TOMATOES

On the journey to foodie heaven, I am compiling a list of my favourite foods. Tomatoes, once hated by myself, are right up there. Sundried, Cherry, Grape, Romano, Plum, Vine-Ripened, is your mouth watering yet???


Here's some things you might not have known about the health benefits of the humble tomato: 


-Tomatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that supports the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin and tissue lining.


-They are packed with antioxidant flavonoids and vitamin E, both of which are essential for heart health, and are a good source of potassium. 


-One medium-size tomato provides 50 per cent of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C


-they contain no saturated fatty acids, are low in salt, starch and sugars, high in dietary fibre and have a low glycaemic index.


-Tomato consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast cancer, head and neck cancers and might be strongly protective against neurodegenerative diseases

But aside from all that, tomatoes are the richest source of an exceptionally potent antioxidant which I have become obsessed with of late, called lycopene. Lycopene is found in fruits and vegetables with a deep red colour and it's sooooooooooo good for you. A single lycopene molecule can neutralise 13 free radicals which, if allowed to build up, can cause cell damage and trigger cancer - that's twice the free radical busting power of beta-carotene, another powerful antioxidant. To put it simply...chow down on things with lycopene in them, like: watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, goji berries, red peppers/capsicums, and of course, the fabulous tomato.




My favourite combinations of tomato are:
-on seeded bread with avocado and turkey bacon


-in a salad with basil and mozzarella


-fresh tomato soup with crusty parmesan rolls


-with melted cheddar on a toasted english muffin


-in a salad with steamed brocoli and wholegrain mustard


Enjoy.

MIA PAPER PLANES-BRENTWOOD REDUX

I actually thought this was hilarious considering how M.I.A acts nowdays. If she ever saw this, she would be so pissed. Basically makes her out to be all the things she claims she isn't but that she actually is.

MIA -- Paper Planes Brentwood Redux - watch more funny videos

MOISTURISER

Moisturiser....as you enter your 20's, you need to keep your skin hydrated and fresh if you want to keep getting asked for ID at bars.

I've tried my fair share of moisturiser over the years and  my favourite ones are surprisingly the most inexpensive. The most I've ever spent on a moisturiser is $76 in australia. It was estee lauder ultra hydrating night creme and yes, it was fabulous but you can get just as good moisturisers for way way less.

Here's some of my favourites:

CLARINS MULTI-ACTIVE DAY CREAM

NIVEA REGENRATING NIGHT CREAM

OLAY REGENERIST NIGHT CREAM

CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE

And believe it or not:

SUDOCREM

Clinique moisture surge is absolutely amazing but as with most clinique products, it's a wee bit pricey. Worth it though because it is heaven!!! The clarins day cream is my favourite day moisturiser...it has high protection sunscreen which is VERY IMPORTANT if you want to preserve your skin. The others are night creams, the Olay one is again quite expensive but the Nivea one is a cheaper alternative and it does the job. Sudocrem is just the best thing ever! Yes I know it's for nappy rash..but ever heard the expression 'soft as a babys bum'? well, sudocrem does that to your skin. If I have a pimple, i put sudocrem on it and the next day it's almost gone. Every couple of weeks i cover my whole face in sudocrem(except for the eyes...it burns!!!) before I go to sleep and when I wake up my skin is unbelievably soft.

My favourite tinted moisturisers are:

CLARINS HYDRA-CARE

DOVE ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

I haven't been able to find the Dove moisturiser in London but the Clarins one is everywhere.

As for body moituriser, hands down this one is the winner:

ST IVES WHIPPED SILK

It's creamy, lightweight and absorbs quickly and it leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated for ages!!! One of the things that makes me incredibly happy is having a shower, putting a treatment in my hair, covering myself in St Ives, moisturising my face, making a cup of tea and sitting in bed watching TV or an old movie. Fab!!!!

PETRUS-PAULUS RUBENS

HERCULE ET OMPHALE - PETRUS PAULUS RUBENS

Petrus-Paulus Rubens, otherwise known as Peter Paul Rubens, is by far my favourite 16th century artist. His paintings in one word: captivating. But I always want to know more. As with almost all art, you want to know what the scene is, what's happening, what's behind this scene, what's going on outside the boundaries of the painting. His paintings have a very distinct theme and rich colour scheme.

My favourite all time painting is Hercule Et Omphale. I spent almost 45 minutes staring at the painting at the Louvre. And I know that most people would be like "45 minutes? hah! that's nothing!" but it is for me. I just couldn't take my eyes off it, it is just SO beautiful and complex.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE

Eat, Pray, Love is a book I am currently reading. When I start to read books, unless I am completely engrossed in it and cannot put it down, it tends to take me a while. Also I don't take very good care of my books, which is really bad I know, but hence my 2 month old copy of Eat, Pray, Love looks like this:

It is actually a really inspring and thoughtful book, and I am really enjoying it, but it's a bit of a handful, mostly because it's full of historical references to Italy and India. It has made me want to travel to Italy though, very much so.