Here comes the Sun

It's day 6 of sugar freedom (but who's counting??), and I'm beginning to feel serene. My face and tummy are a little less bloated and my skin feels clearer. My brain isn't screaming at me, the cravings have just evaporated! Jolly timely too, the shortbread biscuits I made with xylitol were a dismal failure!! Turns out sugar is what makes them crunchy. Oh well! I won't give up on the xylitol just yet!

So back to mental clarity! When I was reading for my research project during my naturopathic studies, I found many studies describing how sugar inflames the nervous system. There was one in particular that has stayed with me; the subjects in the study were scanned under MRI, then fed some sugar, then scanned again. The 'after' shots showed bright, glowing nervous systems, denoting aggitation, irritation. This translates physically to poor coordination and emotionally to stress and anxiety. I usually didn't notice I was feeling this way because it felt normal, this is obviously because it takes most of a week to calm down! Now I can feel the difference, and I highly recommend it! I kind of feel like I'm floating, rather than fighting through life. I feel successful! So far my mastery project is on track!

Even more encouraging is that I think sugar and I have finally called a truce. I feel now that I can maintain a sugarless diet, although the real test will be going to the shopping centre alone. Thats when I usually find myself scanning the cakes at Miss Mauds. Maybe I'll take Antonio shopping with me until I'm a little more sure of my resolve! I can't eat rubbish in front of him because he always wants some. The later he's exposed to that stuff the healthier he will be. For more info on that one check out Dr Robert Lustig, this video is worth the time. I think his presentation was a large part of my decision to swear off the sugar for good.

Sweet obsessions

It's nap time, but instead of doing some breathing exercises or meditating, I'm lying here googling xylitol biscuit recipes on my phone! I've found some good ones which I'll share once I've tested them.

Part of me doesn't really want to eat sweets. But it's obviously not the louder part! My brain is screaming at me to devour the last of the Christmas chocolate. My man dutifully hides it from me, since he's one of those weird, self regulating types! I've tried all my life to be like that, but it's just not in me. For me it's feast or famine, at least for now.

I've bought some supplies to help prevent cravings: Organic crunchy peanut butter is a favourite; high in protein and fats, both of which fill up quickly. It can also be combined with veggie sticks for fibre, also very filling.

Yoghurt is brilliant, and transportable too. Antonio and I often share a tub of Chris's Greek yoghurt. It's the sourest yoghurt I've tasted, but creamy too. We love it!

Ok, 10 minutes left of nap time, I'll dutifully spend them focusing on my third chakra

Mastery and Mummyhood

I had intended to write this post on the first day of the new year, but such is mummyhood!

This year, 2012, is my new beginnings year. I'm aware that many people believe this year is special and significant. I find it interesting that I spontaneously decided to make this year transformational for me personally. At-bloody-last!! I've finally decided to implement some changes I've been "thinking about" for years. Thinking about as well as preaching!

For example, my number one project is to give up sugar. To 'quit' the stuff like a smoker or an alcoholic. I'm a sugarholic. Or I was until Sunday. I've been clean 3 days now. It's not the first time I've quit sugar; I've done it at least annually since I was 9. That was 20 years ago now, and though I was very diciplined at first, each time I quit it was for a breifer period, until it became almost too dificult, I put on weight and found it hard to shift. This did, of course, coincide with my move to Melbourne, where the food is decidedly better, cheaper, available and more generously portioned. I may have lost control!!

In my youth (she muses wistfully!!) I imagined that someday, a vague timeframe occuring around the scary age of 30, I'd clean up my diet permanently, with the vain motivation of age defiance. Now my reasons have broadened to include my health, both mental and physical (nothing like sleep deprivation to inspire appreciation for mental health!), and my son. I believe role modeling is the best parenting tool, thus if I wish to protect him from the poison, I'll have to get off it too. There's a great story about a mother who went to Gandhi to ask him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. He told her to bring the son to see him in two weeks. She did this, and Gandhi simply told him to stop eating sugar. The mother asked why the two weeks were necessary and Gandhi replied "Because two weeks ago I was eating sugar."

