My powerful gummies for glowing skin, resilient gut & fighting cravings

These little beauties came from a complete lack of excitement when I opened our fridge last week. When you aren’t satisfied, create the solution yourself. So relevant for life and when you open the fridge to find a whole lot of nothing.⠀

Beyond giving you something to chew on and being cute they provide quite the little nutrition boost.

BLUEBERRY GOODNESS
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Blueberries are both delicious and nutritious. Rich in flavonoids that support cognitive & neuronal health, proanthocyanides that have been shown to have anti-carcinogen properties, chlorogenic acids that have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and flavonols which are cardio-protective.⠀
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If that wasn’t enough, they contain polyphenols , a type of antioxidant that have been shown to have a prebiotic effect (feeding your good bacteria in your gut) and are metabolised by phase 2 enzymes and the gut bacteria to produce numerous beneficial metabolites which you can then absorb in your body. ⠀
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GUT, JOINT, SKIN LOVING GELATIN

In it’s natural form (not the artificially coloured and sugar laden “I love aeroplane jelly” variety), is an excellent addition for healthy hair, skin, nails, joints, bones, skin, gut and even sleep. You see gelatin comes from collagen, the most abundant protein in our body. Just as it holds your desserts and gummies together nice and firm, it also holds your tissues together, to provide a nice sturdy yet flexible structure.

Traditionally we got a lot more gelatin than we do today. This is because we ate nose to tail, meaning we consumed “all the bits” of the animal not just the muscle meat (which isn’t rich in gelatin). We need the skin, joints, ligaments and other collagenous parts which generally take much longer to cook and need to be simmered down. So a high quality grass fed, pastured raised gelatin powder that is derived from the skin, the connective tissue and/or bones of animals can be a way to get this important proeitn into the body.

There are plenty of great brands out there these days. I used @nutraorganics. I have also used Great Lakes Gelatin Powder for years.

COCONUT MILK

A creamy, rich, healthy fat, to keep you feeling satiated and supports blood sugar control and healthy hormones.

HONEY

Not all sugar is created equal. Refined sugars such as table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS): do cause weight gain and bring on all the metabolic and cardiovascular issues that come with excess kilograms as well as lead to problems in the digestive tract. Raw honey, straight from the beehive (find a local honey provider) is a wonderful natural sweetener that provides enzymes and other proteins, trace minerals, and polyphenols that make it health promoting, making it a perfect choice to add some sweetness to make this gummy enjoyable without the need for added refined sugar.

SLIM/SMART AND SASSY ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

This is doTERRA metabolic blend. It’s an incredible combination of oils that will have a positive impact on blood sugar (cinnamon), digestive support (peppermint, ginger, lemon), and cleansing and detoxification (lemon, grapefruit). dōTERRA essential oils for food flavouring meet the requirements of the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code for food additives.

Super Cool huh? Talk about food as medicine.

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Ok, The Recipe

What you need:

• 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)

• 1/3 of a cup of water *leave out and double the coconut milk for a creamier gummy

• 1/3 of a cup of full fat coconut milk (I still use the AYAM brand)

• 6 scoops of Nutraorganics Gelatin or 6 Tblsp of Great Lakes Gelatin

• 3 Tbsp of local, raw, honey

• 6 drops of Smart and Sassy Blend (or 1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice) * optional

How to make:

1. Blend blueberries, lemon juice*, water, and coconut milk, until smooth

2. In a small pot over low heat, add the above mixture and stir in the honey.

3. Slowly add in the gelatin powder while whisking aggressively to avoid any lumps. It may appear like you don’t have enough liquid until it melts. Keep stirring aggressively through the thickening, it will become liquid again.

4. Once it returns to a fluid, liquid state, turn off heat. Add drops of Smart and Sassy Blend.

5. If you're using little cute moulds, you can transfer your blueberry mixture into a container with a spout and carefully pour it into the mould or free hand like mw. Otherwise, just pour it all into an square silicone, glass or nonstick pan.

6. If you’re desperate to get some excitement in your mouth, transfer this to freezer and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or if you can wait, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

7. Remove and pop out your gummies. It’s fun to see their perfect little shape formed. If you used the 8x8 pan, cut your gummies into cubes . Store in the fridge.

8. Beware they disappear quick.

There you have it guys! Hope the kids love them, too.

Love,

Chantel

Here's a quick guide to heal your gut lining

Are you like me and a bit behind the eight ball with your gummy making? Not even sure what I'm talking about?  I'm referring to the cute little LolLols, made from quality gelatin powders (like Great Lake Gelatin or I Quit Sugar's Gelatin) , getting around on social, mostly targeting a healthy lolly substitute or snack for kids. 

Here's what I'm talking about....

Cute right? Doesn't it make you want to eat a dinosaur? Image from http://www.loveurbelly.com/2014/01/yummy-gummy-lollies-made-with-gut.html

After my little bout of gastro (thankfully only lasting 24 hours) I needed to focus my attention to supporting my intestinal lining and calming down some inflammation. 

What does a bout of stomach flu do to the intestinal lining?

It is important to remember that our whole gut is really a hollow tube that starts in our mouths and finishes at our bottoms. So anything that is inside our gut is technically still outside of our body. Kind of cool right? 

Infections - be it viral, bacterial or parasitic can damage the integrity of our gut barrier system. 

The primary role of this barrier system is to allow nutrients to enter through into the blood stream and to prevent toxins, and large food molecules from making there way into the body. Picture it like a gatekeeper - letting the good in and keeping the bad out. 

Other ways the gut barrier can become more permeable:

• In people who have celiac disease of non celiac gluten sensitivity that consume gluten 
• A diet high in sugar, flour and seed oils 
• Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth (SIBO) 
• Chronic stress
• Excess alcohol
• Certain medications (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin, antibiotics, Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs))
• Environmental toxins like BPA, heavy metals

If the gut barrier becomes too permeable or “too leaky” this allows pathogens, toxins and large food molecules, to get through that shouldn’t into the blood stream. The body sees this as a threat and stimulates an immune response against them. This process of activating an immune response overtime is a source of low grade inflammation in our body. This can contribute to the development of autoimmune conditions, skin issues, obesity and depression. 

Therefore calming inflammation and supporting the intestinal lining back to tip top shape is SUPER important.

Cue Gelatin Gummy Bears (or hearts in this case)!!!!!!

How to:

1. Consume gelatin powder or bone broths that contain gelatin, which is the by-product of simmering collagen. 

• Gelatin absorbs water (that’s why it makes things thick and jell-o) and helps maintain the layer of mucus that lines our intestinal barrier. 
• Gelatin and glycine (an amino acid found in collagen) have been shown to reduce inflammation 
• Glutamine, another amino acid found in bone broth, helps to maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier 

You can find the recipe I used over at http://thewholedaily.com.au/food/lemon-and-turmeric-gummies-recipe/

2. Take a multi-strain probiotic. There has no doubt been alterations made to your microbiome. Therefore giving it an extra boost or dose of beneficial bacteria is a good idea. Much like a garden you want to make sure the soil is rich and diverse in order to grow healthy things (in this case belly bugs). That also means feeding them with plenty of prebiotic rich foods. 

3. Consider avoiding gluten and dairy, until things feel back on track ie. stool frequency and consietny is normal, no cramps, no pain, no bloating etc. These contain larger proteins can trigger an immune response if the gut is more permeable. 

4. Rehydrate. Add a quarter of a teaspoon of salt  to your water bottle. With a squeeze of lemon for good taste and drink up. 

5. Eat, eat and eat. Chances are you haven't felt for much food or been able to absorb many nutrients due to the increase transit time (diarrhoea). Now is the time to rebuild back up. So make sure you load up on the nutrients. You could consider taking a good quality multivitamin to help with this. I like Thorne Research or Pure encapsulations. I am currently taking doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack which has a lot more to offer than your typical multivitamin. 

Gastro does really suck. But when something beats you down the best approach is always to come back armed and even stronger. 

Please feel free to reach out if you are still struggling with your gut health. 

