Lifestyle

Never stop chasing your summer

March 19, 2016 By Lara 1 Comment

Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true.
You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you’re wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So, make your wish.
Do you have it? Good. Now, believe in it with all you heart

New evian Fruits & Plantes – The perfect spring day

March 15, 2016 By Lara 7 Comments

When last snow is gone and I have exchanged my winter boots with sneakers, you know spring has finally arrived! I can’t wait to spend more time outside, doing yoga, having picnics with friends and simply enjoying the sun.
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Never stop fighting for your dreams – Truism or Truth?

March 12, 2016 By Lara 3 Comments

I don’t know what your expectations are when you click on this post. Maybe it is a good question to ask yourself before you continue reading. Have I stopped fighting for my dream? I am happy or I am just really comfortable with the current situation? Maybe there is a little voice inside your head that wants to change something and a little sparkle that says I have been born to do so much more!
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How much did they pay you to give up your dreams?

March 1, 2016 By Lara 3 Comments

{ please read until the end }

When I started my studies in business administration I thought this is the beginning of a big career.

Well, actually I didn’t.

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Google Zürich Workshop & Office Visit

February 25, 2016 By Lara 2 Comments

If you are working as a blogger or any other online business, you know it’s a dream to visit the office of a company like Google. Especially when you hear all the rumors about cool stuff such as massage rooms and other outstanding activity rooms. Along with other students, I was selected to take part of an official Google Workshop and office visit in Zürich.

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What helps me when I am Feeling Overstuffed and Bloated

February 23, 2016 By Lara 3 Comments

DRINK, DRINK, DRINK

Fennel tea and water will be your best friends. It sounds weird to actually get in more in your stomach when it already feels like exploding. But trust me, drinking that glass of water before you go to sleep can help wonders. If you don’t hate fennel tea I recommend drinking a cup or two as fennel tea helps greatly with digestion.

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Why a Plant-Based Diet is the best way to lose weight

February 20, 2016 By Lara 2 Comments

I wanted to write this blog post a long time ago. Mainly because I ‘ve read so many comments online of people asking other people how many calories they eat and if it is ok to eat meat or cheese or honey or whatever. It tells me that there is a thirst of knowledge out there and many are confused.

What about you: Are you confused? Do you reflect on your daily diet? Did you ever wanted to lose weight?

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The reason why I was craving chocolate like a junkie

February 14, 2016 By Lara 7 Comments

I cannot think of a day I haven’t eaten chocolate. I don’t know how you feel while reading this. I read a lot of captions and comments on Social Media rewarding themselves with a piece of chocolate or they feel bad when they have a piece of chocolate cake once a week. I always have to laugh a little bit when I read something like that, but secretly I am also asking myself: “Why do other people not have such bad chocolate cravings?”

I am honest with you here. I am a chocolate junkie.

It goes as far as I don’t consider anything without chocolate as a dessert. I can literally eat chocolate for every meal of the day and no offense this sometimes really happens. Never have I thought I’d find The reason why I was craving chocolate like a junkie

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Where to eat in Hawaii – Vegan and Healthy

January 26, 2016 By Lara 4 Comments

“Want to know what I ate in Hawaii?”
Come and join me to the best vegan and healthy places.

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Girl with the Crunnch – Hello from the other side

January 12, 2016 By Lara 26 Comments

Most of my readers don’t know me.

And this is totally not your fault. It’s mine.

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Food Blogger Ressources

January 5, 2016 By Lara Leave a Comment

This is a straight forward post. Setting a blog is not easy and requires a lot of effort! However anyone can do it. It is so worth doing it but the way getting to your perfect blog can be painful. My advice?
Do a blog because it is your passion! Your blog will never be successful if you just do it in order to get money. NEVER EVER! Content is king. Blog about topics that you are interested in and then second make your blog look nice and only if content and design are amazing, you can apply for Adsense, Gourmetads or other things available to you. So for now just skip the last thing and focus on the set up of your blog.

