Urban Remedy

A few random health facts...

2012-01-27T11:13:00.000+11:00

What does your sandwich say about you?

According to a survey by UK neuromarketing firm Mindlab, what you put in your sandwich says a lot about the kind of person you are:

• Cheese and pickle = high IQ
• BLT on seeded bread = opportunist
• Ham salad on white = forward thinker
• Beef roll = impulsive
• Egg mayo = quiet homebody
• Tuna and corn = highflyer
• Prawns on brown = sensitive soul
• Chicken and salad wrap = extrovert

Position is key...

Fact. We are more likely to favour items in the middle row of our fridges and pantries. It's not just about buying healthy food - we also need to place it strategically in that 'easiest to reach' drawer or shelf. Keep the naughty items tucked away, out of reach.*

* Study in Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Do we know how fat we are?

USA
• % of overweight people = 64%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 43%

Australia
• % of overweight people = 60%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 33%

UK
• % of overweight people = 59%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 40%

NZ
• % of overweight people = 59%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 41%

China
• % of overweight people = 21%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 25%

Yep, there's no avoiding it. Us Aussies are in denial about our expanding waistlines. The (pretty scary) stats above are from a 2011 'Health Pulse' survey by leading healthcare group BUPA. Time for a reality check!

The Ultimate Liver Cleansing Salad

2012-01-19T17:05:00.000+11:00

Last week we dished up a Mini Detox Menu fit for a king (or mini-king). This week, a jumbo salad to cleanse your liver and tantalise your tastebuds… Enjoy!

Start with a supercharged salad base…
Mix 2-3 of the following delicious bitter and leafy greens:
- Spinach
- Rocket
- Endives
- Dandelion leaves
- Mustard greens
- Watercress

Next, the bulk of your salad…
Choose as many of the following as you like:
- Grated white and red cabbage
- Grated carrot
- Grated apple
- Diced beetroot
- Sliced avocado
- Diced tomato
- Boiled egg, chopped in quarters
- Raw almonds, activated if possible
- Mixed beans and/or lentils (from the can if you don’t have time to soak)

If you have extra time…
Prepare the following the night before and throw them in the mix:
- Asparagus (lightly seared)
- Broccoli (raw or lightly steamed/sautéed fine)
- Brown rice or other wholegrain

Whip together a tasty little dressing…
We suggest making a bottle or jar (easy to shake and you can go back to it again and again):
- Olive oil
- Balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- Squeezed lemon, lime and grapefruit
- Crushed garlic
- Finely diced red onion
- Turmeric
- Dijon mustard if you like a kick to your dressing!

And now for the garnish…
Sprinkle with:
- Gomasio
- Seeds
- Fresh herbs

Serve with green tea, et voilà!

Mini Detox Menu (for between cleanses)

2012-01-13T17:29:00.000+11:00

This week we’re dishing up a yummy ‘Mini Detox Menu’ to keep you healthy, clean and glowing between cleanses. Enjoy!

Breakkie

• Bircher muesli or raw muesli with sheep or goat’s yoghurt. Add fresh fruit and raw activated almonds if you’re feeling hungry! Sheep and goat’s dairy are better tolerated than cow’s dairy as their protein-fat structure is easier to digest.

• Dandelion tea or a dandelion latte (if you’re lucky enough to have a good coffee shop that does these!) instead of coffee. Green or white tea OK too. Dandelion helps cleanse the liver and purge toxins; green and white are packed full of antioxidants!

Lunch

• Mixed bean and/or lentil salad with spinach leaves, diced tomato, haloumi (or goat’s cheese) and avocado. Season with olive oil, squeezed lemon, fresh herbs (we like basil), rock salt and ground pepper.

• Peppermint or ginger tea (drink an hour after lunch to avoid diluting digestive enzymes) to soothe a bloated tummy and ease digestion.

Dinner

• Oily or white fish in a pine nut and herb crust or baked in foil with fresh herbs and organic butter. Serve with a bitter greens and beetroot salad. Bitter greens include chicory or endives, rocket, watercress, mustard greens etc.

• 2 squares of dark chocolate – we like Loving Earth as it is raw and sweetened with agave

• Fennel tea to combat bloating and fluid retention

Snacks

• Detox juice: choose either apple/pear + green veggies or beetroot/carrot/ginger

• Celery and/or carrot sticks with hummus or fresh guacamole

• Raw activated cashews or almonds

• 1 or 2 pieces of fresh fruit

Four easy ways to make this your best year yet!

2012-01-06T12:01:00.000+11:00

They say how you start the New Year is a good reflection of how the rest of it is going to be. A little bit like how your breakfast (the meal of kings) determines your eating patterns and metabolism for the rest of the day. So we thought we’d help you get off on the right foot for 2012.

You’re not alone if December saw you feeling sillier than usual – dinners replaced with canapés and champagne, weeks blurring into weekends, celebrations never ending – or if the Christmas festivities quickly turned into New Year’s Eve ones, with no respite in between. That’s OK, we’re not about to tell you off. They call it ‘living’ for a reason right? It’s all about balance, finding your way back to your centre and knowing how to take care of your body when it’s worn out and needing some TLC.

Here are our 4 tips for making this January the best yet:

1. Start SMALL. Don’t put yourself off your resolutions by jumping in the deep end (we’re not saying this doesn’t work but 5am jogs are not for everyone). Go for a brisk 10min walk in the evening after dinner or do some stretches and toning exercises at home in the morning before breakkie. Every. Little. Bit. Counts.

2. Love yourself up. Wake up in the morning and tell yourself how wonderful you are. If you wake up doing the opposite, what’s the point in striving for better? PMA (no, not PMS) = Positive Mental Attitude. It’s corny but it works. Eating well, exercising and generally being healthy is largely governed by how driven you are to make the changes. If you’re kind to yourself, you’re more likely to feel motivated – a little like being your own best friend.

3. Embrace the change of season. When the weather changes, so does your body’s requirements. Don’t get stuck in an autumn/spring (can we even call it spring?) lunch rut all the way through summer. If your body is craving salads bursting with colours and nutrients, go for it. Tune in to what your body wants (within reason of course). A little trick of the trade – if you’re pining after junk, drink a big glass of water first and then think about what you really feel like eating again.

4. Out with the old, in with the new. The New Year is a time for renewal. Clean out your wardrobe, your pantry, your fridge, your filing cabinet, your phone, your mind… and last but definitely not least… your body. There’s no doubt about it, December isn’t the saintliest of months. Our bodies are full to the brim with all-you-can-eat buffet, champagne, appetisers, chocolate, Christmas pudding, roast chicken, roast potatoes, roast… well, everything. The mind-body connection is undeniable when it comes to cleansing and clearing out your insides gives you a new lease on life – a fresh perspective.

We’re attacking a 5-day cleanse this month at the UR HQ… wish us luck!

10 easy tips to stay healthy over the holidays!

2011-12-28T11:46:00.000+11:00

1. Get off on the right foot each day. Just 10 minutes of exercise will get you eating and feeling good for the rest of the day. We recommend yoga, stretching, walking (on the beach if you're lucky enough, and it's not raining!), swimming, or even a run for the braver among you.

2. Stock your pantry with healthy snack foods: raw nuts, healthy dips, carrot and celery sticks, brown rice cakes, avocado, olives and fresh fruit.

3. Put a healthy spin on your festive eating: root veggie chips instead of ordinary ones, gluten-free Christmas cake, coconut oil instead of butter, homemade dips instead of store bought ones (often laden with unnecessary extras), dark chocolate (sweetened with stevia if possible) instead of milk chocolate.

4. Choose your drinks carefully. Opt for clean mixers such as soda water and fresh lime. Go organic (or biodynamic) for your wine if you can.

5. Skip meals. Yep, for once this actually is OK! If you have overindulged at Christmas lunch, you don't HAVE to eat dinner. Have a light snack instead.

6. Have a 'clean day' between eating sessions: lots of fresh fruit, veg, salads, steamed fish, green juice!

7. Take time out from family. Go for a walk. Have some YOU time.

8. Get out of the 'cram as much naughtiness into the end of the year before the next one begins' mentality. Start your resolutions before 1st Jan.

9. Jot down just 3 resolutions for 2012, not 20. You're more likely to stick to them.

10. Set a mantra for 2012. It will give your resolutions meaning.

The wonders of dry skin brushing

2011-12-09T11:57:00.000+11:00

This week is a special edition on dry skin brushing, courtesy of Lee Holmes, the author of newly published recipe book Supercharged Food (90 delicious and wholesome recipes that are all gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar-free), a regular columnist for WellBeing Mag, and the brains behind superchargedfood.com

Feeding The Skin:

The skin is the largest most important eliminative organ in the body and is responsible for one quarter of the body’s detoxification each day. Dry skin brushing stimulates the lymphatic system, liver and adrenal glands, and assists these organs in decongesting and dumping out their toxins as well as giving the body a gentle internal massage. It also increases the ability of the liver and adrenal glands to handle toxins, strengthens the immune system and stimulates circulation. The practice of Dry Skin Brushing has been used for thousands of years around the world as a natural way of detoxing the body. Dry brushing is also used as a preventative for dry skin. The exfoliating affect stimulates skin renewal and removes dead skin layers. It is fantastic for removing cellulite and tightens the skin to prevent premature aging and the best thing is it’s easy, inexpensive and very good for you.

Foods that feed the skin include foods that are rich in lecithin, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants such as eggs, organ meats, a balance of Omega-3-6-9 oils fresh dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and berries of all kinds.

How to Do Dry Skin Brushing:

Buy a bath brush which contains natural bristles and not synthetic ones as synthetic bristles scratch the surface of the skin and can be harsh and irritating. The brush should be kept dry and not used for bathing. A longer handled brush works well for finding out of reach places. It’s a good idea to wash the brush with soap and water every couple of weeks. When dry skin brushing make sure that your skin is completely dry, and the brush should pass once over every part of the body except the face. The best time to do skin brushing is before showering or bathing at least once a day. You don’t need to use a back and forth motion, circular motion, scrubbing, or massaging - one clean sweep does it. Use long gentle, but firm, strokes. Begin with your feet and continue brushing upwards, be gentle on the chest area. You will feel amazing and revitalized after a body brush.

Don’t forget to eat right this party season too. Remember that whatever you put into your body affects your skin, hair and nails, you can use the most expensive conditioners and shampoos and products in the world but it won’t change anything if you don’t eat well. Why pour synthetic products and chemicals onto your body and increase your toxic load when all you need to do is work from the inside out!

Visit Lee's blog for some in-depth gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar-free recipes too.

What are you really hungry for?

2011-11-25T09:48:00.000+11:00

Staying healthy and happy isn’t as simple as counting carbs and calories. The reason we love cleansing so much at Urban Remedy is that it allows you to take some time out from the rat race, to re-centre and examine the areas of your life that are falling short. Are you working too hard? Have you had a few too many beers or champagnes lately? Are you not spending enough time with friends? Have you fallen off the exercise wagon?

According to the lovely folk at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, what we eat is secondary food. The other stuff – career, relationships, spirituality, exercise – is primary food. We believe this is where cleansing plays such a crucial role: by taking the dilemma of secondary food out of the equation, it gives you time to think about the primary food in your life and address the areas you may be lacking in.

Take a look IIN’s nifty little (primary and secondary) food pyramid here.

Now, trace a point in each segment of the ‘circle of life’ below to note how happy you feel about each area in your life. Next, join the dots. The dips in your circle are areas that need some tender loving care. Get onto it.

Here's to a well rounded life!

The Urban Remedy 'Easy Guide to Summer'

2011-11-18T11:11:00.001+11:00

With summer fast approaching, we’ve narrowed down our 10 top tips to get you feeling and looking great.

1. Drink a glass of warm boiled water first thing in the morning to flush out your lymphatic system – this is an amazing (free) home remedy for combatting cellulite, fluid retention, bloating and enhancing digestion and detoxification. We say boiled as the body can then use it immediately rather than processing (digesting) the mineral content.

2. Hydrate throughout the day: don’t guzzle your 1.5-2L in one sitting. Sip on water throughout the day to stay continuously hydrated. And avoid drinking with meals as this dilutes your digestive juices!

3. Do some gentle weights or toning exercises every morning. You don’t need a gym or even gym gear to do this! Tricep dips on the bath are a sneaky whole-body toning exercise (they get your legs and tum toned too if done correctly). Simply do 2 sets of 25, et voilà!

4. Moisturise and protect. If you want to stay youthful and avoid the dreaded leather-face look, moisturising and applying SPF is the ONLY way. Think 15+ not factor 4 coconut oil, unless you’re trying to re-enact a scene from Hot Shots.

5. Fake it to make it. Yep, we’re talking about fake tan. Not the orange kind but a nice subtle hint of summer in a bottle… You can get some pretty good ones now (even organic), either applied in salon or at home. For you Sydney peeps, we like Fleur De Lys MediSpa in Woollahra – $25 tans every Friday, all summer. Yes please.

6. Get 15 minutes of SPF-free sunshine every day to boost your vitamin D levels.

7. Keep it clean throughout the silly season. Make sure your liver is getting the TLC it needs by supplementing with milk thistle and detoxing regularly to avoid toxic overload. We often recommend cleansers with busy social calendars try weekly mini-cleanses throughout December, working their way towards a longer ‘new year cleanse’ in January.

8. Give your summer drinks a makeover. Claire from the Saha Space shared some of her lovely ice tea recipes with us last week. Check them out here. We also recommend choosing your alcoholic mixers carefully – soda water and fresh lime is always a good option. Avoid pre-mixed drinks, soft drinks (even diet), fruit juice (you can bet the stuff at the bar isn’t good for you) and milky cocktails.

9. Avoid yeast and sugar to beat the bloat. We often think wheat/gluten is the culprit (and it is for some people) when in fact it is more likely to be yeast. If you’re OK with pasta but not with bread and pizza, yeast is not your friend. Try sourdough bread if this is the case.

10. Tune in to summer cravings (good ones that is). Fresh fruit, fresh veg, grilled fish, seafood, barbecues… We naturally eat differently according to the season so it’s time to break out of your winter food rut and embrace summer.

Do your summer drinks need a detox?

2011-11-11T11:37:00.001+11:00

This week, we bring you some super tasty recipes from the very lovely Claire Obeid, a Sydney-based yoga teacher, holistic health coach and blogger at the equally lovely Saha Space.

All you need is a big old ice tea jug (Claire recommends one from T2), some basic ingredients and a willing guinea pig to test them on.

1) Ginger, lemon, mint and raw honey

• Grate a thumb sized amount of ginger into a 2ltr pot
• Boil up water for 15 minutes
• Add in 1 tbsp of raw honey (you can use rice syrup or any other healthy/natural sweetener)
• Once cooled pour into jug
• Serve with a slice of lemon, mint sprigs and ice cubes

2) Rose, cinnamon and apple

• Boil up a 2ltr pot of water with cinnamon bark sticks (not the quills for cooking but actual bark)
• In jug add in slices of fresh apple and rose bud tea (T2!)
• Pour in boiled cinnamon tea
• Serve chilled with a dash of cinnamon powder

3) Green tea, mint and lemon

• Boil water
• In jug add green tea, lemon slices and fresh mint
• Pour water in, cool and chill

4) Pomegranate and fresh lime

• Pomegranate concentrate from the health food shop is the best option
• Add to 2ltrs of hot water + add fresh juice from 2 limes
• Pour into jug and chill
• Add in fresh lime slices (and pomegranate seeds if you can find them) to serve on ice

For Claire’s full blog entry (and other posts), check out the Saha Space.

The mind-body cleanse connection: letting go

2011-11-04T11:12:00.000+11:00

Have you ever wondered why you suddenly decide it’s time to cleanse? Time to leave behind the old and make a change? Time to purge and renew?