Love Chantel 

ONE OF THE BIGGEST PALEO MISTAKES

Unfortunately, when the majority of people switch to a paleo type of diet one of the biggest mistake they make is they start eating larger amounts of meats and eggs and not eating the other parts of the animals, organ meats and cartilage. This is not just limited to paleo peeps. It is actually the vast majority of people. Your grandparents have eaten these foods but most likely you and your children do not.

The problems with this includes:

• You and your family miss out on the most nutrient dense parts of the animal !!! Yep we through out, the best bits. From a value perspective it would kind of be like diving for a pearl oyster, finding it, tossing away the pearl and keeping the shells of the pearl oyster. Crazy right? Yes that’s we do. We discard the most valuable parts.
• These now unpopular parts (the ones we all screw our noses up at the near mention of them) actually work together with the more commonly eaten parts. For example, muscle meats (eg. chicken breast, rump steak) and eggs are high in methionine an amino acid that can be problematic in excess. However, glycine found in bone broth and B vitamins, choline, and betaine found in organ meats balances the potentially harmful effects of excess methionine. Cool right! Nature had it sorted for us all along.

**** Fun historical fact. “Observations of modern hunter-gatherers have shown that muscle meats (the leanest part of the animal) are least preferred, sometimes even being thrown away in times of plenty, in preference to the fattier portions. Eaten first are the organs such as brains, eyeballs, liver, tongue, kidneys, bone marrow (high in monounsaturated fat), and storage fat areas such as mesenteric (gut) fat.”

• It’s extremely wasteful. It seems ludicrous to consume only 1/8th of that animal and discard the rest as waste. That is just not sustainable which is a real problem for our future.

THE SOLUTION ……..

To embrace the concept of nose to tail eating. **** Did you think I was going to say veganism?

It is a tried and tested tradition our ancestors learnt through experimentation over thousands of generations to maintain good health and fertility.

Sounds hard and maybe a little scary but it really doesn’t have to be. It is more to do with breaking down the mental barrier we have built up around these foods due to them falling out of favour in our generation. But when you say, “Do you want some liver and bacon for breakfast?”, to your grandma, she will know exactly what you’re talking about and she will be totally up for it. On the contrary, try getting it into a child these days, not going to happen! Especially with fruit loops and coco pops as hot contenders.

Getting these all important bits and bods into us these days may look a little something like this:

• Consume 1/2 cup of bone broth (call it stock if that sounds more “normal” for you) daily. You can add it to soups, stews, or drink like a cuppa. Recipe for homemade broth here.
• Eat tougher cuts of meat like brisket, chuck roast, oxtail, and shanks (who doesn’t love a good lamb shank). These cuts are cheaper too!!!
• Instead of peeling back and creating a pile of waste for all that delicious skin and cartilage, crisp it up and gobble it up. It really is the tastiest part once you get over the years of “no skin business”.
• Cook up a whole chicken or whole fish once a week. Eat all the parts leaving the carcass and bones. Boil up the bones with some veg to make chicken stock or fish stock like your grandma did.
• Use a high quality gelatin powder (Great Lakes Gelatin) to make gelatin based desserts – I’m talking smooth, creamy chocolate panacotta.
• Or add hydrolysed collagen (Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate) to hot or cold liquids – super smoothy anyone?
• Eat one to two, 85g servings of liver per week. Now what if I replaced the words “liver” with “pate’”, does it change things? As soon as you mention liver – faces instantly change. But when you say pate’ – it’s like, yeh ok I can maybe do that. Liver is really hands down the super house of nutrients namely B vitamins, vitamin A, iron (hence if you have iron overload or haemochromotosis not for you)
• Eat your yolks. Please please don’t toss them out. That little golden goodness is, well, a multivitamin. Eat at least four to five egg yolks per week, preferably from eggs that come from pasture raised chickens. They are the highest source of choline in the diet.
• Take a half to a teaspoon of extra virgin cod liver oil per day (I like the Rosita brand). Cod liver oil is on the of richest sources of vitamin A, it also contains vitamin D and other omega-3 fats EPA and DHA.
• If you eat canned salmon or sardines, find a brand that has the bones in it. They are soft, and safe to eat and a great source of calcium and omega 3 fats.
• Beef cheeks anyone ? Who doesn’t love a good beef cheek?
• Other nutrient dense organ meats to try include heart, kidney, tongue & brain. There is a whole host of recipes online disguising organ meats into nutritious meals. Once you brave the purchase, throw it into in a pot and add the rest of the goodies and the end result is usually way less scary than the raw version.

