, about 1 – 2 hours.
- Remove the oranges from the water and place in a blender or food processor along with 3 tbsp of the water and puree until completely smooth. Allow this to cool completely. Keep stored in the fridge.
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 150 C and line the base of two 9 inch springform tins with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and xylitol until very well combined. Whisk in 300g of cool orange puree. Whisk in the baking powder and the almond meal until clear.
- Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is lightly golden and springs back when touched in the middle. Allow to cool completely and remove from tins.
- To make the frosting, whip together the mascarpone, cream, xylitol and vanilla until smooth, thick and fluffy.
- To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on your serving plate. Top with 1/3 of the frosting and spread out in an even layer.
- Top with the other layer of cake and another 1/3 of the frosting.
- Use an offset palette knife to spread the remainder of the frosting around the edges of the cake in an even layer.
- Scatter the raspberries over the top of the cake and serve.
- Keep refrigerated.
Serves 12
7 REASONS YOU’RE TIRED ALL THE TIME
So you’re tired … Seems like everyone is tired these days … but does that make it normal?
No.
‘Normal’ is waking up refreshed and having sustained energy throughout the day. So if you don’t have that, your body is crying for help, and it’s time to do something about it.
Here are the 7 most common reasons why you may be tired and what to do about it:
1. Poor Digestion. It takes a lot of things to make digestion go smoothly, including your state of mind, chewing, stomach acidity, available enzymes and probiotics, and effective liver/gallbladder function. If any one of these areas become compromised, your digestion will suffer. A good sign that you have a problem is feeling like you need to nap after meals … especially after lunch. Restoring gastrointestinal health requires a multi-pronged approach, so we recommend that you seek advice from your trusted natural health care practitioner.
2. Poor Functioning Liver. An overburdened liver cannot deal with toxins properly. So rather than being properly processed and eliminated, these nasty compounds wreak havoc in the body – leading to blood sugar issues, hormone fluctuations, and fat deposits! Herbs such as milkthistle, dandelion, artichoke and nutrients such as NAC and L-Methionine, help restore and support liver function.
3. Thyroid Issues. Since the thyroid’s main role in the endocrine system is to regulate your metabolism (which is your body’s ability to break down food and convert it to energy), its compromised function drastically reduces energy levels. How do you get your thyroid healthy again? Maximize your digestion, avoid pollution, eat clean, eliminate heavy metals, avoid radiation, meditate/relax, and replenish your iodine levels.
4. Adrenal Fatigue. Your adrenal glands enable your body to deal with stress. They also closely modulate metabolic processes like the utilization of carbohydrates and fats, the conversion of fats and proteins into energy, normal blood sugar regulation, proper cardiovascular function, and gastrointestinal efficiency. Therefore, when your adrenals are overworked, your energy goes out the window! In fact, if you push them far enough, your adrenals will crash, leaving you completely incapacitated. Recover adrenal function by eliminating all caffeine, reduce stress, prioritize sleep, eat clean, and supplement wisely (seek advice from a professional).
5. Lack of Sleep. This is a no-brainer. If you choose to regularly forego proper sleep habits, you are choosing to drain your batteries. Failure to use this regeneration period properly will put you in a chronic energy deficit. Good quality sleep is essential if you want vibrant good health! Make sleep a priority again. Magnesium, cherry extract, gaba, melatonin, valerian and avena sativa all promote a good night’s rest.
6. Excessive Exercise. Regular exercise increases energy levels, yes, but only if your body is allowed to rest and recover in between. Excessive exercise, on the other hand, drains your body of energy, especially if your adrenal or thyroid health is also compromised. Work out smarter, not harder, and make sure you replenish lost nutrients – only then will you build your energy levels safely.
7. Clogged Lymphatic System. The role of the lymphatic system is to cleanse our cells by absorbing excess fluids, fats, and toxins from our tissues and into the blood where it can eventually be filtered out by the liver and kidneys. Unfortunately, due to our toxic burden, nutritional deficiencies, and relative inactivity, this system has become increasingly polluted. As a result your energy levels suffer as your lymphatic system fails to provide you with strong cellular health, a major source of energy generation. Fortunately, this is relatively easy to overcome through smart exercise, massage, good nutrition, and cleansing supplements such as echinacea, astragalus, goldenseal, red clover, pokeroot and chlorella.
Final Point!
Don’t just look for band aid solutions for your lack of energy (ahem, caffeine). It takes an holistic approach in order for you to enjoy sustained energy and vibrant health all day long … and hopefully for the rest of your life. Change your lifestyle and you will change your life!
View our collection of health articles and recipes, and sign up to our newsletter at www.lifestylehealth.co.za
View our collection of health articles and recipes, and sign up to our newsletter at www.lifestylehealth.co.za