And so I'm a dreadful hypocrite no longer! But so far I just feel hungry!! I do have 20 years of tricks up my sleeve though, and I'll share those here if you're interested in trying this for yourself. It does take time to detox sugar. If you were thinking of trying it I'd recommend Sarah Wilson's fabulous ebook, I Quit Sugar'. It's a quick and easy read and very motivational.

This is, as I said, my number one project, but it's the 'lead up' to my much grander goal of self mastery! I've become aware recently that the dissatisfactions I feel with my own life all seem to coincide with the themes of the solar plexus chakra. That's the third one, it's yellow, like fire, and it centers around ego, boundaries, decisions, personal power, will, that sort of thing. I'm so lacking in all that, so despite my creativity, I never really accomplish much! It relates to the pancreas, liver, spleen and upper intestinal tract, all of which are compromised when I binge on sugar. It all ties together so neatly!




So this year will be dedicated to balancing my solar plexus chakra, using tools like my diet, yoga, meditation, breathing, herbs, and general mindfulness of these issues in my everyday life. I intend to blog for accountability. At this end of proceedings the idea of a shiny new self is very exciting, but I know it will get ickier as the year wears on. I know there will be steep challenges, balancing my self and my journey with my responsibility to my family. And I suppose I don't really forsee true balance eventuating at all, since mummyhood and family harmony are my first priorities. I'll fit 'me' in around them. Which means I'll do a little bit during nap time and a little bit in the evening, and a very little bit while someone else cares for Antonio. But it will be done! And for now, the most important thing is what I'm not doing; eating sugar!

So now I'll finish off my chai spiced cocoa with coconut oil and take myself to bed.

Wholefoods for Baby - recipes

Here are some of the wholefoods recipes Antonio loves best.

Baby Dahl recipe

This is a recipe I've addapted from my Harre Krshna cookbook, which I love. It's fantastic because I can make a large quantity if we're having Indian food for dinner and we all eat the same. Always preferable to cooking two different meals! These quantities make about 2 meals for baby.

1/8 cup masoor dal
1/8 cup quinoa or rice
2 cups water
1 tomato
70g sweet potato
2tsp butter or ghee
2tsp grated fresh ginger
2tsp cumin seeds
1tbsp organic shredded coconut
pinch aesefetida (if you have it)
sea salt to taste

Boil dal and quinoa/rice in a small pot with the water. Add sweet potato and chopped tomato, boil again, cover and turn down heat. When the dal has dissolved turn off the heat and cover.

In a small frypan heat ghee or butter, add ginger and cumin seeds and fry. Add coconut and brown a little, don't burn the spices. Add aesefetida and remove from heat. Add spice base and some salt to the dahl. Blend with a stick blender and serve.

Cauliflower soup

Another one for the whole family. These flavours compliment fish well, so I sometimes poach a slice of a mild, white fish in the soup, then break it up with a fork.

one whole cauliflower
2 large potatoes
1 cup quinoa
1 leek
1L homemade chicken stock
sea salt

Fry off leek in a heavy casserole pot, add potatoes, cauliflower, stock, quinoa and salt. Boil then blitz!


Baby Breakfast Smoothie

This fun, fabulous recipe is made possible because Antonio learned to drink from a straw! It was so easy to teach him, and makes it easy to keep his fluids up. The following can be blizted in a processor or in a milkshake cup using a stick blender.

half a banana
1/3 cup of fresh or frozen berries
2 tbsp whole natural yoghurt
1 tbsp coconut cream
one raw egg yolk



Baby Bucco recipe

1 small slice osso bucco
half carrot
half celery stick
small onion
small garlic clove
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock (or water)
splash of olive oil
2 fresh tomatoes or half tin chopped tomatoes
sea salt
optional dried herbs

Chop veggies and saute (all but tomatoes) with the oil or butter til soft. Add dried herbs. Brown osso bucco in another pan, then add to vegies. Add stock, chopped garlic and tomatoes, then season and pop the lid on over low heat and cook 1/2 to 1 hour, til the meat is soft and the bone is empty. Chop or blizt, depending on the age of your baby.


Baby Lamb Korma recipe

This is a recipe I pulled from an online Indian recipe database years ago, and I've made it so many times since then that I no longer require the recipe, my hands do it on autopilot! You don't have to use lamb, I've done it with beef, chicken and vegetarian. This makes a few meals worth.