It’s often hard to tell if it’s your body crying out for some much needed TLC, or if you’ve reached a crossroads where it’s time to make a mental or emotional shift. From our lengthy cleansing experience, we would humbly profess that it’s a little bit of both. Our body is nothing short of a miracle, a fine-tuned machine that picks up on subtle changes in its complex internal environment and sends messages to the different organs accordingly, the brain included.

There is no doubt that how we feel physically is linked to how we feel mentally and emotionally. If you hold on to things emotionally, there is a strong likelihood that you hold onto things, well, physically (not to get too graphic). Allergies can often be connected to emotional sensitivity or repression of some description, resulting in skin eruptions, rashes and inflammatory reactions. Nervous dispositions are prone to digestive upsets, bloating and ‘knots’ in the stomach. Fiery and passionate types suffer from heartburn, sweating and excess ‘heat’ in the body.

And what about toxins? They are the prime example of a mind-body connection. We hold onto physical toxins but also emotional ones. Something might happen in your life that you are unable to ‘digest’ or process in a healthy way, resulting in toxic emotions literally backing up in your body. It’s not uncommon for people to cry when they get a colon cleanse – there’s even a word for it, it’s called a ‘release’. Similarly, when you do a juice cleanse, you are sending physical and emotional toxins on their way, clearing your mind and making room for good health.

So if you feel an urge to cleanse, your body and your mind are sending you a signal. It’s time to let go of something, to inspire change, to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. Or, if you’re not feeling that deep and meaningful, it could just be time to fit into those skinny jeans again. Amen.

Do you trust your gut?

2011-10-28T09:11:00.000+11:00

There’s a reason people say ‘trust your gut’. It doesn’t just digest your food; it’s also a pretty good indication of how you feel in general – mentally, emotionally and physically.

We all know the digestive tract is packed full of yummy enzymes and juices that work on our food to break it down and keep our body going. And we’ve heard enough about the veritable fauna of bacteria in our gut that keep our immune system ticking along when in the right proportions.

What you may not know is that your gut plays host to a vital immune-boosting part of your lymphatic system – the GALT or ‘gut associated lymphatic tissue’, or that almost 90% of the serotonin in your body is located in your digestive tract.

So how you feel, think and act could be more closely related to your gut than you realise! It may be time to tune in and trust what your body is telling you.

Check in next week for our post on the mind-body cleanse connection…

Are you ready to sizzle at the races?

2011-10-21T10:19:00.002+11:00

Preparation

Depending on how much preparation you want to put in, do the following for 3-7 days prior:

1. Eat dinner before 7pm
2. Get to bed before 10pm: more sleep = less fat
3. Cut out sugar and refined carbs (if you haven’t already) – wholegrains OK
4. Avoid yeast in food to beat the dreaded bloat
5. Do a mini-detox (and a tan) for glowing skin!

On the day

Make sure you’re on a winning streak (not just a streak) with these handy tips:

6. Support your liver with a milk thistle supplement in the morning (we like Flordis Legalon)
7. Eat a hearty breakfast: think poached eggs on sourdough or bircher muesli
8. Eat a light meal before you head out – include wholegrains, healthy protein and good fats
9. Drink a glass of water for every glass of bubbly
10. Place your bets sensibly!

Brighten up with our 'Tropical Sunshine Smoothie'

2011-10-14T12:57:00.000+11:00

The weather outside is not very spring-like so we're sending a touch of sunshine your way with this gorgeous tropical smoothie. Enjoy for breakkie, as an after-dinner delight, or just because.

Ingredients
• 75ml low-fat coconut milk
• 75ml filtered water
• 1 medium-sized banana
• ¼ pineapple or papaya
• ½ lime, squeezed
• 30ml noni juice
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Preparation
1. Roughly chop fruit
2. Pop all ingredients in a blender
3. Blend for 2-3 minutes
4. Serve in a tall glass
5. Garnish (if you’re feeling fancy)
6. Bottoms up!

How to add some kick to your food, the healthy way.

2011-10-06T17:44:00.000+11:00

If you're a flavour-seeker and worry healthy food equals no taste, we have some new ingredients that will spice up your food life.

If you like it hot and spicy:

• Cayenne – boosts your metabolism
• Garlic – fights off bacteria and infection
• Ginger – helps soothe upset tummies
• Home-made chilli sauce* (just because)
• Freshly chopped chillies – nothing beats the real thing!

If you like it sharp and tangy:

• Umeboshi vinegar – helps beat the bloat
• Apple cider vinegar – stimulates digestion
• Sauerkraut
• Pickled veg

If you like it salty:

• Gomasio – Eden Foods do a great one
• Himalayan pink rock salt – your adrenals' best friend
• Tamari sauce – like soy sauce but good for you
• Liquid amino acids – try Bragg's if you can get your hands on it

If you like it rich and oily:

• Extra virgin olive oil – no surprises here
• Coconut oil or coconut butter – an oil that helps you lose weight and balances the bacteria levels in your gut! You can even substitute it for butter. Need we say more?
• Home-made guacamole
• Tahini

If you like it sweet or creamy:

• Manuka honey – more expensive than regular honey but well worth it as it doesn't feed the bad bacteria in your gut!
• Stevia – a bit of a taste divider: some like it, some don't
• Nut butters – we like Loving Earth's Raw Organic Coconut Chocolate Butter and Melrose Foods' ABC spread (almonds, brazil nuts and cashews)
• Coconut milk

*Super quick recipe for home made chilli sauce: healthy oil + a dash of tomato paste + finely chopped fresh mixed chillies + crushed garlic + rock salt and ground pepper to taste. Yum.

Super smoothie delight!

2011-09-22T10:27:00.001+10:00

This week, we're dishing up a yummy recipe for a 'Super Smoothie' to keep you feeling... well 'super' all morning. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 200 ml milk alternative or organic milk
• 50 ml water (filtered if poss)
• 1/2 banana or 1 small banana
• Handful of mixed berries (frozen)
• 1 tsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp raw maca powder
• 1 tbsp LSA mix or chia seeds

Preparation

1. Throw ingredients in blender (throwing is more fun, we promise!)
2. Blend
3. Serve
4. Drink
5. Yum

Comments

• Milk alternatives: try almond, brown rice, millet, oat or soy milk
• Berries: we opt for frozen as they make your smoothie nice and chilled. No need to add ice!
• Maca powder: an energising superfood from the Incas; also a well known aphrodisiac! ;)
• LSA: Linseed, Sunflower and Almond mix (omega heaven)
• Chia: a super seed, packed full of vits, mins and omegas!

Are you toxic?

2011-09-15T09:38:00.000+10:00

Take this super easy quiz to find out.

First, answer A, B or C to the following questions:
• A = Often
• B = Sometimes
• C = Never

1. Do you feel tired or sluggish?
2. Do you feel exhausted upon waking?
3. Do you wake between 1am and 3am?
4. Do you suffer from night sweats?
5. Do you suffer from insomnia or poor sleep?
6. Do your energy levels vary dramatically?
7. Do you have trouble staying focused?
8. Do you feel spacey or distant?
9. Do you experience headaches?
10. Do you have bad breath or body odour?
11. Do you get skin breakouts or irritations?
12. Do you suffer from allergies?
13. Do you get colds and flus easily?
14. Do you suffer from gas or bloating?
15. Are you irregular or constipated?
16. Do you experience food intolerances?
17. Do you eat a lot of sugar and/or yeast?
18. Do you eat a lot of meat and/or dairy?
19. Do you eat a lot of processed foods?
20. Do you drink > 2-3 units of alcohol daily?

Then, add up your total score:
• A = 2 points
• B = 1 points
• C = 0 points

And now for the verdict:
0-5: Your body really is a temple – continue to look after it as you are and detox occasionally to maintain your health.

6-29: You’re on the right track but you could feel better. You need a little something to kickstart your body’s own detoxification mechanisms.

30-40: Your body needs a mini-overhaul. You’re finding it hard to feel your best and need to press the re-set button.

A ridiculously yummy (and super healthy) treat!

2011-09-07T17:19:00.002+10:00

This week, we have a fabulous recipe for Dairy-Free Ice Cream from the lovely Lee Holmes at Supercharged Food. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold almond milk
• 2 teaspoons gelatin
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk
• 1 cup cashew nuts
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Pour the almond milk into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface.
2. Leave for a few minutes while the gelatin softens.
3. Put the saucepan over a low heat and stir the mixture until the milk has heated and the gelatin dissolved.
4. Remove from the heat and place the saucepan in a sink of iced water so that the milk can cool to room temperature.
5. Put the egg yolks in a blender and process until light and frothy.
6. Add the coconut milk, coconut flakes, stevia, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt and process until well combined.
7. Add the gelatin milk and blend for a few more seconds.
8. Pour mixture into an ice cream container and put in the freezer.
9. After an hour mix it up with a stick blender or fork and then return it to the freezer for another hour. Do this one more time, as it breaks up the ice crystals which cause the ice cream to be more icy than creamy.
10. The ice cream will be quite hard when it comes out of the freezer so place it onto the counter for 10 minutes before serving.

Comments

Not only is this recipe dairy-free (heaven for a dairy intolerant like me), it’s also sweetened with stevia – a natural sweetener that has a positive impact on blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. On top of this, no sugar means no feeding the nasty bacteria in your gut (which in turn means no bloating)! Yes please.

For more gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar-free recipes visit www.superchargedfood.com

How to eat well and fit into your skinny jeans!

2011-08-31T18:14:00.001+10:00

On the menu this week: we answer our final two top questions. Enjoy!

1. What should I be eating?

This is an interesting one. There is no ‘one diet fits all’ solution. In fact, one man (or woman)’s food is often another man (or woman)’s poison! The concept I am referring to is that of ‘bio-individuality’. We are all unique individuals with our own individual dietary requirements and our own responses to particular foods.

What we should eat also varies according to location and season. There’s a reason everyone is talking about eating locally-sourced, seasonal produce. It’s good for the environment but it’s also better for us. Put simply, it’s more natural to be eating what is readily available to us in our surroundings.

Finally, the word ‘should’ when combined with ‘eating’ rings alarm bells to me. Eat what you want to eat, when you want to eat it (within reason) and you will often find you eat far more healthily (and far less) than if you impose restrictions on your diet (and end up reaching for the nearest pack of Tim Tams).

2. How do I lose those last five kilos?

Most of us have a normal weight and a ‘skinny jeans’ weight. I think the issue of losing the ‘last five kilos’ is really about something entirely different: letting go. Obviously I don’t mean renouncing all willpower and reaching for the nearest pack of chips. What I mean is letting go of our OCD calorie counting, treadmill pounding and habitual self-loathing. We are officially a nation of ‘orthorexics’ – people unhealthily obsessed with being healthy. Sounds ironic, doesn’t it?!

Now, I’m not saying that you can get fat by just worrying about it or look at a slice of cake and turn into one. But you can definitely shed the kilos if you stop agonising over your weight and just let go! If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When you are relaxed and happy, you sleep better and make the right food choices. You get outside more and laugh more. You lower your stress hormones and boost your mood!

So next time you catch yourself obsessing over what to eat for dinner, take a step back, breathe and remember to live a little. You might even make a more sensible decision...

How to lose the bloat and end the war against carbs!

2011-08-24T18:29:00.000+10:00

This week we're dishing up answers to two of our top four questions.

1. Are carbs bad for you?

This is something we get asked a lot. The simple answer: no. The slightly more complicated truth: all carbs are not created equal.

White, starchy, refined carbs (think flour, sandwich bread, pastry, cakes and other naughty things) are not going to win you a healthy eating award – they often come with added nasties (sweeteners, preservatives, additives and the like). The carbs in whole grains, fruit and vegetables on the other hand should form a large part of a healthy diet.

Some people – such as diabetics and candida sufferers – should monitor their carb intake closely. As for the rest of us, we should ease up on the war against carbs and focus instead on choosing whole, natural foods.

2. How do I lose the bloat?

Possibly our favourite question. As someone who suffered from bloating in the past, I know just how hard it is to get rid of!

If you have been to see your GP and gone through all the routine tests (such as celiac disease), then you may need to look at it more naturopathically. The most common causes of bloating are dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad bacteria such as candida in the gut) and food intolerances. Milk and wheat are the common culprits when it comes to intolerance-related bloating but yeast and sugar can also trigger the dreaded bloat for candida sufferers.

All fellow bloatees should make sure they get on top of the bacteria levels in their gut. Sometimes a probiotic is not enough and a more potent anti-bacterial/fungal supplement may be required to kill off the bad bacteria: garlic, pau d’arco, black walnut, oregano oil, thyme oil and caprylic acid to name a few. Probiotics and prebiotics would be the next step in the equation.

Naturopathically, this is known as the ‘weed, seed and feed’ approach:
• weed: wage war on bad bacteria
• seed: plant lovely good bacteria in your tummy
• feed: nourish the good bacteria with their favourite food – prebiotics

Stay tuned for two more top questions next week!

Goodbye wobbly bits, hello PowerPlate!

2011-08-17T17:24:00.002+10:00

This week, we put PowerPlate to the test. Buckle up, we’re in for a ride!

The experiment:
5 x 40-minute PowerPlate sessions over two weeks

So what is PowerPlate?

It’s the latest celebrity craze of vibration training that blasts your jiggly bits and gets you fit and toned in 2-3 short sessions per week. It was in fact used (long before celebrities) by Russian cosmonauts to fight the effects of zero gravity, improving muscle strength and bone density.

Classes are in groups of 2-4. I went with my (extremely brave) partner.

You stand on a vibrating platform in regular gym gear (no space suit, alas) and do a series of exercises including squats, lunges, push ups, the plank (could we be any more 2011?) and tricep dips. The vibrations stimulate the muscle-pump effect and increase blood flow (is it me or does that sound a bit rude?), which in turn improves the body’s ability to transport oxygen, assimilate nutrients and disperse toxins.

Studies have shown that adding a PowerPlate to your workout increases its effectiveness by 57%. Yes please.

The guinea pig:
Me, exercise-phobe extraordinaire

I’m super healthy and I walk a lot but let’s get one thing straight – I’m no gym bunny. I used to dance ten hours a week when I was younger (and run and play tennis), and… like all good things in large doses… I got sick of it. The mere thought of exercising makes me want to whip out a box set of Gossip Girl and climb under the doona.

The verdict:

I have to say, after the initial excitement of free exercise, I started to wonder if my not-so-gymtastic body would be up for the challenge. I struggled in the first two sessions but found myself improving so quickly and so noticeably that I stayed motivated and didn’t feel disheartened by my lack of fitness. My partner and I both felt like we had improved leaps and bounds by session 3, and were tricep-dipping and push-upping like pros in the last session ;)... you should see my plank now!!

I loved the fact that you could feel every muscle working, and that you could target particular muscles with such precision. The instructors at the studio in Bondi Junction were amazing. They definitely knew their stuff and checked in on us regularly, asking if there were areas we wanted to target (aka jiggly bits) and making sure we were activating each muscle correctly (read: working hard enough).

After the workout, you also get to look forward to a mini cellulite-banishing massage. A way to kiss goodbye to wobbly bits and cellulite in 40 minutes? Definitely a man (or woman)'s best friend.

Given my hate-hate relationship with exercise, I didn’t expect to fall in love with PowerPlate but (it’s official) I most certainly have. And so have my new found abs. Now all I have to do is convince them to stay there.

Less Gossip Girl, more PowerPlate? Who am I kidding, a girl can multi-task.

xoxo

A super yummy recipe for ‘curry in a hurry’

2011-08-10T17:26:00.000+10:00

This easy peasy recipe is bound to get your tastebuds sizzling. I’m addicted and make it almost every week in winter (it’s my get-back-on-track ‘curry in a hurry’ – perfect if you have been overindulging in chocolate and pinot gris… not that you would ever do that, of course!).

