Time To Get Off Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Four

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

This has gotten interesting and a little bit complicated. Yesterday after getting a cup of tea to stop myself fainting I remembered I had an event. And Events equal cocktails and canapés. Thankfully none of the canapés were sweet, but the cocktails, I assume, were. I am not sure if they break the diet or not as I cannot remember them being on the no list, but I am smart enough to know I probably shouldn’t have. I had two but they were small and they did not put sugar in. It is a slip but I am hoping not a big one.

I go to the Sure Improve Rooms with my friend, Mail on Sunday journalist Holly Thomas, and she is amazed that I have managed three days on a no sugar diet. It is not fun at the moment to be honest, I have a constant, awful, headaches, I have no energy and I am craving cake and chocolate. On the way back Holly and I check out our goody bags. “If there is chocolate in here I am going to kill myself.” I tell Holly dramatically. There is, but by some joyous miracle, it is Green & Blacks dark chocolate. On week one I am allowed dark chocolate. I am so happy I actually hug Holly. Before the event I was busy so I grabbed a Sainsburys Meal Deal for lunch. I usually get a coke with this. I look at if longingly but with pride I grab a bottle of water, yes, water! I almost cannot believe myself. Who knew I had this willpower?

Today I went into London and I saw tea shops, constant coca cola signs and people with the cans or bottles on their hand. I have lunch in Pret and they have fizzy juice. I really want a San Pellegrino, chocolate or cake but I don’t break. We are constantly bombarded with images for foods full of sugar and salt that are terrible for us. In the house it is easier but there are the headaches and the weakness to contend with. This is not easy but I have noticed I am already less bloated just four days in and my cravings are being replaced with something stronger and greater: determination.

The Tomas Doncker Band | Music Profile

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

For this music profile I am bringing you a band I really think are brilliant: The Tomas Doncker Band, they have a great soulful vibe and make stunning music. They sound like proper old soul music with a modern touch and you can now catch their new album: “Power of the Trinity…A Slight Return”

Fresh on the heels of his June 2013 release “Howlin Wolf EP”, which The Huffington Post said “definitely conveys the original emotion of dark brooding — the raw elements and power of the bluesman”, The Tomas Doncker Band are back with a new release entitled “Power of the Trinity…A Slight Return” (The GLOBAL SOUL Mixtape Volume 1), to be released through Doncker’s own True Groove Records.

“Power of the Trinity…A Slight Return”, Tomás’s latest release, is a Global-Soul meditation on the legacy of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. It features contributions from legendary bassist/producer Bill Laswell, Ethiopian singers Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw and Mahmoud Ahmed, legendary Ethiopian guitar hero Selam Woldemariam (who also served as production consultant for the project), saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum, trumpet and horn arrangements by Steven Bernstein, international Avant-Funk Super star Joseph Bowie, and a host of New York’s finest jazz, funk and rock musicians.

Doncker’s describes his definition of global soul as “The sound of our collective conscience. The unified rhythm of heart beats creating a positive, spiritually uplifting force for good. Musically speaking it is not genre specific, but in fact genre inclusive. It is the best of what we have to offer to each other, from Brooklyn to Ethiopia, and everywhere in between.”

The EP is being released in support of The Studio Samuel Foundation’s 1Hundred Girls Impact Plan (www.studiosamuel.org), a charity that supports young women in Ethopia.

“We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations, but to our fellow men within the human community.”
H.I.M. Haile Selassie I

Artist: Tomas Doncker Band
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Styles: Global Soul/Roots/Fusion/Funk/Blues/Psychedelic Rock/World
Similar to: Taj Mahal, Seal, Fela Kuti, The Souljazz Orchestra, Cody Chessnutt, Gary Clark Jr.
CD: Power of the Trinity…A Slight Return
Accolades:
Interviewed on CNN, 11 feature performances for N.Y.C. Summer Stage(2013), 2010 Shanghai Folk Festival, 2010 World Expo (also in Shanghai), 2012 Milwaukee Summer Fest, 2012 N.Y.C. Summer Stage (6 shows-including Central park), Performed at 2012 Artist of the year (Conversations Magazine), Performed at U.N.Global Peace day event (Linzhou, China-11), Opening act for Ethiopian mega-star Teddy Afro at B.B. King’s N.Y.C(2/22/13), Featured on Howlinwolf.com.

