From sausages and ham to tortilla chips and tomato sauce, the sweet stuff is everywhere. How can we break our bond with sugar and get healthier in the long term?

Sugar isn’t good for you.

OK, let’s develop that a little further. It is well documented that regulating our sugar intake is the key to tackling obesity. But while chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, for example, come with an obvious warning sign of their indulgent contents, there is less awareness of just how much added sugar there is in our everyday diet.

A year of no sugar

Here we can turn to the inspiring story of Eve Schaub. Back in 2011 Eve and family went sugar free for a year.

Together they battled the ‘secret world of sugar’. That is, the varieties of everyday products that, unbeknown to us, contain added sugar. Like bread, bacon, crackers or chopped tin vegetables. The family recorded better digestion, higher energy levels and better overall wellbeing among the direct health benefits they felt.

We can all take a leaf out of Eve’s book (literally, she’s written a book: Year of No Sugar). Here are just some of the tips I took away:

• Cut out all refined sugars from your diet – including white, brown and cane sugar, fructose, molasses and honey. Palettes change with time, and you’re likely to need a sugar hit less and less.
• Check the label – look for added sugar among the ingredients (nutritional information also includes naturally occurring sugars).
• Somewhat worryingly, sugar can have many different names; don’t just look for the magic word ‘sugar’.
• In restaurants, ask for a breakdown of what goes into menu items before ordering.
• Get creative – make up your own sugar-free bread, cakes, and other recipes.

You don’t have to do it all on your own – there are other inspirational stories of going sugar free, as well as great tips and sugar-free recipes online. Also check out sites and articles like:

• I Quit Sugar
• The Healthy Apple
• The Telegraph’s ‘How to kick the sugar habit’
• Davina McCall’s ‘How to be sugar free’

A sugar-free challenge accepted

Encouraged by the Schaubs, I’ve now been (mostly) sugar free for the past four weeks. After the first couple of weeks, I became aware that my energy levels were holding up throughout the day in a way they hadn’t previously. I didn’t get the munchies – either for savoury or sweet food – between meals. Yes, I lost a bit of weight, too.

And if I can go sugar free, then so can you.

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According to Ayurveda there’s actually an art to drinking water to make sure your body gets the most out of it.

Drinking water in big gulps and chugging it down will mean that most of it does not get absorbed or it may drain important salts from your body. Drinking too much water is actually not good for you. Instead, it’s important to sip water throughout the day at a steady rate. Here are some Ayurveda tips to get you started and find the right balance.

 Ayurveda tips for drinking water

•  Sit down to drink
•  Take small sips
•  Sip throughout the day
•  Do not drink too much during meals
•  Avoid drinking water straight after a meal
•  Drink warm water
•  Drink a glass of warm water upon waking
•  Sip hot water for a hot water detox
•  Ensure you do not get dehydrated
•  Drink when you’re thirsty

Drinking warm and hot water has long been a practice in Ayurveda. Sipping it between meals can help flush out toxins and prevent digestive problems. It is also known to enhance the radiance of the skin and calm skin conditions.

Warm or hot water helps to combat fatigue and balance the energy in your body. Cold water can slow digestion but warm or hot water can do the opposite and help nutrients be absorbed more easily.

Adding herbs and spices to water can help rejuvenate and help digestion. Both Fennel and ginger have been used to calm and settle the stomach. Basil leaves, mint leaves, cumin, lemon and rose buds can also be added to help balance your body with the three doshas.

We’re advised to drink 1.5 litres or eight glass of water a day. According to Ayurveda, the amount of water we should drink depends on many factors. There is no one-size-fits-all.
Depending on age, weather, workload and diet, the amount of water we should consume varies. But a good rule of thumb is to drink every time you’re thirsty, and continue to sip water throughout the day.

If you are interested in taking an Ayurveda holiday and practice Ayurveda techniques, visit this page to see what Neal’s Yard Holidays have available. Yoga goes had in hand with Ayurveda, see here also for yoga holidays.

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Booking your wellbeing holiday is one thing; getting ready to go, and making sure you make the most of your getaway, is quite another.

We know most of you are armed with the essential survival kit that is the smartphone. That’s why we’ve researched travel apps to help you reduce the stress of planning, packing, navigating and managing your finances while you’re away.

In a series of travel apps reviews, we’ll bring you details of nifty tools that could make your trip even more enjoyable.

Here’s our pick of apps to help you get organised before you set off. To make sure you don’t miss future posts with travel apps reviews and other travel tips, sign up for our regular email updates.

Trip up stress with travel apps?