Ingredients:
• 1 can of light coconut milk
• 2 heaped tsp of green curry paste
• A splash of umeboshi plum vinegar (for flat tummies)
• 1 can of organic mixed beans
• A large handful of green beans
• ¼ of a winter squash
• A small handful of raw cashews
• Instant brown rice

Preparation: 5 mins
• Peel and roughly chop winter squash into fat chunks
• Top and tail green (runner) beans and chop in half
• Open cans and drain mixed beans
• Prepare instant brown rice

Cooking: 15 mins
• Place a wok or large pan on medium heat
• Mix the curry paste with a dash of coconut milk in the wok
• Add in the veggies, cashews and beans
• Throw in the rest of the coconut milk
• Add a splash of umeboshi vinegar (for that touch of MasterChef)
• Add rock salt and pepper to taste
• Simmer for 15 minutes, maybe 20
• Check that the squash and beans are cooked
• Serve on a bed of brown rice
• Add a sprinkle of gomasio if you’re feeling fancy
• Et voilà!

Serves:
• 4 people OR
• 2 people twice (almost tastes better the next day!) OR
• 2 hungry people

Notes to the chef:
• You can use red or yellow curry paste if you prefer
• If you’re lazy like me, just use whichever veggies are left in your fridge. Sweet potato, baby corn and capsicum taste great in curries too.
• If you’re not feeling the ‘veggie’ part, you can add organic chicken, organic beef, salmon fillets, or prawns.
• For those of you who like it hot (read: mouth on fire, eyes watering and sexy sweat beads trickling down your face) you can use up to four heaped teaspoons of green curry paste. I actually used five the other day! This is not for the faint hearted though. I grew up in Asia and I like a kick to my curry.

And there you go. A 20-minute, mouth-watering, tastebud-tingling thai veggie curry. If it’s Friday and you’re feeling naughty, it tastes beautiful with a glass of chilled pinot gris (and followed by a square of dark chocolate). Yum.

Enjoy xx

Are you full of beans?

2011-08-03T17:23:00.001+10:00

Last week, we looked at the health (and environmental) benefits of cutting out meat and dairy for just one day per week. The facts are pretty astonishing.

But if you do decide to give them up and have a Meatless Monday or a meatless any-other-day, where should you get your protein from instead?

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Free-range, organic eggs:
Eggs are a complete protein, meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids.

• Milk alternatives:
- Nut milks
- Soy milk

• High protein grains:
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Kamut
- Quinoa
- Seitan
- Soba noodles
- Spelt
- Whole oats
- Wild rice

• Legumes and beans:
- Adzuki beans
- Black beans
- Broad beans
- Butter beans
- Chickpeas
- Green beans
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
Click here for a full list of beans.

• Tofu and tempeh

• Nuts and seeds

• Nut butters:
Our favourite is ABC spread.
Almonds + Brazil nuts + Cashews = complete protein

• Seed butters:
- Sunflower seed spread
- Tahini

• Green veggies:
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
- Spinach
- Watercress

Next week, we’ve got some super healthy, meat-free, high protein and carbon-friendly recipes for you. Stay tuned…

Oh yes, the juices are still coming!

2011-07-28T18:18:00.000+10:00

As you all know, our lovely Emma has snuck off to have a baby. Rest assured, it's business as usual at Urban Remedy... the juices will keep on coming!

Here's a quick dose of nutrition for you:

Fact. If everyone in the US went just one day each week without meat or cheese, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to taking 7.6 million cars off the road. That’s a whole lot of cars. Lamb, beef and pork are the worst offenders, and cheese is no better. Lentils on the other hand are a lot more climate-friendly.

Meat and dairy – delicious enjoyed in moderation – have been linked, when consumed too frequently and in super-size portions, to health concerns such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

A few months ago, Emma told me about a movement in the States called Meatless Monday. It’s pretty catchy isn’t it? They’re a non-profit org helping to combat the environmental and health effects of our excess meat consumption.

The concept is simple: all you have to do is go without meat on Mondays. You can find meat-free, carbon-friendly and healthy protein in beans, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds instead.

But what about the other days?

Tips for Tuesday – Sunday:

• Keep your meat intake moderate
• Opt for organic, hormone-free, locally-sourced meat and dairy options
• Up your fruit and veggie intake, considerably
• Moderate your consumption of caffeine and alcohol
• Replace sugar with natural alternatives: agave, stevia, manuka honey

Anyone for a veggie juice?

Sources:
• Environmental Working Group (EWG): http://www.ewg.org
• Meatless Monday: http://www.meatlessmonday.com
• Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Emma's last words of wisdom - thoughts on balance

2011-07-22T09:55:00.000+10:00

I’ve alwaysbeen big on the notion of balance, in that we don’t need to beextreme in our behaviour, especially when it comes to health.

Itwas only when I fell pregnant that I realised that my idea of balance wasn’tparticularly balanced. I was running a demanding business, teachingyoga eight hours a week, practicing yoga 10 hours a week, studying, readingbooks on wellbeing and nutrition in my spare time, and walking to and fromwork! And what’s worse, I was feeling guilty for not meditating for 30 minstwice a day and having a pretty serious passion for sugary treats (I feel likethe priest confessing to his congregation). What terrible transgressions on mypart.

Pregnancyhas made me slow down and realise that I can’t do everything. Nor do Ineed to. It’s ok to sleep in. It’s ok to do nothing. It’s ok to watch realityTV (ok, so I still actually don’t agree with this one, but I’m working on it –apparently there is this fantastic show on foxtel called “My Big Fat GipsyWedding” – a must see I’m told). It’s ok to eat pizza (truthfully, I’ve alwaysbeen fine with this).

Somy advice and key learning from the last 8½ months (yes, that makes me massive)- cut yourself some slack and let go a little. Be kind to yourself. Find your own balance.

Onthat note, I’m about to head off on a very new and important journey and todayis my last day.I have no idea how I’m going to fill the next two or so weeks before the babycomes, but they tell me it’s a good idea to slow down and enjoy the solitudewhile it lasts. That and daily yoga, walks, meditation, preparing the baby’sroom, catching up with friends, cleaning the house, stock-piling frozen meals,doing my tax…

Iwish you very well on your healthy (or not so healthy journey).

10 simple ways to be healthier without much effort

2011-07-15T14:23:00.002+10:00

1. Eat slowly. Chew your food well and eat slowly. A handy trick is to put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls and not to pick it up again until you’ve completely finished your mouthful. You’ll enjoy your food more and almost certainly eat a little less.

2. Exercise portion control. Serve yourself a reasonable portion. Eat it (slowly of course). If you still find you’re hungry 20 minutes later, have a little more.

3. Eat everything you like, but do it in moderation. Denying yourself completely is a one way street to Bingeville.

5. Drink warm or hot water with lemon first thing in the morning (at least 30 mins before breakfast). We bang on about this a bit, but it’s a great way to kick start your metabolism and the body’s natural rejuvenation mechanisms.

4. Do at least one ‘swap’ a day. Swap your 2nd coffee for a herbal tea, swap the lift for the stairs, swap a sweet treat for a piece of fruit.

6. Go Meatless on Mondays (or any day of the week). Go vego one day a week. It’s good for you and you’ll no doubt surprise yourself by how much you enjoy it and how flavoursome vegetarian meals can be.

7. Drink more water throughout the day. Try sipping hot water (I love this during winter) or add chlorophyll (aka liquid sunshine) to room temperature water.

8. Up your fruit and veg content with a fresh juice, smoothie or soup each day. If you don’t have a blender or a juicer, invest in one and try your hand at creating smoothie and juice recipes. You’ll be amazed at how many veggies you can pack in with a little bit of fruit.

9. Eat when you’re hungry. Don’t eat if you’re not. Brilliant.

10. Listen to what your body really wants. Often you’ll find that while you automatically think you want a biscuit or cake with your 3pm coffee, your body would actually love a piece of fruit.

All pretty simple stuff really. Share your "be healthy tips without trying" tips on our facebook page or community.

Glowing skin smoothie

2011-06-27T17:15:00.000+10:00

In last week's blog, we gave you our five easy steps to clear, radiant skin:

1. Avoid skin aggravating foods

2. Maximise skin enhancing foods

3. A simple, effective skin care routine

4. Experiment with skin healing supplements

5. Try a juice cleanse

This week, we're dishing up a recipe for a yummy, skin-friendly smoothie to kick off your day.

Glowing skin smoothie:

Almond, millet or brown rice milk
½ medium-sized banana
Handful of mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
1 heaped tbsp of a superfood powder* of your choice
1 heaped tbsp of LSA (Linseed, Sunflower and Almond) powder
Optional: Sun Warrior vegan protein powder

Superfood powders*:

Green superfood powder – we like Vital Greens
Acai powder – we like Rio Life
Raw cacao powder – we like Loving Earth

For candida/dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut) sufferers, swap the fruit (banana and berries) for egg yolk, cashews or avocado. Coconut oil and cinnamon are great bacteria-fighting smoothie boosters for candida – add natural vanilla extract to enhance flavour and/or manuka honey for sweetness (manuka honey doesn’t feed the bad bacteria in your gut).

Smoothies are a great breakfast option for individuals prone to breakouts or skin irritations, and for people with weak digestion or digestive disorders – they deliver a burst of vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients in a form that is super easy for your body to break down (most of the work has already been done by the blender) and draw goodness from straight away.

Enjoy! xx

Food for your skin

2011-06-20T16:23:00.000+10:00

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. It protects us from external pathogens, regulates temperature, facilitates vitamin D absorption, enables tactile sensation, and boosts detoxification.

Its detoxification function has the biggest connection with skin appearance. If we’re overloaded with toxins – playing too hard, eating too much (or too much of the wrong things) and sleeping too little – it all takes its toll on our skin. Dehydration lines, breakouts, rashes and skin irritations are all signs our skin needs some serious TLC.

To get your skin in tip top shape, we recommend these 5 nice and easy steps:

1. Avoid these skin aggravators:
- Dairy
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Alcohol

2. Eat lots of these super healthy foods:
- Fresh fruit and veg
- Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines)
- Healthy oils: olive, coconut, flaxseed
- Nuts
- Water!

3. Maintain a simple but effective skin care routine:

Skin products often promise to fix your every skin problem; they won’t. That said, choosing a brand with pure, natural ingredients, or at the very least free from the nasty stuff, is key. We recommend Simple if you’re on a budget or, if you feel like treating yourself, here are some of our faves: Aesop, Origins, Aveda and Kiehl’s (all stocked at Myer, except Aveda).

Rather than getting a whole heap of products, just get a few really good ones – a great cleanser (this one doubles up as gentle exfoliant), a supercharged moisturiser (still looking for one, tips most welcome!) or soothing face oil, and a gentle make-up remover.

4. Supplement (if you can afford the extra splurge on your skin):

For acne and breakouts – as these are often linked to bacterial overgrowth (dysbiosis) in the gut, we recommend taking a high-strength probiotic and, if you can get to a naturopath or health store, ask them to mix you up a liquid herbal formula to support adrenal health and immunity, and combat dysbiosis.

For dry skin, inflammation and recurring skin irritations (such as dermatitis or eczema) – we recommend a high quality fish oil supplement.

5. Try a juice cleanse:

We have had excellent feedback from customers with skin conditions. If you think about it, it makes sense – by doing a juice cleanse you are eliminating all of the aggravators, giving your digestive system a rest, stimulating detoxification, and adding in a whole heap of goodness!

What are your skin secrets? We’d love to know.

A seriously delicious and nutritious soup

2011-06-16T11:11:00.000+10:00

We made this spinach and leek soup last week and it was absolutely delicious. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s seriously tasty and packed with nutrients.

What’s so good about spinach?

One of the most nutrient-dense foods available
Very high phytonutrient content
Anti-inflammatory benefits from flavanoids and carotenoids
High in anti-oxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc, selenium and manganese
The vitamin K in one cup of fresh spinach provides almost 200% of your daily requirement
Excellent source of iron and folate

Ingredients
3 tablespoons cashews
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
1 large leek, chopped (white part only)
1 bunch English spinach, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons of coconut milk, cream or yoghurt

The how to (so easy)
1. Wash leek and spinach well.
2. Saute garlic and leek in a little of the stock until leeks soft.
3. Add cashews and rest of stock and cook for 15 mins.
4. Add spinach and cook for a further 2 mins.
5. Blend.
6. Add a dollop of coconut milk, cream or yoghurt.
7. Garnish with parsley or mint and serve.

It’s a very light soup, so it won’t be enough for lunch or dinner on its own, but a light meal when served with crusty sourdough bread or brown rice. I often put this in a thermos and drink/eat throughout the day as a snack between meals for extra nutrients and warmth.

Enjoy!

The Urban Remedy ‘winter survival guide’

2011-06-07T17:36:00.002+10:00

Winter is here, there’s no denying it. Alarms everywhere are being snoozed, heaters blasted and woollies donned. We’re even talking about the weather. Yep, with the colder months upon us, we feel a little less sprightly and a lot less confident in our ability to stay healthy.

With the cold here to stay, and my unashamed love of winter, I thought it would be nice to share our 10 top tips for braving the winter months - an Urban Remedy ‘winter survival guide’ so to speak:

1. Start your morning (straight after rising) with a warm water and lemon (or lime). A super cheap and ever-so-easy way to kickstart your detoxification pathways and digestive system.

2. Up your herbal tea intake. There are so many excellent teas to discover but our favourites are: camomile, rose, peppermint, green tea and white tea. We love Pukka Herbs ‘Love’ tea (a beautiful combination of rose, lavender and camomile).

3. If you want to be warm, eat warm. Think soups, stews, casseroles and curries.

4. Pack your meals full of veggies: zucchini, aubergine, capsicum, mushrooms, onions and garlic. If you’re feeling adventurous, branch out and try new ones.

5. Add warming spices to the mix: cumin, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, chilli, cloves, cinnamon…

6. Discover new ingredients: we have two favourites at the moment – kombu flakes and umeboshi vinegar. Both help calm a bloated stomach and can be added to soups, legumes/beans, curries etc.

7. Make friends with ginger. It tastes great added to a stir fry, a soup (delicious with pumpkin) or simply enjoyed as a nice cup of tea. Ginger is extremely warming and a great digestive aid (it helps to settle an upset stomach).

8. Garlic wants to be your friend too. Warming and great for the immune system, garlic helps keep colds and infection at bay. If you’re prone to dysbiosis (an imbalance of the gut flora), garlic is also a great way to reduce bacterial overgrowth and ease bloating.

9. Supplement with Echinacea. If you’re starting to feel a little run down (or even if you’re already sick), this little herb will work its immune-boosting magic.

10. Use a heat pack. Place it on aching shoulders to relieve tension, on tummies to help with digestion, or just snuggle up with one and fall asleep.

Stay healthy and warm! xx

What's your ayurvedic body type?

2011-05-20T10:00:00.023+10:00

Ayurveda is a 4000-year old Indian philosophy of healing and wellbeing. Translated literally, it means the ‘art of living wisely’ (or science of life) – it is a system which encourages balance in all areas of life, with the ultimate goal of improving health through lifestyle choices suited to one’s constitution, such as diet, daily routine, sleep, exercise, herbal remedies, massage and meditation.

According to the UK-based ayurvedic brand Pukka Herbs: “The wisdom of Ayurveda encourages us to take responsibility for our own health according to the different stages of our lives, the seasons, and the environment we live, work and play in. These factors all have a big impact on our health and it makes sense to adapt our lifestyle accordingly so we can continue to live in harmony with our body and stay at optimum health.”

The three doshas
There are three doshas – or mind-body types – according to the ayurvedic philosophy: vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha is associated with particular attributes, predispositions and health priorities. Most people are a combination of doshas, with one dominant type. When a dosha becomes out of balance, it can have a serious impact on our wellbeing – the goal of ayurveda is to restore balance and vitality.

Vata
Vata types tend to be fast-thinking, visionary and creative but when out of balance they can be forgetful, distracted, nervous and uptight. Vata types are prone to digestive problems (particularly bloating and IBS), anxiety or mood imbalances, and joint disorders. They are aggravated by cold, frozen or dried foods. They can be thrown by change or travel – rest and routine are a vata type’s best friend.

