Frog Hollow

Super Snacks

Frog Hollow thoughts on Mindful Eating

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Hands up if you’ve ever staved off hunger pangs by grabbing something on the go, that might not have been the most nutritious choice.

It’s easy to select foods that might satisfy an empty tummy initially, but give it half an hour, and the hunger pangs are back with a big belly rumble! Indeed, if you’ve read my story, you’ll know that Frog Hollow Super Snacks was born, because I’d become disenchanted that while following a well-known weight-loss programme, I’d been encouraged to choose fat-free and diet foods, that contained artificial sweeteners and additives. I felt that these weren’t filling me with energy and in fact, were doing me harm. That could have been my first light bulb moment when it came to mindful eating.

Eating should, of course, be pleasurable, it should satisfy your senses, and you certainly shouldn’t feel guilty for consuming the foods you enjoy… But it’s also wise to eat with purpose and consideration. The purpose is to nourish yourself and your body. The consideration comes from being aware of where your food comes from, and how it affects your body, and the world around you. Some experts even advocate that mindful eating is the non-diet that gets results.

Here are five simple tips to help you get started with mindful eating:

  • Just Eat – When you’re sitting down for your meal, make sure that’s all you’re doing. Don’t read the paper or watch the television. Just enjoy your good food.
  • Take your time – Chew, chew and chew some more. Take time to satisfy the senses and enjoy the texture and taste of your food.
  • Don’t always listen to Mother – Did your parents or grandparents, drill into you the importance of a clean plate? So many of us were raised to finish our meals; it’s become a habit. So the next time you get to F for full, just stop! I’m not advocating that you waste your food, but reach for the Tupperware and package up the leftovers for another meal.
  • The three Ns – My favourite tip for mindful eating is borrowed from Karen Lee at The Sensitive Foodie Kitchen. The next time you choose to snack, ask yourself these three questions… Is it natural? Is it normal? And, is it necessary?
  • It’s not all about the food – At Frog Hollow we’re proud to be #planetfriendly, and we encourage you to think about what you buy and how you reuse and recycle packaging. We use recyclable, biodegradable packaging and avoid plastic wherever we can. To reduce packaging, we offer a refill option on the glass jars filled with our energy bites. We’re also proud to support the work of The Final Straw Solent. A group of people from all walks of life, who have come together as a community to minimise the amount of plastic entering our local seas. If you’d like to be more mindful of packaging and single-use plastic, check out their website HERE. Or why not join the Ferry Boat Inn Beach Clean Up, this coming weekend. I’ll see you there!

All Frog Hollow Super Snacks are nutrient-rich and free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar! So you can be sure that you’re choosing nourishment when you snack with us! Shop HERE.

 

Should schools be nut free zones?

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It’s no secret that food-allergies have over recent years become more prevailant; and according to the NHS website there are a couple of reasons for this:

  • One theory behind the increase is that a typical child’s diet has changed considerably over the last three to four decades.
  • Another is that children are increasingly growing up in “germ-free” environments. This sometimes results in their immune systems not receiving sufficient early exposure to the germs needed to develop properly. This is known as the hygiene hypothesis.

Sadly this rise in food allergies, specifically nut allergies, has led to many schools becoming nut-free zones. Whilst, as a parent, I can sympathise with others who may have children with severe allergies, I also can’t help but feel that a blanket ban on nuts is a severe cop out by schools. Indeed, I believe that we could be making the whole situation worse by cutting out an entirely healthy and nutritious food group from a school culinary curriculum.

Allergy UK has a whole list of resources for schools, and I quote from the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Position Paper included within the resources (view it here), which states;

The goals in school are to create a network of support and a self-sustaining environment of awareness that reduces the likelihood of reactions and enables staff to recognize and treat emergencies. The ideal approach is for schools to develop a formal policy, with the aim of achieving these goals, which is informed by the available expertise.
It doesn’t mention banning the nut forever!
Don’t dis the humble nut!
I think that nuts get a bad rap at school, they don’t deserve to be expelled. They are made out to be the bad guys, but in fact they are packed full of protein, fibre and essential heart-healthy fats, with a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals. A 30 gram serving of non-salted mixed nuts is a power-packed snack that will give you heaps of energy. That’s why you’ll find nuts or nut butters as an ingredient in almost every flavour of Frog Hollow Energy Bites.
What makes me even angrier is some of the food choices that are included in our children’s school diets on an everyday basis. Why remove a perfectly natural, healthy food group in its entirety, and yet allow over processed, sugar-laden foods instead? Is this really going to help our children in the long run? Or could schools be doing more to allow the humble nut to join in the fun, by educating their staff and pupils around food allergies?
Top Nut BananaHow to fight back…
If your child doesn’t suffer from a nut allergy, but attends a school that is a nut free zone, be sure you include nuts in their afternoon snack, they’re the perfect option to keep them going until dinner time. I always take a few energy bites with me when I collect Olivia from school. She’s always hungry when she comes out and two or three bites are all she needs to fill the gap between school pick-up and supper!

Buy Yours Here!

5 tips to help you find happy health in 2018

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Happy New Year to you! It’s the time of year where it’s customary to set goals and make resolutions for the coming year, and commonly those resolutions are often health-based, involving losing weight or exercising more. It’s also true that many of those resolutions will be broken by February, and that’s usually because too many of those declarations involve depriving ourselves of the things we actually enjoy. At Frog Hollow Super Snacks we don’t think you should ever have to do that… Here are our five tips to help you find happy health in 2018.

  1. A little bit of what you fancy – When it comes to your sweet treats, think quality, not quantity. Each of our energy bites weighs just 10g, but those 10g are packed full of protein to keep your tummies happy and give you an energy boost at any time of day. These power-packed snacks were born out of my frustration at the fat-free and diet foods on offer, (all containing artificial sweeteners and additives), while I was on my own weight loss journey. I created my energy bites made with fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and they tasted so good, I decided to make them for you too! Find out exactly what’s in each flavour of energy bite HERE.
  2. Don’t just break habits, make them too – Habits get bad press, all too often we say or hear the words, “I’ve got into a bad habit of…”; so make 2018 the year you turn that expression on its head. Rather than deciding to break a bad habit, make a good one instead. You’ll soon find that your new routines will outweigh any bad ones and have you on the path to happy health.
  3. Go local – Happy health comes naturally when you decide to buy more produce locally, the food your family eats will be as fresh and tasty as possible, with a whole stack of nutrients! Why not pay a visit to your local farm shop, if you’re in the Southbourne area, visit our good friends at Southbourne Farm Shop. For those of you in the Petersfield area, we can highly recommend The Bran Tub, where Fresh local organic fruit and vegetables are delivered Thursday lunchtime each week, or the deli at Madelaine’s Kitchen. Shop locally, and you’ll be gifting some happy health to our beautiful planet too!
  4. Never stop learning – One of my greatest investments in 2017 was the Sensitive Foodie Eat Well Live Well Course, Karen Lee is a fountain of knowledge. One of her mantras when it comes to choosing foods that will help you find happy health is to ask yourself… “Is it natural, is it normal and is it necessary,” a simple way to determine whether you should be choosing a particular food for nourishment. If you’re looking for tailored guidance on nutrition, we can’t recommend Annali Court highly enough! Visit her website HERE.
  5. Enjoy Yin and Yang in life – Everybody steps off the wagon, and it’s important to remember that variety is the spice of life. Sometimes it’s good to just enjoy the foods you fancy! Here’s my wee Olivia doing exactly that!

Yin and Yang

Remember our online shop is now open, you can order Energy Bites, Raw Cacao Truffles and Superfood Cakes for happy health HERE.

‘Tis the season to treat!

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Christmas is just around the corner and with it comes the overwhelming temptation to treat! Unfortunately, many traditional festive favourites are loaded with sugar, fat (not necessarily the good kind) and, therefore, empty calories! But at Frog Hollow we have the answer to guilt-free indulgence, our healthy treats, and super snacks are both delicious and nutritious, they’ll give you the energy you need to take on the room at Charades on Christmas Day afternoon, or fuel your brisk Boxing Day walk!

Here are three ways to help ensure a healthy, happy Christmas for all!

Gift guilt-free chocolate – Frog Hollow Truffles contain Raw Cacao not to be confused with ‘cocoa’. Raw cacao is made from unroasted cold-pressed Theobroma Cacao beans. Not using heat in the process ensures that all the original nutrients remain intact. Raw cacao is high in antioxidants and a good source of Vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, iron and potassium. Our beautifully boxed truffles make the perfect gift for health conscious foodies and are available in two sizes. The Mezzo Selection contains twelve assorted truffles, (one of each flavour), and the Super Selection contains twenty-four assorted truffles, (two of each flavour). View all flavours HERE.