Photo 1: Is me chewing on a chicken drumstick 🍗 bone. I LOVE the crispy skin and chewing the crunchy top bits and sucking out the marrow. Disclaimer: I didn’t always, I was a product of the low fat era so it was chicken breast all the way. 

Picture 2 : The most delicious entree I’ve ever had. Roasted bone marrow from @milkandhoneymullumbimby. Disclaimer: My Mum wouldn’t believe me if she saw me eating this (nor the top picture).  I used to screw my nose up at my mum when she cooked and ate bone marrow. That was just me following social norm and conditioning, not my actual opinion or educated decision.

Well, hopefully that gives you a basic, less scary run down on how to incorporate some nutrient-dense parts of animals that have disappeared from the modern diet into your week.

Remember, food, provides the building blocks for all the various functions whizzing on inside us. Nutrient deficiencies are a major underlying cause of so many common health complaints, like skin complaints, fertility issues, fatigue, mental health conditions etc yet it is so often overlooked (& even scoffed at from the medical community). It actually sounds kind of silly talking about not getting enough nutrients in todays world considering the amount of food available at our finger tips.

But we may be well fed, but we’re undernourished.

Thankfully,  the power to change that lies within our very own finger tips.

Love Chantel 

GUT HEALTH : HOW TO REBUILD WITH PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS

The importance of Gut Health has really exploded. Probiotics are a household name and prebiotics won’t be far behind them. And to be fair, rightly so. There pretty much isn’t a single condition that in some way can’t be linked back to the health of the gut.

My recent little bout of “Welcome to Byron Bay” gastro bug, reminded me of how important building gut health up is and hence I decided to share a little how to guide that turned out to be not so little. So feel free to skip ahead to the, Love Your Guts Banana Omelette recipe….

Just incase you haven’t heard the word on the street or you missed this blog: , let’s do a little recap.

• We are finally starting to develop a deep appreciation for the trillions of microbes that inhabit our small and large intestines.
• Most of these little guys have co-evolved with humans, relying on us for their survival and we relying on them for health and wellbeing
• We feed them nutrients through the foods we eat (or we should) and in return they digest carbohydrates that would otherwise be indigestible to us and make vitamins and other important substances like short chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate) that we otherwise cannot make. Microbes protect us against infections, regulate metabolism, and host the majority of the immune cells in our body.
• This symbiotic relationship is what makes up a persons microbiome. If all is well this hopefully harmonious collection of microorganisms looks after so many vital functions in our body.
• So hence, unless you have been living under a rock for the past several years, I am sure you have heard that a disrupted gut microbiome is associated with an overwhelming large amount of common conditions.
  To name a few: acne, antibiotic associated diarrhoea, asthma/allergies, autism spectrum disorder, autoimmune disease, cancer, dementia, dental cavities, depression and anxiety, diabetes, eczema, fibromyalgia, gastric ulcers, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders, parkinson disease. This is a partial list and new ones are added almost monthly.

I would go as far as saying that gut dysfunction is one key underlying mechanisms that contributes to almost all disease. Hence, supporting it’s diversity and abundance will make you more resilient against infection and disease.

How do we support gut diversity and abundance ?

Probiotics? Yes certainly this is a good starting place otherwise supplement companies would not be creating new products with different strains and different combinations of microorganisms everyday.

It’s difficult not to notice how many different brands of probiotic supplement are available on the market today ? All claiming to have a zillion times more live cultures than the next. I can remember when it was just good old “Have you had your Inner Health Plus today?” and that was it. Times are a changing.

