Day 46

Weight: 13 stone 6 lb

Lost: 1 lb

Weight loss since day 1: 1 stone 9 lb

Fantastic! I lost another pound today...so that's 3 lb in total this week...though I may quite possibly sneak on another pound after my eating exploits in Malaga today.

First port of call was Fitovitalia, which I have to say is probably the best health food store for picking up superfoods and raw food items in Malaga province. Inma, the owner, who speaks good English as she lived in Bristol for 11 years is very knowledgeable about all of her products and she eats a lot of raw food at home after trying to reverse her son's diabetes condition on this diet. The shops been open for nearly 3 years and let's hope it continues to be a success. Please go and visit Inma or check out her online shop: www.fitovitalia.com

Calle Marmoles 23, Malaga

In Fitovitalia we found some really 'naughty' chocolate bars, though luckily they were raw! We purchased one mint and one orange bar...and I have to say that they are delicious! Ingredients for the After Dinner organic mint bar: Cacao paste; cacao butter; coconut palm sugar; lucuma; carob; mint oil and vanilla.

 Raw, organic, dairy free chocolate bars

I really only went in there for nutritional yeast which is gluten free and I have found it impossible to source here until now There are loads of raw food recipes that I can make with the nutritional yeast flakes that gives the food a cheesy flavour. 

I also found hemp seeds which come in an economical 1 kg bag so I can make hemp seed milk, or grind them down to put into smoothies or even just sprinkle on salads. 
Hemp seeds are an easily digested vegan protein. 3 tbspn of seeds = 11 grams protein and contain all 10 essential amino acids. They are also a great anti-inflammatory.

In addition, I bought some organic coconut sugar, which I will use to make raw desserts. Coconut sugar has been used as a traditional sweetener for thousands of years in South-East Asian regions. It has a high mineral content, being a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. It also contains Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. It can be used as a sugar substitute and is considered safe for diabetics.

I also bought some more flax seeds to make more crackers. Flax seeds contain high levels of dietary fibre and omega-3 fatty acids.

My last purchase was a box of my favourite Yogi tea, Himalaya. The tea has a blend of 5 Ayurvedic spices which have unique healthful properties. 
For more information please visit the Yogi Tea website: Yogi Tea

Here are just some of the items in Fitovitalia...

I could've spent a fortune in there but my new state of discipline stopped me thank goodness!

More raw bars to be had...

On the way to the smoothie bar, our attention was caught by a speciality store selling products from Andalucia. We took a little peek and it was so inviting our curiosity took the better of us and we had a wander round. They sold organic olive oil, local wines, chocolates, cheeses, conserves and other goodies that Andalucia is known for. 
Here's their website: El Almacén del Indiano

El Almacén del Indiano. Calle Cisneros 7, Malaga

So after our little detour we nearly headed straight to the smoothie bar, but I couldn't help but loiter outside a shoe shop which conveyed my sentiments exactly...

Couldn't have expressed it better myself

So finally onto my favourite smoothie bar, El Último Mono. I ordered an orange, mango and pineapple smoothie. My partner ordered the apple, mango and ginger smoothie...and they were delish! It was also nice to see that they were very busy. 

Long live 'The Last Monkey'!

"2 Smoothies Shell" inside El Último Mono

The story continues...

A little wander around the shops was in order before heading off for lunch at La Plaza in Plaza Merced. Website: La Plaza Restaurant

They have an array of vegetarian and some vegan dishes and we ordered the Aubergine caviar; Hummus with crispy tortilla chips and Falafel with cumin and honey yoghurt...all washed down with a bottle of water.

The sun was shining on a lovely warm Malaga day and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful...I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

Lovely tapas at La Plaza, Plaza Merced, Malaga

Later on this evening we will be paying a visit to El Piano, the vegan restaurant just off Plaza Merced. Website: El Piano  

I will be sharing with you the food and the experience in tomorrow's blog.

Hasta pronto