Ever struggled to find that flight confirmation, hotel reservation or the details of the car-hire pick-up in the maze that is your overflowing inbox? Ever lovingly prepared a neat stack of printed travel arrangements, only to leave them neatly stacked on your desk? Yes?

Well, this one is for you. Just forward all your confirmation emails to TripIt, and this free app will ‘automagically’ produce your very own personal itinerary to make sure you never lose track again. Start banishing stress before you even land at your holiday destination. Free

Remember the milk

Look past the cute cow and the milk reminder (not necessarily something you worry about when you’re away), and you’ll find a great tool that helps you manage hectic schedules, mundane chores and helps you prioritise key dates.

Remember the milk is one of the free travel apps that help you plan your trip. It’s great for organising timings, appointments and every to-do list under the sun, including priorities in the days before you set off. Sun? Did anyone say sun? Free

A wish for genie

Arriving in holiday paradise only to be floored by jetlag can be pretty annoying. You might not be able to change the time zones of Sri Lanka or the Bahamas, but here is a trick that might just help you minimise the time you spend in bed after you arrive.

Enter your flight details and sleeping patterns into JetLag Genie, and it’ll suggest when you should sleep, wake up, sit in the sun or stay in the dark, to get you acclimatised ahead of arrival. If you try it, be sure to tell us if it made your trip that bit more comfortable. £2.29

Pack like a pro

From adventure-packed getaways to relaxing pampering holidays, and weekends to longer escapes, Packing Pro could help you save time and energy in deciding what to bring with you. Give the app your destination, the length of your holiday, and details of your travel buddies, and it will make handy suggestions for essentials and nice-to-haves you can bring. Choose from over 800 items, or add your own. £2.29

Offline mapping

The wildcard among our trip-planning apps. Despite mixed reviews, we’ve thrown in Tourist Eye because of its free offline maps tailored for your getaway. Plan your itinerary and download text, photos and other relevant content before you go to avoid data charges while you’re away. Might be wise to bring one of those old-fashioned fold-out paper thingies too, just in case. Free

Over the coming weeks and months we’ll bring you plenty more travel apps reviews, for apps that suit all sorts of interests and trips. Watch this space, and sign up for our free updates if you don’t want to miss an article.

The post 5 apps to help you plan your trip – Travel apps reviews appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Above-inflation hikes in UK train fares may just be coming to an end, but ticket prices are already making a dent in wallets up and down the country. So here are some ideas for making your pennies go further on train journeys with our tips for cheap train travel.

If you find them useful, sign up for free updates so you don’t miss out on other great travel tips.

Tips for cheap train travel at home

1. Split-ticketing: Splitting your journey each way and buying two tickets instead of one could save you a considerable amount of cash. This is in line with train companies’ terms and conditions, and you can usually stay on the same train and even in the same seat. Here’s an example by the Money Saving Expert: if you’re travelling from London to Manchester, buying a ticket from London to Stoke-On-Trent and another from Stoke-On-Trent to Manchester is likely to cost less than the actual London–Manchester fare. Both Money Saving Expert and Split Ticketing have great tools to help you find cheap train travel.
2. Scout out special offers: National Rail publishes a list of available concessions. Keep an eye on those as they’re updated regularly.
3. Anyone for £1 fares? Yep, we thought you might be. Check out Megabus’s cheap train travel on regular services by established rail companies. Remember to select the ‘Train’ option – unless you’d rather go by bus, of course.
4. Tesco customer? Double up on Clubcard points: Exchange your cash vouchers on the Red Spotted Hanky website and make them work twice as hard for you as they do in the shop.
5. Get a railcard: No, these are not just for students and the over-60s. Get a third off rail journeys in the south-east of England and further afield with a Network Railcard, or use one of a range of other railcards for cheap train travel.

And finally a quick nod to overnight sleeper buses. We know – it’s a bit of a departure from trains, but a great alternative for longer journeys, and easier on the wallet. Check out Megabus Gold and their comfortable, inexpensive beds. WiFi, power sockets and refreshments are included. Daytime services also available.

Cheap train travel abroad

Try Deutsche Bahn’s English-language site for quick access to timetables of services across the continent and often cheap train fares. And check out Seat 61’s handy guide to booking cheap train tickets online, with answers to frequently asked questions about European rail travel.
And there’s now a bus service offered by Flixbus with comfortable new buses and incredibly cheap fares, e.g. London to Paris from only £14.50, or London to Amsterdam from £19.00. We’ve tried the service and were very happy.

We hope you found our little guide to cheap train travel useful – bon voyage!

Last updated 27 June 2018

The post Don’t get taken for a ride – 5 tips for cheap train travel appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

EHIC card, what’s that you may ask? A health emergency might be the last thing on your mind when you’re heading off on a wellbeing retreat abroad.