The important things to know about probiotics are:

• Most probiotics do not quantitatively change the composition of the gut microbiome over time. That means that if you take a capsule of a zillion Lactobacillus acidophilusone day, then on the second day another zillion, you don’t increase to two zillion. Feeling a bit ripped off? Not so fast
• Probiotics do however play a primary role in immune regulation , helping to regulate and balance the immune system (remembering that over 70% of our immune cells reside in our gut) AND reduce inflammation in the gut. Two very important factors for health.
• A good strategy with probiotics is to take a wide spectrum of microorganism like lactic acid producing bacteria (Primal Defense Ultra by Garden of Life), soil based organisms (Prescript Assist) and beneficial strains of yeasts (Saccharomyces boulardii) . And rotate them.
• The best and most cost effective way to get a diversity of beneficial microorganisms is to become a fermenting extraordinaire or seek out locations that sell fermented foods (Byron Bay is winning in this departments). And again the key word being “diversity” so ensure you are getting the full spectrum of fermented foods; kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, beet kvass etc.
• For example, if you look at the content of the amount of beneficial microbes in a glass of kefir, it is far greater than any commercial probiotic you can get. Mother nature will always win out.

What about abundance?

Well it turns out there is a second part to the story, enter, the new (but not so new) kid on the block; prebiotics . Prebiotics are a food source for beneficial bacteria that already live in our gut and DO increase the number of beneficial microorganisms significantly over time.

A simple way to look at it is – Probiotics and fermented foods which contain them are the bugs themselves, and prebiotics are the food the bugs need to survive and multiply. In technical terms, they are indigestible carbohydrates (note indigestible to us humans) that make their way intact to the colon (large intestines) where they selectively feed beneficial bacteria (which is what we want).

Note that ONE of the side effects of a long term low carbohydrate diet, where people limit the amount of starchy vegetables, fruits, white rice, and other grains, is that it can potentially starve off beneficial bacteria in the colon. This can give rise to a host of gastrointestinal symptoms (namely constipation or diarrhoea) and actually cause issues when the person tries to reintroduce these foods back into the diet. Often the reintroduction issues are mistaken as “not able to tolerate” those foods as oppose to lack of those foods being the problem of the distress in the first place.

What and where are prebiotics found?

In short in a variety of plant foods.

1. Fermentable fibers such as resistant starch (eg. unmodified potato starch, green banana flour or plantain flour)
2. Non-starch polysaccharides such as inulin, FOS, FODMAPS, pectin, cellulose
3. Soluble fiber (psyllium husk, acacia fibre, glucomannan, guar gum)

Food sources of prebiotics include:

1. Resistant Starch:

• Cooked and cooled potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams
• Cooked and cooled parboiled rice
• Cooked and cooled properly prepared (soaked or sprouted) legumes
• Dehydrated plantain chips

***** Allow these foods to cool completely in the fridge or freezer. They can be warmed up for eating, but the temperature should stay below 130 degrees in order to provide the beneficial prebiotics.

Resistant starch has been touted as the next big weight loss supplement. It does have some impressive health benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity, decreased blood glucose levels in response to meals, reduced appetite and reduced fat storage in fat cells. Move over Garcinia Cambogia.

2. Non Starch Polysaccharides:

• asparagus, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory root, onions, radishes, leeks, tomatoes, turmeric, pears, kiwis

3. Soluble fibre

• carrots, winter squash, potato, sweet potato, turnips, parsnips, beets

Eating a combination of uncooked (usually has more prebiotic fibre) and cooked versions of the above.

Examples of supplemental powders to increase your prebiotics intake:

• Prebiogen: Start with 1/8 scoop daily and increase to 1/2 to 1 full scoop
• Unmodified potato starch (Bob’s Red Mill All Natural) or Green Banana Flour (Mt. Uncle’s brand): Start with 1/4 teaspoon daily and gradually increase over the course of a couple of months to 1-3 tablespoons
• Glucomannan powder (Now brand): Start with 1/8 teaspoon once daily mixed in 30ml of water and very slowly increase up to 1/2 teaspoon daily
• Psyllium husk powder (Now brand): behind with 1/4 teaspoon mixed in 30ml of water and gradually increase to 1 to 3 teaspoons taken at separate dosesor Acacia Fibre

Just like with fermented foods, different types of fibre stimulates the growth of different beneficial bacteria, so getting a variety and rotating them will be key.

