SunKiss Life - February Edition
Welcome to the SunKiss Life Blog, a monthly round-up celebrating inspiring stories from our online lifestyle magazine, SunKiss Life.
Warm welcome to the last full month of winter! February longs for comfort food and this month's edition of SunKiss Life delivers just that as we muse on the many surprising benefits of some of our favourite winter treats.
Photo by Jessica Johnston, Unsplash
Exotic, Spiky & Tangy … Who Am I?
Which exotic fruit is spiky, tangy, and greatly boosts your immune system?
If you said pineapple, then you guessed right! In addition to being delicious, low in calories and loaded with nutriments and antioxidants, pineapples contain high amounts of vitamin C and manganese, both of which are vital for antioxidant defences.
Pineapples can also be a great remedy for treating colds and coughs; Enzymes contained in pineapple also reduce inflammation and clean up excessive mucus in the respiratory system.
Learn more about the many great components that are packed into pineapples, not to mention the myriad of benefits of eating them from The Optimist Daily.
Spice Up Your Winter
What could be better than sprinkling a dash of vibrant flavour and colour across your meals in the winter? Besides their aroma, flavour and preservative properties, herbs and spices are also known for their therapeutic benefits.
Full of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, research has shown that they have the potential to boost metabolism, promote satiety, and improve the overall quality of your diet.
So go ahead, spice up your daily cooking and boost your health in the process. SunKiss Life this month gives you
from the Guardian.
Photo by Calum Lewis, Unsplash
Is Chocolate Really Good for Us?
With Valentine’s Day just passing and Easter on the horizon, it might be reasonable to ask whether chocolate really is good for us? When you think of healthy foods, it may not come top of your list, but dark chocolate, in particular, has been shown to have antioxidant effects that beneficially impact our heart health.
This is great news for us chocolate lovers, but before we get too carried away, it is worth noting that not all chocolate is created equal.
In SunKiss Life this month, Better Nutrition presents the facts you need to know to choose the chocolate with the most benefits and that really is good for you – in moderation!
What About Coffee?
So, you know that eating dark chocolate is good for you, but what about drinking coffee? It turns out to be good news for all the coffee lovers out there as drinking coffee makes you live longer according to research from the last couple of years.
Surprisingly though, it is polyphenols and other bioactive compounds in coffee and not caffeine that gets the credit, so if you prefer decaf, you can still reap the health benefits.
Again though, before you get carried away - just as all chocolate is not created equal, nor is coffee. If your favourite brew is a highly sweetened latte concoction you won’t be doing your health any favours.
In SunKiss life this month learn more about how to best drink coffee for maximum health and brain benefits from Inc.com.
Photo by To a Heftia, Unsplash
What Your Culinary Preferences Reveal About You?
Could it also be that your choice of coffee reveals secrets about your personality? SunKiss Life this month examines the link between DNA and coffee preferences. For example, if your choice is black coffee, it might not actually be the flavour you love but the alertness and mental clarity you associate with it.
This fascinating report from mindbodygreen.com published in Scientific Reports argues that some personal tastes are genetic, so if you have a weakness for creamy coffee with lots of sugar – just blame your ancestors!
Similarly, could your choice of food reveal secrets about your personality?
Chances are that if you have a preference for spicy food on the menu, then you could be a sensation seeker and keen to try new things.
The proverbial saying “you are what you eat” might not just be a metaphor after all.
Share your healthy treats with us on Instagram #SunKissLife - we love to hear from you :)
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