A happy and healthy new year to all!

Let us start by wishing you all a huge and heartfelt 'Happy New Year' from us at Kafoodle! After a lovely Christmas break had by all, we are glad to be back to work and into the swing of things.We are starting off our January by taking a closer look at healthy eating, and in particular exploring detox diets- If you have overindulged over the Christmas period, then you’re not alone! Many of us are feeling sluggish after one too many mince pies!This year we are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside some wonderful companies whose primary focus is the promotion of health, fitness and well being. One of which is the company Racefully, who have developed a running app that lets you 'virtually' run with friends or groups from any location, in real time. You could potentially be on the other side of the world from each other yet still able to schedule your morning jog! Exercise is such a great way to kick-start your 2017; it will not only help keep you in shape, but it also reduces your chance of serious illness by up to 50% and decreases the chances of an early death by 30%. There are so many great classes of both traditional and non traditional exercise out there, that there is something to suit everyone! To find out more about Racefully, just click here. We think you will love them.

We are equally as excited to be working with a company called Fig and Bloom during 2017. Fig and Bloom are a London-based consultancy who specialise in nutrition, long-term health promotion and recipe development. They use ‘evidence based nutrition’ and 'culinary creativity’ to produce deliciously nutritious recipes, and we are really excited to be teaming up with them! Fig and Bloom have very kindly shared some great advice on detoxing with us at Kafoodle (as well as some mouth-watering, detox dishes) that we will be showcasing in our next four blogs. Please stay tuned for these, they are not to be missed!

Detox diets are a really interesting way to consider how food can help in the maintenance of your health. Having information about the food you eat is key to any healthy lifestyle, and there are many readily available resources on food guidance that you can access. The NHS webpage is a great place to start if you are seeking a bit more general advice, as is the ‘Traffic Light System’ of food labelling. This method provides information on the levels of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugars present in the food, and shows the percentage that these ingredients or products take from the daily allowance. Red means high, amber medium and green means low. Also, look closely at any food products that have 'healthy living' claims attached to them, such as ‘Low Fat’ or ‘Good For You’. There are regulations surrounding this type of labelling which can be a little complex and often involves food quantities; for example “low fat” claims can only be made on products containing no more than 3g of fat per 100g of solids. Any food making direct health claims such as 'This product will reduce your blood pressure' are restricted by law. An overview of these regulations can be found here if you would like any more information. We really hope that you have all started January in a healthy and happy mindset and hope you will join us over the next four blogs where we take a closer look at Fig and Bloom's detox guidance and recipes. May you all have a wonderful 2017!