DESIGN

Next to great content what a food photography and lifestyle blog needs is a great Design. I am very picky when it comes to themes and designs. I was looking for a very clean design but still with a lot of features and it had to be a responsible design, which means it looks also food on phones and ipads etc. After scrolling through a #feltlike thousand themes ranging from “for free” up to “$300” I decided to start with the KINDRED THEME. It is a minimal and clean full-width blog design shows off your greatly good quality pictures is clearly structured with a lot of customizable options.

EDIT 11/04/15 : I switched my theme to the Foodie PRO as it allows me to even do further customization. I switched my theme to the Foodie PRO as it allows me to even do further customization. I think it is an amazingly beautiful template which allows ads and google analytics

Monetize your blog

Once you have your blog for a longer time and have a certain amount of people loving your blog and got familiar with all the features, widgets, plugins etc. (check out Youtube for things like that as they are many tutorials on topics like these) you can think about monetizing your blog. There are many different ways on how to monetize a blog but I recommend applying to Gourmetads or Adsense. If you have question on how to get accepted by these services feel free to ask. Also, check out my blogpost why gourmet ads and adsense wont accept you.

Photography Resources

Canon EOS 6D I recently upgraded to the Canon 6D after using a Canon EOS 70D for 3 years (and before that my iPhone 4S). The 6D is perfect for Food photography as it shoots incredible pictures and also shoots really good quality HD video. It’s an expensive camera, so if you’re just getting started look first at purchasing something like the Canon EOS 70D SLR or even using the camera on your phone.

Canon EF 50mm/1:1,2 L This is my best friend. It’s an amazing lens that has stood the test of time for me. It isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for with a lens and it is a lifetime investment.

Lowel EGO Digital Imaging, Tabletop Fluorescent Light Unit
The best light solution I found so far. With no prior experience, you can quickly & easily create professional results. No wonder it is sold out at the moment…

Tripod A must-have for great overhead pictures or “pouring” pictures. (Food bloggers know what I mean ;))

Lexar 32 GB Professional 1066 x CompactFlash When you belong to those people making tons of pictures just from one stack of pancakes, then this Campact Flash is a great thing to have to work properly as a food photogrpher.

Beautiful Leather Strap | Flower Theme

How to eat right on a 14 hour flight

January 3, 2016 By Lara 10 Comments

It is always a little bit of a gamble with this airplane food. Sometimes you are lucky and sometimes you are starving. In my case the second case was commonest.

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I am losing weight on a daily 3000kcal basis??!

December 21, 2015 By Lara 19 Comments

What about if it wouldn’t be about the weight loss but more about just being healthy and happy and friendly to our bodies?

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Win a Prince – Super Blender Give-Away Europe

December 1, 2015 By Lara 19 Comments

Dear readers and foodies

First thing: You can not win a real prince! But something better 😉

Do you belong to those people always looking for the perfect blender that can blend it all? Searching and analyzing a hundred different models, ending up stressed and still without the blender?

Well, I feel you! I don’t want you to be stressed before Christmas and therefore, I thought:

“Hey! A blender would be a pretty cool give-away!”

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Food and Exercise Update and how to stop over-eating once and for all

September 29, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

My meals are ~~always~~ mostly healthy and I try not to eat processed food and actually prefer cooking instead of heating up prepared food from the supermarket. I eat a balanced diet which means that all my meals contain protein, carbohydrates and fats. I do not track how many protein I take but since I am feeling energized and good every day I will keep it that way. I incorporate natural protein sources. You can find a blogpost about that here. My doctor always told me I am low in iron 3 years ago. Many doctors try to talk you into B12 injections or pills. My thoughts on that? Try to avoid it! I know from many people spending a lot of money and actually nothing changed. If you do an injection your iron might go up but it goes down as fast as it went up. If you really feel tired or you think you have a lack of something, try to get more active, eat more balanced and go to bed early. It might help 🙂 If you still think you need that B12 you can take it and see how things are changing for you. I’ve tried diets before, but I never really stick to them. Listen to my body is way easier than tracking stuff. I think life is to short to waste it with calorie counting or stressing yourself about exact amounts of carbs/proteins/fats.
I believe that the more you try to control your body the more it will fight back. We should rather support and appreciate the body we have and try to treat him accordingly. Why do people overeat? Of course many psychological factors play a huge role but still it is the body craving something. From my personal experience I can say that I tend to overeat way less when I eat properly. And properly for me is not a salad for lunch and half a sweet potato for dinner. I enjoy evenings while eating a 1000+ kcal portion of pasta and there is still room for dessert.
I mean what is the main reason people are watching and loving this “what I ate in a day” videos? Insecurity or for a matter of comparison? See whether they are normal or over or under eating? I believe people think a lot about food and eating, which is great in a sense of nourishing your body but when thoughts about food are 90% of your daily thought then you miss out on soooo many other things. Foodvlogs should serve you as an inspirations and to get new ideas for cooking and stuff. They show that a plant based lifestyle isn’t boring or expensive at all and that is what I really like about it. I think it blew my mind when I first saw that people are eating up to 300kcal a day??? Now I am doing it by myself and I have never been happier before. I think I could not eat raw since I LOVE PASTA! and rice and oats and basically everything cooked 😉 But hey never say never. I don’t want to judge and hey I might even try a banana island day or days and then tell you how it was or filming how I struggled 😉 Further, Vlogs or eating diaries can give you guidelines or ideas but they should never ever pressure you or force you into adapting a life style or an eating routine you are not comfortable with. Keep in mind that such videos should never define who you should be or what you should eat. You are an individual with an individual body. Another thing is to surround yourself with like-minded positive people. It can be so relaxing to just talk or be with beautiful minds that get your weirdness 😉 And just one last thing that helped me a lot. I sometimes say to myself that I can have the 6th cookie on the next day and it will still be good and I often then stop eating and make myself a tea. Chocolate flavored tea is such a great sweet cravings killer! AND last secret tip: Make 30 crunches. Still wanna eat that piece of chocolate? (distraction is the key)

Concerning exercising I was convinced (not even long ago) that lifting weights is the only way to stay fit. Now I think that going to the gym is not the only way you can be active at all.You can be active be active in every possible way. Take long walks, go for hike, go for a bicycle ride with your family or just put on your sneakers and run! Keep in mind that exercising does not always have to be highly aerobic and hard core. Sometimes I just don’t feel like going for a run, so I’ll do yoga instead. It’s all about what YOU enjoy doing and what you’re comfortable with. If you try to do what you like it will be way easier to stay active and believe me the more active you are the more active you want to be in the future. So why not starting today?

An overall positive thinking can help you to get to a healthy eating routine and a workout routine and basically life routine. Although i don’t really like the word routine as I rather prefer living on the edge 😉 I do believe that my thoughts create my future, therefore I choose to think positively. I know that some people may not believe in positive thinking, but we all think, so why waste your time and energy with negative thoughts when going through life with a positive attitude is so much more fulfilling and rewarding. Of course you cannot expect to be self-confident from today to tomorrow. It is a process.
Being self-confident is really difficult, especially when you’re young and you haven’t really managed to figure out who you really are or where you belong. You might not feeling attractive and compare yourself to other “pretended” perfect people. By doing your mind and body are missing an important part and that’s exactly what they show the world. You end up miserable and always in doubt if what you are doing is right.
Everyone can be self-confident, it just takes a little practice to let the new you shine through!