1 clove garlic
same amount fresh ginger
100g lamb cubed
half a cup cubed veg, anything works
half a tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp whole natural yoghut
1 small onion
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
tsp garam masala
tsp turmeric
sea salt


Mince ginger and garlic and put into 1/4 cup water and set aside.
Heat ghee and add cumin seeds and onion. Fry til the onion softens, then add other spices. Add tomatoes and allow to reduce. Add yoghurt and veg.

In a separate pan, heat more ghee and brown meat, then add to the curry. Cook until the meat is soft, gradually adding the garlic/ginger water. Remove whole cardamoms and cloves, and cut up or puree.

Wholefoods for Antonio

Having finally emerged from the sleep deprived daze of my child's first 10 months, I feel ready to take up my blogging anew. I'll begin with a topic dear to my heart; little Antonio's journey into solid foods. I feel it's an interesting one since there are such strong controversies surrounding the subject of a baby's diet, as with diet in general, however in addition to the controversy, parents become emotional about the food they choose for their kids. There is much conflicting information about this, and as Mums we read or ask our female kinfolk in search of the best advice.

The wisdom I found satisfactory was provided by nutritionists such as Sally Fallon and Jude Blereau, who espouse a return to the traditional cooking methods of our ancestors which our bodies are evolved to, rather than following the often misguided and unhealthy advice of the current "pollitically correct" (cereal box) nutritional models. In practical terms this means offering whole foods to provide the 3 macronutrients; fats, protein and carbs, and the many micronutrients (vitamins, minerals etc)required for good health.

Antonio's solid food journey began when he was around 5 months old. Until that time he was exclusively breastfed, and although the WHO recommend that continue to 6 months, my big boy was clearly displaying signs of starvation! I judged him to be ready for foods, and began by handing him spoonfuls of mashed avocado to put into his mouth (the first destination of all grasped objects), which were sucked down and how.

It was mostly avocado during this first month. Avo, how do I love thee, let me count the ways!

1. It's RAW and packed with life force, live vitamins like A, E, C, and K, and minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium


2. it's green, therefore packed with antioxidants


3. it's high in fats, therefore perfect for little growing brains, very like breastmilk


4. It's an uber convenient, portable baby food


5. it's anti-inflammatory, therefore perfect for emerging teeth


6. it helps with blood sugar balancing

Other than avocado, Antonio had some mashed sweet potato, some flaked quinoa mixed with expressed breastmilk, and some fruits like pear, apple, rockmellon and late season blood plums (he loved those!).

After an early experience with baby rice cereal which constipated the poor little thing, I did some reading and concluded that I should have followed my instinct not to feed it to him. No one does well on refined grains. I threw out a full box.

At that early stage of fooding, I was more interested that it was a fun experience and generally allowed Antonio as much autonomy as safety permitted. We laughed throughout, and he usually wore at least as much as he ingested. He always licked the bowl.

After the early stages of single tastes, when he began to take 2 and then 3 meals a day, I began to mix his veggies into stews, added some such as carrots, peas, pumpkin, green beans, zucchini, brocoli (loved that...still does!), and grains such as whole oats and whole rice. At this point I tried egg yolks, which were a raging success and I wish I'd started them sooner! I often give them as an appetiser because they increase his interest in dinner.

The value of egg yolk is in the fats, vitamins and minerals. The phospholipids found in runny egg yolk are invaluable brain nutrition. High levels of zinc, calcium, selenium and iron as well as vitamins A, E, and K make it an important food for all of us, but most interesting is the levels of vitamin D, about 110 IU per 100g, means we should consume these all winter long. In fact 2 egg yolks contain 60% of the daily requirement of vitamin D.

Many people are scared to give eggs to their infants because they're on the no-no list of the handy hand-out we get from the child health clinics. This is because infants can't yet digest egg whites, but it's such a shame to ignore the enormous benefits of the yolk. Here is the preparation method that best worked for Antonio and me:

Take one or two free range organic eggs. Boil a small pot of water. Separate white from yolk with your hands. Store the whites in the freezer to make friands, pavlovas etc. Have a small cup (like a little espresso cup) and a soup spoon at the ready. Drop the yolk into the boiling water and wait a minute. Fish it out with the soup spoon and gently peirce the yolk, squeeze the runny stuff into the cup, eat the 'skin' yourself (this way you wont unwittingly serve an off egg to bubby. Trust me it happened last night, thank god I realised!) and serve.