Pitta
Pitta types are confident, passionate and born leaders. They are organised, perfectionists but excess pitta can make them fiery, short-tempered and irritable. Pitta people have a tendency to suffer from skin irritations, inflammation, overheating, heartburn and ulcers. They should avoid excess heat and humidity, and should steer clear of fried, hot or spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol. Fresh air is a great pitta remedy!

Kapha
Kapha types tend to be loyal, calm, strong and nurturing but if imbalanced they are prone to fatigue, low energy and overindulgence. Kapha types may suffer from congestion, water retention, weight gain and slow digestion. Their best medicine is to remain physically active, avoid icy drinks, excess sugar, bread or fatty foods. They need to break their routine every now and then – excitement and variety keep them energised!

Take this quiz to find out what your dosha is.

Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

2011-05-06T17:49:00.001+10:00

Last year, Emma read a gem of a book called Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual. The author, Michael Pollan, is an internationally acclaimed writer, journalist and professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley.

I bought the book as soon as Emma mentioned it. It’s a cute little thing but don’t be fooled by its size! Food Rules is a small but mighty (and revolutionary) guide to eating well. Pollan is one smart cookie but he is also very accessible; he speaks in a way that people can understand and relate to. And his book is all about keeping it simple.

Last week, I listened to a talk given by Pollan for Google Authors and he literally blew me away. I was so blown away in fact that I wanted to share his philosophy with you.

Pollan’s ideology can be summed up in seven simple words:
“Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.”

Eat food.
As he so aptly puts it in his book, if your grandmother wouldn’t recognise it as food, it probably isn’t. In other words, eat the way nature intended. Steer clear of processed foods, ‘wonder foods’ (if they claim to fix your every health concern, they probably won’t), additives etc. This really is common sense. The more natural a food, the less ingredients on the label.

We eat so many foods that have been transformed, improved or added to – the end result is a food that is harder for our bodies to process and even harmful to our systems. Real food is filling, satisfying, nourishing. Processed food contains empty calories that simply leave us wanting more. Why? Because we haven’t given our bodies the nutrients they need.

We’re not telling you to go all raw foodist on us, or to do a Gwyneth and go macro; just keep it natural, keep it real, keep it simple.

Mostly plants.
Plants – and this includes fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds – should form the bulk of our diet. Remember that good fats also come from a plant of some description: nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil etc. Add some healthy protein to this – oily fish, free-range eggs, organic meat – et voilà!

Pollan suggests reducing our meat intake to 2-3 servings per week. This particularly targets the US population, where the average person consumes ½ a pound of meat every day! When it comes to plants and protein, stick to organic and free-range wherever possible.

Not too much.
Pollan’s least popular piece of advice. He is not suggesting extreme calorie restriction, just asking us to become more in touch with our bodies, to recognise when we are hungry or full. Our body is an invaluable guide to wellbeing if we listen closely enough! We often eat without experiencing the act of eating, or even paying much attention to what we are eating. We need to learn how to eat mindfully and enjoy our food. We have become so fixated on the nutrients that we often forget to eat for pleasure!

Interestingly enough, juice cleansing is all about the experience of mindful nutrition. When you drink (or chew) your juices, focus on the abundance of natural ingredients, on the different tastes, and on the way your body is digesting and absorbing them. By far the greatest benefit of juice cleansing is the long-term impact it has on our relationship with food. Many people find that they completely change their way of eating after a cleanse.

Five handy tips:
1. Ask yourself where your food came from
2. Make your own meals
3. Tune into your cravings
4. Rediscover the pleasure of eating
5. Eat mindfully. Eating (and cleansing) is an experience.

Check out his fabulous little book and that amazing talk we listened to.

Super healthy snacks

2011-04-29T09:00:00.000+10:00

We have placed main meals under the microscope in our last three blogs on breakkie, lunch and dinner. Now it’s time to address the pivotal issue of what we do in between the three biggies, when our tummies are rumbling, our blood sugar has dropped and our minds are wandering towards the full range of Cadbury’s in the nearby vending machine.

What to do?
As with most things nutrition, there are varying schools of thought. Some say snack throughout the day and some say don’t snack at all. We sit somewhere in the middle – and there is a way to find healthy snacks when the next meal is just too far away!

Here are some yummy, super easy snacks for you to try:
• Carrot or celery sticks with hummus
• Carrot or celery sticks with guacamole
• Celery sticks or apple slices with ABC spread (or peanut butter if you’re feeling a bit indulgent!)
• Plain bio yoghurt with 10 raw almonds and a handful of berries or ½ a piece of fruit
• A lump of cheese with a handful of grapes or a sliced apple (the fat stops that dreaded sugar spike)
• A handful of raw nuts – try mixing almonds, brazil nuts and cashews for complete protein
• A protein ball containing mixed nuts, seeds etc

If you’re really hungry or have skipped a meal:
• Avocado and sliced tomato on one slice (or two) of sourdough toast
• A mini-salad with tinned salmon fillets, a small can of mixed beans, a ¼ of an avocado, diced tomato and diced cucumber
• A small bowl of additive-free soup (we like 'Pitango')
• Two boiled eggs or a small can of salmon for a protein fix

Mars Bars no more! We hope you enjoy some of our healthy alternatives.

Have your chocolate and eat it too

2011-04-14T12:17:00.000+10:00

There’s nothing wrong with a little chocolate. Nothing at all.

While we are still delivering over the Easter period (Sydney on Wed & Easter Sun and other locations on Thurs), we recognise that a detox might not be on everyone’s agenda, and rather, chocolate may be the focus.

Chocolate is lovely. Just lovely. The good news is that you don't have to miss out.

Health, not death, by chocolate
Cocoa contains high levels of flavanoids most commonly known for their antioxidant activity helping to stop those nasty free radicals in their tracks and protecting the body from aging. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Interestingly enough, dark chocolate contains nearly eight times the number of antioxidants found in strawberries.

The darker the better
The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains, which means more antioxidants. Opt for chocolate with >70% cocoa. Generally speaking, more cocoa also means less sugar which is definitely a good thing when it comes to chocolate.

Love chocolate in moderation
Keep your servings of chocolate down to around 20 grams (Easter NOT included). This equates to about half a small Lindt bar. Most larger bars of chocolate are 100 grams, so a fifth of that is an appropriate serving.*

Make your own raw truffles
If you feel like making your own guilt-free Easter treats, here is a raw chocolate Easter egg recipe from our blog by the lovely Gemma at Naked Treaties.

Book your post Easter cleanse
If you’re planning an indulgent Easter, get in early and book your post Easter cleanse.

*No chocolate bars were harmed in the writing of this newletter, though a little more than 20g of dark chocolate did go to a good home.

Raw chocolate Easter egg recipe

2011-04-14T11:57:00.002+10:00

Here is a yummy recipe from my lovely friend, Jemma Gawned at Naked Treaties.

Ingredients
3/4 cup of raw cacao butter
1/4 cup of extra virgin coconut butter (oil)
1 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup dark agave

Method
In a metal bowl over a saucepan of steaming water or a double boiler on a very low flame (or in the sun if you’re still lucky enough to have any!), gently melt cacao and coconut butter. It helps to chop the cacao butter finely.

Once melted fold in the raw cacao powder.

Once combined fold in the agave stirring continuously.

Pour into your favourite chocolate mold, add nuts, goji berries whatever you like! Or leave it simply and deliciously plain.

Place into the fridge to set. For a chunky chocolate that’s even more chocolately omit the coconut butter and use cacao butter only. Yum!

The dinner dilemma

2011-04-11T15:24:00.000+10:00

Dinner is probably the trickiest meal to coordinate, unless you have a kitchen fairy, and sadly, few of us do. Most of us work full-time and cooking, especially if you have to shop first, is the last thing we want to do at the end of a long day. So what’s a busy person to do?

Plan ahead
Determine how many meals you need to prepare for the week and write a menu plan. This takes the hassle out of weekly meals if you know in advance what you are going to make. It only takes five or so minutes and will save you lots of time and stress during the week.

Do a weekly shop
Use your menu plan to create a shopping list and do a weekly shop. You can save even more time if you do your supermarket shopping online. Coles allows you to create shopping list templates and then it’s a simple as clicking a button to get all the things you need for your menu plan. It also really helps to reduce wastage if you only buy the things that you have a plan to cook that week.

Prepare easy meals during the week

Some easy options include:

Frittata
Soup and sourdough bread
Casserole
Pasta - add lots of veggies and a good quality protein
Curry
Grilled fish and vegetables or salad
Homemade pizza (use pitta bread)
Stir-fry

Don’t feel guilty about using pre-prepared sauces (avoid ones with preservatives and artificial additives) if you’re low on time. It’s still a much better option to have a home-cooked meal using a packaged sauce, rather than eating on the go or getting take-out.

Invest in time saving appliances
A pressure cooker can cook a risotto, soup, casserole or curry 10-20 minutes. At the other end of the spectrum is a slow cooker, which will cook your dinner while you’re at work. A rice cooker will cook perfect rice in minutes. Brilliant.

Make take out a last resort
If you do order take out, then try for healthier options. Check out our blog post on healthy take out tips.

Good luck! If you missed them, you might like to check out our previous posts on breakfast and lunch.

Let's talk lunch

2011-04-01T17:00:00.001+11:00

Last week was all about breakfast here at Urban Remedy. In this next installment of our three-part series on meal preparation, we’re giving you the lowdown on lunch.

For many of us, lunch is the meal that we squeeze into a busy day of work or errands – the on-the-go sandwich or, worse still, the unhealthy snacks that we find in our proximity when lunch has gone out the window!

The trick to lunch is planning ahead and, if you make your own lunches, stocking up on lots of healthy food when you do your weekly shop.

The Sandwich

The bread: a good quality bread is the solid foundation for a healthy sandwich. Opt for low-gluten grains such as spelt, kamut, and amaranth. If you’re OK with wheat, just go for a nice healthy wholegrain with minimal additives. Sonoma and Bill’s Organic (yeast-free) are great brands for bread. If ordering a sandwich out, go for wholegrain, multigrain, sourdough or gluten-free.
The filling: we like tinned salmon fillets, poached chicken or tuna (1-2 times per week to avoid mercury overload) with a good quality mayonnaise (check the label for minimal additives) or a bio yoghurt and herb dressing, and most importantly LOTS of salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, avocado etc). If you like your salt, go for rock over table.

Other healthy options

Sushi, preferably with brown rice; add your own tamari sauce (wheat-free version of soy!)
Salad with chicken or fish; add avocado and nuts (almonds, cashews or walnuts) and/or a small can of mixed beans to keep it filling
Healthy soups for winter (more on this later)

On other occasions, we lunch out for business or pleasure – rich foods, alcohol, bigger portions… all the typical perils that come with ordering à la carte! Choosing your food when eating out can prove tricky if you want to hold onto that waistline… but we could write a whole blog on that, and probably will soon.

In the meanwhile, stay tuned for our dinner tips next week!

Let's talk breakfast

2011-03-22T16:08:00.005+11:00

In our next three blogs, we take a look at the dilemma that is meal preparation. It’s all very well deciding to eat healthily but when it comes to actually planning and making the food that we eat, it’s another matter. Healthy snacks aside, it’s the three biggies we’re interested in: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Let’s talk breakfast first of all. Breakfast is the meal that quite literally breaks our fast – when we wake, it is usually a good 10 hours since our last meal and our bodies are craving quality nourishment to get them going. Breakfast is also the meal that sets the tone for our subsequent food choices. If you start the day eating rubbish, you’ll probably continue in that vein!

Here are some super healthy and delightfully easy breakfast ideas:

Bio yoghurt (cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s) with a sprinkle of organic untoasted muesli (check the label to make sure there is no added sugar; the dried fruit will be sweet enough), a handful of mixed berries and a heaped tablespoon of LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond mix), chia or my personal favourite – Udo’s Choice Wholesome Fast Food (a pleasant-tasting powder full of super nutrients). Et voilà!
Two slices of low-gluten bread (spelt, linseed etc) with whole butter and ABC (almond, brazil nut and cashew) spread. Add manuka honey (unlike normal honey it does not feed bad bacteria) if you like it sweet, or rock salt for those who prefer savoury.
If you feel like something lighter, try a supercharged smoothie. We have some great recipes for you in our DIY Detox post.
If you’re feeling hungrier than usual, you can always go for poached eggs on two slices of low-gluten bread with wilted spinach and a small can of salmon slices. It has taken a while but I have finally discovered a delicious brand of tinned salmon – John West, in springwater or olive oil, not brine.

Enjoy and stay tuned for our lunch tips!

10 reasons to drink green tea

2011-03-10T09:26:00.011+11:00

Just a quick dose for you today. We recommend that cleansers drink green tea during the cleanse as it’s known for its detoxifying properties. Here are some additional reasons to add a cup (or three) to your daily routine.

1. Much healthier source of caffeine than coffee
2. High in antioxidants
3. Aids in weight loss
4. Combats fluid retention
5. Protects against heart diseases
6. Increases exercise endurance
7. Antimicrobial
8. Supports a healthy liver
9. Reduces inflammation in the intestinal tract
10. Promotes longevity

Wow. It almost sounds like that’s all you need to do. Not quite, but a very good start to a healthier and longer life.

If you find the flavour of green tea on its own not to your taste, you might like to try flavoured green teas. Some of our favourites include T2 Gorgeous Geisha, T2 Green Rose, and Lipton Mint Green Tea.

Enjoy!

How do you like your green tea?

Beat the bloat

2011-03-01T17:57:00.001+11:00

It’s ‘beat the bloat’ week here at Urban Remedy – yes, a whole week dedicated to the dreaded bloat! We think it deserves it… after all, bloating leaves you feeling and looking significantly heavier than you are, and for a lot of people makes that ‘skinny jeans day’ seem almost unattainable.

Let’s shed some light, first of all, on what it means when we say we feel bloated. Essentially (if there is no underlying medical condition), bloating is caused by one of two things: trapped air (aka ‘gas’) in your digestive tract (common) or fluid retention (less likely and more frequently encountered in women around their time of the month).

Bloating due to excess air is often caused by bad bacteria producing gas as they ferment (ew!) and feed off sugar inside of you. We all have these nasty creatures in our gut; the challenge lies in maintaining the correct balance of good and bad bacteria, thus avoiding bacterial overgrowth – medically known as dysbiosis or candida (for overgrowth of the bacteria candida albicans). It is worth noting that food intolerances (wheat, dairy etc) can also cause excess gas in the digestive tract.

Most of us are victims of bloating caused by excess air – for some it’s a case of jeans feeling a wee bit tighter than usual; for others bloating can be so extreme that it makes the simplest activities seem unbearable. Whichever end of the scale you’re at, I’m guessing you’d be happy to say goodbye to the bloat once and for all.

Now it may not be possible to banish bloating forever but there are certain things you can do to help reduce its frequency and intensity.

10 golden ‘beat the bloat’ rules:

1. Chew your food properly to activate digestive enzymes
2. Eat your meals in a relaxed setting, preferably at a table
3. Minimize your water intake with meals (1/2 glass max) to avoid diluting your digestive juices
4. Drink filtered water as tap water kills off good bacteria
5. Boost your good bacteria with probiotics (in natural yoghurt or in supplement form for more severe bloating)
6. Avoid foods such as: lentils, beans, cruciferous veggies (cabbage, cauliflower etc), onions (red are OK for some people) and garlic
7. Minimize your intake of yeast (pizza, bread, pastries, yeast added to condiments and sauces, wine, beer) and malted foods (soy sauce, malt added to drinks such as soy milk)
8. Cut back on wheat and replace with other grains such as rye, spelt, quinoa, millet, amaranth…
9. Avoid artificial sweeteners (sorbitol, mannitol, aspartame etc) and sugar
10. Say no to chewing gum; when you chew gum, you swallow air!

Grow your own vegetables

2011-02-23T11:54:00.001+11:00

This week I received a parcel in the mail from Amazon, containing a book called One Magic Square - Grow Your Own Food on One Square Metre by Australian gardener Lolo Hubein.

