Garden of Life – Diet & Health Update

I promised I’d be back with a Garden of Life update in a couple of weeks since sharing about my goals to improve my diet and health after what seemed like being unwell for, forever!

To recap, here are the products I’m trying:

• RAW Organic Protein – Vanilla*
• Raw Organic Fit Powder – Chocolate
• Mykind Organics Vegan D3 Vitamin Spray – Vanilla*
• Vitamin Code Raw Zinc – 60 Capsules*

What I’ve Been Up To

First of all, I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to keep myself well over the past few weeks. I’ve been going to parkrun, made it to Wednesday evening run club and have just started week 6 of the 10 week Sweat & Reset plan on Fiit.

However, I’m not sure I’m gonna make the 50km running total I had planned but not because of my health – I’m blaming the poor weather and the fact I’ve prioritised my training plan. Nor did I get out to ride to complete a week of the Do Better Ride cycling challenge – very much for the same reasons.

Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein

During the weeks that I was unwell, I typically skipped breakfast and started eating around lunch time. Now that I’m active again, Ive been making an effort to fuel my body to keep energy levels high and to help with my recovery.

I’ve been obsessed with the overnight oats recipe using the Raw Organic Fit Powder – Chocolate that I shared in my first post, having had it for breakfast at least 4 days per week.

I haven’t used the RAW Organic Protein – Vanilla* as much as the Fit Powder so I’m gonna experiment with that over the next couple of weeks. I’ve popped one of my favourite smoothie recipes at the bottom of this post which will work well with the vanilla protein powder.

Vitamin D3 Supplementation

The NHS recommends that during autumn and winter months, we will need to get vitamin D from our diet. However, they recognise that it’s difficult for people to get enough vitamin D from food alone and suggests that everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.

The Vegan D3 Vitamin Spray has been super easy to remember to take. Once opened, it’s stored in the fridge so each morning when I go in the fridge to sort my breakfast, I take one oral spray and get on with my morning.

The vanilla flavour is very mild but the spray doesn’t have a bad taste to start with. I started taking it constantly about a week ago after I had bloods taken so I would see what my levels were without supplementation. I’m pretty sure my vitamin D levels could do with a top up anyway but it’s always good to know where we started from, right?

Supplementing Zinc For Skin Health

Over the last few years, I’ve documented my journey with my skin here on the blog. From discovering that my acne may be related to coming off the pill, to visiting a dermatologist to help fix my issues for good.

Well, it’s been about a year since I had my dermatologist appointment and 6-7 months since I completed the course of medication I was prescribed. While that medication did help to clear up my skin, the side effects were almost unbearable and now, my skin is as bad as it was before, if not worse.

The anti-inflammatory properties of Zinc are known to help relieve inflammatory skin conditions such as acne. Ladies, you might wanna read Roar by Dr Stacy Sims as Zinc is also one of the supplements she recommends to help with the inflammatory response we have before we are due on.

The dose for Vitamin Code Raw Zinc capsules is two daily and I’ve just started adding it to my routine. The supplement comes with added vitamin C and also contains a blend of 23 raw organic fruit and vegetables plus 75 alkalising trace minerals.

I’m not planning on taking Zinc long term; I’ll be using in the 7 days leading up to each period and depending on the condition of my skin, every 1-3 days in between.

What’s Coming Up

As week 6 of my fitness plan comes to an end, I’ll be on my way to a week of triathlon training camp. Staying at Club La Santa, I’m pretty sure I will get all the motivation I need to get moving. Taking an entire week out to look after myself physically couldn’t really come at a better time to be honest.

I’ll be back in another couple of weeks to share my final thoughts on all the Garden of Life products and my overall progress for the month. In the meantime, if you have any questions about Garden of Life, vitamins and supplements or what I’m up to, drop them in the comments!

Are there are supplements you use to support your lifestyle?

Elle

Continue to Content

Yield: Serves 1

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

Print

This quick and nutritious breakfast smoothie recipe is packed full of vitamins and antioxidants using ingredients you probably have stored in your fridge and freezer!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 tbsp oats

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender and blitz until smooth

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 278Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 91mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 6gSugar: 12gProtein: 20g