Oh boy, if you follow me on social media, you’ll know I promised you this story last week. But I missed my deadline in a whirlwind of work projects and jet lag. So here we are, two weeks after our return from Budapest and I am yet to tell you what happened on the way over. Remember how worried I was?

Remember me asking for medicinal wine supplies should I be wrangling a transatlantic feral toddler? Why did none of you save me?!

We boarded the flight with a little trepidation as Atticus was snotty, teething and tired. But he was surprisingly cheerful, made friends with lots of people at the gate and we marched on board with the buoyancy that comes with leaving on a jet plane for a week of fun. So far so good!

We’d booked the bulkhead but had got bumped back into a regular row. Still, once the lights went off (eventually), Attix drifted off and we kept our fingers crossed.

The Gods were not having it however and our active little sleeper kept waking each time he tried to turn over.

Eventually he was so exhausted he was beside himself. I tried taking him on a little walk towards the middle of the plane, patting his back, singing a song … the usual.

I thought “I’ve done this a million times before, I’ve got this”…. But it turns out I did not.

Soon, the fussing escalated into a full-on tantrum. We’re talking body-flinging, scratching and inconsolable wailing.

I knew that I just had to hold on for dear life and eventually he would calm down. However, faced with a plane full of familiar faces, I became self-conscious and tried to escape to the back.

I was blocked by a bloody trolley though (giving everybody wine except me!) The poor (or lucky?) Irishman couldn’t help as he was trapped on the other side. Gosh, we were a spectacle.

Eventually our poor little man fell back to sleep with little shuddering sobs onto my shoulder.

I’d been accidentally headbutted in the eye and was bleeding from some scratches. I was traumatised by how traumatised he had been. It was heartbreaking.

I was exhausted from trying to wrap up work and life and get on the plane. Still trapped by the toilets and in full view, I asked the next person who approached the washroom to pass me some tissues.

It wasn’t a stranger though, it was a friendly face at which point I burst into tears and made her hug me (thank you, Calista!)

I know that every parent understands a screaming baby on a plane.

I’ve been both the mortified mom of a screaming baby with an ear infection and the smug parent of perfect angels. I remember flying with Chloe and Belle by myself when they were 3 years and 5 months old.

They fell asleep on take-off and woke up on landing, giggling in their pyjamas until we got off the plane (they then both got norovirus and vomited for a week, but hey-ho.)

As is the way with parenting, where one day is total torture but the next is magical, our flight home was pretty great. We discovered that the little Irishman is much more comfortable sleeping on the big Irishman and he had an epic nap for three hours.

The rest of the time was spent sticking stickers on the bulkhead, some of which are probably still there.

I came back to work with a spring in my step and launched myself into a busy week. We’ve just introduced a new Nutrifit menu at Harry’s and we’re also growing the Nutrifit smoothie line at Miles.

The goal is to simply make it easier for you to pick up healthy options when you are out and about – and make sure they are delicious too!

Usually, I would say it’s easy to be healthy at home and less easy to be healthy when you are out, but when it comes to smoothies, I think it’s equally easy to mess it up.

Smoothies in cafés often have far too much fruit for one person and are sometimes blended with concentrates or syrups.

At home it’s easy to overdo the quantity and most of us lean towards combos that are extra sweet. Our new menu in Miles sidesteps all that, as the portion sizes are spot-on and the blends include enough fibre and protein to steady sugar release.

I’d love for you to give them a try (menu on social media!) If you like making smoothies at home however, here are a few tips to make sure it’s as healthy as you think it is. Enjoy!

1. 1.5 cups of fruit, max

This is where most people go wrong, especially when ordering from a smoothie bar. You want max 1.5 cups of fruit otherwise you will completely overdo the natural sugars. This is easy to control at home, but in a café you might want to ask them to hold back on the fruit for you. They won’t complain, given that it will be cheaper for them! (The other way to manage this is to get a smoothie but split it between two …)

2. Pair higher sugar fruit with low sugar fruit

If you were to make a banana, pineapple and mango smoothie you would have a big hit of natural sugars – those are some of the sweetest fruits right there! If you choose one of these, then mix them with peaches or berries instead which are lower on the glycemic index. Ripeness also determines sweetness (the riper the fruit, the more fructose there is) so be careful not to use overripe bananas.

3. Add some extra fibre

A great way to steady sugar release (which means less pressure on your insulin response and more sustained energy) is to add extra fibre to your smoothie. You could add ground flax seed, a tablespoon of oats, a big handful of greens, or even some cucumber. I know the latter sounds strange but a banana, strawberry and cucumber smoothie is oddly good!

4. Add some protein

Here we go, another big gun for helping to steady sugar release and prolong energy. If you opt for a protein powder, check the portion size as you only need about 15g (as a reference point, one egg has 6g.)

If you pick whey protein, always go for grass fed. If you pick plant-based protein, make sure you avoid soy and preferably choose sprouted plant based proteins which are more bioavailable!

We have two amazing plant based proteins in Miles – Vivo (from the UK) and the Garden of Life Organic Sport brand. As an alternative to protein powder, you could add 1 tsp of almond butter and a tablespoon of pumpkin or hemp seeds for a more whole food approach.

5. Choose a good mixer

Please don’t use juice as a mixer as your sugars will skyrocket! You can use unsweetened coconut water but keep it to 8oz max as natural sugars are high. If you use a milk, go for plant-based and always choose unsweetened. However, these days at home I just use water.

Smoothies still taste great with water only, are lower in sugar, more refreshing and you skip the weird additives/gums in plant-based milks. I’ve also been known to use chilled herbal tea (eg chamomile) – a good way to use up that cup of tea that you made but never drank! (Just pop it in the fridge before you leave the house instead of pouring it down the drain.)

6. Consider adding collagen

I’m a big fan of collagen as it’s so helpful for skin, hair, nails, bone density, joint health and gut integrity. You’ll need a hydrolysate that dissolves well.

My favourite is the unflavoured Great Lakes collagen peptides from Miles, which comes from grass-fed cows in Brazil.

If the idea of cow-based collagen freaks you out, remember it’s no different to bone broth, or making your own chicken stock from scratch!

This way, it’s unflavoured and easy to incorporate at breakfast or for a snack.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda