Heal and Balance in Liverpool

As I require a special diet of vegan and gluten, sugar, yeast and onion free food, I occasionally have to make exceptions. Especially when travelling and I can't cook for myself. I am aware of this and, therefore, whenever I can I bring my own food, snack and essential herbs to help me digest what ever it is that I don’t normally eat. In the UK, gluten is hard to avoid even though nowadays many cafés have the option of gluten free bread. However, the main issues with bread are the yeast and the refined flour- gluten free or not. And they like their sandwiches, the Brits! Besides gluten and yeast, sugar and onions are vicious and difficult to avoid. We even found sugar in the oatmeal! So, during the week most of my exceptions concerned onions, sugar and yeast. My body required me to do a nice purge when I got back home!

In regards of non-animal food tho, most restaurants and cafés have at least one option of vegetarian food and my general experience is that most of these dishes are possible to make vegan or at least lactose free. Still, sometimes it’s nice to be prepared and know where to be able to eat FROM the menu! Check out my healthy travel tips for Liverpool below.

Look up vegan and vegetarian restaurants and eateries on Scouseveg There are several options around Liverpool center that are vegan friendly. For instance, we tried the vegan menu at Lunya, a Spanish tapas restaurant, and were very pleased! There is also a vegan café on Bold Street - a genuine and cozy bohemian feeling street which we found when walking from the Cathedral and down towards the dock. This street is where you’ll find alternative bookstores, independent businesses, world food stores, fair trade, organic and the like. Needless to say, I enjoyed the visit!

Always carry snacks such as unsalted nuts, seeds and fruit in your daypack in case of sudden hunger and absence of healing nutrition. Bring a thermos of hot water! Refill whenever possible. For instance, ask in cafes or at 7/11, I’ve always gotten positive outcomes! Why do you want a thermos you wonder? 1- to stay warm throughout the day if weather is rough 2- to aid the digestive fire (especially if you’re making food exceptions).

Put your hiking boots on! I love to walk around bigger cities because it offers a genuine way to get to know the city, its neighbourhoods and people. Liverpool is a good-sized city to walk around for the weekend tourist. A huge plus are the signs all over town, encouraging visitors to walk between attractions. Dancing is of course also a terrific way of moving your body and get the prana flowing! As we were alone in The Cavern, in The Beatles Museum, I saw my chance to move the booty and twisted around the dance floor in front of the stage for a good two rounds of the famous Twist and Shout!

The Beatles played remarkably 292 concerts in The Cavern before the place closed down 1973. The museum does a great job in reenacting the settings and atmosphere and when I closed my eyes to let my body move to the dancing rhythms, I traveled back to a time when The Beatles were rocking the stages.

Not only is dancing and walking around museums great for the physical body but also for the overall wellbeing, such as the mental, emotional, and spiritual health. More and more research on Health and Art & Cultural activities show that the two areas are much related. For instance, music and dance have long had social and ritual functions in traditions all over the globe and research has shown that these therapies have positive affects on the mood. In addition, there is science describing how cultural activities can increase the quality of life! My health routines include absorbing art, history, architecture, music, and nature to mention a few. Thus, I make sure to involve my routines wherever I am in the world! In Liverpool, we started our trip with a visit to the world’s largest Anglican Cathedral and ended it with a long stay in The Beatles Story- both deeply spiritual and healing experiences.

The Beatles Story was an emotional roller coaster but we came out with the message of healing the world and bring world peace, so that we can all live together as ONE. 

Ps. Before New Years 2014, you can lend your voice to the largest sing-a-long ever! Read more and listen to John Lennon's Imagine here

Staying Healthy On the Road III : Liverpool & Wales

Staying Healthy On the Road III

Before I left for the trip to UK I asked my Facebook crowd if they’d think that I would be able to follow my own Healthy On The Road advice, referring to the previous posts How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling, Practicing How to stay Healthy on the road I & II 

However, this time around I wasn’t flying across the Atlantic nor was I on the road for very long. Still, sticking to healthy choices and routines during shorter holidays, weekend trips and the like is just as challenging!

Let’s see how I did.

I washed my face with a tea bag! There are many reasons as to why our skin dries out, the most common being insufficient water intake. When traveling, the air in planes, airports, hotels etc. is very dehydrating and it is important to drink a lot of water. Another reason for dry skin is stress and anxiety and in How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling, I mention a few herbs to calm the body and mind. Chamomile is also one of the common herbs used all over the world for its relaxing and calming effects. So after having finished my relaxing chamomile tea in the air between Copenhagen and Manchester, I figured I’d use the rest of the tea bag to give my face some extra love! Since I usually feel the skin of my face and around my nails dry up on airplanes I carry a small bottle of oil in the carry-on, which I applied after the cooling tea. I felt not only better and more moist in the skin but more alert too!

Digest gluten with Mint Tea! Another of my favourite herbs that is easily found worldwide is mint (any kind). In the UK it seems standard to have at least one of the two in any place that serves coffee. Both mint and chamomile aid digestion, strengthen the stomach, and reduce gas and cramps in the belly. Therefore, I always bring with me one or the other, in case I have to make one of those exceptions regarding gluten or dairy so that after the meal I drink my tea to help the body getting rid of anything unwanted. That’s what I drink in this picture, just after having had a granola bar! After the tea I soaked up some sun before entering the museum underground....

