With 2016 now well underway, and summer just around the corner, some of us may be struggling to keep up with those healthy diets and regular intakes of fruit and veg. There’s something about the summer months for helping you to get in shape, with a plethora of wholesome and delicious fruits coming into season.
Last month, we consulted some healthy eating bloggers to ask them why they feel we are so prone to giving up on healthy diets at the first hurdle. Their responses were illuminating and there was a definite consensus that would-be dieters tend to set unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve from their new diet.
So if the middle of the year approaches and you’re frightened that you’re on the verge of giving up on your new healthy living regime, then we’ve compiled a list of our favoured healthy eating bloggers in the hope of inspiring you.
A Balanced Belly
The creation of one Jenna Farmer, ‘A Balanced Belly’ offers readers a useful guide to maintaining a healthy digestive system; you may have guessed from the title that the blog has some useful guidance for keeping your guts in good working order. This is also a great resource for those who are who live a gluten free lifestyle. There’s also some great material for those who suffer with IBD. This is much an opportunity to become a part of an online community as it is a blog.
Naturally Sassy
We love this blog for its simple but elegant design, with a clear layout that immediately makes you want to take a look around. There are some delicious recipes for those with aspirations of cooking healthy. Like the first entry on our list, there are helpful resources for living a gluten free lifestyle. Not to mention that some of the recipes just look mouth-watering: key lime pie anyone?
The V Nice Life
This blog is the culmination of its creator’s desire to live a cruelty-free, compassionate life. When she’s not dreaming of opening her own animal haven in the near future, Sarah Kirby is filling this blog with recipes and food ideas. There’s also a great travel section, detailing UK cities that Sarah visits, and the vegan eateries she discovers on the way.
Think Fit Food Family
What sets this blog apart from its predecessors in this list is that it offers aspiring health eaters a handy guide to related events around the UK. It’s a useful calendar for anyone looking to meet like-minded healthy eaters. Events such as the Bodypower UK forum at the NEC, as well as the BBC Good Food week are all here. Not to mention that it’s just a great resource for nutrition and health related news.
Peachy Lau: Fit & Healthy on the Run
A really interesting and useful theme for this blog: creator Laureen sets out to prove that it’s possible to live a healthy life-style whilst maintaining the kind of busy schedule that modern life throws at most of us! Every post is written with this in mind and we had to include it in our list! If you are someone who has been thinking about starting a diet for years, but have been procrastinating, then this blog is for you.
Mindfully Moni
Arguably the youngest blogger in our list, this is the product of Monica, a Cambridge student who places healthy eating at the heart of her studies in the hope of improving overall concentration and well-being. Her recipes are split into two loose groupings: breakfast and dessert. She is also a strong proponent of ‘mindful eating’, the belief that we should stop and actually savour the food we are eating when we eat it, rather than allowing ourselves to get distracted by checking e-mails or doing work. It’s a useful philosophy and one that gives this blog its individuality.
The Whole Ingredient
Laura, the owner and curator of this blog, aims to make food with as many wholesome ingredients as possible – no refined products in sight. Be advised that this is a vegan cooking site; although it is worth noting that Laura doesn’t make it an exclusive site and her recipes make great eating for vegans and non-vegans alike. As well as posting recipes, Laura also does a helpful round-up at the end of month.
Wallflowergirl.co.uk
Another vegan blog, this site was founded by Aimee during a period of illness. It’s a useful and inventive blog and will certainly convince any sceptics who may believe that vegan is tantamount to flavourless. Aimee’s vegan and free-from recipes certainly get the mouth watering – we definitely liked the look of those gluten free blueberry muffins!
Ode 2 Fitness
After a run of healthy eating/vegan themed blogs, this blog is dedicated simply to health and fitness, with lots of tips on getting yourself gym ready. Having experienced both weight gain and weight loss, blogger Rachel has recently qualified as a personal trainer, and writes so that visitors to her blog and enjoy the benefit of her wisdom.
Deliciously Ella
The story behind this site is a fairly unique one. Author Ellen started the blog as a way of dealing with a rare illness – Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. It was during this illness that she discovered the benefits of eating healthily, as she turned towards more holistic treatment and away from conventional medicines. As well as creating this blog, Ella is the author of two cookbooks and has even created her own apps.
Dietitian Without Borders
Gemma is a self-professed Aussie living in Liverpool and this blog is the culmination of her experiences. As well the similar resources offered by the previous blogs in this list (recipes and lifestyle tips), this entry in the list also has a book review section, wherein Gemma review her favourite healthy living books and e-books.
Hungry Healthy Happy
Once again, this is a great blog if you want to hear from someone who throws everything they have into living a healthy life. Dannii, the architect behind Hungry Healthy Happy is someone who, like Ellen in Blog No.10, was inspired to try a more wholesome diet after a re-examination of her life. Again, Dannii’s blog has a travel section, so she combines great food with brilliant adventures.