Life Update Part 2 – Personal Life/Job and the biggest mistake I made on vacation

September 24, 2015 By Lara 5 Comments

Did you ever wake up feeling that you need to change something in your life? What would you do if you only have 3 months left to live? Isn’t it that we hear it over and over again that we should live every day like it’s our last day? Some people like routine. It gives them confidence. I hate routine. Gives me the feeling of standing still. In Switzerland I did my 6-month internship in Social Media hoping to figure out during this time what I really want to do with my life.

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Should I start eating meat again because of a lack of protein?

September 9, 2015 By Lara 4 Comments

You hear the question of lack of protein as a vegan a lot. What is the truth about it? To be honest: I don’t know! For those who haven’t read my Instagram post: No I won’t go back to a diet including meat and fish. I never missed meat or fish or any dairy at all 😉 What I know is that I am a healthy vegan girl with no symptoms coming from a lack of protein or anything else. My iron is totally fine, actually higher than before! I am more energized and I am happy and active. Skipping meat and dairy products might seem scary because we learn to eat balanced. It is not (and it never was and never will be) my intention to convert someone to a lifestyle. I just like to share my experience and how I feel. Best case I inspire someone or some of your questions get answered.

As a vegan you may want to add some natural plant based protein to your daily diet. I do it naturally but when you are new to this kind of diet you might need some knowledge about plantbased protein. I found this really helpful table on the internet which shows the top 12 protein sources and I want to show you recipes and options to include some of the 12 top protein sources daily!

Picture source: Greatist

Chia Seeds
I start with my favourite: Chia seeds! You can literally drizzle Chia seeds over everything! However, I prefer to put them in smoothies or in my oatmeal, so they can develop this gelatinous consitency in combination with water or any other liquidity. Although summer is almost over I am still addicted to this Peach and Oat smoothie. You can easily sneak in the Chia seeds and believe me you’ll love this smoothie! Sunshine and summer in your bowl!

Quinoa
Ahhh Quinoa is such an allrounder. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, warm, cold, cooked, popped….
My favorite recipe is stolen from Stefanie. It is a vegan quinoa bowl with a lot of veggies and avocado! So easy to make and definitely your way to go when you are looking for a light and protein-rich lunch or dinner!

Buckwheat
ah when I hear buckwheat I think about my fluffy vegan protein crepes! They are made with buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour is an easy way to include all the good things of buckwheat in recipes. The possibilities are endless. Cookies, crepes, pancakes! Also I heard about buckwheat burgers…Never made them but I really want too!

Hempseed
Hemp Seeds are a gift of nature. They are a complete protein and have the most concentrated balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins and enzymes. Most often I use hempseed nuts in my morning oats. I also tried a hemp protein, which did not really appeal to me because the taste was horrible.
I like to combine it with sweet things and therefore I really advise you to check out the recipe for these CHOCOLATE CHAMOMILE + LAVENDER + BEE POLLEN & ALMOND BUTTER + CAYENNE + HEMP SEED TRUFFLES found on Elizabeths blog.

Spirulina
I know that many people hate it because of the smell, but when you are getitng a really high quality product, the smell is quite bearable and Spirulina is another excellent source of protein not to be neglected. I try to use it for Chia puddings because it gives them a nice color 🙂 There is a recipe for the pudding in my ebook.

Soy
Some love it some hate it. I think it is all a matter of preparation. I am not a strong soy eater but I love to use silken tofu for my desserts or soy milk whenever I fancy a hot chocolate or granola. I would love to experiment more with soy and when looking at the next picture I think I will! Recipe from honeyandfigskitchen

Peanut butter
Really? Do I need to say more….Recipe here

Question and Answer Session and blender announcement

September 6, 2015 By Lara 3 Comments

Hey peeps, are you all having a great sunday? I’ve spent the weekend at home, baking, relaxing and finally really finally I got the time to answer all of your questions. So thanks so much, I really tried to catch every question and answer it properly. Feel free to add a comment if there are any other questions.

Now I hope you have fun with your sunday reading 😉

I am overeating a lot..and then I would workout like a crazy because I feel bad.
How can I learn to listen to my body?

