If you have started watching your diet in preparation to the run up to your summer holiday you aren’t alone. Recent research has shown that 70% of people go on a healthy weight loss diet to shed some of their winter weight so that they look their best, ready for when they hit the beach.

While it takes focus and dedication to shed weight, particularly if there is a significant amount of weight to lose, health experts warn against binge eating and exercising. This is because drastic diets and exercise routines shock the body and send it into starvation mode; whereby it tries to hang onto any calories that you eat and consequently fat because your body doesn’t know when it will next be fed. This type of diet also tends to disrupt and slow down your body’s natural metabolism, causing your body to not burn calories as efficiently, which can lead to weight gain.

It’s much more effective to eat healthily on a regular basis and exercise around three times per week. As part of a healthy weight loss diet you can still treat yourself occasionally to a sweet treat, such as a healthy chocolate cake or some healthy sugar free cakes. Allowing yourself a little of what you fancy can help you to stick to your diet for the long term, rather than crash dieting, then binging and reverting back to your old unhealthy eating habits.

While medical professionals recommend losing weight as one of the most effective ways of treating type two diabetes (which is the most common form of the disease in the UK) everyone knows that the most successful dieters do not deprive themselves completely of their favourite foods. However, sweet treats are often off the menu for diabetics as the sugar content causes blood sugar levels to dangerously spike.

If you suffer from diabetes, and are following a weight loss diet you can still reward your efforts thanks to the availability of cakes for diabetics- such as healthy chocolate cake, low fat cakes and low fat muffins. If you prefer to bake your own chocolate cake, you can also do this with the specialist cake mix that The Healthy Cake Company are able to produce – in addition to their wide range of free from cakes.

While weight loss experts advise that diabetes sufferers follow a healthy diet, and take regular exercise to help shift the pounds, a little bit of what you fancy can help to keep dieters on track- and prevent them from binging on unhealthy foods and reverting back to their unhealthy ways; which further increases the severity of their health condition.

If you would like to order one of the specialist cakes from The Healthy Cake Company, such as an egg free cake please visit our products

A vegan diet is a diet which prohibits the intake of any food product that comes from animals- such as eggs, dairy products and meat. It’s often believed that because of the restrictive nature of this diet, vegans have to eat bland foods, and miss out on vital nutrients.

However, contrary to these beliefs, a vegan diet can be perfectly balanced as long as you carefully consider the food groups in your diet. There are also vegan friendly foods available such as dairy free cakes and vegan cakes, which allow vegans to treat themselves occasionally too.

Nutritionists recommend that a healthy vegan diet should include enough fibre, protein and carbohydrates, in addition to a wide range of vitamins. The best way to ensure that your vegan diet is as healthy as possible is by including a wide range of foods in your diet.

Try out new food recipes that contain lots of new ingredients to make sure that you eat as many different food groups and nutrients as possible; this also ensures that you do not become bored with your diet.

The best sources of protein for vegans are seeds, such as sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Soy products such as tofu are also rich in protein, as are nuts (always choose the plain, unsalted version) and nut butters. Legumes such as lentils and beans also have high protein content.

A typical vegan diet tends to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol; however it’s essential to include foods which are rich in omega 3 fatty acids too- such as flax oil, ground flax seed, olive oil, leafy green vegetables and soybeans.

To ensure you have a sufficient amount of calcium eat fortified cereal for breakfast and drink fortified juice to accompany it. Leafy vegetables and soy products will also help you to reach your calcium quota.

Most vegans are deficient in vitamin D; to get yours go for a 15-20 minute walk three times per week. This will give your body the right amount of sunlight to produce enough vitamin D- which is essential for your body to absorb calcium and keep your bones strong.

Iron is another essential nutrient for vegans; good sources of iron include dried beans, Brussels sprouts, dark green vegetables- such as kale and broccoli and are a vital part of the vegan diet.

Another top diet tip is to substitute non-vegan ingredients in recipes for similar vegan friendly options. For example cottage cheese can be replaced by crumbled tofu and cows milk traded for rice, soy or almond varieties.

Last week on the well known and loved Oprah Winfrey Show, chat show host Oprah and 378 members of HARPO (Human and Animal Research Protections Office) staff started a one week vegan challenge.  This involves them eating a diet completely free from meat and all foods containing animal products, such as mayonnaise, honey, cake and dairy products for a full seven days.

This isn’t the first time Oprah has undertaken a vegan diet. She first went vegan when she read Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness three years ago, when she stuck to the free-from vegan diet for three weeks.