Moving the booty! If not Yoga, at least walk around! Flying from Copenhagen to Manchester doesn't exactly involve long layovers. Still, I find it unnecessary to sit down and wait when I can stand or walk around and wait. We took several laps around the middle area of one terminal made up of sofas as we were waiting for gate information. Moving around helps maintain a good circulation throughout the day, reduces bloating and swollen feet and legs. The important thing is to stay on your feet (or head) so that the blood can flow freely. Personally when on an airplane, I feel like I’m putting on a strap around my waist that strains all the Prana, air and blood flow in my body. Not only is it the seat belt (which obviously is adjustable), but also the tiny legroom and seats, forcing me to hold a very unnatural position for a long time. Especially on shorter rides it’s not ideal to walk around the airplane. Hence, I do it before I board!

Give yourself a foot massage. Another great idea I got while waiting in the airport was to massage my feet! Seriously, you want to try this! Remove your shoes (just doing that makes wonder for the entire body!) and give your hardworking feet some gentle rubbing to get the blood moving. Especially press and pull the toes, press around the heels and draw your hands alongside the feet and around the wrists. Mm YUM, your feet will thank you! 

More tips and ideas? Post in the Comment below!

Stay tuned for the post about how we enjoyed Liverpool in many nurturing and healing ways!

Love and Light

Previous on Health and Travel:

How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling

Practicing How To stay Healthy on the road 

Practicing How To Stay Healthy on the road II

Practicing How to Stay Healthy On The Road part II

It is always difficult to stick to your healthy food scheme and giving the body what it needs when transporting yourself from A to B (to C etc.). The longer the ride the harder it gets. However, traveling by air is by far the most challenging in terms of staying healthy, alert and over all good; we are not even allowed to bring our own water for heaven’s sake! Even though I dislike long train rides too, at least I have the possibility to bring my own food. A 10 hour airfare is always a gamble for a vegetarian/vegan and even more so if you eat gluten-free, organic AND non-GMO! They hardly ever get it right. I have yet to figure out how to be able to eat during long flight hours, for now I’m blessing my food as hard as I can to not get sick. Flying between Costa Rica and Europe means transiting in The States, obviously a problem for the food aware person! All food is based on chemicals and sugar. Whilst a “snack” with British Airways from London means a vegan salad containing hummus, chickpeas, falafel and greens (!). They also had fresh lemon for my hot water, hurray!

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Oatmeal, brown sugar, raisins and hot water lemon.

Before even getting to the airport I started my day with oatmeal and hot cinnamon tea (not in the picture), which improve digestion and help me stay grounded. At Dallas airport, I found a classic American burger/fajitas restaurant where I asked for vegan food and ended up analyzing their special allergy menu for a good 15 minutes! The result? Black bean burger (without bread), rice and broccoli (instead of fries) and hot water lemon on the side!

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Vegan and gluten-free meal at Dallas Aiport

In conclusion, traveling by air is still a pain food-wise but hopefully they’re getting there soon enough. Airports around the world usually have snack stores with a variety of healthier snack options such as organic raw granola bars, nut mixes and fruit. In most restaurants you can ask about ordering off the menu and they’re cool about it and, as previously stated, mint (tea) is the herb easiest to find no matter where you are. What is more, they did allow me to carry my own water bottle through security, which is a great resource and helps in staying hydrated. Next time I’ll bring my thermos ;) 

Bonus tip: in the carry on bring a small bottle of olive, avocado oil or the like to rub on nails, hands, lips and other dry areas. I also like to carry some essential peppermint oil in case I get motion sick.

For more tips on how to stay healthy while traveling check out my previous posts:

How to Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling

Practicing How To Stay Healthy on the Road

What are your experiences with airplane food? Good or bad? Do you have any tips? Share in the comments below! 

Pura Vida

Practicing How To Stay Healthy on The Road

I’ve been on the road since 5 am (it is now 11.25 am Swedish time). I still have a long way to go and many hours more in the air. I am trying to follow my own advice about staying healthy while traveling and (as suspected) it hasn’t been as easy as it might seem. However, I’ve managed to stay away from temptations like coffee and snacks ;) At CPH (Kastrup, Copenhagen airport) I had a sandwich (due to lack of time trying to find oat meal) and chamomile tea. Chamomile is great for relaxation and for the stomach so I was happy finding that! Needless to say, the breakfast we got on our way to London was awful. I had two sips of black tea, which is not ideal, and simply ignored the piece of white dough put in front of me. 

I am now at a café in Heathrow Terminal 5, waiting for my connection flight to Chicago. After having asked around for mint or peppermint tea and non-sparkling water in a few places, I eventually found a good spot! Since I want my stomach to keep doing its job, I was in the lookout for either ginger or mint. I’m extra happy to tell you that the tea is organic and I got to pay with dollars (tried Danish crowns but no go)!

It’s something about the UK, isn’t it? I mean, natural hand lotion for free in the airport toilet, organic and fair trade drinks and super friendly staff within most service areas.  

Not to mention the amazing view over London Eye and Big Ben as we flew in. Got me thinking about Sherlock. Of course.

When meeting friendly people in busy work areas all over the world, I think about Sweden. How come it’s not the same? Could it be because we don’t have the tipping culture? What do you guys think?