I think the most important thing is to give your body time to adapt and also get to know your body. It is totally fine to experiment with things. Try to ask you questions such as when am I overeating? Is it when I did not eat much the day before or when I have other problems distracting me? This might help: I always ask myself: Do I really need this now? This sounds crazy but a short run outside might help you focus and then once you are back if you still think you are craving that chocolate go get it. Sometimes it happens that we confuse thirst with hunger. Try to drink a glass of water and then see how your body reacts. Try not to make eating a habit. Of course the right balance is important and everyone talks about it. I found it hard to see WHAT the right balance actually really is. Then I learned that it is a complete different thing for everyone of us. For me it is ok to eat chocolate everyday…Some others might feel balanced when they eat chocolate once a week.

Also there is this book “Intuitive Eating”. A lot of friends have advised meto buy it. I haven’t so far but I might will!

How many calories do you eat a day?

I am trying to reach 2500kcal+, see more on my Youtube video: What I ate in a day.

What do you do when you eat to much in a day?

I act like crazy and go for a 4h run. NO 🙂 I try to relax and accept the fact that I indulged on something I really like. The next morning I start with a glass of warm water and some lemon juice to get my metabolism going. Later I have breakfast, something like a smoothie and then I continue eating “normal”. NO STRESS! This only makes it worse.

How much of exercising do you do?

Every week is differen, but if you like to see a sample video of me working out see my: How many times do I work out during the week.

Is it difficult to stick to a vegan diet?

mhh..not for me. I never really fancied meat and fish. Further I have a lactose intolerance and was always fine without yogurt, milk, cheese etc. There are so many things vegan that I really enjoy eating such as potatoes, rice pasta, veggies, vegan chocolate, nuts and many more. I don’t feel like it is restrictive but this might be due to the fact that I can really have different balanced meals that I like without non-vegan products. If your favorite food is a bloody red steak it might be more challenging 😉

Is your family also vegan? Do they judge you on your eating behavior?

My family is not vegan. However we always sticked to a quite “vegetarian” kind of eating. I am not living with my family anymore so I can make my own meals. When Iw as still home I just put a lot of sides on my plate, which were vegan. I think an open conversation with family, friends is always a good starting point to make them understand your way of eating. Also the fact that a vegan diet is restrictive should be revised. With my vegan cakes and sweets I try to show that veganism is not just veggies and nuts. I feel like I can veganize every dessert I am craving. Mhh right know I am thinking about making vegan Snickers

What is your favorite non-dairy milk?

Hard to tell, cause I like to use different ones on different occasions. However I like to eat my granola or oatmeal with low fat coconut milk. When I bake I tend to use almond milk. I have never tried hemp, because I haven’t seen it in a store in my country. Curious how it tastes!

Are you doing raw till 4?

No, not at the moment. There are days when it happens unintentional, but I like to have the freedom to eat a warm meal at lunch when I fancy too. Especially now that we are heading towards winter and I’ll freeze to death already at morning.

Do I eat gluten?

Yes I do, but I try to limit it to a very small amount.

Are you taking any supplements?

I enjoy adding things to my smoothie or salads such as Maca, Acai, Chlorella, Spirulina and Baobab.
My current favorite is the ACAI from Organicburst, because you can make the most thriving Acai bowls everrrrr.

What blender do you use?

From America I have brought the Cleanblend and I think it is the most powerful blender I have ever had! Now in Europe I currently use the Schwingerprinz it comes with a lot of additional equipment and is strong enough for my frozen bananas and my huge smoothies!

Do you like Essena O’Neill?

Of course who wouldn’t 😉 No seriously I really like how she lives her life and also changes over time and let her followers change with her. It’s great. I think she has the power to inspire a lot of us. What I think about her leaving Social Media? I totally get her point and I think it is great that she brought the topic of the usage of Social Media on the table. She will go her way and create amazing things. For me I’ll stay on Social Media as I am just picking out the good stuff for me and not let the influencing bad stuff get close to me. I have a very strong relation to my family and friends and I really appreciate my life in real 😀

What is your favorite vegan cheat food?