I bought this book as I live in an apartment and I don’t have a whole lot of space to grow veggies, though I’m desperate to grow my own food for many reasons, not least because I prefer the taste of home-grown, organic vegetables.

Breaking down the notion that gardening is complicated, in the chapter entitled ‘How to Get Started’, Lolo walks the reader through planting their first garden with pretty much everything they need to know in just over one page. After reading that one page, I could literally have gone out and planted a garden and I am no green thumb… yet.

It gives suggestions for over 30 different plots, including salad plots, curry plots, anti-cancer plots, stir-fry plots, pasta/pizza plots, berry plots and soup plots. My favourite is the autumn/winter curry plot containing kale, bok choy, cauliflower, fenugreek, onions, peas, carrots, rutabagas, daikon and coriander. All that in one square metre. Brilliant. I’m planting my first garden this weekend and am planning to start with one of the novice salad gardens, so wish me luck!

Community gardens
If you don’t have the space to grow your own, you might like to join a community garden. To find out more visit Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network.

So tell me, do you grow your own? What has been your biggest home grown success?

The how-tos for healthy grocery shopping

2011-01-27T16:02:00.001+11:00

While health food stores are becoming more mainstream, not all of us have the luxury of living close to one. Last week when I was catching up on my favourite blogs, I saw a great video online from Dr Frank Lipman.

In a short and sweet 3 minute video, he offered some very practical tips on how to navigate an ordinary supermarket and come out with a healthy basket.

Watch the full video:

Here’s a quick summary for you:

Never go shopping when you’re hungry
Choose foods as close to their natural state as possible (or as author Michael Pollan says, don’t eat food that your grandmother wouldn’t recognise)
Shop the outside aisles where the fresh foods are
Your first choice should be fresh foods, then frozen, then tinned
Take a copy of the dirty dozen and clean 15 guides with you (this is a guide to the fruits & vegetables with the most and least pesticide residue after testing). You can view it here in an earlier Dose.
Choose organic dairy, and if you don’t eat dairy, a good alternative is almond milk, as are dairy products made from goat’s and sheep’s milk
Choose plain, Greek yoghurt over flavoured and low-fat yoghurts which are generally laden with sugar or artificial sweeteners
When it comes to meat, avoid processed meats and opt for natural grass-fed meat and organic, free range chicken. If they're unavailable or out of your price range, the next choice would be antibiotic and hormone free meats, and then lean meat as most toxins are in the fat.
Avoid fruit juice unless you squeeze it yourself; all bottled juices from shops and supermarkets are pasteurised, a heat-treating process that destroys enzymes, lowers vitamin concentrations and alters the taste.
Avoid cereal with cartoon characters on the packet as it's usually very high in sugar
Avoid the bakery sweets; if you have a sweet tooth, go for raw chocolate

I’ll add my own piece of advice to that – avoid the confectionery and snack aisles.

Happy shopping.

Do you have any further tips on healthy supermarket shopping? Any particular products or brands to recommend?

How does alcohol affect your liver?

2011-01-21T14:18:00.004+11:00

Since we’re in the business of detoxing and all that jazz, we thought it was high time we got up close and personal with that lovely (not so little) organ of ours: yes, the liver.

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body (the largest organ overall being on the outside: the skin). Soft pinkish-brown in colour, our liver weighs approx 1.4 to 1.6 kilos (yikes!). It sits in the upper right hand side of the abdominal cavity, just below the diaphragm.

Its job: multi-faceted. The liver is the master of all trades: detoxification, metabolism, glycogen (glucose) storage, protein synthesis and hormone production to name a few.

But let’s get down to the nitty gritty, the question we all have playing on our minds. How have the end of year (and new year) festivities taken their toll on our livers?

How is your liver really doing? To get a clearer picture, here are a few useful facts:

When you sip on that beautifully chilled glass of pinot gris, you’re essentially asking your liver to halt all of its normal activities and deal with the incoming toxin of the moment: alcohol. Processing alcohol (or more specifically its component ethanol) is the priority – normal metabolism slows down; toxins build up.
Your liver can only metabolize about ½ an ounce of ethanol (contained in a beer, a shot, a small glass of wine) in an hour. Any more than that (put your hand up if you're guilty) and the alcohol spills into other parts of your body (yuck!), circulating until your liver is ready to metabolize it. This is one of the reasons we feel so awful the day after a bender - your body is deperately trying to catch up.
If you drink in excess frequently, your liver’s ability to break down lipids (yes, fat) can be reduced on an ongoing basis and these lipids then build up in the liver (hence the term ‘fatty liver’).
Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, skin trouble, bloated tummy (to name a few) are all signs that your liver needs some TLC.

There is still hope to repair your poor liver. Aside from moderating your alcohol intake (try drinking a glass of water for every alcohol drink… this really helps you to pace yourself!), we suggest that you give your liver a break every now and again to allow it to rest and repair. Detoxing your diet is a great place to start but a juice cleanse can really push your liver cleanse that step further!

Oh, and if you really want to give your liver that extra bit of love and attention, supplement with milk thistle. Flordis do a great supplement called Legalon.

Drink more purified water (because it's good for you)

2011-01-13T13:40:00.002+11:00

Water. Drink more and drink good quality, pure water. It is as simple as it sounds. Our bodies are around 70% water and it is recommended that you drink 30ml per kilogram of body weight.

For precisely this purpose, we're giving away a stainless steel water bottle (that lovely looking bottle to the left) with every 3 and 5 day cleanse delivered from today until we run out (we have around 500 to give away, give or take the few that I will keep for myself).

According to Wiki (the source of all arguable truth), in 2004 only 42% of the world's population had access to clean water. So in Australia we are incredibly fortunate to have access to such good quality water, though you can do better than tap water and we believe it's worthwhile investing in a good quality water filter.

Good water filters remove bacteria and toxins (and make your water taste nicer!). Purifying your own water is also much cheaper and better for the environment than buying bottled water.

To make our Spicy Lemonade and Cashew-coco smoothie, we use water filtered by our beautiful clay water filter from Southern Cross Pottery. Upfront, they are not cheap, costing from $229 upwards, however the replacement filter lasts for 12 months or 2000 litres and the water costs 11.5c per litre in the first year and 2c per litre thereafter. The water is honestly the best I've tasted and I've also invested in one for home. I know I sound like an infomercial, but I promise I have no friends there and I'm getting no kickbacks (yet, anyway).

Not quite as effective or cheap in the long run, but very easy and convenient, are the Brita OnTap filters, available from Kmart, Target, etc.

Here's to water!

Stave off the blah this festive season

2010-12-22T12:12:00.000+11:00

As we head out the door this afternoon for a wee holiday break, we thought we’d send you a quick email with a super easy one day refresh plan to give your system a bit of a reboot between Christmas and the New Year. To make it easier, you can prepare everything the day before.

Start the day with hot water and lemon. This one is a habit for life that we highly recommend.

Breakfast detox juice (make at home or from a juice bar)
2 apples
1 carrot
Handful of flat leaf parsley (or mint)
Handful of fresh spinach (or other leafy greens)
2 sticks of celery

Mid-morning super green smoothie
Small handful baby spinach
2 cos lettuce leaves
1 kiwi fruit
1 banana
½ cup apple juice
Optional superfood like spirulina
Optional chia seeds or linseeds
Some ice cubes
Wash/peel ingredients, blend, serve.

Lunch – healthy lentil salad
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped
½ cup tinned or cooked dry brown lentils.
Season with sea salt, lemon juice and olive oil.
Minted yoghurt dressing optional (1 tbsp of yoghurt mixed with fresh chopped mint).

Mid afternoon snack
Hummus with cucumber and capsicum sticks.

Dinner – detox salad (serves 2-3 as a main)
150g red cabbage, shredded
2 small or 1 large carrot, grated
1 apple, thinly sliced
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, thinly sliced
1tbsp toasted pinenuts
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp linseeds

Dressing
1tspn grated ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp virgin olive oil
Little honey to taste

Serve with grilled salmon or on its own.

Dessert
Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries

Having only a juice and smoothie up until lunchtime will give your digestive system a really nice break. The lunch and dinner salad recipes are super healthy and packed with fibre, protein and good fat.

We hope you have a very happy and safe holiday season.

See you next year!

Green is the new black

2010-12-21T18:01:00.001+11:00

We’re loving our superfoods at the moment and supergreens are no exception. Just like berries, our greener friends are highly concentrated sources of energising vitamins and minerals, not to mention jam-packed full of antioxidants.

But why go green? You’re probably thinking you would rather stick to berries. We love berries, don’t get us wrong, but each superfood has its area of expertise. Master healers, the greener of our superfoods help nurture an alkaline environment for our body to achieve optimal health in (an acidic body is the ideal habitat for disease).

A glass of supercharged green juice is also the perfect detox partner, with the added bonus of being low in kilojoules – we like. From the almighty spirulina, to the popular wheat grass, there’s a greenie out there for everyone.

Here are some of our more unusual faves:

chlorophyll \ this green plant pigment has a structure similar to haemoglobin, with magnesium as its central atom. Packed full of alkalising vits and mins, chlorophyll even freshens your breath!

barley grass \ a forgotten wonder, barley grass is charged with vitamin C, beta-carotene, and minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. It contains 30x more vit B1 than milk!

aloe vera \ this supergreen is the queen of healing. Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, aloe vera soothes the stomach lining and skin, promoting healthy circulation, immunity and digestion.

celery root \ also known as celeriac, this green superfood is loaded with alkalising phosphorous and potassium, and rich in vitamins C and K. Like celery, this little root is great for weight loss!

olive leaf \ packed full of antioxidants and phytonutrients, this leafy superfood is particularly rich in oleuropein – an antioxidant 5x as powerful as vit C and almost 2x as mighty as green tea!

Unlike their berry counterparts, supergreens don’t win in the taste department – the secret is in the mix.

Check out our blog for some great green juice and smoothie ideas. Time for a glass of green apple…

Get your superberry on

2010-12-06T17:43:00.001+11:00

From the common strawberry, to the slightly more upmarket blueberry, all the way to the exotic and luxurious acai, we just can’t get enough of berries.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well for starters they’re deeelicious. They ward off infection and keep your immune system revving with bucketloads of vitamin C. As for the antioxidants in berries, they keep you looking beautiful by declaring war against ageing free radicals. Even better, these berries keep you thinking young – they ‘clean up’ your brain by removing toxins, boosting your memory and preventing mental decline.

Here are a few of our more luxurious faves:

acai \ this little amazonian is the king of berries. Royal purple and packed full of vitamins, minerals, omegas and more than sixteen antioxidants, the acai berry even helps shrink your waistline.

goji \ other wise known as the ‘wolfberry’, this red superfood was hailed as the fruit of longevity in Tibet and China. The goji berry contains 500 times more vitamin C than oranges!

noni \ this little berry has made its way from the Pacific islands packed full of antioxidants. Also knows as the ‘Indian mulberry’, the noni is rich in lignans, polyphenols and polysaccharides.

pomegranate \ this giant Persian berry is loaded with anthocyanins and polyphenols. Rumour has it pomegranate contains three times more antioxidants than green tea!

black cherry \ the last of our superberries is a powerful source of anti-inflammatory anthocyanins and sleep-promoting melatonin. It’s also nature’s richest source of vitamin C.

So get your berry on. They really are super, we think so anyway.

Ditch that sugar addiction

2010-12-02T12:52:00.002+11:00

3pm sugar craving. After dinner dessert desire. Low energy sugar hit. The list goes on. Whatever your justification for having that sugary treat is, you should reconsider it. It's just not good for you.

The more sugar you eat, the more you crave; sugar gives you an initial high, and then you crash and crave more, and so on. It's a vicious cycle.

Practical tips to combat those cravings

Eat regularly to keep blood sugar levels stable. This will help to avoid feeling the need for a sugar hit.

Eat whole foods and chew well to bring out the natural flavour and sweetness of foods. Complex carbs like grains, legumes and vegetables become sweeter the more they are chewed.

Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to flavour foods naturally.

Choose alternatives like fruit and treats sweetened with honey, agave, maple syrup, rice syrup, barley malt and stevia, but eat in moderation as they are still high in natural sugar.

Eat less salt as salty foods increase cravings for sugary foods.

Eat naturally sweet vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, and beetroot. Raw carrots have been shown to be particularly helpful with sugar cravings.

Do a detox to help your body to remember what it should be eating.

Think about why you want sugar and note if the reasons are emotional. For example, if you are in the habit of cheering yourself up with a sugary treat, try to find an alternative that makes you feel good, like taking a bath, listening to music or exercising.

Pay attention to how you feel when you don't have sugar for a few days. Notice the lift in energy and absence of blood sugar lows or 'hanger' (angry-hunger). This feeling alone should demonstrate that you are much better off without the sweet white stuff.

If you're finding it really tough to go without sugar, supplements containing chromium, manganese, zinc, and magnesium can be helpful. For very strong sugar cravings, l-glutamine can be added.

Good luck!

We're not going to sugar-coat it

2010-11-09T17:48:00.009+11:00

There are different views on carb consumption but the jury is in when it comes to sugar. We need to moderate and choose carefully!

If you’re going to cut back on the sweet stuff (particularly the bad and ugly sugars revealed in our last blog), you’re probably wondering what your alternatives are. The big divide when it comes to sugar substitutes is artificial vs. natural.

The real baddies: artificial sweeteners

Most artificial sweeteners have been listed as safe for human consumption but scientific studies say otherwise. Some research even suggests that they make you fat! A study carried out by the University of Liverpool has revealed that artificial sweeteners stimulate sweet receptors in our intestines that in turn increase the body’s ability to absorb more sugar.

But what other side effects are we facing? Let’s take a closer look at two of the artificial substitutes listed as ‘safe’ for human consumption:

Acesulfame-K (Sunette and Sweet One) is found in diet drinks, lollies, diet yoghurts and baked goods, and is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Studies have linked it to cancer in rats; we can’t say for sure what its long-term effect will be on humans.

Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal) is found in diet soft drinks, low calorie or sugar-free foods, and even some vitamins. In 1995, the FDA listed 92 adverse Aspartame symptoms, including headaches, memory loss, seizures, cancer and coma. It contains phenylalanine, which is dangerous for people with PKU (phenylketonuria).

Other artificial sweeteners include: neotame, saccharin and sucralose.

We’re not saying you should avoid them at all costs, but you definitely need to cut back on these baddies. If consumed in large quantities, their health risks are too significant to overlook. And anyway, in our humble opinion, natural is always better.

Natural alternatives

Here are some of nature’s answers to the sugar controversy:

Agave nectar (or syrup) is a favourite of the Aztecs in Mexico. This natural sugar alternative is made from the sap of the Agave Tequilana plant, and has a low glycemic index (GI).

Barley malt syrup is made by malting barley grains to produce maltose. It is about half as sweet as conventional sugar and has a malty flavour. The sugars in barley malt syrup are broken down slowly by the body and it is therefore a low GI food.

Coconut palm sugar is a favourite in Southeast Asia and India. The flower nectars are boiled into a syrup, dried, then ground to produce a crumbly sugar that's organic, unbleached, nutrient rich (B vitamins, minerals and amino acids) and low GI. Palms grow in sustainable eco-systems that support the natural habitat.

Maple syrup is a mineral-rich, lower kilojoule natural sweetener derived from maple tree sap. A wide range of imitation syrups exist, often containing no actual maple syrup – wherever possible, go for pure organic maple syrup.

Organic honey is a raw, unprocessed sweetener derived from flower nectar that is transformed naturally by bees. Manuka honey is particularly good for you as, unlike many sugars, it does not feed candida. It also has incredible healing properties.

Pear or apple juice concentrate is created by concentrating the juice through evaporation to retain the natural sugars and minerals. The end product is roughly a third lower in kilojoules than refined sugar by weight.

Rapadura sugar (also known as muscovado sugar) is the only unrefined sweetener derived from sugar cane. The cane is squeezed, evaporated, then ground – no further refinement occurs. Rapadura sugar is chemical-free and nutrient rich.