Lexon Safe Eco Friendly Torch Review

Posted on August 7, 2013 by James Yardley

I was recently lucky enough to get my hands on a Lexon SAFE Eco Torch and what a fantastic little gadget it is.

The torch has no batteries and is powered entirely by a crank which takes just a few seconds to wind up. It looks and feels great. The torch is shaped as a rectangle with rounded corners. The plastic part of the torch is sandwiched between two strips of trimmed bamboo. The plastic is made from corn, not oil, making this an extremely eco-friendly product.

The look and eco stuff may all be well and good but does it work? The the answer is an emphatic Yes!

I was really impressed at just how bright the torch was. A few years ago I was given a torch which you powered by shaking up and down. It took a lot of effort and even then the torch was poorly lit.

That’s certainly not the case with the Lexon torch which is small, neat, easy to power and very bright.

The design is simple but elegant and the torch has been well made. The large square power button which sits on the torch is satisfying to press and makes a reassuring click. All in all an excellent product which helps saves money and the environment. A great gadget for a present or to keep for yourself.

Size: L 15cm, 3.5cm, 2cm

Available for £20 from Gifts with Style

http://www.giftswithstyle.co.uk/products/Lexon-Safe-Eco-Friendly-Bamboo-Torch-.html

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Three

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

So yesterday was hard. The latter part anyway. I was okay until lunch times when, as I wrote yesterday, I felt nausea and fainty and had a cup of tea. That made me feel better for a while and then for the rest of the day and night I had the most awful headache. Like someone had attacked me with a knife. My concentration was low and I felt lethargic. Because I cannot drink tea without sugar – frankly, I think it is one of the worst tastes in the world – I also have had minimal caffeine. This morning when I woke up I was so weak and dizzy I found it hard to get out of bed.

I felt optimistic until I went to the supermarket. Then just how much I was missing out on hit me. It was very hard and made my life seem less fun. What is wrong with biscuits and chocolate anyway? Later I watch a TV show and the characters are having a burger and coke. I realise it will be September until I can have a burger and coke again. I feel deprived. Which is silly in a world where a large portion of the population don’t have enough food or water.

Yet somehow in all of my silly sadness and yearning for another cup of tea comes a resolve: I will do this. At the moment my body is not liking it and neither am I, but I will do it. The jaffa cakes are still in the fridge, I have switched to camomile and spearmint tea and I have had a few pieces of fruit. On week one of the Mentor Me Off Sugar Programme you are allowed fruit but not on week two and three.

I have a delicious sea bass for supper and buy good wholemeal bread and cheese. I have the bread with some amazing olive oil I have been sent to review and realise there are other things in this world apart from sweet treats. Although if I just replace sugar with bread and cheese I will be fat in no time I do enjoy the treat.

Instead of deprivation I start to think about opportunity. The opportunity to rewire my body to a healthier me and the opportunity to eat new, different food. Even with my headache and my tiredness, I am excited and aware of all of the possibilities. Onwards.

Snap-Happy Brits Take Over 600 Million Photos a Week

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Frostie

· The UK is a nation of snappers taking over 600 million photos every week

· 52% of Britons take photos on their phones and store an average of 180 pictures on their devices

· Around 1 in 5 snappers have lost photos due to a broken device, 5% due to a stolen device and around 3 in 10 Brits do not back up their digital photos

· People (51%), landscapes (19%) and animals/ pets (11%) are our favourite subjects

Thanks to smartphone, tablet and digital camera technology, image hungry Britain now takes an average of over 600 million photos in the week. According to an online study commissioned by SmugMug* the world’s largest independent photo sharing website, which launches to the UK public this week, most of our snaps feature our friends and family, followed by our beautiful countryside with our pets coming in third.

With the advancements in technology, our photography habits have changed irrevocably resulting in a photographic Tsunami. The online survey found that Brits take a mean average of 19 photographs in an ordinary week (not taking in account holidays or special occasions). With 47.75 million* adult residents in the UK, that’s a lot of photos – SmugMug estimates over 600 million in fact**.

Over half of Brits online (52%) take photos primarily on their phones and 32% keep them there. Of those that do an average of 180 photos are currently stored on their mobiles.

Yet when asked how many of us had lost images due to a broken (21%), stolen device (5%) or human error (30%), 56% replied yes they had. Furthermore almost 3 in 10 (28%) Brits admit that they do not back up their photos, with women (32%) being the worst culprits at not ensuring their photographic memories are safe for the future.