Oprah reverted back to eating a carnivore diet once the three weeks were up, but still deemed the dietary experiment a success.  During her stint as a vegan she told the press “I’m eating a far more plant-based diet,” and eating “Less processed food.”

While a vegan diet is often considered healthier than one that contains animal products, and is far better for the environment too, many people are put off of trying to eat vegan because of the strict dietary rules.

Most people think that eating a vegan diet involves hours of cooking bland meals from scratch made from lentils, brown rice and vegetables. They also quite often think sweet treats such as cake are most certainly off limits.  However, as the vegan diet has increased in popularity it seems that the food industry has finally caught up with the demand for free from food items.

Although most know they can easily find alternatives for staple food items such as milk, they don’t know that it’s also much easier than ever before to find free from cakes too.  So now it is possible to occasionally indulge your sweet tooth thanks to the creation of vegan cakes- meaning that the vegan diet is no longer radically different to the carnivore one. So with just a few slight tweaks to your diet you too can improve your health, and do your bit for the planet- just like Oprah!

The outsized chocolate cake was made by a well known British biscuit manufacturer, and was made from 1,700 of their crushed biscuits, and topped with almost 40lbs of dark chocolate which was then refrigerated to set. The Prince used to make and enjoy the cake, which is often referred to as ‘Fridge Cake’ when he was a young boy.

The guests who were lucky enough to have received an invite to the royal wedding were also be able to tuck into a slice of the multi tiered fruit cake, which was covered in flowers and pieces of fresh fruit.

If you would like to make your own version of the Royal wedding cake you can simply and easily using one of The Healthy Cake Company’s ready to make cake mixes. What’s more their cake mixes can be used to create a range of cakes including egg free cake, cakes for diabetics and sugar free cakes, so can be enjoyed by almost anyone who attends your celebratory event!

Alternatively, if you are not a fan of DIY The Healthy Cake Company are able to bake the free from cakes for you, such as vegan cakes, gluten free cakes and gluten free birthday cakes and deliver them to your address too- for the ultimate in convenience.

The beginning of March was the start of National Vegetarian Awareness Month. There are many reasons why people give up meat and other animal products. The main ones are in a peaceful protest against poor animal welfare, to help protect the environment and the beneficial effect it has on their health.

Thanks to new developments in the food industry it’s now easier than even to eat a vegetarian and vegan diet. Until recently a vegan diet prohibited cake, and other baked goods because they contain eggs. However, The Healthy Cake Company is a specialist bakery making vegan cakes, dairy free cakes, as well as other free from cakes allowing vegans to eat a very similar diet to a traditional one.

If you are concerned about any of the issues relating to the non-vegetarian, non-vegan diet why not take the opportunity this month to try cooking some vegetarian meals, and try some free-from foods. You’ll be surprised at the very small difference it will make to the taste of your food and your overall diet- yet it will make a big difference to your health and the planet!

A well balanced vegetarian and vegan diet is made up of lots of fruits and vegetables, which are essential for the vitamins and nutrients they provide the body with. Non-vegetarian, non-vegan diets contain higher amounts of saturated fat, which endangers your body’s health. They also contain more chemicals as the animals are pumped with hormones and other chemicals, in the process of being reared.

Vegetarians and vegans usually eat healthier diets, and consequently have a lower risk of being obese, as well as having lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure levels. Even just switching from a carnivore to a vegetarian diet for just a few days a week can make a real difference, and with all the free from foods on offer you probably won’t even miss meat and animal products!

The demand for gluten free restaurants and other food outlets has increased by 85% according a tourism and hospitality website.

One tourism and hospitality website has reported that there has been an 85% increase the number of people searching for gluten-free restaurants within the space of just one month.

The site is predicting that this trend will continue to rise throughout the rest of the year too. Coeliac UK has reported that in the UK approximately one in one hundred suffers with gluten intolerance, and need to follow a gluten free diet for the entirety of their lives. Some people are even choosing to under take a gluten free diet as a preferred lifestyle choice, such as celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Fern Britton.

Speaking on behalf of the website, the managing director has ‘People who need to follow special diets can feel too embarrassed to visit restaurants in case they fall ill. Many years ago these dietary requirements were very much un-catered for, but now restaurants are opening their eyes and trying to accommodate these needs. There’s still a long way to go though, and it’s obvious that there’s a real need for more restaurants to consider catering for people with allergies and intolerances.’

