IS HEALTHY EATING MAKING YOU SICK?

This article explores an emerging condition, not well talked about termed Orthorexia – it is defined as an unhealthy obsession with healthy food.

I think it is important to raise awareness about this in light of the healthy eating movement that is amongst us. Especially because the most influenced people are younger females, much like myself.

As the article explores it can be an easy trap to fall into – you start eating healthy, start exercising, your body starts to change for the better and before you know it, all your girlfriends are envious of your body and telling you how good you look.

Finally, you feel confident enough to start posting selfies in your bikini, with a green smoothie of course and the explosion of comments on social media lifts your spirit. This scenario is very common. And is saddens me for a few reasons.

     1. In the early days, it did happen to me. Luckily I have a straight talking husband who doesn’t mind giving me a slap in the face (not literally) and tellingme when I am being “too much or too crazy”. There is a saying that helped me a lot: “It is better to eat the wrong food with the right attitude than eat the right food with the wrong attitude.”

     2. The importance that we as females place on our body image and how consuming it is.

If only we placed the same about of importance and got the same amount of attention for our unique ability, be it our intelligence, our creativity, our caring nature, our generosity, our humour, whatever else it is that makes us who we really are.

We all have unique things to offer the world. Everyone of us. You just have to find out what it is you value in life.

You can be a good wife, a good mother, a great writer, have a beautiful voice, be giving, be caring, be loving, make a real difference and leave a huge mark in peoples lives.

Do you get it – you aren’t good legs, nice but, shiny hair. They are a part of you but they don’t have to define you. You are much more than that. You just have to believe it. And that sometimes requires consistent work on yourself.

Or if you are lucky enough, like me to have some straight talking, best friend that sees you for more than your exterior, you have to start listening to them. They LOVE and SEE you in a different light.

The people who really matter will love you regardless of how you look. Remember that, don’t shrug it off. Because life if full of tragedy and joy. And it is short. So if you are consumed with your appearance life is going to whiz on by while you are still looking in the mirror. And in the end people don’t miss someone with a nice body they miss “that” person who was something so much more to them.

     3. Diet/Food/Nutrition is not the wholly grail for health. 

Don’t get me wrong I post my food – for a reason. I DO NOT want to show off my bone broth/my kitchen/or myself to make you feel worse about yourself, quite the opposite actually (P.S. If this happens to you, I highly suggest to unfollow me and those else who make you feel this way and concentrate on yourself, I truly mean this, comparing yourself to others on social media is a total waste of time).

I want to inspire and give people tools and ideas to create healthy meals for themselves and their family. Because food is a necessity for our survival. And when we get it right for our body it has the ability to nourish and allow us to flourish.

However nutrition is one of many pillars to create optimal HEALTH -and one that is getting a lot of attention. But let’s not forget about the other equally important PILLARS to health – Like SLEEP, RECOVERY, MOVEMENT, PLEASURE, STRESS MANAGEMENT, FUN, PLAY and SOCIAL CONNECTION.

These things also dictate and have a direct effect on positive or negative outcomes in your body.  So please keep a balance. If you find yourself obsessing over food and exercise maybe reevaluate what is really important in life and ask for help.

     4. Health is so much more than EAT WELL ,TRAIN MORE, REPEAT. 

I recently read an alternative definition of what “health” really is from Chris Kresser that I really love.

“Health is: the ability to live your dreams.”

I love it – Plain and simple. What more can we really strive for.

Love
Chantel

BONE BROTH BENEFITS

For most of us the the thought of throwing in a heap of bones into a slow cooker, leaving it simmer for 24 hours, and then drinking it, sounds a little gross. Well at least it did for me. But then I opened my mind and experienced the benefits and never looked back!
What is bone broth? It’s a traditional process that places on emphasis on preparing and eating from nose to tail, the whole animal. Broths, stocks and bone broths have been used around the globe throughout history for babies and young children, in Asian households using fish bones and broth and in Europe broth is used in soups, stews and preparing sauces.

“Bone” is alive, it is a living tissue. We often think of bone as a hard, strong, calcium filled structure and somewhat dead! But this is not the case! Bone is in fact rigid but at the same time slightly elastic due to collagen and it is an organ making it very much alive and up there with the other organ super foods like liver, heart, brain, kidney and sweetbreads. “Broth” is the liquid or in this case gel-like liquid that occurs as a result of simmering bones in water.

Bone broths are typically simmered on low for a long period (greater than 20 hours) which encourages extraction of minerals, nutrients and other important components of the bone and joint structure. The end product should be a nutrient dense gel-like liquid and bones that crumble when pressed lightly between your fingers.

Why should you consume it regularly?

“Modern nutritional research continues to prove what traditional cultures learned through observation over time, when we eat a specific part of an animal, it nourishes that same part of our body”. For example the highest source of Vitamin A is not broccoli or carrot but rather the tissue in the back of an eyeball. Vitamin A is specifically known to be crucial to support eyesight, amongst many other roles. Keep this concept in mind when considering the below points.