Stevia is a South American herb used as a sweetener in Paraguay for hundreds of years. It is essentially kilojoule-free (and a great weight loss or management tool) as the body does not metabolise the glycosides from its leaves. It does not cause blood glucose spikes and may be used by diabetics. Stevia crystals are 300 times sweeter than sugar, so use sparingly!

Xylitol is a natural sweetener with 40% less kilojoules than sugar. It looks and tastes exactly like sugar but is in fact an alcohol molecule. Derived from plants (corn, birch trees) and brightly-coloured fruits, xylitol is used in chewing gum, mints and mouth washes due to its anti-microbial properties, and as a sugar substitute in beverages or cooking. It produces no insulin spike and leaves no aftertaste. As is the case for most sugar alcohols, it can contribute to bloating and gas, so people who tend towards IBS need to be careful with this sugar substitute.

Yacón is related to the sunflower and originates from the Andes. The syrup is made by juicing the tubers of the flower and boiling the liquid obtained to concentrate it. Its sweetness stems primarily from fructo-oligosaccharides, compounds that the human body doesn't absorb; yacón is low-kilojoule, low GI and even helps feed the good bacteria in your stomach.

For other natural alternatives, check out the table in part one of our sugar blog (you’ll find them in the ‘good’ column).

So does this mean no more sweet treats? Ever? Rest assured, the occasional guilty pleasure won’t ruin your good efforts; instead it’s the small changes you make on a daily basis that really deliver. Keep it simple and break the sugar addiction in four of your daily habits: tea, coffee, cereal and yoghurt. Bring a packet of stevia or xylitol with you to work and be in control of the kilojoules in your coffee. Your waistline will thank you in the short term, as will your whole body further down the track!

It is important to remember that even natural sugar alternatives add a little to your kilojoule intake (and impact your blood sugar levels). Moderation is still key!

In a nutshell…

Two things to remember from part two of our sugar blog:

Avoid artificial sweeteners wherever possible.
Think natural.

At Urban Remedy some of our faves are stevia, agave nectar, honey and maple syrup. Sugar is so last year.

Sources:

Thomassian M, 2010: www.dietriffic.com/2010/08/24/food-chemicals/ Cutler M, 2010: www.healthiertalk.com/try-these-healthier-alternatives-sugar-2510 Ursell A, 2009: women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article6822240.ece Helm A: www.sweetbyhalf.com/sugars/

Your bestie in a bottle - Chlorophyll

2010-11-09T17:06:00.006+11:00

Here at Urban Remedy, we're big fans of liquid chlorophyll. Big fans. It tastes good, smells good and does good things to your insides. Good? Good.

It's like sunshine in a bottle. Chlorophyll is in fact the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesise CO2 and water, AKA photosynthesis, which is the basis for sustaining the life of all plants. Pretty important stuff. It also gives plants and plant foods their beautiful green colour.

Why is it so good for you?

It acts as a deodoriser, promoting a healthy digestive tract and minimising bad breath and perspiration. Chlorophyll is also a rich source of antioxidants and studies have shown that it helps to prevent liver cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. It's also jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals; vitamin A, C, K, and E, folic acid, iron, calcium and protein.

Chlorophyll is naturally occuring in in green vegetables like asparagus, green capsicum, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, celery, spinach, green beans, green peas, kale, leeks, green olives, parsley, cos lettuce and seaweed.

If you want to supplement your diet with a little extra green goodness, try liquid chlorophyll. Simply mix a teaspoon or two in your glass of water, juice or smoothie.

Brands we like:

Nature's Sunshine
One of the strongest concentrates and best brands available, Nature's Sunshine is a little more expensive, but comes highly recommended. Available from most heath food stores or online at Natural Health Direct for $22.27 per 475mls.

Grant's Liquid Chlorophyll
This one is Emma's favourite. While not as potent as Nature's Sunshine, it has a really nice minty flavour. Available from most health food stores or online at Organic Beauty for $13.85 per 500mls.

A little tip from Emma: It tastes better if you drink it from a wine glass. (Note: this is not strictly true, but much more fun all the same.)

As the old saying goes, if you're green inside, you're clean inside.

Sugar, not so sweet after all

2010-10-15T15:38:00.013+11:00

A spoonful of sugar…
Carbs have been given a bad rep these last few decades (think Dr Atkins and his revolution) but what about actual sugar? When we say sugar, we usually mean sucrose (aka table sugar) but the term is also used to refer to simple carbohydrates and refined sugars in general.

You can find simple carbs naturally in milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose) but it’s the refined sugars (in cake, biscuits, lollies, fast food, soft drinks) that you should be worried about, and they’re sometimes hidden in places you would least expect them.

So when did sugar become such a problem?

A very modern romance
We have always consumed carbs but the quantities have changed. In the early 19th century, the average Australian ate roughly 2kg of sugar in a year, mainly from honey and ripe fruit. Fast-forward 200 years and that figure has risen to 50kg – that’s almost a kilo of sugar a week! It’s no wonder our generation is struggling with so many sugar-related health issues.

Sugar, white death
In the right quantities, carbs are an invaluable source of energy. But what does sugar do to our body when we consume it in excess? According to Nancy Appleton (author of Lick the sugar habit), there are 124 ways in which too much sugar can damage our health. Among these are: accelerated ageing (sugar consumption causes an instant free radical surge), loss of skin elasticity (sugar changes the structure of collagen), candidiasis (sugar feeds bad bacteria), reduced immune function, high triglycerides, fatty liver, obesity, metabolic syndrome, weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, energy spikes, mood swings, hyperactivity, depression and even cancer.

We’ve established that too much sugar is bad for you but of the sugar we do consume, some types are worse than others. Refined sugar is the one to avoid – according to ayurvedic medicine, it’s a ‘dead food’ (processed and of little nutritional or health value). From the moment it enters the body, its destructive path commences. It steals other nutrients (chromium, zinc, calcium and vits B and C) to enable its metabolism without providing any valuable nutrients itself.

The good, the bad and the ugly
Sugar has many disguises and can easily sneak into foods unnoticed – when you’re scouring through food labels, check the ingredients list for the words ‘syrup’, ‘sweetener’ or anything ending in ‘ose’. But how can we separate the sweet from the not-so-sweet sugars? To help you make the distinction, we’ve broken them down into three categories:

The good (or not-so-bad)	The bad	The ugly
Agave	Beet sugar	Artificial sweetener
Barbados sugar	Brown sugar	Corn syrup
Barley malt syrup	Cane sugar	Corn-syrup solids
Brown rice syrup	Caramel	Crystalline fructose
Date sugar	Castor sugar	Fructose (refined)
Evaporated cane juice	Dextran/dextrose	HFCS (see below)
Fruit-juice concentrate	Diastase	High-fructose corn syrup
Maple syrup	Ethyl maltol	Maltodextrin
Molasses	Galactose	Refiner's syrup
Muscovado sugar	Glucose	Sucrose
Palm sugar	Golden sugar/syrup	Yellow sugar
Raw honey	Granulated sugar
Sorghum syrup	Icing sugar Invert sugar Lactose Malt syrup
Stevia	Maltose
Sucana	Powdered sugar
Turbinado sugar	Raw sugar
Xylitol	Table sugar
	Treacle

Keep your eyes peeled and steer clear of the bad and the ugly; when it comes to the good guys, they may not be bad but they’re not good for you in large quantities either – don’t forget to stay within the limit! The recommended daily allowance (maximum intake) of sugar is 25 grams for women and 37.5 grams for men.

Don’t even get us started on artificial sweeteners. There are differing views on these bad boys but they definitely fall in the ugly category as far as we’re concerned.

In part two of our sugar blog, we give you the lowdown on sugar alternatives and some handy tips on reducing your sugar intake. Stay tuned.

Sources:
Cabot, S and Jasinka, M 2005 The Ultimate Detox, WHAS, Camden
Marber, I and Edgson, V 2004,The Food Doctor – Healing foods for mind and body, Collins & Brown, London
Gillespie, D www.sweetpoison.com.au and www.raisin-hell.com
Helm, A www.sweetbyhalf.com/sugars/

Food Rules - a quickie review of Michael Pollan's latest book

2010-10-08T14:25:00.006+11:00

I love this book. I bought it for about $8 from The Book Depository (free shipping to anywhere in the world and cheaper AND faster to ship than Amazon - I highly recommend it).

Michael Pollan is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (2010); In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (2008); The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) and The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World (2001). He's pretty sharp. He was named in the 2010 TIME 100, Time Magazine's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people. Suffice to say, he writes darn well and he's pretty sharp.

It's a lovely little book. He's managed (quite brilliantly I think) to distill healthy eating principles into 64 simple food rules. Even better than that, he's simplified those 64 rules even further into seven little words:

"Eat food.
Mostly plants.
Not too much."

Brilliant.

Here are ten of my favourite rules to whet your appetite.

2. Don't eat anything that your great grandmother wouldn't recognise as food.
13. Eat only foods that eventually will rot.
19. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.
20. It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
24. "Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods), is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (pigs, cows and other mammals)."
32. Don't overlook the oily little fishes.
39. Eat all the junk food you like as long as you cook it yourself.
41. Eat like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks.
46. Stop eating before you're full.
49. Eat slowly.
60. Treat treats as treats.
63. Cook.
64. Break the rules once in a while.

Ok, so that was more like 13, but if I'm honest, they are all my favourites - it really is a brilliant little book. I recommend it. In fact, if I lost my copy I'd buy it again. So there you go.

Happy eating to you.

Easy DIY detox yoga sequence

2010-09-24T11:31:00.002+10:00

As promised, here is an easy DIY detox yoga sequence. The postures are suitable for all levels and you only need to set aside 20-30 minutes. This is a great sequence to do in the morning as it helps to get your body into detox mode for the day.

The purpose of this routine is to stimulate the body's natural detox processes as well as firm up the body, improve circulation and reduce fluid retention. It includes mainly twists and backbends which are both ideal for detoxification.

The sequence
Warm up by doing some sun salutations. I usually do three rounds of Surya Namaskar A and three rounds of the Surya Namaskar B holding the downward dog for 5 breaths.

Hold each of the following postures for 5 to 10 breaths.

1. Tadasana - Mountain Pose

2. Adho mukha svanasana - Downward dog

3. Eka pada rajakapotasana – One legged pigeon pose (both sides)

4. Parsvakonasana – Extended side angle pose (both sides)

5. Twisted lunge (both sides)

6. High lunge (both sides)

7. Virabadrasana 3 – Warrior 3 (both sides)

8. Paschimottanasana – Seated forward bend

9. Bharadvajasana – Bharadvaja’s twist (both sides)

10. Ustrasana – Camel pose

11. Balasana – Child’s pose

13. Viparita Karani - Legs up the wall pose

12. Savasana – Spend five minutes (or more if you have time) in this relaxing posture. I like to say to myself "let go" with every exhalation for the first minute or so of this posture.

This sequence will boost the detoxification process and really get things moving in your body. It's a great sequence to do everyday if you have the time, and especially while you are doing a cleanse.

Feel free to comment or email me if you have any specific questions. I'm more than happy to help.

Enjoy!

Images courtesy of Yoga Journal.

Smoothie-licious – yummy juices & smoothie recipes for your DIY detox

2010-09-09T17:55:00.002+10:00

Juicing is awesome. It is a brilliant way to get loads of nutrients into your body without consuming a massive mountain of fruit & veggies. In our kitchen on Tuesday, I took a pic of the amount of fruit & veg that goes into a 3 day cleanse. Holy nutrients Batman! That doesn’t even include the ingredients for our smoothies.

As well as bursting with nutrients, fresh juices also contain antioxidant vitamins, natural antibiotics, anti-inflammatory properties and enzymes to improve the quality of your digestion. Good stuff.

A couple of things to remember about juicing:

1.    Drink your juices straight away. If you are using a home juicer or buying your juices from a juice bar, make sure you drink them straight away. We use special slow, cold press juicers that retain nutrients for way longer, but if you’re using a commercial or home juicer, they tend to oxidate (you know how apple juice starts to turn brown after a few minutes) rather quickly, so you should drink them immediately after juicing.
2.    Use high quality ingredients. You want the freshest and most lovely ingredients to go into your juices.
3.    Experiment and innovate. I’m always making new juices and smoothies, depending on what’s in season (and what’s in my fridge) at the time. Throw whatever takes your fancy in.

As promised, here are some de-lovely smoothie & juice recipes.

Apple, mint & lime juice
3-4 Granny Smith apples
2 sprigs of mint
¼ lime

Wash all ingredients. Core and quarter the apples. Roughly chop the peel off the lime. Juice. Drink. Yum.

Carrot, apple and celery juice
3 carrots
2 Granny Smith apples
2 celery stalks

Wash all ingredients. Core and quarter the apples. Cut the bottom ends of the carrot and celery and chop into pieces that will fit through your juicer. Juice. Drink. Yum.

Blueberry, spinach and apple juice
1 cup blueberries
Small handful baby spinach
3 Granny Smith apples

Wash all ingredients. Core and quarter the apples. Juice. Drink. Yum.

A word about smoothies
Smoothies are pretty awesome too. That's why we've added some to our cleanses. They are very easy to digest - your digestive system is best able to absorb nutrients from 1mm size pieces of food. That's why juices and smoothies are so good - they make all the nutrients readily available and easy to absorb. Green smoothies are particularly good. The late Dr Ann Wigmore (a pioneer in the healthy eating and living movement) spoke of an instant surge of energy and brain focus with her first green smoothie. That's how I feel when I drink my morning smoothie - bursting with energy and enthusiasm.

Strawberry mango smoothie
1 cup frozen mango cheeks
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup rice milk

Combine all ingredients and blend. So yum.

Blueberry kale smoothie
1 cup frozen blueberries
4 kale leaves (or small handful spinach)
½ cup of water
1 banana

Wash kale leaves. Peel banana (duh). Combine all ingredients and blend.

Green smoothie
Small handful baby spinach
1 celery stalk
1 banana
1 pear
1 apple
½ cup water

For extra protein and essential fatty acids, you can add a tablespoon of linseeds (also known as flax seeds) or chia seeds to any of the smoothies. If you use chia seeds, soak them in ¼ cup of water first until they form a gel like substance and then add them to the blender.

You can also add superfood powders or liquids to your smoothies. I love Vital Greens (it almost has a chocolatey taste), spirulina and acai berry powder. We use these in the Urban Remedy smoothies and they add an extra burst of goodness and nutrients.

Next week I’ll talk more about cravings and how to satisfy them with healthy options. I’ll also upload a DIY detox yoga sequence as well as some other ideas, hints and tips.

Happy DIY detoxing.

So...
What’s your plan to make the most of your DIY detox?
Do you have any juice or smoothie recipes you want to share?

Emma x

Easy DIY detox

2010-09-07T14:01:00.003+10:00

Um, hello… it’s already spring. That’s right. It’s September. It’s literally a matter of weeks before the weather hots up and it’s time for the beach. WHAT? Did I say weeks? Holy bikini-time Batman!

I don’t know about you, but I’m staring down the barrel of bikini shopping and not feeling all that excited about baring my not-so-tanned winter body in a change room with 3 way mirrors and florescent lights (Yes, I’m talking to you Myer).

I feel all blurgh and I need a plan. Lucky for you, I have one. I always have a plan. It’s called Project Fab-u-Cleanse – a simple DIY detox to get your mind and body feeling change room friendly.

How long? As long as you like. I recommend a week to start and continuing for another two weeks if you have the time and inclination. Don’t get stressed out if you have an event or something on. It’s not meant to be hardcore. If you need to eat/drink outside of the guidelines below, that’s fine. Just get back to it the next day. Easy.

What do you have to do? It’s soooo easy. Follow the simple detox guidelines below for the 1-3 week cleanse period and exercise for at least 4 hours per week (walking, running, yoga, aerobics, pole dancing, zumba – whatever takes your fancy). Couldn’t be any easier. If you want to throw in a 3 or 5 day juice cleanse as part of the program, go for it (you can order from the Urban Remedy website.