‘Many of my relatives have food intolerances and allergies, so I have witnessed first-hand the obstacles people face when eating out. It can get quite frustrating for sufferers, so it’s great that the hospitality industry is starting to recognise special dietary requirements. I’m sure more restaurants will follow when they realise there’s actual business potential which could help increase revenue.’

These figures show that more restaurants need to consider their customers who have dietary requirements- just because they have allergies or intolerances they should not have to stay home for the fear their food may make them very ill.

Research has shown girls are more susceptible to suffer from allergies than boys when they grow up- Fortunately for women everywhere it is possible to source a wide range of healthy cakes, such as dairy free cakes and free from cakes from specialist bakeries, so everyone can indulge in the occasional sweet treat, even if they do have an allergy.

Research has suggested that there is a clear link between cleanliness and the number of adult women suffering from allergies, autoimmune disorders and asthma. Sharyn Clough, a philosopher at Oregon State University studies science and gender differences, believes that the reason women are more likely to suffer from allergies then men is because they generally play indoors more than boys when they are young. This main reason for this is because girls are usually dressed in clothes which are not supposed to get dirty. And when girls are playing outside, their play is usually more supervised compared to little boys play.

The combination of these three factors reduces young girls’ exposure to germs. They are not coming into contact with the same type and amounts of germs as boys, which has a knock on effect on their immune system. This makes them more susceptible to developing allergies in later life.

With society becoming obsessed with anti-bacterial cleaning products, hand gels and sanitisers it seems the old adage ‘a little dirt won’t hurt’ rings true. Though scientists aren’t recommending that you send your children out into the garden to eat soil and play with worms, playing in dirt for short periods of time on a regular basis is a healthy way to expose the body to a type of healthy bacteria that is found naturally in soil.

They conclude that even daily contact with just one gram of uncontaminated soil can help to promote a healthy, functioning immune system and reduce the risk of developing allergies, autoimmune disorders and asthma.

Women are three times as likely to be intolerant to gluten, making treats such as cake and bread strictly off limits. However, thanks to The Healthy Cake Company and their organic cakes you can spoil your mum with a sweet treat in the form of The Healthy Cake Company’s healthy cakes this Mother’s Day!

Studies have shown that women are three times as likely to suffer from coeliac disease, which also known as celiac disease. This is a type of digestive condition which causes its suffers to experience adverse reactions to gluten. Gluten is commonly found in wheat, barley and rye, and is also used in foods such as pasta, cake, most cereals and bread products.

When someone who is intolerant to gluten eats these foods, they suffer with the following symptoms; diarrhoea, bloating and stomach pains. This is because the body’s immune system mistakes gluten for a hostile organism. Then immune system then attacks the gluten protein, which causes damage to the small intestine.

Until recently, a gluten free diet was fairly restricted. However, the market has now caught up with the demand for free from foods, and The Healthy Cake Company is certainly no exception.

This specialist free-from bakery produces a variety of tasty goodies such as dairy free cakes and even customised vegan birthday cakes along with their gluten free varieties. Unlike other bakery goods, The Healthy Cake Company can bake cakes made to order, allowing you to customise your cakes.

So why not spoil your mum this Mothers Day with gluten free celebratory cupcakes or muffins? You can personalise your order to make sure the cakes are tailored to your mum’s dietary requirements and tickles her taste buds too!

As more research into the benefits of a gluten free diet have been discovered there has been a surge in the popularity of this particular diet. This has increased the demand for free from food items, such as free from cakes, gluten free cakes and gluten free muffins. Even special occasions can still be marked in the same way as gluten free birthday cakes are now widely available. With the widespread availability of these free from foods it is now easier than ever to make the switch to a gluten free diet – here are the top five reasons for choosing to go gluten-free:

1. A gluten-free diet can help you to lose more weight than a traditional diet. People who exclude foods that contain gluten have reported that they had more success when they have tried to lose weight, compared to when they eat a low-fat diet containing gluten.
2. Studies have shown that eating a gluten free diet can help to alleviate the symptoms associated with a wide range of allergies.
3. A diet free from gluten helps to keep your digestion much more regular. If you have even a slight digestive problem you can benefit from following this type of diet. This is because cutting gluten from your diet can prevent you suffering from a multitude of painful and inconvenient digestive symptoms.
4. When you consume gluten your energy levels will rise, but will then fall again just a short while after. Going gluten free can help to keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable, allowing you to focus and concentrate better, experience improved memory and even sleep better.
5. People who have made the decision to ditch the gluten rarely go back to their former diet because it makes such a difference to their overall sense of wellbeing. This is because a gluten free diet usually contains more fresh and healthy foods, and less processed, refined foods.