Bone Marrow:

Bone marrow is where the body manufactures red and white blood cells. It’s the fatty, slimy part that contains protein and loads of minerals. Bone marrow plays a crucial role in the immune system and in bone health.

Collagen and gelatin:

Collagen is the protein matrix in bones, tendons, ligaments, skin, arteries, hair and just about everywhere and is broken down by cooking into another protein called gelatin. Gelatin as the name suggests gives the jelly like appearance. These proteins provide your body with the raw material to help support and rebuild your connective tissue. The health of your joints depends on the health of the collagen in your ligaments, tendons and on the ends of your bones. It pays to start looking after your joints early as the number of people who undergo preventable knee, hip replacements is astonishing. Skin, hair and nails, just like gelatin, is made of collagen. Gelatin-rich broths help build connective tissue, which makes skin smoother (less cellulite, fewer wrinkles) and healthier. Gelatin may also have benefits for healing and supporting the gut lining.

Glycine (non-essential amino acids):

Stimulates the production on stomach acid which is very important as the stomach works optimally at an acidic PH. It also aids fat digestion in the small intestine. It plays an important role in liver detoxification and is important at balancing out the effects of excess methionine (present in muscle meats and eggs). Glycine is also precursor to the bodies own natural antioxidant, glutathione (we want plenty of this guy)!

Glycosaminoglycans:

Think Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Hyaluronic acid. Very special molecules found in bone and cartilage that help keep our joints healthy. Great for post injury, osteoarthritis or other causes on joint pain. And important for growing and supporting healthy joints. Broth is superior at delivering these components over supplemental tablets mainly because broth gives you the entire complex of cartilage components which affects absorption and utilisation in the body. Also the methods of extraction are far gentler than the destructive heat and pressure involved in the production of glucosamine tablets.

Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Sulphur, Potassium, Sodium, Iodine (fish bones)

Overall, the proteins found in bone broth exhibit overall anti-inflammatory action. This is why it has benefits in improving and treating osteoarthritis, leaky gut, joint pain and fatty liver. The strong anti-inflammatory effects of the proteins in broth is another reason why it can be used to aid recovery from injury and illness.

Personally I have seen the following improvements:

• stronger hair and nails
• reduced cellulite
• improvement in the appearance of my skin
• increased immunity
• improved digestion
• quicker recovery from training

It is my go to food when:

• I feel I am getting a virus
• One time when I got diarrhoea from something I had eaten
• When I am stressed and my digestion plays havoc
• To aid healing (cuts, grazes, when I slammed my finger in the door)
• When Jan feels a cold sore starting
• To reduce sunburn (although interesting fact is that since eating a anti-inflammatory diet I don’t get sunburnt very much and if I do my recovery is so much quicker)

And its a staple in our diet to balance out the effects of eating lean muscle meats along with eating more nose to tail.
– I have read and know stories of people who have healed broken bones remarkable quickly through consuming broth daily. 

Recipe

Based on using a 6.5L slow cooker

Ingredients

2kg Bones (Marrow, chicken backs, beef knuckles, chicken feet, lamb necks, hooves)
Note: It will come back to quality! Use only bones that come from well-raised, well-fed animals. We use marrow bones from grass fed cows from Master butchers.
1/2 cup of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (aids in the extraction of minerals)
1/4 cup of sea powder (source of sea minerals, namely iodine)
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp tumeric, or 2cm of fresh, minced
3cm ginger, minced
fresh herbs of choice
salt and pepper

Method

1. Add bones to slow cooker.
2. Add apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for 20 mins with the lid on.
3. Through all other ingredients in.
4. Add filtered water, enough to cover the bones but about 1-2 cm below the top of the slow cooker to avoid spillage.
5. Allow to simmer for 20 hours.

Once you have switched the broth off. You will need to remove the bones from the broth with a pair of tongs and place into the bin.
Then use a ladle and strainer to strain the liquid from the vegetables and other parts into a glass container. You can eat the vegetables or use them for making something else however in my experience they are tasteless as they have leached most of there nutrients into the broth so I don’t enjoy them. ( I am happy to hear suggestions).

Place lid on glass container and place into the fridge for 8 hours.

A solid layer of tallow will form on the top. This can be removed and thrown out or used like butter for cooking.

You should be left with a gelatinous broth to consume as stock, to add to cooking dishes, to add to smoothies, or to heat up on the stove top (NOT microwave) and enjoy as a hot drink.

How to strain bone broth below!

I like to drink my broth straight as a snack or as a add on to my meal. I particularly like it for breakfast with an egg and veggie scramble mix.
I hope this article will encourage you to drink bone broth regularly.

Love Chantel

A LIFE CHANGING MOMENT

When Jan asked me if i wanted to share some of my knowledge on his blog I was nervous and a little apprehensive as to where to start. What information can I (a fresh pharmacist living in the Whitsunday’s) give that people can be interested in I asked. I thought a good place to start and test out my blogging skills was to give you a little insight into my experience with health and fitness…

When growing up as a young female I guess I was considered somewhat lucky by my female friends as I was always on the slimmer side and never really had to watch what I ate. In saying this I was extremely lucky that my mum had always ensured we ate home cooked food and therefore it was instilled at a very young age that processed food and take away was not good for us. Thanks Mum.