For some current information about egg consumption:

www.whfoods.com

After another while, around 8 months, Antonio tasted meat for the first time, which probably should have been fish, but was organic chicken instead. As it turns out, he loves fish, which I poach for him in coconut cream and water, with a few complimentary veg such as zucchini, peas or broccoli. He enjoys his chicken, beef and lamb too, and his favourite meals from this range of foods include my Grandma's chicken stew, lamb stew, "Baby Bucco" which is his own version of Osso Bucco, and poached fish. I am careful to space out his intake of meat to go easy on his little liver, and I tend to give yolks on the non meat days. I try to give him home made chicken stock as often as possible, as this mineral rich brew is arguably the most beneficial thing he could ingest.

His favourite vegetarian meals include dahl / lentil and veg soup, pumpkin risotto, potato and broccoli, minestrone with quinoa, banana and avocado with coconut cream, and the very recently added plain, full fat, natural yoghurt. He also enjoys nawing on some of my avocado rye bread toast.

The foods Antonio has not yet tasted are those I consider to be on the unhealthy side; sugar and refined wheat products like bread and pasta. The later his body has to deal with these insults the better he'll be set up for health in later life. You may find yourself thinking "I was given pasta as a baby", and many people do this, but consider that the cultures whose chronic and increasing ill-health are those that consume refined carbohydrates, while the healthiest people on the planet do not. Rather than emulate your own parents, move forward with what science has shown our ancestors knew; food comes from nature, not factories.

I encourage anyone in charge of a childs's diet to pick up a copy of Jude Bereau's Wholefoods For Children, and also Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. Both are exceptional and very complete nutrition advisers.

As I refine the recipes Antonio prefers, I may post them in subsequent blogs.

X X X

Miraculous Magnesium

Many of you will have heard me rabbit on about Magnesium. Of all the minerals our bodies require to function, Magnesium is used up in the greatest quantities, so we need to make sure we intake enough through our food or we'll experience symptoms of deficiency. The first symptoms you'll notice are muscular cramping, spasms, ticks, headaches, allergies, fatigue, blood sugar imbalance and constipation. The effects of long term, chronic Magnesium deficiency can be anxiety, depression, insomnia, joint inflammation, osteoporosis, asthma, diabetes type 2, angina, high blood pressure and a heightened sense of stress. Once you're experiencing symptoms of magnesium deficiency it's important to see your Naturopath for a good quality supplement; supplements have not been created equal. Some are far better than others.

Food is a very good way to up your stores of Magnesium. The richest source is tahini, or sesame seed paste. After tahini come almonds and the other nuts and seeds. Raw cocoa is a great source too. Buy some raw cocoa powder and use it unsweetened as drinking chocolate as an easy way to get Magnesium into everyone!






Vegies come next. Anything green is high in Magnesium because the chlorophyll molecule contains Magnesium. In fact green smoothies are an incredibly effective way to boost your intake. You can make them by pulling out your blender and throwing in any green fruit and veg you have on hand. Green smoothies will not only enhance your intake of Magnesium, they're full of vitamins such as A, C, E, B group and K, and many other antioxidants. Salads are another great way to eat loads of vegies, as are stir fries and soups.




Other useful sources are tofu, oats/porridge, polenta, lentils, beans and chick peas. Look out for the next blog which will be called "Meals that Heal" for ideas on how to incorporate all these high performance foods into your diet.


Changing your salt will be a big help too. Processed, supermarket salts are pure sodium chloride, while real sea salt or rock salt contain many minerals, including Magnesium.

On the other hand, certain foods increase your requirement for Magnesium. Sugars and refined foods have caused the western world to become ever more deficient, which has probably contributed to the advent of our ridiculously high rates of osteoporosis, heart disease, mental illness, diabetes and allergies over the last 50-odd years. So there's yet another reason to avoid them. Once again these are foods like pasta, bread, pastry, biscuits, crackers, chips, soft drink, cordial, cakes and sweets.

If your health problems are caused by Magnesium deficiency, changing your diet and taking a good quality supplement will make you feel absolutely magnificent within a few days. Why not give it a try?