I actually don’t like the expression “cheat”. But anyhow, I really really really like the NUGO Bar. But I don’t see it as a cheat.

Favorite thing to eat in the morning?

Chocolate oatmeal all the way! haha

Easiest recipe?

Almond flour, coconut oil, almond milk, chocolate drops, apple sauce, baking soda, vanilla extract = Chocolate cookies

Weekly workout routine as a vegan

August 23, 2015 By Lara 3 Comments

When I started on this vegan lifestyle I watched a lot of videos from freelee the banana girl and Annie Jaffrey.
I was confused and marveled about the amount of carbs and fruits these girls are eating. I thought about their workout routine and asked myself whether they have the time to workout 1-3 hours a day or something like that. At that point I felt like it would have been helpful to know what amount of exercising (just roughly) I need in order to maintain my weight and look. For this kind of reason I made the weeky workout routine as a vegan video and what I do now is that I am sharing one week of workout from my week. Of course this is just a sample week and the times are fluctuating according to my working times, wellbeing and personal dates. I feel like working out should become a natural part of your daily life. Nothing that forces you to do stuff you actually don’t want or not feeling comfortable with. I personally prefer to adapt my workout to my mood. When I feel like running in the morning, I go. When I feel like a chilly Yoga session in the evening, I skip the running and do the Yoga. When I feel like doing both things, I do. And there are these weeks when there is just time for 1 workout? No worries, this won’t kill you nor your body 😉

About the video

As also mentioned in the video, I am not a fitness person or an athlete. I would consider myself as a normal girl, thriving on plants, pursuing a plantbased lifestyle and moving my body in different ways. I am open to all kind of sports and workouts and I get bored quite soon. I am looking for inspiration and excitement. One week I am totally into yoga the next day I feel like running is my new passion. Don’t blame me, I am a free spirit!
I have hurt my wrist a long time ago when I used to play volleyball. Since then I cannot perform handstands or push ups as proper as I would like to. Whenever I practice I feel pain after some minutes in my left wrist. Anyway I still wanted to show you some exercises in the video and to them according to the best of my belief. What I gained from this lifestyle? I gained happiness and I enjoy living this lifestyle. There are days when I have energy for hours! I never experienced that before and therefore I thought it might be worth to share it with you. I hope you enjoy watching the video and I would appreciate if you subscribe to my channel and even more if you would leave me a comment with thoughts, ideas or whatever you feel like telling me.

Love, Vanillacrunnch <3

A visit at the Swiss Pavillon at the Expo Milano 2015

July 28, 2015 By Lara 1 Comment

Last weekend I was lucky to be an official visitor of the Swiss Pavillon in Italy.
The topic of the exhibition is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. This is why I was particularly interested on how the different countries implement the topic. For those who are not familiar with the concept of the expo; there are several countries which are hosting a Pavillon and trying to raise awareness as well as to reflect upon the topic in a country specific way.
About 1.3 billion tons of foods are wasted every year, and we really should go insight ourselves and think about it and then TAKE ACTION!

EVERYDAY!
EVERYWHERE!
EVERYONE!

So far so good, and the concept sounds really promising! What I was wondering though was, why there is a Mc Donald place located within the exhibition. Well yeah, of course I know why. But I was wondering if it is supporting the idea of the exhibition. Just a thought.
Further many countries mainly promoted their country and tried to get you to their souvenir shops.

I am happy that Switzerland (as one of the few countries) actually picked up the concept and raises public awareness of the main challenges relating to sustainable development and responsible consumption.

Simple, modest Switzerland with a thought!

