Model and all round badass Tigerlily Taylor may be the off-spring of Roger Taylor from Queen but showmanship doesn't come naturally to her during the soiree season. Admitting to a level of anxiety in the weird 'non-real' fashion world, Tigerlily talks us through how she combats the affects in a four week diary...
Week Four: Sarah Ann Macklin's Meal Plan
For the forth and final week of my detox plan I decided to follow my friend nutrisionist and model, ’s advice and follow a structured meal plan for a day so I glowed inside and out. Here are the results of a very inexperienced chef taking on Sarah Ann’s amazing meal plans, some helpful hints from the lady herself…
Sarah Ann’s Side Notes: “Tiger’s meal plan is focused on boosting her immunity and energy. One top tip I can give is to be organised. Plan your meals, and write a list for your weekly food shop. You will be less likely to pick up an unhealthy alternative at the end of the night, or load up on slices of toast the next day, if you know you have a fried full of goodness! And not only goodness BUT yummy goodness.”
Breakfast: Sarah Ann’s Immunity Boosting Smoothie
Recipe:
Blend together…
3 tablespoons of oats
2 handfuls of spinach
1 kiwi
A handful of frozen berries
A thumb size piece of ginger
Half a juice of lemon
¼ cup of water
¼ cup of rude health ultimate almond milk
1 tablespoon of Maca powder
1 tablespoon of bee pollen
AND: Add a tablespoon of chia seeds which will expand in your smoothie. Do not blend these.
Having woken up at 8.30am feeling the usual winter morning feelings: tired, achy and frozen, I managed to drag myself out of bed and start the day.
At 9.00 am I had my two tablespoons of Himalayan salt sole followed by a much welcomed mug of hot lemon, ginger and cayenne tea at 9.30. This morning I added in some Manuka honey and a teaspoon of bee pollen to stave off the lurgy that I have been battling for the past few days.
Having watched a pretty depressing episode of Black Mirror I was feeling well and truly pumped for the day; the grey cloudy sky accurately mirroring my overcast mood. However, at 10.30am I embarked on the first step of the lovely Sarah Ann’s meal plan. The ingredients for my breakfast, an immunity boosting smoothie, did slightly baffle me at first.
I am happy for an excuse to use my NutriBullet - which has been sitting sadly in the corner of my kitchen awaiting rust - so I blended this new and interesting concoction together, adding a tablespoon of chia seeds afterwards.
Although the smoothie looked like the Polyjuice potion of a particularly evil character resembling a greenish brown sludge (Harry Potter reference for anyone who isn’t a slightly immature nerd), it actually tasted pretty good. The ginger was particularly prominent which I liked as well as the taste of the bee pollen.
I had Muay Thai at 12 noon and was looking forward to experiencing the effects of my potion in an intense workout situation and I was pleasantly surprised. My energy levels were great and I was soaring on a much better mood than when I first awoke.
The maca powder definitely helped with mood elevation (not to mention being renowned for it’s hormone balancing and libido enhancing qualities), this is an ingredient I will definitely be using in the future!
Sarah Ann’s Side Notes: “It is very important to break your overnight fast with a hydrating warm drink to help re-energize our digestive system. Many people start their day with a caffeinated drink, yet we forget we haven’t had any fluids for the past 8 hours. We need to allow our bodies to slowly wake up and rehydrate. Lemon is great for cleansing our digestive system, and full of vitamin C. Ginger is high in antioxidants, which can help support our immune system as well as protecting against free radicals which cause ageing.”
Lunch: Sarah Ann’s Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Quinoa and Tahini Houmous
Recipe:
A handful of cauliflower, roasted
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon of paprika
250g quinoa (use half for lunch, half for dinner)
2 handfuls of rocket
2 cooked beetroots, sliced
2 tbsp of olive oil
A handful of walnuts
2 tablespoons of tahini
2 tablespoons of houmous
1/s a lemon cut into wedges
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
Method:
Roast the cauliflower in a 180C fan pre-heated oven (which can be done the night before), and sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt, garlic and paprika. Roast for 30 minutes and leave to cool.
You can buy pre-cooked, ready to eat quinoa if in a hurry, or follow instructions on the uncooked quinoa packet. Usually it’s double the amount of water to quinoa, and boil for 20 minutes on a low heat.
Once the quinoa is ready, add a spoonful of quinoa to a bowl. Top with slices of beetroot, spinach, cauliflower, and walnuts, and a squeeze of lemon. Repeat the layering process until you have used all these ingredients (remember you only use half the quinoa and save the rest for dinner).
