Quick check in with you. Our body can mix up the hunger and thirst signal. SOOOOOO....... Next time you have cravings, want to nibble on something, just have a glass of water and wait for 10 minutes. If the hunger is still there - you need food. If the hunger disappears, you just needed hydration. Have you ever noticed this happening to you?

Something I often have to remind women of is that you don’t need to feel guilty for sitting down and doing nothing. Especially when your body is already dealing with health issues. We are constantly stimulated. Our phones are nearby, messages are coming through, people can reach us at any moment, there’s noise around us and there always seems to be something we should be doing. So actually sitting down and purposefully doing nothing is quite a unique thing these days. The quiet. The stillness. The lack of stimulation. Sometimes that is exactly the space your body needs to settle and allow healing to happen. So don’t underestimate those moments where you’re doing… absolutely nothing. How comfortable are you with stillness, and do you notice a difference in how your body feels when you give yourself more of it?

So this is what I do, super quick and simple and frees up a lot of time we spend on cooking meals. I chop the pumpkin in half, drizzle olive oil and leave it air fryer for 25 min 200 C. This pumpkin will be used over couple of days for different meals. And it is so much easier to cut into pieces once it is cooked. This pumpkin will get used in : - Breakfasts - fry it with eggs, add a hummus dip, some salmon etc etc - Lunches - chop it up and make it into a salad using rocket salad, minced meat that can be dinner leftover and sprinkle with some seeds. - Dinners - with steak, baked fish, chicken wings etc etc No recipe required And if I still have any leftover, it goes into quiches, baking some slices, or even into a smoothie. Next time do the same with eggplant, bunch of zucchinis, sweet potato, capsicums etc etc. The whole idea is that you have some form of a vegetable prepped in one go, no chopping, cleaning, switching on off the appliances, fluffing around in the kitchen etc etc. And the best part is, we don't have to babysit those vegetables while they are cooking. So I often just put it on with the timer and forget about it until I get back to the kitchen. EFFORTLESS !!!! Now, have you got any short cuts, tips to share, don't keep secrets hahaa ??!!

Let’s take another step further and try something a little different this week. The idea is to bring in more variety of anti- inflammatory foods and get in a habit of using them. Remeber, we can not eat all the good foods in one day or even in one week so thats why rotating is important. I want you to try a new omega-3 rich food. Maybe there’s one on this list you haven’t eaten for ages, or perhaps one you’ve never tried at all. Omega-3 food list: Fish & seafood - Sardines - Salmon - Mackerel - Herring - Anchovies - Trout - Oysters - Mussels Plant foods - Chia seeds - Ground flaxseeds - Hemp seeds - Walnuts - Flaxseed oil - Seaweed Your challenge is simple: pick ONE and give it a go a few times this week. It could be sardines on cracker/salad, walnuts added to breakfast, chia seeds in your smoothie, or some ground flaxseed sprinkled over your meal. Then come back and tell me: What new omega-3 food did you try?

Are you buying your flaxseeds already ground? This is one of the common mistakes I see with flaxseeds (linseeds). The delicate oils in flaxseeds, including their omega-3 fats, are vulnerable to heat, light and oxygen. Once the seeds are crushed, there is much more surface area exposed to the environment. So rather than buying a bag of flax meal or pre-ground linseeds that may have been sitting on a shop shelf for an unknown amount of time, I recommend: Buy them whole and crush them yourself. You can use: - A mortar and pestle - A coffee/spice grinder - A good blender, especially if you're making smoothies and it breaks the seeds down well You don't need to grind them every single day. I like to make a batch that will last around 1–2 weeks, place it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer. The great thing is that the ground flax doesn't turn into a solid block, so you can simply scoop out a tablespoon whenever you need it. A small change, but a much better way to look after those precious flax oils. Are you using any flaxseeds and how? Premium members: CLICK HERE to read about the benefits of the flaxseeds. CLICK HERE to access the full meal plan for hot flushes and includes flaxseed recipes. Not a Premium member yet? You can upgrade here: CLICK HERE