In keeping with the general aim of Expo 2015, Switzerland has built up 4 towers. The coffee, the salt, the apple and the water tower. They are all dealing with the issue of: What can be done to secure an adequate supply of safe and healthy food for the world’s population?
Switzerland’s intention is to invite visitors to reflect on their relationship with consumption through a visit to the pavilion towers. The social conscience of each visitor determines what’s left for those who come later. As a visitors you can take as much as you want, keeping in mind that nothing will be re-stocked for the entire life of the EXPO 2015. From the introduction tour, I learned that the walls of each tower are made from hundreds of cardboard boxes filled with produce and the floor is actually the base of a huge elevator, which lowers gradually as the boxes of produce empty.

you might ask what happens with the towers after the expo?
All four towers will be reused as urban greenhouses in several Swiss cities. According to the Swiss Pavillon homepage: “Seventy-five per cent of the materials used for the Swiss Pavilion and related infrastructures can be recycled after the event.”

Do you know how many water it needs to produce 1 kg of meat? — Do you know how many water it needs to produce 1 kg of beef?

Find out more on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram

Talking about meat production. I was wondering why there is a Mc Donald on the exhibition area…I personally think that this does not emphasize the idea of the expo and is a huge No-Go.
There are so many great options like for example the “Green” Vegan Burger (“The Netherlands”) or a wonderful local corean rice dish at the Corean pavillon (Just for my friend Nadja from Switzerland, who is half corean – Hope you read this 🙂

WEED Burger (Netherlands) & Rice with Tofu (Corea)

all wood architecture at Chile's pavillon — all wood architecture at Chile’s pavillon

At the end of my journey I could participate in a chocolate workshop, where I explored from where the raw cacao beans are coming and what the cacao fruit looks (and smells! yummiiiii no words…passing out!) like. If you already haven’t, plan your visit to the expo (even if it is just for visiting the Swiss Pavillon, since they did a really great job!

Last but not least never forget:

London for health-conscious Foodies and Fitties

July 15, 2015 By Lara Leave a Comment

Hello dear followers!

Have you ever been in London? I wish I visited this amazing city earlier! I have spend great 6 days there and enjoyed the atmosphere and the amazing food! I have to say that I enjoyed walking out on the street, bumping into healthy stores and cafes on every corner. For you I have listed my top three London Hotspots! (I know there are a lot more but I did not have the time to check out all of them)

Well,here we go with my top three!

PODFOOD

This is a healthy food chain, I found when I was looking for a fast breakfast! So you can basically find it on every street just look for the green round sign that says POD.I had a basic oatmeal for just 1.99£ and bought additional some fresh fruits.Order the oatmeal with water instead of milk.
So simple and healthy.

For lunch, I can recommend their lunch PODS, since they are packed with nutritious foods such as green beans, quinoa, seeds and a lot of veggies.
I had the Peruvian vegetable pod and was really satisfied!

A friend recommended Crushh to me. From the moment I had a look at their juice menu I knew I’d have a crush on crushh!
I decided to go with a veggie green smoothie (for the brave ones without fruits and sweetness ;)) and an Acai bowl. The Smoothie was quite pricey but totally worth it concerning the fact that they are freshly made (and I mean really fresh made and not 4 hours ago) An amazing breakfast for a busy shopping day in London.

Picture of their juices from the homepage

WILDFOODCAFE My absolute favorite!
This place is located close to Covent Garden. It is like if you sneak through a side street and then you arrive at this magical place. The place is located on the 1st floor and is pretty narrow. This makes it such a special, cute place. So we already had lunch but wanted to try the famous dessert from the cafe.
By looking at the card can you agree with me that I could not decide what to go for….BUT if you know me you can make a wild guess 🙂

WILD FOOD CAFE

JAP, I had the raw chocolate tart! And it was a dream! The perfect combination of dark chocolate in combination with a wild berry sauce and drizzled with cacao nibs. Halleluja this was FOOD HEAVEN!
So, once in London you cannot miss this place and try all the desserts they have!

