Yoga and diet are two hugely important things in my life which keep me healthy and balanced. Now more than ever diet is such a massive part of my life and the importance of diet is thankfully reaching more people than it ever has. Hit up my Instagram feed (emmajaulinyoga) and you will see I have started to experiment with my meals and some super yummy treats you would not believe are refined sugar free.
Yep you can still eat pizza! Sweet Potato Pizza base with organic fresh veg toppings
First and foremost I am a Yoga teacher with a passion for wellness. Yoga teaches us to listen to our bodies, after practicing and teaching Yoga I am more in tune with my body than I have ever been. Your body knows what is best for you. Some mornings I will wake up and crave movement, other mornings my body will be saying today just chill, and perhaps in the evening I might take a little stretch or a blustery cliff walk.
Time for movement!
My yogis always say to me how do you do it? How do you think of all these yummy recipes, have the time to prepare your food, prepare wheat free, dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free meals and treats. I can honestly say, from personal experience it is all about retraining the brain, how we think about food and how we shop. We are so lucky to be surrounded by an endless supply of inspirational recipes for clean fresh food and even raw foods!
I am definitely not saying you should go onto a raw food diet or be ‘all those things free’ it is not a lifestyle for everyone, and unless your body is calling out for it, my advice (take it with a pinch of salt, I am not a nutritionist) would be don’t cut out food groups. Have a good balance of everything. Well, apart from refined sugar, which really is not so great.
It is amazing what you can create from fresh, local produce, without using any processed food. It becomes easy to make a batch of Raw Cacao Nice Cream Bites and honestly when you have tried these you will not look at confectionary supermarket bought sugary treats the same way. Cravings will start to ease for that kind of sugar and you may find yourself falling in love with dates and almond butter, or raw cacao chocolate.
My point is, listen to your body. Diet is important, and thankfully there are so many options out there to help us cook super healthy food to fuel our bodies for what we love. If you are out in the water surfing, you need to be fuelling your body with the right food. Food is just as important as your surf fitness regime, your stretch sessions and time in the water.
Perhaps now is a good time with the summer approaching, to take a look at your food choices, listen to your body, rework your surf fitness regime, incorporate stretch sessions and yoga.
Strong, healthy body = strong, healthy mind!
Emma teaching at one of her London Yoga Brunches
Here’s a yummy little recipe to share with you to keep those sugar cravings at bay and give you an energy boost. My Raw Cacao Nice Cream Bites. All you need is a blender, a freezer and a few ingredients.
Emma’s Raw Cacao Nice Cream Bites
For the Base:
75g gluten free oats (or normal oats)
2 tsp coconut oil
2 dried figs
4 tsp maple syrup
Dash of water
Mix all in blender, add water if needed to help bind together (or add more maple syrup if you would like them a little sweeter). Line a tray with tin foil, press firmly into the tray and place in the freezer.
For the Creamy inside:
2 bananas
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp almonds or your preferred nuts
Mix bananas & cacao in the blender, add the almonds but do not blend (unless you’d like the almonds chopped slightly), pour over the base and place back in the freezer.
Finally the Chocolate:
20g coconut oil
2 tsp raw cacao powder
Melt the coconut oil, add the raw cacao powder, stir until smooth and pour over the base and filling!
I suggest freezing for a minimum of 4 hours, if you can wait that long! If you manage not to eat them all in one go, store in the freezer.
Enjoy!
About Emma
Emma Jaulin is a Yoga teacher who splits her time between Devon and London sharing her passion for Yoga and Wellness. Three years ago she founded Hang Ten Yoga which has now become Emma Jaulin Yoga. Emma is a ROXY Ambassador and runs Yoga events and workshops in London, Bristol & Exeter.
If you’re not in London or can’t make Emma’s sessions, take a look at her online videos specifically focused on a surfers body. Head to her website www.emmajaulinyoga.com and click on ‘Shop Videos’. Emma also runs Luxury Detox Yoga Retreats in Devon, featuring all her yummy creations! Details on her website.