Print out your cheat sheet here. I’ll also be uploading lots of detox recipes (especially salads, juices and smoothies) and a detox yoga sequence to this blog so keep an eye out if you’re interested.

Easy DIY detox guidelinesThis is a pretty gentle, do-at-home with minimal disruption, detox, aimed at reducing the bad stuff and increasing the good stuff. One benefit you’ll probably notice is a little bit of weight loss (due to replacing “less good for you” foods with better choices). You’ll also have more energy (you have no idea how much the “eliminate” foods slow you down – for example, white sugar and white flour are devoid of nutrients, and what’s worse, is that when you eat them, they actually take nutrients out of your body in order for your system to process them – seriously), you’ll feel much fresher and lighter, and most importantly, it will set you up in a healthy zone for spring and summer (and your bikini).

Eliminate
Red meat and other processed meats
White flour – white sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, cous cous
Refined sugar – cakes, pasties, lollies, chocolate (ouch)
Processed and packaged foods, especially with preservatives, flavours or colours (look on the back for numbers)
Alcohol
Artificial sweetener (aka poison)
Cigarettes
Fried, heavy and fatty foods

Food to reduce
Dairy (switch at least half of your dairy intake with soy or rice milk products). Plain, unsweetened yoghurt with live cultures is fine (good for you in fact).
Caffeine – drink green or white tea instead of coffee and black tea
Eggs – 3-4 per week are fine, but try to make them organic
Salt (sea salt ok)
Bread – wholemeal or spelt sourdough ok
Starchy high GI veggies like potatoes
Chicken – organic chicken once or twice a week is fine

Food to increase
Fish (steamed and baked best)
Nuts and seeds
Fruit and veggies
Vegetable protein; lentils, chickpeas, navy beans, lima beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, tofu
Whole grains; brown rice, quinoa, oats, spelt, buckwheat, millet
Make smoothies as breakfast/snacks or meal replacements; banana, spinach, cos lettuce and apple juice makes a delicious smoothie. I’ve been making them every day lately for breakfast. Yum.

Other stuff to do to increase benefits
Drink hot water and juice of ½ a lemon in the morning (great detoxifier and also kick starts digestion)
Drink loads and loads of water and herbal tea to flush out toxins. Aim for 30mls per day for every kilogram of body weight.

Try a colonic - see my (rather graphic) post about colonic hydrotherapy
Do some cardio – sweat out toxins
Have a steam or sauna
Meditation – detox your thoughts too
Try some yoga

Also consider
Eat slowly and chew thoroughly – this alone can make an enormous difference
Eat mindfully – give meal times your full attention
Eat a little less than normal – you’ll be surprised at how you don’t need to eat as much as you think you do

That’s it. Pretty easy. I’ll be doing this for the next 3 weeks. Come along for the ride.

A simple, short post on keeping your life simple (but not short)

2010-08-18T11:45:00.003+10:00

My life is busy. Oh so busy. It seems that the busier I am, the more I seem to be able to get done. Especially fake tanning (it makes me feel good). And of course yoga and eating well. I always seem to find time for those important things.

How? I manage my time, prioritise and simplify my life.

Time management
Years ago I read a book about time management called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, which I highly, highly recommend. It was years ago, but I still follow a lot of the time management tools and rules that he espouses.

The key principles that I follow are:
1. Keep a to do list - I have a personal one and a work one. Everything is on the list so I never (read: very rarely) forget things
2. Make sure your to do list has projects and actions on it, not just vague references for things you need to do. For example, if I were planning a wedding (hint, hint), invitations would be one of my "projects" and then I would have a "next action" against that project like "research invitation design themes online". Once that action is complete, I would then work out the "next action" needed to complete the project. That way I am making sure that at all times I know what I need to do next to complete the task.
3. If you can do something in 2 minutes, do it straight away. It's often the ten little two minute tasks that play on your mind and make you feel like you have too much to do.

Prioritise
We spend so much time doing urgent but not important tasks, instead of doing important but not urgent tasks. The important but not urgent tasks don't really get a look in until they become urgent. Meanwhile, we've wasted loads of time of tasks that are seemingly urgent, but not that important. Try this exercise and see if it helps for you:

Look at all the tasks that you have to do. Categorise them as follows:
A - Urgent and important
B - Important, but not urgent
C - Urgent, but not important
D - Unimportant and not urgent

Do them in order from A to D. Or even better, just do A and B and forget about C and D. Sounds simple, but put it into practice and it will change your life. You'll be amazing to realise how much time you actually spend (waste) doing C and D tasks.

The most important thing to spend more time on B and less or no time on C and D.

Simplify your life
Don't just do stuff. Do important things. Do things you love. This post was inspired by a blog post on Zen Family Habits called 43 simple ways to simplify your life. Read it - you'll love it too.

PS. I am really busy today, but I decided that this was an important post and that it wouldn't take me too long to write. Voila!

Chia seeds - a superfood friend with benefits

2010-07-27T16:55:00.000+10:00

I'm loving chia seeds at the moment. I'm using them in EVERYTHING. One might even say that I'm chia-tastic.

What you need to know (or maybe just want to know) about chia seeds
They are:
1.    A wholegrain
2.    Super high in the essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are vital as they help the body recover after exercise and help to increase metabolism, helping with fat burning and weight loss.
3.    High in fibre, which helps to make us feel fuller for longer and keep us “regular” (lovely)
4.    Gluten free
5.    Rich in iron (3 times more than Popeye’s favourite food)
6.    A complete protein, containing 8 essential amino acids. It’s a little complicated, but many plant sources of protein are incomplete proteins that need to be combined with another protein. These little babies do it all on their own.
7.    High in other good stuff like calcium (higher in calcium than milk and more absorbable too), B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and zinc
8.    Rich in antioxidants to battle those nasty free radicals (I seriously imagine a little battalion of antioxidant warriors going to work on the insurgent free radicals). Antioxidants help to slow the process of aging. Sounds good to me.

Just throw them in
Salads, soups, stirfrys, smoothies. A tablespoon or so will do the trick. Yum.

Black versus white seeds
According to The Chia Co, there is very little nutritional difference between the white and black seeds, so it really depends on the colour that your recipe or mood calls for.

Yummy chia smoothie
One the weekend I bought some chia seeds from About Life in Bondi Junction (you can get them from any health food store). The packet had a great smoothie recipe on the back, which I had for breakfast this morning and it was delish. Hopefully they don’t mind me sharing it with you!

1 cup banana and/or berries (I used ½ banana ½ strawberries)
½ cup yoghurt
½ cup milk (or your preferred milk replacement)
½ cup coconut milk
1tbs chia seeds (soak the seeds in a little water until the seeds and water form a thick gel, then add them to the smoothie)
1tbs honey (I prefer maple syrup with yoghurt as honey is antibacterial and kills all the good bacteria in yoghurt)
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp grated ginger (I left this out)

1.    Soak seeds
2.    Add all ingredients to blender
3.    Blend
4.    Drink (I can hear you saying “duh…”)

Try them out. Suffice to say that I’m a fan of these tiny little suckers.

Healthy take out tips

2010-07-06T13:41:00.001+10:00

I have long been a pain in the ass when it comes to eating out and ordering take out, so I thought I’d share some of my tricks to make take out a little bit healthier.

Japanese
•    I’m not going to tell you to avoid tempura. I’ll assume you know that already.
•    Don’t have too much sushi rice as it contains lots of sugar and is high GI (meaning it causes an insulin spike, which will leave you craving more sugar not too long after).
•    Don’t have too much soy; it’s very high in salt, which leads to fluid retention (water weight)
•    Sashimi, salads, edamame, tataki, steamed and baked fish, sukiyaki, noodle soups all great options (though do be aware of high salt content)
•    Don’t have too much sweet sauce like teriyaki or miso as they are high in sugar and kilojoules

Pizza
•    Go vegetarian
•    Ask for less cheese
•    Avoid marinated vegetables as they often have lots of oil
•    Go for a wholemeal base if they have one. Or gluten free, but I find this isn’t as nice and if you’re going to have pizza, you might as well have proper dough

Pasta
•    Add Parmesan yourself to control the amount
•    Go for red sauces (tomato based) instead of white (oil or cream based)
•    Try not to fill up on bread before the meal or you’ll end up having a carb-overload (and definitely a GI spike leading to a sugar crash)
•    Don’t overeat – eat to 70-80% full and then have a break, otherwise you’ll end up with a pasta baby in your belly (we’ve all been there…)

Thai, noodles, etc
•    Ask for less or no oil. Most of the sauces used have a little oil in them anyway, so there is no need for your stir-fries or noodles to be cooked in oil. If you’re like me, you’ll like the taste much better and it will open up a whole range of options for healthy take out
•    Rice noodles are best – easiest to digest and lower GI
•    Avoid fried rice (duh) and go easy on the Pad Thai
•    Steamed and baked fish are great options
•    Order a side dish of mixed or steamed vegetables (hold the oil please)

Indian
•    Ask for less oil and hope for the best. This almost never works with curry, so you might be on your own here…

The key when ordering is to be very polite and appreciative. Don’t sound like a madam or you’ll end up with more cheese and more oil. This happened to me on occasion until I refined my technique.

The best advice I can give you however, is to watch your portion sizes. Serve yourself the amount you think is reasonable to eat in one sitting and don’t go back for seconds. It’s so easy to have a little bit and then a little bit more and so on. Before you know it, you’ve eaten twice the amount you normally would (remember the pasta baby…).

Also, check out some of the healthy take out options in Sydney, that I mentioned at the bottom of my recent Eat for Warmth in Winter post.

Happy take out!

Eat for warmth in winter

2010-06-24T16:46:00.000+10:00

My love for winter is simple. I like wearing boots (my havaianas are feeling jealous and displaced) and I like skiing. I like wearing scarves too. And the occasional rainy day (read: excuse to wear Ugg boots and watch DVDs all day without feeling guilty).

I also love winter foods (mmm… curry). There is something very nourishing about eating casseroles, soups, stews and roasts. And apple crumble. Oh yum… hang on, I’m having a moment.

Eat warm, stay slim
Winter is a time for nourishing foods; it’s when we should be eating the richest, warmest and heaviest meals and cooked meals are required to support the body’s need for protection in the colder weather. It’s also *gulp* a time when we tend to put on an extra kilo or two of “insulation”. Portion control is really important during this time, remembering that a salad is probably half the kilojoules compared to a casserole or stew of the same size. If you want to avoid putting on weight in winter, I strongly recommend you watch your portion sizes, eat slooooowwwwly and maintain a regular exercise program. Exercise is particularly important to keep the spine and joints flexible, but I digress…

Eat intuitively
The extent to which you follow winter eating principles really depends on your constitution. It’s pretty intuitive and you probably do it naturally - if you have a tendency to feel the cold, then you need to eat warming foods more than someone who can get away without wearing a jacket in winter. What’s particularly important, is that you listen to your body. Don’t eat salads and raw foods if you feel the cold. It’s common sense really, but it’s all too easy to grab a salad (and feel virtuous about it) when what you really need are cooked and warming foods.

Cooking methods and meals
The general rule for winter cooking is to cook foods for longer at lower temperature with less water. Warming cooking methods include grilling, frying, roasting, searing, baking, long simmering in liquid, slow cooking, cooking with alcohol, and using hot or warming spices. Think casserole, stew, roast, soup, bakes and curry. Invest in a slow cooker if you have the time (ha!).

My favourite winter breakfast is porridge. Plain porridge can be a little boring, but add stewed fruit, honey, roasted slivered almonds and cinnamon and it not only looks pretty, but tastes delicious.

Warming foods
Meat (if you’re so inclined) and eggs are very warming, so that’s good news for the meat-eaters. As far as vegetables go, a good rule of thumb for veggies is, the longer it takes to grow, the more warming it is. Root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot, onions, garlic) are among the most warming. Avoid cold drinks and cold foods like icecream as they have a cooling affect on the body (I can hear you saying “duh”, but I thought I’d mention it anyway).

Here are some basic lists of warming foods.

Fruit (especially cooked): apple, cranberry, date, dried fruits, grape, kiwi, mandarin, orange, pear, tangerine, watermelon
Veggies: boy choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, kale, leek, onion, parsnip, potato, seaweed, spinach, sprouts, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, turnip
Nuts and seeds: almond, brazil, cashew, macadamia, pecan, pine nut, pistachio, walnut, linseed (flax), pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
Grains (cooked): barley, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, rice, rye, wheat
Beans: adzuki, black, kidney, lentil, lima, navy, soy

Warming herbs and spices
A great way to warm up a dish is to add warming spices and herbs in the cooking process. Cumin is excellent, as is turmeric, cayenne pepper, chilli, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Chai tea contains lots of these spices and is a yummy way to warm your body. Garlic and ginger (actually vegetables) are very warming too.

Add salt for extra warmth
Salt is very warming and has the most grounding action of food. Any dish can be made “warmer” by adding a little salt (I recommend sea salt, rather than table salt, which is far less good). Good sources of salt include sea salt, soy, miso and seaweed. In Ayurveda, the traditional medicine system of India, salt is said to strengthen one’s energy. Do be cautious with the quantity that you add, particularly if you tend towards fluid retention (water weight) as I do.

Some local “fast food” recommendations
While healthy home cooking is best, you can still get food quickly and eat well, particularly in winter. Iku Wholefoods is definitely a firm favourite. As is About Life (formerly Macro Wholefoods) in Bondi Junction/Rozelle and The Health Emporium in Bondi. Iku does the most delicious porridge and tofu curry and About Life does yummy soups, casseroles and curries. I also really love Laurie’s Vegetarian Cafe in Bondi. Try the veggie burger or the lentil casserole. Yum and yum.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m putting on my Ugg boots, stretchy pants (my guilty pleasure) and a scarf.

Sources
Pitchford, P 2002, Healing with Wholefoods, North Atlantic Books, California
Haas, E M 2006, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, Celestial Arts, California

Up my what? A colonic affair

2010-06-10T11:42:00.000+10:00

So my beautiful housemate has been RAVING about her series of colonics. Her tummy is flatter, her digestive system has improved, she’s been having regular “movements”, her skin looks amazing and she generally feels great.

Ok, so it’s my turn. I’m not particularly fond of the idea of having a foreign object put in my “sacred place” (just around the corner from my “special place”), but the benefits sound great, so I’m willing to give it a shot.

Beforehand I’m a little bit worried about it being embarrassing and my “not so nice stuff” from my “sacred place” being on display. I have visions of unflattering noises and yucky mucky stuff coming out for all to see. This is made worse by the fact that my colon hydrotherapist turns out to be a man. Oh joy.

Believe it or not, it’s actually not that bad and not really embarrassing at all (especially if you have had a Brazilian wax before and been asked by your therapist to lie on your tummy and “spread em please”).

For those of you interested in the gory details, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the process. The therapist leaves the room and you get undressed from the waist down and cover yourself with a towel. Therapist comes back and puts lubed tube in “sacred place”. This is the least fun part. I might have yelped as Marcus (lovely Marcus with whom I am now intimately acquainted, much to the displeasure of my boyfriend, who likens it to having an affair) asked if I was ok, to which I replied, “um, it’s just that I’ve never had anything up there.” He then said, “that’s too much information.” And I said, “no, too much information would be me telling you that I have all sorts of stuff up there all the time.” Ice-breaker. I feel better already. But still not happy with tube in sacred place.

Then comes the “fill” part, where 18-25 litres of water is pumped into your colon. I didn’t even feel this; it was only noticeable when there was a little “gas” to pass through and then it just felt like a slight cramp. Then the pressure is released and stuff starts coming out. There is no sound at all (thank goodness) and it’s not like you even feel like you’re going to the toilet. Aside from the tube up the youknowwhatsit and seeing your waste travelling past a glass window in the machine, it’s actually fine.