Lunges and Lycra
This is our first blog that is the product of a duo – in this case, Charlotte Thomas and Emma Lax. This definitely falls more into the ‘fitness’ column of list, but there’s plenty of great reading in this blog. Our personal favourite is “The Month in Sweat” which is a handy sign post of all the fitness related events in London and across the UK. Released monthly (obviously), it’s a useful way to increase your involvement with some of the fitness networks out there.
Poppy alla Norma
Poppy’s mission is, like many of her contemporaries on this list, to eat has kindly, ethically and healthily as possible. Poppy’s website has a striking design, and she’s not just concerned with food: the fashion and sewing sections of this site are definitely worth checking out too.
The Tofu Diaries (natalietamara.co.uk)
One of the more unique blogs on the list, for the simple fact that it is informed by the author’s rich Yorkshire heritage; indeed Natalie Tamara is one of a family of Yorkshire based bloggers. Natalie’s travel journals show her to be a blogger who certainly suffers from wanderlust. As well as her food blogging, her travel exploits and travel photography are both definitely worthy of your time.
Be Healthy Now
A hybrid of both the healthy eating and fitness blogs we’ve been cataloguing so far, this is a really comprehensive resource for living an all-round healthy lifestyle. From the usual great food advice you’d expect, right through to advice on choosing the right organic sunscreen, this has got every single facet of a healthy lifestyle covered. Petra, the curator of this blog, even has different healthy eating suggestions for all the different meals of the day.
Great Health Naturally
Once more, this blog is inspired by a story of a prior health condition on the part of its founder; Amy Morris’s “About Me” page explains how she suffered from endemetriosis. This is more than just a blog, it’s a site that offers health and nutrition advice as one of a number of services; visit the “Service and Portfolio” section of the site to check out what Amy and her team have to offer.
Bunny Kitchen
Poppy is currently studying for a degree in Animal Management and this blog is a great little side project. She cites animal welfare, international development and poverty as her three main concerns in life. This blog also strays into a realm thus far untouched by the other blogs – DIY beauty products. The DIY section of the blog is definitely worth checking out for inspiration.
Lottie Loves Food
This is one of several blogs run by copywriter Charlotte Moore, and it’s another useful resource if you’re struggling to incorporate a healthy diet into a hectic schedule. Think of Lottie Loves Food as the vegan answer to Jamie Oliver, in that she’s got a range of 15 minute meals for you to try out.
Hip & Healthy
This is more of a magazine site that an actual blog, but it’s jam-packed with helpful resources and you could easily spend hours shopping on here. There’s a useful online shop if you’re looking to splash out on new active wear outfits for the summer season.
The Greatist
This site is more of a general well-being and personal welfare site than a niche blog focussing on healthy eating. Nevertheless, there are some great resources here, and you can pick up some useful tips and tricks for incorporating healthy eating into your everyday life. We’re especially keen on the list posts; a great example being “10 Complete Proteins Vegetarians Need To Know About” and “34 healthy breakfasts for busy mornings”.
Wholeheartedly Healthy
The creation of Laura, a self-professed well-being coach, health writer and recipe developer, this site grants you the benefit of one-to-one health coaching with Laura herself. Also of particular note is her Mindset Makeover course, Laura’s bespoke approach to encouraging her clients to change their relationship with food. At £57, it’s a step-by-step plan to improving your attitude to food, and slowly phasing a new diet into your daily routine.
Mark’s Daily Apple
A blog that is also a forum for debate and discussion, Mark’s Daily Apple has a very simple mission statement, offering “the leanest, strongest, healthiest body with the least amount of pain, suffering and sacrifice possible.” Mark’s Daily Apple and Primal Blueprint offers to help you get there in just 21 days. Why not try it for yourself and see if it works?
Autoimmune Paleo
This is arguably one of the most inspiring and unique sites in our list. Like some its counterparts, this blog is a product of two people who have turned to healthy eating and a new diet as a result of an on-going health problem. In this case, Angie and Mickey suffer from five auto-immune disorders between them. They found their way to better health through what they refer to as the AutoImmune Protocol. They combine an inspiring story with some great recipe ideas.
Something For Dinner
This site is the product of a mum of 25 years, and has the importance of family at the heart of everything it does. The site is a family affair, and the blog is dedicated to the memory of her daughter Margot. Added to the existing recipes and it’s a really lovely site.
The Year In Food
Kimberley, the creator of this blog, is a freelance food photographer, and as a result the photographs on her blog are, you can imagine, quite mouth-watering. The ‘Categories’ section of her site is perhaps the most well-thought out, with lots of different sub-headers to keep you browsing for hours.
The Stone Soup
What sets this blog apart is the author’s determination to cook with five ingredients or less. Jules Clancy promises to keep her recipes quick and simple, and she certainly makes good on that promise when you look at what’s on offer here. Again, this a great resource if you’re looking to make food in a hurry.