Perfection through Photoshop?

July 6, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
– Marcus Aurelius

Are you the person, who looks at a picture and thinks: Damn why is she looking so good? or How can her legs be so skinny? Her food looks so colorful, so perfect.

I was that person.

Then I learned, we often get tricked by advertisements and we want to look like bikini models which are simply not reflecting the truth because they are photoshopped. Often we forget the power of such editing programmes. We are confronted with this ideal bodies on almost every corner on the street.
People want to look like brand “Photoshop”.

I like to show how easy it is to let people think something very artificial is real. Stronger colors, other angles, editing legs. Perfection can be achieved on the computer but is not worth striving for in real life. What does perfection even mean? I mean like why do we think that skinny legs and a flat stomach are the indicators for beauty and perfection? Did we get used to it?
I am not a photoshop pro. I just know some tools which I often use for my food pictures.
To give you a little insight I asked people on Instagram to send me pictures. I got so many beautiful pictures (it was sad to “edit” them with Photoshop, since they are perfect the way they are)
However, this is an experiment. Please see it as this. I don’t say that I like the edited pictures better. In contrary. Next time when you look at a picture on a billboard or on Instagram, look closer and think about it again.

Eloisef — Eloise you look different? Why so serious?

Ines didn't like her body in the smoothie, so we made it disappear — Ines didn’t like her body in the smoothie, so we made it disappear

How just one color can make a different picture. (Jessica's wonderful chocolate cake) — How just one color can make a different picture. (Jessica’s wonderful chocolate cake)

Alina and her beautiful mom. could you guess it is Photoshop by looking just at the right picture? yet, looking at both what a difference it is!

Lucy why didn't you tell me you work for Maybelline? — Lucy why didn’t you tell me you work for Maybelline?

Detox experience and the secret around a grey detox juice

June 22, 2015 By Lara Leave a Comment

With the first sun rays of spring I decided to do a little freshing up for my body and especially for my stomach

I had the juices from @privatdetoxbased. A company which is based in Geneva and has experienced friendly employees. Check out their homepage it is so nicely designed! You can also order there which is pretty convenient! The juices are then brought to your house and you can store them for the next three days.

I had some downs at afternoon the first day. I killed my head ache then with juice number 6 with almond milk vanilla and cinnamon. That juice is really the yummiest thing I have ever had!! Wish privatdetoxbox could just send me a present with white juices <3

After the second day I felt that my body is cleaning itself. I experienced short head aches that usually disappeared when I drank some herbal tea. On day 3 I woke up feeling really active and enthusiastic and had some food that was suggested from privatdetoxbox. I think part because I could do 2 days was because the juices really taste authentic and fresh. I also had a mental coach. Guess next time I would do the detox with a friend. My last fav was the green one with cucumber. What I really missed during these days were my sweets and homemade chocolates. But know what? They tasted even better after the detoxing. It seems like you taste and smell food way more intensive than before!

Now there is a new juice called Greytox! it looks so grey and I was wondering what causes the grey color. What is the ingredient activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal was used to stave off the infection from the open wounds. Since then healers used it to soak up poisons and improve the intestinal health through the process of adsorption. “Adsorption is a process in which molecules move from a liquid, gas or solid phase onto a solid or liquid surface”. Meaning the toxins and poisonous chemicals attach to the surface of the charcoal. The activated charcoal is composed of porous substances that are derived from a variety of materials containing natural organic carbon such as coal, charcoal, coconut charcoal and so on.

Detoxification

Toxins from the GMO processed foods, environmental pollution are the real problems of our everyday life. It is very important to help your body to eliminate toxins because they produce cellular damage, allergic reactions and rapid aging,
Adding the activated charcoal to your diet on regular basis can remove unwanted toxins leaving you feeling renewed. It also eliminates all the toxic heavy metals such as copper or mercury that are stored in our body –sometimes for years.

Lifestyle

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