A BIG CAUTION:

• In the case of starting prebiotics, MORE is not better. It is SO important to start with a really small dose and very slowly work your way up as tolerated
• Know that some gas and bloating is expected, particularly as you begin taking prebiotics (as it is stimulating the growth of bacteria in the colon). However people have been hospitalised from taking too much too soon, so start super small.
• Prebiotics are best AVOIDED if you have Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth (SIBO), fungal overgrowth or a parasite infection. Hence, if you are getting a lot of gastrointestinal symptoms and haven’t found out why, consider getting a stool test done before experimenting with prebiotics.
• If you have noticed after reading this that you get a lot of gastrointestinal complaints after eating foods rich in prebiotic fibres that may be sign that you need to do some investigating.

So next time you do the shopping, make sure you are thinking about feeding your now known “extended family”.

If you’ve got their back, they will have yours. If not, expect some disharmony. I warned you here first ;).

Symbiosis (from Greek “together” and “living“) is close and often long-term interaction between two different biological species.

Now for the long awaited recipe.

LOVE YOUR GUTS BANANA OMELETTE

It’s “gut loving” cause I pimped it with some prebiotic fibre to feed the little guys and some gelatin to support a healthy gut lining.

What you need for omelette : 

1 x banana
2 x eggs
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp maca powder
1/4-1/2 tsp Mt. Uncle’s banana flour
1 Tblsp Great Lakes Gelatin Powder

What to do:

1. Smash the banana with a fork in a bowl.
2. Add 2 eggs and mix together.
3. Add cinnamon and Gelatin powder to the mix.
4. Heat butter on a pan on a medium to high.
5. Once the pan is heated, add mixture to pan.
6. Allow it to seal on one side, sprinkle banana flour onto the mixture, and then flip in half and allow it to further cook though
7. Garnish with kefir/yoghurt and nuts and seeds.

****Original version of this recipe is courtesy of the talented @theholisticnutritionist. You know it’s a good recipe when it’s still a staple meal some four years on.

Gut Loving Banana Omelette with goats milk kefir and Eros brand activated nut and seed mix

Hope you enjoy it for years to come too.

Love Chantel x

WHY I DISLIKE THE WORD P A L E O

Most people around me know I eat this weird “PALEO DIET”. So much so when I mentioned eating a whole “bunny” for dinner on Sunday night my work colleagues actually thought I meant a WHOLE WHITE FLUFFY BUNNY –  Talk about taking nose to tail to the next level. After we discovered I was in fact talking about the brown, cadbury variety we agreed that if I did in fact eat a whole rabbit describing it as a bunny may have been a little masochistic.

Too cute to eat!

I have eaten a Paleo-Template-Diet (really hate the word diet) for the last 4 years (pretty long diet wouldn’t you say?). I also got introduced to it prior to it becoming the most searched diet in google, associated with Crossfit or a widely publicised “thing”. Before Pete Evans, before paleo bars and paleo granola. The persons who introduced it into my life are extremely intelligent and people I trust.

Eating this way helped me significantly with my health complaints; namely skin issues, energy, mood, and body composition. Although these health improvements also came in conjunction to managing stress, exercising more smartly, prioritising sleep and having more pleasure in my life.

So I strongly suspect it wasn’t one single change from pasta to grass fed steak that paved the way to improvement but rather a combination of lifestyle factors.  Which is actually really at the essence of a good Paleo Diet.

However, over the last two years I really purposefully distanced myself from the wording “Paleo”. Reason being is it got so confusing and muddled with peoples opinion that the word conjured up so much misinformation and opinions . So I thought – hey its better to lose the label and focus on what really matters – eating anutrient dense, anti-inflammatory, real food diet that supports how MY body functions AND enjoying life and that includes sometimes eating foods that aren’t necessarily healthy but are pleasurable – and I am talking the “non paleo” kind.