Buy Truffles

Pick and Mix Energy Bites

Excite tiny tummies with Energy Bites – It’s no secret that if you have little people in your house, excitement will have reached fever pitch by December 24th. Unfortunately, tempting treats packed with refined sugar are often likely to exacerbate the situation. For treats that curb hunger without hyperactivity, choose Frog Hollow Energy Bites. We can’t solemnly promise perfectly behaved pip-squeaks (it is Christmas, after all), but we can guarantee treats packed with protein and healthy ingredients. These flavoursome, fuelling, bites are also a perfect treat to set out for Santa!

Buy Energy Bites

Raw Orange Cacao Swirl Cake

Ditch the mince pies and select a superfood cake… As you settle down to the Queen’s Speech with a decidedly British cup of tea, you and your loved ones might like a slice of something nice! We can make you a superfood cake that will serve from eight to sixteen people, bursting with goodness and fresh flavours. These are all available to collect from our kitchen in Westbourne.

Buy Superfood Cakes

8 foods that boost your immune system

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At Frog Hollow we’re all about eating delicious foods that nourish you. Frog Hollow super snacks were born out of my frustration and disenchantment that as part of my weight loss journey I had been encouraged to choose fat-free and diet foods, that contained artificial sweeteners and additives. I felt that these never gave me the nutrients I needed, and in fact were doing me harm.

As we head into the cooler months, it’s easy to let healthy eating habits slip, as we rug up and crave comfort food; in fact it’s exactly this time of year that we need to make more conscious choices and boost our immune system to ward off the winter ills and chills. So with that in mind, we asked our good friend Annali Court, Nutrition and Life Coach, to share her expertise in this article and share her immune system boosters. Take it away Annali…

Immune system boosters

Feeding your body certain foods may help keep your immune system strong. If you’re looking for ways to prevent winter colds and the flu, your first step should be boost your intake of fruit and veg by planning your meals and snacks to include these 8 powerful immune system boosters.

Citrus Fruit

Most people turn to vitamin C after they’ve caught a cold. That’s because it helps build up your immune system. Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells that make up your immune defence. These are key to fighting infections.

Popular citrus fruits include:

  • grapefruit
  • oranges
  • tangerines
  • lemons
  • limes
  • clementines

Because your body doesn’t produce or store it, you need daily vitamin C for continued health. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, it’s easy to add a squeeze of this vitamin to any meal.

Ginger

Ginger is another ingredient many turn to when they don’t feel well.  Ginger may help decrease inflammation, which can help reduce a sore throat and other inflammatory illnesses. Ginger may also help decrease nausea. It can be used in sweet as well as savoury dishes, and it packs some heat in the form of gingerol, a relative of capsaicin. Ginger may help decrease chronic pain and may possess cholesterol-lowering properties.

Almonds

When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to vitamin C. However, vitamin E is key to a healthy immune system. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed properly. Nuts, such as almonds, are packed with this vitamin and also have healthy fats.

Turmeric

You may know turmeric as a key ingredient in many curries. But this bright yellow spice has also been used for years as an anti-inflammatory in treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Also, high concentrations of curcumin, which gives turmeric its distinctive colour, can help decrease exercise-induced muscle damage.

Green tea

Green tea is packed with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Where green tea really excels is in its levels of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, another powerful antioxidant. EGCG has been shown to enhance immune function. The fermentation process black tea goes through destroys a lot of the EGCG. Green tea, on the other hand, is steamed and not fermented, so the EGCG is preserved.

Green tea is also a good source of the amino acid L-theanine. L-theanine may aid in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your immune cells.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are full of fibre and essential vitamins and minerals.  They are also high in omega 3 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids that may help to boost the immune system by enhancing the functioning of immune cells.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds are full of phosphorous, magnesium, and vitamin B6. They’re also incredibly high in vitamin E.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It’s important in regulating and maintaining immune system function. Other foods with high amounts of vitamin E include avocados and dark leafy greens.

Dates

Dates are packed with Zinc, which is needed so that our immune cells can function properly.  Dates are also a good source of energy and fibre.

The great news is that it’s easy to get your fix of these flu fighting foods, all of these immune boosting ingredients can be found in Frog Hollow energy bites. Our Pick & Mix Jars contain ten different flavours of bites, they are hand rolled and made from fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and superfoods as with all our products gluten, dairy and naturally sweetened.

Order yours HERE.

To discover more about our guest blogger Annali Court and the services she offers, visit her website HERE.

Contact Us

Frog Hollow Super Snacks HQ

Old Chapel Cottage, North Street
Westbourne, West Sussex, PO10 8SP

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