But we all know it’s good to be prepared. And, if you’re a British or other EU national travelling in Europe, there’s an easy way to stave off costly medical bills.

Four letters for you: EHIC. Since 2004, the European Health Insurance Card and its predecessor, the E111, have helped tourists from the EU and several other nations receive state healthcare free of charge or at a reduced cost in each of these countries. It’s quick and easy to apply, and it doesn’t cost you anything.

It’s a great tool for accessing local medical services, as I found out on a trip to The Netherlands. A cycling accident left me with a broken shoulder and an eye-watering bill for over €800, to cover ambulance time, x-rays and a doctor consultation. My EHIC card proved I was entitled to the care I’d received. I didn’t pay a single cent.

A quick run through…

…what the EHIC card is:

• proof you’re entitled to treatment that allows you to continue your holiday until it’s time to go home. Care for pre-existing conditions is also covered.
• available to EU nationals aged 16 or over, and citizens of a few other European countries. Get EHICs for your young ones by including them as dependents in your application.
• free and easy to apply Any charge for an EHIC card is a scam.
• potentially helpful in getting the excess on your travel insurance (medical) claim waived, so keep any bills and receipts.

…and what the EHIC card isn’t:

• a substitute for a travel insurance. Make sure you have good medical cover alongside EHIC.
• a guarantee you won’t have to pay – if locals do, so do you.
• no repatriation costs covered and additional charges for hospital stay, etc, may apply.
• private healthcare costs not refundable, so pick a state-run healthcare provider to benefit.
• not accepted in Monaco, San Marino, The Channel Islands, The Vatican and The Isle of Man.

Though this might seem obvious, remember to take your EHIC card with you when you set off to a European retreat, or you may be billed privately in a medical emergency. When it expires, renew it. Look after your EHIC card, and it will look after you.

Sources: MoneySuperMarket, NHS Choices

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It’s relatively common to feel sluggish in the morning, lethargic in the afternoon and restless at night. According to Ayurveda, to have good health and feel energised, we should live in tune with nature’s cycles. By implementing a simple morning and night routine, you can achieve harmony.

Ayurveda recommends morning and night time practices called Dinacharya. The morning routine promotes focus, a calm outlook and sustainable energy to help you throughout your busy day. The night time routine will help you wind down and prepare you for sleep.

Ayurveda Morning routine

Waking

According to Ayurveda, before sunrise is the ideal time to get up in the morning because of the vata dosha – a subtle energy. The atmosphere is still quiet at this time, which also makes it easier to meditate. Energy after the sun rises, is heavy, which can make you feel heavy and tired.

Washing

Clean out your nostrils using a warm saline solution of warm water and sea salt in order to flush out germs, pollution and dust that has accumulated overnight. According to yoga tradition, it equalises the flow of breath between the nostrils and balances your energy.

Ayurveda also recommends tongue-scraping to get rid of toxins that lead to illness. Then, before you brush your teeth, drink a glass of warm water flavoured with a slice of lemon or lime. This helps to flush the digestive tract and kick-start your metabolism.

Massage

According to Ayurveda, massaging your body with warm, pure oils promotes detoxification and moisturises skin. Just 10 minutes in the morning is enough. Start with your temples, face and neck then work your way down using circular motions. If you have time, let the oil sit for a few minutes, then shower.

Ayurveda Evening routine

Wind down

As the sun goes down, keep lights dim. Lessen your exposure to electronics and don’t use any at all an hour before going to bed. It’s time to tell your body to ‘switch off.’ Light some candles or a stick of incense fused with vanilla, which has a calming effect. Add some essential oils to a bath and have a relaxing soak.

Soothe

Give yourself a foot massage with a drop of sesame oil for ten minutes. There are several pressure points in the feet that correspond to the whole body, which means you can relax within just a few minutes.

Drink

Before bed, heat some organic milk (or rice milk or similar) and add ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Warm whole milk is used in Ayurveda as an insomnia remedy, so it’s perfect to help you drift off to sleep.

Breathe

Just before going to bed, or before evening meditation, practice nostril breathing known as Nadi Shodhana. Do this by using your thumb and finger to open and close each nostril, while you breathe through the other. This will help you transition from activity to stillness, which will relax the body and mind.

Following this Ayurveda routine can help you focus, energise and relax when you need to. You will experience more peace of mind and it’s an opportunity to focus on yourself. Start with just one or two of these practices and gradually build more into your daily routine. You’ll feel better in no time.

To see what Ayurveda holidays we have available, click here.

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