The Self-Care Cookbook: Easy Healing Plant-based Recipes

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Gem: What we made during half-term went to about one hundred people and the only money we’d spent from the fundraiser was on Sainsbury’s vouchers for essentials to include in the package.

It could just be going for a walk at lunchtime – getting out of the office to have a breath of fresh air and sit on your own – or making a conscious effort to do something for you every day, whatever that may be.There are people you work with who are going through things you know nothing about who might not want to share, but need to know you care. You’ve taken a bit of care over them – maybe you’ve made it look really bright and colourful, and that in itself is an act of self-care. From jewellery-rattling toffs (at the request of John Lennon) to Dame Edna crashing the royal box, the Royal Variety show has been packed with hilarious moments. Switching to brown rice, wholemeal bread and wholewheat pasta means kids will get a better dose of vitamins E and B, potassium and zinc.

As classmates looked at these homework posters during our weekly Gallery Walk, I saw lots of smiles and nods and heard a chat about which cuddly toy they were most likely to talk to. Choosing foods that are healthy, that make you feel good, they set off your serotonin levels and, rather than making you crash and feel down, they do the opposite.

She learned to cook from her mum who is not only a fantastic cook but who also taught her how to cook on a budget. Her aim is to take the stress out of cooking, and to make cooking an enjoyable act of self-care for all. I was having treatment at the time as well, but it just helped with my mood and made me feel better. Gem: We’re using it to run both our businesses, but we’re also sharing it with other plant-based chefs, a variety of people who need a kitchen for maybe even just a couple of hours a week. I worked as an addiction counsellor for 10 years and through this period I really saw the connection between how food improved clients mood and also how theraputic sitting around the table or sharing a cuppa with someone could be.

Whatever mood is set around the breakfast table they will take to school with them, so we make it a celebration. She avoids using phrases like ‘guilt-free’ and tells me it’s more about taking care over the food you’re eating, and making it a pleasurable experience. Emotions triggered by stress can have a direct effect on our stomach – and vice versa – so up the fibre in your diet to keep your gut happy.We met on the morning after the Queen had died, while the media was having a field day discussing who we are at the end of the Elizabethan era. One of the best-unprocessed sources of carbohydrate, which helps promote the production of serotonin, our feel-good brain chemical.