Mix the tahini and lemon juice together, with a dash of water and salt. Coat the bowl with the dressing, add 2 tablespoons of houmous, and chilli flakes.
Feeling sufficiently worked out I came home and set out the ingredients for my roasted cauliflower bowl with quinoa and tahini houmous. Having laid out the ingredients, beautifully if I might say so myself, I suddenly realised that I now have to cook them, bearing in mind, I cannot and don’t ever really cook...
Upon attempting to crush garlic on a shiny kitchen counter top I had my first mishap and nearly sliced a finger off... nice work Tiger... pat on the back... back to “cooking.” My lack of skills and experience aside, and being the domestic goddess that I am, I managed to pull it off.
With everything cooking away (pretty much just a tray of cauliflower in the oven), I headed for the shower - yes I was still in my sweaty gym clothes because I am disgusting and lazy. Having actually remembered to take the cauliflower out of the oven on time, I assembled my lunch and got stuck in.
Now, not to toot my own horn, but, it was amazing. Not being a massive fan of tahini or walnuts and never having cooked quinoa before I was slightly worried. To my delightful surprise, the sauce was the perfect amount of tangy, the quinoa was cooked to perfection and the paprika complimented the cauliflower exquisitely.
I will definitely be adding this recipe to my culinary repertoire... bringing the number of recipes up to an impressive two, after my world class fry up from my meat eating days. Once again, as Sarah Ann mentioned, this quick and easy to make meal is delicious and filling enough to sustain you for the day but light enough that you don’t feel sluggish. If I can make it, anyone can!
Sarah Ann’s Side Note: “This is a really quick and easy low carb lunch to whip together. You can roast the cauliflower the night before, it’s very easy to take around with you. Cauliflower is rich in vitamin C, and high in dietary fibre, keeping Tiger full. It’s also high in choline, a great vitamin for sleep. Tiger explains she can find it hard to relax during the party season, whereby adding foods rich in choline can help relax you. Walnuts are high in vitamin E, which is great for skin health. Beetroots have been found to increase your number of white blood cells, helping support a strong immune function.”
Dinner: Sarah Ann's Roasted Salmon with Kale Salad
Recipe:
1 wild fillet of salmon, roasted
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 and ½ cups of lacinato kale, thinly sliced
125grams cooked quinoa (from lunch)
A pinch of sea salt
A handful of red seedless grapes
1 juice of lemon
1 teaspoon of tahini
Method
Pre-heat the oven at 180C.
Place salmon on a baking sheet. Squeeze a quarter juice of the lemon on the salmon, along with a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 10 minutes.
Combine kale, quinoa, lemon juice and tahini in a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the grapes.
Top with cooked salmon, adding a squeeze of lemon juice.
Onto dinner, the final test. This meal was also surprisingly quick and easy to make. The process was relatively painless. However, again I was worried as I am not an avid kale muncher, but once again I was surprised. The meal was light and delicious, props to the chef! This is a tasty, substantial evening meal that will not leave you feeling too full.
I found the whole experience enjoyable and it’s definitely worthwhile for an amateur chef to learn how to make quick meals that are nutritional and easy, even for someone as inexperienced as myself. I thoroughly recommend Sarah Ann’s meal plan - thank you for the tips! I will be stealing these recipes and passing them off as my own in no time!
Sarah Ann's Side Note: Tiger’s events, as do mine, usually means we arrive home quite late. A light evening meal is therefore, the most suitable. A heavy meal late into the evening, will add stress to your digestive system and disrupt your sleep, due to food taking up to 6-8 hours to digest. Salmon provides a rich source of essential fatty acids, which contributes to not only a healthy mind, (many studies have acknowledged the link between fatty fish and depression), as well as helping maintain good skin health. An increase of fatty fish due busy times in your life, can help support your mental wellbeing.
Week Three: Vital Vitamins
With New Years Eve over and two Christmas dinners under the belt, my body is feeling well, plump, and crying for some good clean nutrition.
Having given up meat a few months ago, the decision to take a couple of days off from vegetarianism in the name of Christmas cheer was not a wise one. This has unfortunately resulted in some pretty severe stomach cramps.
In a feeble attempt to flush out the toxins and decaying flesh from my system, I decided to embark on a juice cleanse. I find the Plenish Cleanse well suited to me. This could have something to do with the fancy glass straw that comes with it, it’s own neat little box, or possibly because I can order it on Deliveroo and I am quite lazy. Despite giving my bank balance a proper beating, juice cleanses are great for flushing out the system (if you know what I mean...).