This article from Chris Kresser, who is one of the most respected practitioners in his field especially when it comes to evaluating research, explores some of the most common Myths about Paleo Nutrition. He is someone I trust and value his opinion in high regard. Please READ. 

When it comes to being healthy, we are really bombarded with informations mostly from sources that don’t have our best interests at heart – so please remember to tune in and use some logic people!

1. If it comes in a bag or a box – is it fresh, real living, and going to provide you with every thing you need for life?
2. Your body requires and uses amino acids and protein to build structures inside of you – do you really think eating the most viable form of protein (animal products) is a bad idea for our long term survival?
3. We preferentially use glucose and fat for fuel, we have the ability to manufacture glucose inside us, hence it is important for survival. Low blood glucose is a bigger threat to our life than high blood sugar. Eating enough quality carbohydrates is essential to fuel our body and keep body systems working well.
4. Fat forms the core structural unit of a cell and many other important functions in the body, so eliminating a whole food group (low-fat era) may potentially cause some issues for us.
5. If you house an animal in an unnatural environment, it gets sick, depressed and usually fat. The environment and what an animal eats and is exposed to affects the quality of its produce. Pasture raised, grass fed cows have a higher amount of omega 3 fatty acid (has anti-inflammatory properties), a higher amount of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) a fatty acid which has recently been studied for its anti-cancer properties and higher amounts of Vitamin E, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium and sodium, than grain-fed meat.  So next time your butcher gets stroppy if you ask if it grass fed – tell them the reason you are asking is a cow is designed to forage and roam freely and eat grass! And that’s the type of meat you want to consume, and politely walk out the door. Note: this hasn’t ever happened to me, I find butchers to be overly friendly :). But I have heard it happens !!!! Sigh.
6. Did your Grandparents have access to baby formula, ready made pasta sauce, microwavable dinners? No. And they had better health than us.
7. Did children eat perfectly mashed “baby food” and packaged rice cereal as first foods back in the day before food intolerances existed? Did they go on to eat le-snacks, little chippies, muesli bars, pop tops, weet-bix, zoopa-doopas as a part of their staple diet? Did they have behavioural disorders?
8. Does eating quality and a variety of animal parts (meat, bones, offal), eggs, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts and seeds, unprocessed dairy, white rice, properly prepared grains and eliminating excess sugar, packaged and processed foods, and seed oils that were originally used to make industrial products like soaps and plastic sound dangerous to you?
9. Is eating some chocolate or a piece of cake made with flour and sugar going to send your body into a spiral and cause it to breakdown or gain 5 kgs?- unlikely!

My message is – don’t get caught up in all the drama. Be self informed

Start making small changes with your nutrition that feel right to you and that makes sense to you.
That may look like cutting back on your sugar in your coffee, reducing takeaway dinner to once a week, incorporating more vegetables into your main meal or finding a local butcher.
It is these small steps that you implement daily into your life that you can sustain for the long term that will yield the greatest results overtime for your health and your families health.

Here is a super simple recipe to get you started.

Super-duper Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

1 tin of John West Wild Caught Alaskan Pink Salmon(strained)
1/2 clove of garlic (grated/crushed)
2cm of fresh ginger (grated)
2cm of fresh tumeric (grated) – you could use powdered
2 stalks of shallots (or 1/4 onion)
1 stalk of leek (cut finely)
1/2 zucchini (grated)
2 eggs (pastured raised)
1/4 cup of Gouda cheese (grated)
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp coconut oil for frying

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl place the tin of salmon and mash with folk.
2. Grate garlic, turmeric, ginger, zucchini and cheese and place in bowl
3. Add finely chopped shallots and leek to the bowl.
4. Crack 2 eggs, and mix
5. Add salt and pepper. If mixture is to runny thicken with 1/2-1Tbsp of arrowroot powder, coconut flour
6. Heat coconut oil on a pan.
7. Add 1/4 cup dollops of mixture. Allow to brown on one side then flip using a spatula and fork.
8. Serve with a side of kimchi/sauerkraut and white rice.

Enjoy

Love Chantel