Meals that Heal

Another recipe blog!

Here are some recipes for meals so high in nutrition they're actually medicinal. One of the ancient forefathers of medicine said "let food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food". We're beginning to discover how right he was; science is discovering that we absorb nutrients most effectively from food and not so effectively from supplements. What a shock, Mother Nature had it right the first time! Humans still can't beat her complex system.


So include these kinds of meals regularly in your diet and feel the vitality!


Grapefruit and Avo Salad (to serve 2)

Grapefruits are awesome food. They actually clean the liver! Only Mother Nature provides substances that clean the liver at this stage, modern medicine hasn't yet come that far. A clean liver is important because the liver regulates the health of our entire body. It's the body's filtration system. A healthy liver burns more fat, increases immunity to disease, prevents allergies like hay fever and asthma, balances cholesterol, balances hormones and allows you to feel energetic and vital, free from toxic accumulation and hyper-acidity.

Apart from grapefruits, eating more raw foods will help to clean the liver.


1 large pink grapefruit, segmented and cut into chunks
1 large avocado, cut into chunks
fresh salad greens, like baby spinach
handful of sprouts, like alfalfa
a few tbsp organic olive oil to dress

In a bowl toss the salad leaves with the alfalfa to distribute evenly, then arrange pieces of avo and grapefruit over the top. Drizzle with oil and serve with fish, tempeh or chicken.



Stracciatella Soup

This is a traditional soup from the region of Lazio in Italy. (Rome is in Lazio.) It's made for any ill person who doesn't want solid foods, and it packs some fantastic nutritional value into every spoonful. This one was passed on to me by my Dad, so it's particularly special.

2L home made chicken stock (see Eating Warm part 1 for recipe)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
big handful fresh chopped parsley

Bring stock to the boil and simmer. Whisk eggs and add grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. In a thin stream, add to the simmering stock while whisking to separate. Simmer another minute or two to cook through, then serve hot.


Turmeric Cabbage

A double dose of greatness! Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory with an affinity for the liver. As a concentrated medicine it can be used to treat inflammatory conditions from arthritis to hepatitis to colitis. As a spice in cooking it's a great preventative for all these things. Also, the mustard seeds have anti inflammatory properties.

Cabbage is a fabulous alkaliser, and therefore also great for reducing inflammation. Studies also show that cabbage has special anti-cancer properties, especially when gently cooked as in this recipe. It's one I've adapted from my Hare Krshna cookbook, one of my prize possessions!

Half a head of cabbage, shredded
4 or 5 medium tomatoes cut into wedges
2 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp asefetida
1-2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves
ghee
salt


In a large pan heat the mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add ghee then asefetida, cloves and cinnamon stick, stir for a minute, then add cabbage and turmeric. Sweat the cabbage down gently and turn to coat with spices and ghee. Add tomato wedges and cover for about 5-10 minutes over low heat. You want to retain some crunch in the cabbage. Warm through, covered, then serve with rice and dahl.




Sprouted Quinoa and Coriander (cilantro) Pesto


Coriander is a wonder-herb. Recently scientists found it's capable of chelating heavy metals. In English that means it safely removes Aluminium, Arsenic, Mercury &c. from the body. Those metals don't belong in our bodies, but when they get in there they can cause chronic ill health; fatigue, lowered immunity, poor metabolism etc. They get into us via dental fillings, cookware, vaccinations, contaminated food eg shellfish, etc


When quinoa is sprouted and prepared raw its nutrition is increased enormously. Sprouting foods increases the vitamin content so much that they become medicinal. If you add sprouted quinoa to your diet you can prevent lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Quinoa is also well known as a helpful food in female reproductive disorders from painful periods to infertility, and helps to increase breast milk for lactating mothers.

Pine nuts are the highest protein nut, so combined with the protein from the quinoa this recipe is very low GI, therefore a perfect snack for anyone seeking to loose weight or increase muscle mass.

2 cups chopped coriander leaves and small stems
1 cup sprouted quinoa
1/2 cup chopped pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic

To sprout the quinoa soak a cup of dry white quinoa in a bowl of cold water for at least 4 hours.


Blitz all of the above in a little blender. Use it as a dip with some vegie sticks, or stir it through rice for flavour.