However, if you are sane (unlike myself) and do not want to pay the absurd amount these extortionate juice tyrants charge, just remember it literally is just blended fruits and vegetables with some snazzy additives like coconut “nectar” and nut milk thrown in. I’m sure, if you are a normal functioning human being and not a lazy hungover slug, you could very easily create a juice plan in the comfort of your own home.
On top of my juice cleanse, the lazy person answer to a post-party detox is vitamins. Hey, if you can cure it with a convenient little pill, I’m in! So for this week’s column I am going to explain which vitamins can be used to help combat the negative side effects of partying because, lets be honest, there are a lot.
With heavy drinking, comes heavy anxiety. Waking up the next morning after a big night and attempting to function like an actual person by having actual conversations with real life people can be the most horrifying experience in the world on a really bad hangover.
To help a little with my anxiety I take magnesium, D3 and B12 pills. Magnesium is said to have a calming effect on the nervous system and improve energy levels. It also helps to treat insomnia, which also ties in with combating against anxiety. It has also been claimed that D3, also known as the “sunshine vitamin” (because your body produces it when it is exposed to sunlight), can reduce depression. Living in the dark and grey mass of cramped buildings that is London life, we all need a bit of D3 in our lives.
With B12, I like to switch between the pill form and the liquid concentrate form. If I’m feeling particularly crap, the liquid form gives you a great hit of simulated happiness for a limited period of time. Like magnesium, it is also a good cure for anxiety and fights depression whilst simultaneously benefiting your skin.
Another way to keep the cogs of your brain well lubricated is flaxseed oil. It contains high levels of Omega 3 and is a good sustainable alternative to fish oil. Moreover it isn’t going to destroy the world by depleting the ocean of its natural resources.
Flaxseed oil promotes healthier brains and hearts, a better mood and produces healthier skin and hair, as well as aiding in weight loss.
This brings me onto another result of pouring gallons of delicious sugary fermented matter into our systems: weight gain. After a few nights of drinking I definitely feel like I am carrying around an extra person.
In order to help combat weight gain and assist in the breakdown of all the junk food I consume to fight off the terror of a hangover and make myself feel better about life, I take digestive enzymes. They aid digestion by assisting the body in breaking down “difficult-to-digest” sugars and protein such as lactose and gluten.
To top it all off - especially because I am currently carrying around an entire turkey and half a pig in my gut - I take ginger pills as well as drinking my ginger tea to help with the breakdown of meat.
Week Two: Blooming Beauty
For the second week of my detox plan we are talking all about the physical. Don’t worry, this isn’t an exercise plan, it isn’t January just yet…
December is a severe slap in the face. The wind and the consequent routine of whacking up the central heating, to warm the frozen cockles of your once sunny heart, is a sure fire way to really mess up your skin.
So this week I am going to discuss the slightly more superficial side of attempting to look as if you have just come back from the beach all year round. Let’s be honest, who wouldn't want to rub a healthy glow in the faces of all the other grey, sneezing, red nosed Londoners on the tube on your way to work? The trick is to appear healthy and glowing whilst quietly hiding the ‘angry hangover Grinch’ inside.
Having spent two back-to-back family Christmases drinking like a slightly alcoholic fish and managing to devour an entire cheese board (with the help of my siblings), I was in dire need of some serious pampering. The anxiety that comes with multiple nights of Christmas drinking can be very slightly alleviated if you at least feel like you look, sort of, all right. Looking great for me is all about skin.
A combination of internal health maintenance and caring for your skin will result in a year round healthy glow, or at least the illusion of one. Having come to terms with the reality that the older I get, the harder it is to look great and still go out, I have spent the past couple of years researching and testing out different products to find out what works best for me. I find the general rule is, the more natural the product the better.
For the face, I follow a five-step process...
Step 1: Exfoliation
I begin by exfoliating with . This is actually for men’s shaving after care but I find it the scrubbiest of all the facial scrubs so I use it anyway.
Another great product is ). This exfoliating scrub uses oils and tea leaves to soften the skin and give the appearance of radiance. The scrub can be left on the face for up to an hour to give the skin a deeper glow. This is one of my all time favourite products.
Step 2: Clay Masks
I have previously used a combination of mixed in with charcoal powder that cleanses the skin leaving it soft and clear. However, recently I have found to be extremely effective for detoxifying the skin whilst also brightening and reducing the appearance of my massive pores.
Step 3: Tonic
After a clay mask use a natural tonic like rose water mixed with witch hazel. This also helps to tighten the pores and can be found in Holland and Barret.
Step 4: Collagen Mask
The “” is cheap and really does brighten the skin. You can order . You can also get this product specifically for use under your eyes which is perfect for those, oh so lovely, two nighters... making the terror of having to go out for the second night in a row with a head full of cotton wool and an inflated face, a little less daunting.
