Posted on 24 Nov, 2011 -
Quick Fixes for Your Mind, Your Body and Your Kitchen
27 quick fixes for winter colds, tiredness, and being overwhelmed by life…
… for cooking mistakes, red wine stains
.... and needing to look thinner by the evening!
Dear Reader,
Of course, many of the most effective answers in life are those that work in the long-term. Being mortal as we are, however, we don’t always work like that.
By the time we’re over-tired or emotional or sneezing into a handkerchief, it’s far too late to join a yoga class or start a regime of juicing and rock climbing.
Life can be fun and fast and sometimes we need fast answers to keep up with it. Here’s a small selection I’ve put together for you to help you through the rest of November and beyond…
4 Quick fixes for when you’re coming down with a cold
According to the Mayo Clinic in America, there are a few things you can do to alleviate your symptoms and speed up your recovery.
First of all, drink plenty of fluids. “You can’t flush a cold out of your system, but drinking plenty of liquids can help. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration.”
For a sore throat, a saltwater gargle will offer some temporary relief. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt dissolve in a small glass of warm water.
For stuffiness and congestion, try saline nasal drops or sprays.
Take zinc. “Comprehensive analysis of clinical-trial data on zinc and colds has concluded that zinc really does appear to be beneficial.”
7 tips for solving cooking crisis in the kitchen
Lumpy sauce or gravy. Need to get rid of those lumps quick? Put it through the blender (I use a hand-held blender) with a bit of butter optional.
Overcooked Pasta. If you’ve taken your eye off the clock for a minute and the pasta’s gone soft, drain it well and saute for a minute or two in butter or olive oil. You could also then add ground pepper and parmesan cheese to make it into delicacy…
A collapsed souffle. Don’t worry. Instead of serving your souffle in the souffle mould as intended, remove it carefully and present attractively on a plate. You may need to add a few salad leaves or ice cream and a few berries to make it look like that was the dish you had intended!
When a cake goes wrong. My mother-in-law (who is a professional cake decorator) once told me that when a cake for my husband’s fifth birthday collapsed in the middle, she turned it into a moon scape and used a mini space rocket and astronaut figures from his toy box to decorate it.
The key here is to get creative and don’t panic. If a cake isn’t cooked in the middle, for example, simply cut out all the gooey middle and fill the hole with fresh fruit or whipped cream or a pile of marshmallows. If the edges get burnt, cut them off evenly and cover the whole cake with an icing or frosting.
When a pot of food burns. As soon as you notice that the food at the bottom of the pan is burning, part fill a sink with cold water then place the pot in it. This should stop the burnt taste from getting into the rest of the food. Next, move all the unburnt food to a new pot.
Overcooked Vegetables? If you feel that you’ve overcooked the vegetables, serve them up the French way as a purée. Make sure to flavour them with a little butter or olive oil and seasoning.
Dish too Salty? Some people say you should add some potato but many don’t believe that helps. If you can, add more liquid so that the salt is diluted. Or, to balance the flavour, add some sugar or vinegar or a can of tomatoes.
7 Quick fixes for when you’re feeling tired
If you’re suffering from a slump of energy in the afternoon, trying reaching for some slices of cool cucumber instead of a chocolate bar or cup of coffee. Not only are their taste and aroma refreshing to the senses, but they are packed with B vitamins, natural sugar and electrolytes that will get you feeling good.
You can also try cucumbers if you’ve had too much to drink and are worried about the toll it may take in the morning. Eat them before you go to bed rather than in the morning.
If your brain’s feeling tired, try drinking a big glass of water. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, confusion and even a negative mood. A glass of water should clear it if dehydration is the problem.
Another way to get your energy levels back up is to take a bit of light exercise such as a quick walk to get the blood flowing. It may seem counter-intuitive to take exercise when you’re tired but then low energy levels are not the same as exhaustion…
Feeling sleepy? Give yourself a shake and have a good stretch. (Certainly seems to give my cat enough energy to go and sit on the shed for a few minutes before he comes back in for another sleep again!)
If you’re feeling rundown, make sure you get plenty of vitamin B. When you’re under stress, your whole nervous system can become rundown and fatigue is a result. Turkey and tuna are especially good sources of B vitamins if you’re feeling worn out because - unlike red meat sources - they’re not so taxing on your digestive system. Also eat marmite, broccoli, spinach, bananas, wholegrain cereal, brown rice, nuts and dried apricots.
To deal with the stress side, try giving yourself a half an hour ‘stress holiday’ at least every other day.
2 Quick Fixes for when you’re feeling overwhelmed
Spend just five minutes straightening your Clutter. I found this tip in an article about Highly Sensitive People (which I am going to look into in more detail next week). I don’t think I am a proper HSP, but I do sometimes feel overwhelmed by the hugeness of my life around me.
For some, says Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, “clutter is a reminder of things that should be getting done but aren’t”. If clutter around the house hassles you too, try making sure some of the surfaces in the areas of the house where you spend most time are clear or at least straightened or in neat piles. “Just the illusion of order is enough to ease the mind,” she says.
Try this five minute exercise to escape from too much hassle and stimuli: If possible, find somewhere quiet to do this but it even works if you’re sitting on a bus or a busy office (but not if you’re driving or working). First of all, look around your immediate surroundings. Fix your attention on the room and what’s in it. Next, allow your focus to move out of the windows, at the world and the sky outside. Then, let your mind wander away further - to the nearby countryside or even the mountains in the Alps or a beach in the tropics. Finally, allow your mind to drift out to space. Enjoy the silence and the blackness and the quiet presence of the stars....
3 Quick Fixes for red wine stains
If you spill red wine on clothes or a carpet, the most important thing is to act fast. The white wine trick is actually very effective as it quickly dilutes the red wine allowing you to blot and wash it away easier.
If red wine gets onto clothes, blot off the excess liquid first then start diluting the remaining with water. Next, you can treat with an oxygen-based stain remover such as OxiClean and wash at as high a temperature as the clothes allow.
I have also found a combination of vinegar and baking soda very effective - especially on older stains that are even harder to remove.
4 Quick Fixes for when you’re feeling bloated - or need to drop a dress size by the evening!
You can lose a few pounds just by soaking in an Epsom salts bath. Apparently, model and actress Heidi Klum does this before getting in front of the cameras. How does it work? By drawing out fluid from your body. Jump in the morning and be thinner by the evening! Jonathan Goodair, personal trainer to Stella McCartney and Madonna, says you can make a real difference to your body size by jumping on a mini-trampoline for 30 to 40 minutes in a warm room. He says:
‘It’s amazing how much this can de-bloat you, which makes you look thinner. On the day, avoid anything fizzy.’ (Even a 10 minute walk can work wonders if you don’t have a mini-trampoline!)
Drink more water - especially if you’re feeling constipated. This can be a great way of getting things moving and flushing waste out of your system. Also try oranges and watermelons.
You can also get over-the-counter anti-gas medicines that break up gas bubbles. Antacids and some calcium supplements can cause the problem in the first place.
Best wishes for a speedy resolution