Each treatment is a series of fills and releases and lasts for about 45 mins. Your therapist stays with you the whole time guiding you through the process, massaging your tummy to move things through and watching what is coming out. All sorts of wonderful things can come out; gas, candida, parasites, poorly chewed food, waste, toxins and adrenal fluid (caused by stress). I’m not telling you which of those came out of me, but suffice to say that most did and I am a pretty healthy person, so imagine what an unhealthy person would pass through!

After four treatments with the lovely Marcus at The Colon Hydrotherapy Centre in Darlinghurst (also in Randwick), I can honestly say that I feel amazing. One of the key benefits that I’ve noticed is reduced edema (fluid retention) due to allergenic substances being removed with the waste and I swear that I feel skinnier and lighter than I have in ages. My tummy is flat and my digestive system is much improved.

I can honestly say that combining a juice cleanse (I know of a good one…) and series of colonics is an amazing way to detox and feel light and full of energy.

The cost is $95 per session. Well worth it in my humble (nothing more humbling than having tube in sacred place) opinion.

PS. I highly, highly recommend Marcus as he made me feel so comfortable and at ease. He’s my new best friend and I’m going back in 5 weeks for a follow up treatment.

PPS. I almost titled this post “A colonic journey with a happy ending”, but then I thought better of it.

What's all the fuss about coconut water?

2010-05-27T09:35:00.000+10:00

Everybody seems to be banging on about coconut water lately and it looks like we’re about to see bottled coconut water on the market in Australia. It’s quite big in the US, with flavoured coconut waters becoming increasingly popular, including lime flavoured coconut water (yep, that’s lime in the coconut).

I’ll have to try it myself, but I don’t imagine that it will be as good as the real thing; that is, drinking the water from young, fresh coconuts.

I spent a few months in India last year and every morning after yoga practice, we’d all go outside and the coconut man would be waiting to lop off the top of a coconut and hand it to you with a straw. Once you had finished drinking the water, you would give it back and he would fashion a spoon from the shell and hand it back to you so you could scoop out the flesh. So yummy. There were quite a few yogis at the time who would do regular coconut water fasts and just drink coconut water for days on end. (I think that’s fine for a day or so, but I obviously prefer juice cleansing as you get a many more different nutrients packed into the juices, but I digress…)

Coconut water is delicious and quite different to coconut milk (which is made from ground coconut flesh and coconut water). It has a yummy salty sweet flavor and is very easy to drink.

So what’s so good about it?

Coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage (meaning it’s designed to replace the fluid and salts lost from the body during exercise) containing the same level of electrolyte balance as we have in our blood. In times of war and famine, it has been used as an intravenous fluid and saved many lives.

It's naturally fat-free, relatively low in sugar and carbohydrates and helps to boost metabolism, promote weight loss, cleanse the digestive system and detoxify and fight viruses, among other things! I’ll also let you in on a little secret… it’s a brilliant hangover remedy.

Basically it’s a super healthy, nutrient-packed drink. We recommend it to our cleansers as a supplement to the juices if they are feeling hungry, but you can drink it any time.

If you’re so inclined, you can buy fresh, young coconuts from health food stores and specialty fruit and veg stores for about $3-4.

Enjoy.

Get back on track after Easter

2010-04-14T11:16:00.000+10:00

Last week we tweeted some tips on how to get back on track if your healthy living plan has fallen by the wayside (if you're not on twitter, get into it; it's loads of fun).

So if you, like many people, ate your weight in Easter eggs this weekend, you might be interested in some of our tips...

1. Get your peeps into "healthy mode". Try to find one or two others (or more) & make a health pact to eat well & exercise more.
2. Plan & prepare: Go food shopping. Make an exercise plan for the week. Simple, but it works!
3. Engineer your social life: Dinner? Go Japanese. Weekend catch up? Do a run/walk & breakfast instead of a drink. So easy & just as fun.
4. Cut out the nasties - white sugar & white flour, anything fried or too high in saturated fat. Cut down on meat. Go low fat dairy. Eat more fish and vegetarian meals.
5. Zero tolerance: If you're not so good at stopping after one treat, adopt a zero tolerance policy for your vices.
6. Move your ass. Walk, run, swim, bike, yoga, wotevz - just move it! Exercise always inspires you to eat well too so there's a bonus!
7. Eat what you want, but less of it. When zero tolerance doesn't work, try to restrict yourself to only one 500kj treat each day. For example, a snack pack of chips or 20gms of chocolate is about 500kjs.
8. Drink enough water. You might think you're hungry, but if you're not drinking enough water, you're prob thirsty. Aim for 1.5-2 litres per day.
9. Just because there's a cute m&m dispenser at work doesn't mean you need to eat any!
10. Eat an apple 30 mins before lunch. Studies have shown that people consume 15% less kilojoules after an apple. It feels virtuous too!

Hopefully this helps to get you back into "healthy mode". (At least until Anzac Day long weekend anyway!)

Weight loss and detoxing/cleansing

2010-04-01T15:16:00.001+11:00

I can't tell you how many people ask if they will lose weight while they are cleansing. Tons of them... The answer is yes, but it's not quite as simple as that.

You definitely do lose weight, but not all the weight you lose is fat and some of it will come back if you’re not careful after the cleanse finishes.

A lot of the weight you will lose is excess fluid. Excess fluid (fluid retention or edema) has many causes including; too much salt or not enough protein in the diet, food and environmental allergies, poor circulation, and hormonal imbalances (women are particularly prone to fluid retention prior to and during their periods). Fluid retention masquerades as fat (and looks like fat) and can add up to 2kgs to even the smallest frame.

Juice cleansing can help to flush this excess fluid due the natural diuretic properties of many of the ingredients used and the cleanse’s high content of water (which actually helps get rid of excess water, contrary to what you might think).

In addition to this, because the cleanse is relatively low in kilojoules (approx 4400 kilojoules per day for a Level 1 cleanse), you will most likely lose some fat also.

It’s pretty simple, if you want the weight to stay off following the cleanse, you need to eat less salt (the main offender for fluid retention) and follow a healthy, wholefoods diet (see our blog post on Simple Healthy Eating Principles). If you can stay off the booze, takeout and sugar for a few weeks after your cleanse, you’ll do your body (and weight), the world of good.

Set some healthy goals today

2010-02-17T15:56:00.000+11:00

Now is as good a time as any to start thinking about some goals for permanent lifestyle and habit changes.

Take a few minutes today and set yourself five or so healthy lifestyle goals. Your goals should be SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-specific

Here is an example to get you started…
1.    Eat five serves of fruit and vegetables each day
2.    Exercise for 45 minutes three times per week
3.    Have five alcohol free days per week
4.    Increase water intake to 1.5 – 2 litres every day
5.    Do an Urban Remedy Cleanse. Of course we’d say that, but it really is a good way to stay healthy and keep focused on the path of wellness

It's really simple and goals are very powerful tools to help you stay focused on being healthy, fit and well.

Simple principles for healthy eating

2010-01-29T17:12:00.000+11:00

In the Ayurvedic tradition, it is said: “If you have a good diet, of what use is a doctor? And if you don’t have a good diet, of what use is a doctor.” Diet can be one of the major causes of imbalance and illness. Conversely a good diet can also greatly contribute to healing, correctly imbalances and optimising wellness. Below are some general guidelines for a healthier diet:

Basic wholefood principles
• Choose organic foods where possible
• Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible
• Drink lots of water – aim for 1-2L per day
• Eat a variety of whole grains including spelt, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, rice and quinoa
• Eat high quality protein, such as cold water fish (excellent source of essential fatty acids)
• Eat low GI (Glycemic Index) foods to keep blood sugar levels stable and reduce cravings
• Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables – fresh fruit and vegetables contain an abundance of phytonutrients, essential for good health
• Eat anti-oxidant rich foods such as berries, dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids), orange and yellow vegetables, green leafy vegetables, red wine/grapes, tea, wheat and barley grass
• Eat detoxifying foods such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, chinese cabbage, brussel sprouts), green tea, watercress, dandelion tea, fennel tea, garlic, lemon and coriander
• Start your day with a glass of hot water and the juice of half a lemon. This helps to detoxify your liver and kick-start the body’s digestive process
• Minimise salt in cooking and use herbs such as coriander, turmeric, ginger, cumin, tarragon, cinnamon, rosemary, basil and cardamon for flavour
• Eat lots of fibre (found in vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and whole grains) for healthy bowel movements
• Use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil as your main oils (coconut oil is fantastic as it remains stable at all temperatures and believe it or not, it is a fat that actually promotes weight loss!)
• Increase your intake of nuts and seeds, which are full of essential fatty acids and nutrients
• Mix up your dairy intake with dairy alternatives made from rice and oat milk. Soy milk and soy products are good in moderation. Low-fat cow’s yoghurt containing live cultures can also be very beneficial to those who don’t have dairy intolerance

Foods to minimise
• Processed foods
• Packaged foods – look at the ingredients label and if the product has a long list of ingredients it’s probably best to avoid it. Look out for the words hydrogenated and high fructose corn syrup. These are bad and should be avoided
• Junk and fast foods
• Refined sugar and products containing white sugar
• Products made from refined white flour such as white bread, pasta, most cereals and most cakes, pies and pastries
• Refined white rice – choose brown or basmati rice instead
• Processed fruit juices
• Starchy high GI vegetables such as potatoes
• Canned vegetables as they tend to be high in sodium (salt), which is a big contributor to bloating and fluid retention
• Refined oils such as safflower, sunflower, peanut and canola oil
• Artificial sweeteners
• Food additives, colours and flavours
• Table salt – sea salt is good in moderation
• Red meat
• Caffeine and other stimulants
• Alcohol

Mindful eating
• Eat slowly and chew thoroughly
• Avoid overeating
• Don’t do any activity (such as watching TV or working at your computer - easier said than done!) while you are eating as the meal should be the main focus
• Concentrate on the sensations of taste and texture
• Allow yourself quiet time after eating to digest
• Go for a short walk after eating if you can as this helps to promote digestion

Other hints and tips
• Be wary of large portions – portion sizes have increased considerably over the last 20 years and many people don’t actually know what a standard portion size is. For example a portion of pasta is 1 cup, not 2-3 cups as many people would have in a normal meal. A portion of meat is approximately the size and thickness of the a person’s palm
• Avoid overeating when eating out and eating socially – studies have shown that people eat considerably more when eating out and eating with friends
• Always eat breakfast – breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it fuels the body after the night’s famine.
• Dinner should be the smallest meal of the day and should be eaten 2-3 hours before bed to allow the body to digest the food and not interfere with sleeping. This isn't always practical, especially given that a lot of socialising revolves around eating out. If you know you're going out for a big dinner, then try to eat a lighter lunch to balance it out.

It's all pretty simple and common sense really, but sometimes we need a reminder. Eat well, live well and stay well.

Improve appearance of cellulite naturally

2010-01-18T15:36:00.001+11:00

Almost every woman has cellulite. Even the skinny ones!

Cellulite is a term used to describe pockets of fat, fluid and toxins, which are trapped and cause dimpling in the skin. This dimpling is irregular and patchy (not to mention unattractive!) and has a similar look to orange peel.
90% of post adolescent women go on to develop cellulite at some time during their life. Your thighs, bum and tummy are the most common areas for a woman to develop cellulite.

Cellulite is largely determined by your diet, genes and level of activity. The good news is that there is something you can do. A cleanse can be one effective way to remedy cellulite. In a recent trial, 75% of participants reported a reduction in the appearance of cellulite following their cleanse.

In addition to cleansing, below is a checklist of dietary and lifestyle recommendations that will help to reduce appearance of cellulite.

Anti-cellulite checklist
· Eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday
· Eat rice, beans and/or pulses everyday
· Eat oily fish regularly
· Where possible eat organic foods
· Minimise processed and pre-packaged foods
· Avoid ready-made meals
· Drink at least 1.5L of water a day (6 glasses)
· Drink herbal teas or hot water with honey and lemon
· Limit your intake of dairy (low-fat yoghurt with live cultures is ok)
· Reduce fat intake
· Reduce sugar intake
· Exercise more – incorporate cardio into your routine
· Adjust your posture – don’t cross your legs often
· Dry skin brush morning and night before showering
· Self massage for 5 minutes morning and night
· Finish your shower with 30 seconds of cold water
· Moisturise your skin everyday – use an anti-cellulite cream, a skin firming cream or an essential oil blend for cellulite reduction

Dry skin brushing
Dry skin brushing is excellent for improving circulation (which is one of the main contributors to cellulite). It is very easy and especially beneficial if you do it everyday. It only takes about 5 minutes.

You can buy a dry skin brush from most health food and vitamin stores. Make sure you buy a natural one with a long handle.

BEFORE showering, brush with long, firm strokes TOWARDS the heart, except on your tummy when you should make anti-clockwise circular movements. Aim to brush each of your feet, ankles, calves, thighs, tummy, breasts, bum and arms for 20 strokes each. After you have brushed all of those areas, take a warm shower followed by a cool rinse at the end. This will invigorate your skin and stimulate your circulation.

Aromatherapy and self-massage
Certain essential oils can be very helpful in reducing cellulite causing toxins and improving circulation (two major contributors to cellulite). The best anti-cellulite oils are:
Juniper
Citrus
Rosemary
Lemon
Lemongrass
Grapefruit
Geranium
You can either self massage or bath in these oils.

In the bath: Add 5-10 drops of one of the essential oils above to your bath and stay in the bath for 15 or more minutes once a week.

Self massage: Mix 5-10 drops of one of the essential oils above with 2 tablespoons of carrier oil (sweet almond, avocado, olive, jojoba and apricot are good carrier oils) and massage your tummy, thighs and bum for 8-10 minutes everyday.

Emotional links to cellulite
Louise Hay, author of pivotal alternative medicine books, Heal Your Body and You Can Heal Your Life, asserts that all physical ailments have an emotional root. She suggests that the emotion cause of cellulite is stored anger and self punishment and prescribes this healing affirmation - "I forgive others, I forgive myself. I give myself permission to be free to love and enjoy life."

Now this may sound a little too "give up all of my worldly possessions, move to Byron and live like a hippy" to you, and that's fine; you'll get lots out of the anti-cellulite checklist on its own if you follow it.

and so this is christmas...

2009-12-08T10:38:00.000+11:00

I absolutely love Christmas. My favourite things about Christmas are (in no particular order); Christmas carols (especially Bruce Springsteen's Santa Clause is Coming to Town - if I could play that all year round, I would), Christmas trees and lights, the festive spirit and energy, spending time with my family, and of course presents (both giving and receiving - I can admit that I love getting presents). I also love all the parties and the eating and drinking that go with them at this time of year. I am generally very healthy - daily yoga practice, eating well (perhaps a little bit too much sugar), cleansing regularly, moderate drinking, loads of sleep, massages, enough sun to get my Vitamin D requirements but not so much to damage my skin, swimming in the ocean - basically I look after myself as well as I can, whilst trying to maintain a balance. However at this time of year, I tend to let go a little and indulge; I drink a little more, I eat a little more, I stay out a little later. And why not?!? It's Christmas after all.

It's all about balance. Enjoy the silly season because it's so much fun and it only happens once a year. And then in January, you can refocus and work towards a more balanced, healthy lifestyle.

So give yourself permission. Don't feel guilty. Enjoy yourself.

10 reasons to cleanse before xmas

2009-11-09T18:24:00.000+11:00

It's beach body time. Nuff said.
Pre-empt the silly season and start from a position of strength.
The cooler bag that the cleanse comes in is really cool.
Pizza, chocolate, chips, beer, wine... sound familiar?
Your friends and colleagues are going to wave food in your face, but really they'll be jealous. So jealous.
Get rid of some toxins. They really are everywhere.
You wont have to worry about hunting and gathering for a while.
It really is good to give your body a rest once in a while and flood it with good stuff.
In case you didn't get it the first time, it's almost time to hit the beach. In your swimmers.
You know you want to.