Step 5: Moisturise
To avoid “grey face syndrome” and because I am clearly obsessed with looking tanned all the time, I use a tinted moisturiser mixed together with a natural face moisturiser. My preference is ”, although a little pricey at £42.00. Before bed I use natural rose oil to sleep in.
For the body, I undertake a three-step process….
Step 1: Salt Baths
As well as helping with internal detoxification, Pink Himalayan Salt can be used in the bath to help give you extra velvety skin and can be found in Holland and Barrett. I am also an Epsom Salt addict as this is amazing for easing muscle pain and it also helps with detoxification and getting that sexy velvety skin.
Step 2: Exfoliation
Having discovered sugaring as an alternative to standard waxing, I find the use of a dry brush in between waxes is the best method for attaining smooth skin and for keeping those nasty little red bumps at bay.
Step 3: Moisturise
I like to finish off by moisturising with coconut oil as it’s natural and acts as a great moisturizer whilst making you smell like a delicious coconut. If I’m feeling a bit cheeky, particularly pasty and well, gross, a little mixed in keeps up the illusion of a healthy glow.
Week One: Dealing With Party Anxiety
As the kind of person who likes a drink (or four), navigating yourself through the tinsel strewn glamour of the December holiday party scene (whilst maintaining total internal radiance and the closest thing to a healthy glow that any Londoner can achieve) is not an easy task. The shiny exterior that shrouds the realm of fashion eventing (strings of evenings spent feeling a bit self conscious and therefore downing glass after glass of champagne) is overshadowed by the dark possibility of an ever looming hangover.
The prospect of getting dolled up and spending the evening milling around making small talk with a lot of people you really don’t know but are probably supposed to know, can be a little daunting. Especially for someone who is, deep down a socially awkward dork more prone to tripping and falling down the stairs than gracefully swanning into a party... (an unfortunately true story).
Due to my true nerdy nature and inner desire to be at home with my dog, I find that the holiday party seasons can be pretty taxing on my health. Having spent many teenage years convinced that I am totally indestructible, I consequently put my body through the arduous task of regenerating from endless nights of partying on very minimal sleep. However, at the ripe old age of 23 I have come to realise that I am in fact mortal and my body will suffer if not properly maintained.
This realisation has lead me on a path of health related discovery and it is only at this stage in my young life that I find I have established a proper regime for the maintenance of my mortal temple. Assuming that there are in fact a lot of people who are secretly terrified of social interaction, it is my intention to offer some semblance of alleviation to any woman who finds herself thrust into one or many social situations in which she may not feel entirely comfortable.
With the winter months comes the promise of excitement and festivities, a possibility of snow, and the probability of a dip in your mood due to an imminent lack of vitamin D; as well as potential alcohol poisoning. Other than taking vitamin D supplements and the obvious nutritional necessities: basically, eat lots of vegetables and maintain a healthy gut.
After years of research I have come up with some sneaky tricks for surviving these perilous months of balancing partying and keeping your body alive....
Step 1: Detox
The Solution: Pink Himalayan Salt Sole and Fresh Lemon and Ginger Tea with Cayenne Pepper.
Why It Works: If you are planning on braving the baltic winter winds and leaving your homely cave one of these winter nights, being a Londoner, I immediately assume that alcohol is on the cards, therefore, detoxification is essential. You must restore your body to it’s internal glory if you want to survive the winter. Sole water (fully saturated salt water), if ingested, detoxifies the body by balancing it’s pH system and providing minerals which support hydration. Every morning I drink two tablespoons of sole water before my super indulgent, steaming hot mug of lemon and ginger with cayenne!
Pink Himalayan sole also helps to support hormone imbalance, which in turn improves sleep as well as supporting weight loss and thyroid and adrenal function. Drinking a cup of hot water every morning helps to flush out the system anyway and by adding fresh lemon you are providing the body with vitamin C which, as I am sure we all know, is the best method for fighting off those pesky winter sniffles. I like to add slices of fresh ginger to the brew to give it an added superpower.
Due to its high concentration of antioxidants, ginger is considered one of the best methods of removing toxins from the body. It’s fibre content aids digestion and helps to regulate excess gas and stomach acids in the intestines. It also helps to control fluid retention and, come on ladies, periods suck, so anything that will help me feel like less of a water ballon every month is always a bonus. While I would like to make it clear that I am not promising that a cup of hot lemon and a bit of salty water will rid you of all of your holiday aches and pains, it certainly helps me. Throw in a cold press juice and add a little charcoal for extra detoxification and you’ll be laughing in your winter hangover’s evil puffy face!