Despite not having to worry about being overweight  I did still have to deal with some other emotional and hormonal imbalances that manifested themselves as acne, irritable bowel and my least favourite “stress”. The reason I say my least favourite  is this. Stress =increased cortisol=fat redistribution=a chubbier mid section (along with many other health problems). More on cortisol to come in later blogs …

UNIVERSITY

Next chapter was university. Cortisol was not my friend once again. The pressure of study, exams, tight finances, and being away from home (missing mums cooking and cleaning) ultimately allowed for a decline in my nutrition and fitness. Food consisted of mostly quick and easy packet meals (pasta, noodles), salad wraps or left over meals like curried sausages, pasta, stir fry and snack food for procrastinating (muesli bars,rice crackers, chips, lollies). Exercise consisted of walking three times a week.

Somehow I managed to avoid any major physical manifestations of the  “the uni bulge” however it was during this time that I started to develop chronic psoriasis, worsening of my acne, diarrhoea after most meals, a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion and became an emotional roller coaster. At this time, I attributed most of these symptoms to being in a stressful environment. And to some degree this was partly the problem. I did manage to graduate with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and moved home to start work with a strong drive to get back on track with my health.
I started working and got a mortgage… To which I discovered more cortisol. Perfect just what my body needed. I did however manage to get what I thought was back on track with my nutrition and exercise. I was cooking from raw ingredients (thanks to my thermomix) such as raw sugar, flour, eggs, milk to make most of my meals and snacks, rarely eating out or buying pre made foods and I joined the gym. I was attending classes as often as I could on my days off as I was not a morning person and finished too late in the afternoons. This sometimes meant doing two or three classes a day. I thought this was a good thing although I remember feeling tired and exhausted on these days but I believed I had worked hard and deserved to feel this way. This routine gave me very little time for relaxing and enjoying free time for myself. Even worse and more frustrating was that all my symptoms (dry, flaky inflamed skin, pimples, diarrhoea, stress) continued to worsen.

At this stage I was getting quite desperate and started seeking help. I went to doctors for which I was prescribed cortisone creams and oral corticosteroids which controlled but did not eliminate my psoriasis. I saw a naturopath and started taking natural supplements like krill oil and another hundred or so dollars worth of pills and applied a variety of creams to my skin. After 4 months of this tiring routine with little improvements I had had enough. I stopped all of it. I tried to eliminate some of the stress in my life, starting with working less hours and focussing on myself and creating time for me. And this is were the story gets interesting ….

It started with a man, as every good story does. Jan approached me at a gym outdoor training session where he chatted with me about training. He offered a free initial session to which I accepted as at this stage I was feeling bored and dissatisfied with my current training schedule. He got me at the initial session with his passion, belief, knowledge and enthusiasm about his style of training and way of life. I started training three times a week. He introduced me to some completely new concepts like foam rolling, mobility, the importance of fascia, recovery, the concept of less is more, effective weight training, sprinting, Paleo nutrition and seriously so much more. I believed in his concept straight away, which to this day still surprises me as I am a cautious person and always question things, but I saw in him a confidence and surety that made me believe. The best decision of my life to date…

My training completely changed. I changed my routine to train in the morning (tough to change this habit but definitely achievable). I train less (2 or 3 times a week) and for shorter intervals. I can lift weights I have never before without feeling intimidated, I can move and coordinate my body better than I ever could. I feel energised after each session, never tired or in pain. I spend less time exercising and more time enjoying life. Of course there were times where I struggled with this transition wanting to train more, push harder but when I allowed myself to trust the concept I reassured myself I was on the right path.

My nutrition consists of tasty whole foods that provide me with good quailty protein (grass fed meat/seafood), good fat (coconut oil/butter, avocado…) and natural good carbs (fruit and veg) with little or no refined/processed food. Eating this way has allowed me to see improvements in my acne, psoriasis and diarrhoea. Eliminating chocolates, chips, cakes, pastries, sandwiches, pasta, rice, oats, cereals, milk etc, overall has not been difficult for me. I think it is because I enjoy cooking, preparing and eating food that I know is tasty, nutritious and satisfying for my needs.
I have more time for myself and enjoying life. I am a firm believer that if you take a moment to stop and invest time in yourself, be it your health, your appearance, your attitude, your stress and take action steps to improve yourself everything else in your life will significantly improve. We only get one chance to live so why not make the choices that ensure it is a long and happy time.
Whole body integrated movements, primal/wholefood style nutrition and managing stress has allowed me to clear my skin conditions completely, change my body composition which looks much leaner and more defined, given me more energy, reduce my stress, improve my mood and ultimately given me a more enjoyable, healthier life. What more could I ask for…
Well there is one more thing…true love of course! Along this journey I was lucky enough to find this but that’s for another one thousand words…

Thank you Jan for believing in me. X