SmugMug commissioned the survey to discover more about the photo-storing and sharing habits of Britain ahead of launching its first fully formed consumer offering in the UK this week.The company will launch its cloud based photo service, already a major hit in the US to UK customers, offering a safe and secure home for the best and most important of our images. With high level security settings, our 600million photos are safe from theft or copying, yet through links and passwords, our images can be shared with friends, family and loved ones.

*Conducted by YouGov for SmugMug

** SmugMug have used an adult population figure of 47,754,569 as a base, and then taken 70% of that (as 30% of the original sample does not take photos during an averag

How To Be Your Own Boss – Innocent Inspires Event

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

On the 24th July Frost went to an amazing event all about entrepreneurialism, as part of the Innocent Inspires series at Fruit Towers.

The entrepreneurs speaking at the event were Innocent co-founder Richard Reed, luxury jewellery brand Astley Clarke founder Bec Astley Clarke, creator of not-for profit computer charity, Raspberry Pi, Eben Upton, not on the high street.com founders Holly Tucker & Sophie Cornish and founder of global peace charity Peace One Day Jeremy Gilley.

We arrived and grabbed an Innocent mocktail from the Innocent van and then mingled. The talks were brilliant. A particular favourite was Jeremy Gilley who is the founder of Peace One Day, which is on the 21st of September. Keep it in mind and spread the word. If the world need anything it is an International day of peace.

Richard Reed was as concise, smart and inspirational as ever, Bec Astley Clarke started a business and had a baby at the same time, which actually makes her superwoman, Sophie Cornish gave great advice and Eben Upton was not only great, but we also had a good chat with him after and he told us that someone took his Raspberry Pi (which he throws into the crowd during his speech) in Iceland, but because the country is so small he mentioned it to one of the organisers and got it back from a sheepish teenager who went to his hotel and apologised.

We had a great night and we learned a lot. During the break we had some great food from the Scandinavian Kitchen and we also took away a goody bag full of stuff made by people who used to work for Innocent. That is the great thing about Innocent; they are creative and great businesspeople, and they are also ethical and moral. You can’t ask for more. Head to an Innocent Inspires event soon.

#innocentinspires www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/inspires

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Two

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

Day two and I am okayish. I have taken it better than I thought I would. Yesterday, apart from a cup of tea in the morning, I had no added sugar. However, I still seemed to eat a lot of sugar. It is in everything so when I say I am on a no sugar diet I just mean no added sugar. Sugar is in everything and almost impossible to avoid.

Yesterday I actually managed okay. I had a coronation chicken salad from Waitrose for lunch, a banana ( which turned out to be a mistake at 19g of sugar!) and for dinner I had a mishmash of stuff in the fridge; prawn cocktail, salmon, salad and half an egg sandwich. I have just moved into a flat and out of laziness my fiancé and I just ate what was in the fridge. We haven’t even learned how to turn the oven on yet.

So no biscuits, chocolate, fizzy drinks or sweets on day one. So far so good, although on week one you are allowed fruit and dark chocolate. I even have some green tea with mint and actually enjoy it. Around lunchtime I was craving tea and the Jaffa cakes in the fridge but I refrained.

Today is another matter. It is not that I miss added sugar but I decided to try without the tea, even though I have loads of work to do and I worry about caffeine withdrawal, a headache is not something I need when I am this busy, but in the end I start feeling nausea and faint. I have a cup of tea and feel better.

So far I feel proud of myself. I looked at a bottle of Coca Cola with my name on it in WH Smith but I didn’t buy it even though I have been looking for one for ages. Still no biscuits, sweets or chocolate. No dessert last night either. I might last the distance yet.

Win a Bundle of Summer Books

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Frostie

Nothing to read? Let us fix that. We have a free copy of all of the books below for a lucky reader. Enough to keep you entertained this summer, and probably next too.

With the heat wave set to last until August, Harlequin UK is on hand to provide their readers with the very best books to stay entertained in the sun. Whether you want to escape with some fabulous women’s fiction, indulge in a brilliant bonkbuster or sample some of the hottest newcomers’ debut novels, Harlequin has something for everyone. With tales of love and loss, sauce and scandal, check out what are set to be five of this year’s biggest summer reads.

To win follow @Frostmag on Twitter and Tweet, ‘I want to win the summer book bundle with @Frostmag’ or like us on Facebook. Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter. You can comment below which one you did if you want an extra chance of winning.

For fans of rom-coms…