Take Your Cleanse to the Next Level

These 5 little wonders will help you take your cleanse to a whole new level...

1. Peppermint - in tea (mild) or capsule (intense) form to relieve bloating and soothe the digestive tract

2. Dandelion - as an astringent tea or coffee substitute to reduce fluid retention and support the liver

3. Milk thistle - in capsule form (we like 'Flordis Legalon') to help the liver regenerate and clear toxins

4. Probiotic - in capsule or powder form (or as kefir, if you prefer) to boost gut flora and immunity, and relieve bloating

5. Fibre - not for everyone as it can cause bloating, but if you tolerate fibre, add your preferred powder into a juice or smoothie to help clear out your digestive tract
  

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The rise and fall of bread

The history of bread can be dated back at least 30,000 years – that’s a long, long time before ovens or sandwiches. Before loaves of bread, there were flat breads, round breads, bread cakes and patties – all specific to the geographic region they stemmed from.

Bread quickly became a staple of our ancestors’ diets – hence expressions such as ‘earning your bread and butter’, ‘bread winner’, ‘bread of life’ etc. Bread was on every table, from rich to working class, and those who couldn’t afford it would risk everything for a meagre loaf.

So why then have we fallen so out of love with bread? Why is it the enemy of the health conscious? The guilty pleasure we reluctantly place in the same category as dessert?

Bread in its simple form is NOT bad for you. Fact. But add flour treatment agents, chemical oxidants, emulsifiers, genetically-modified enzymes, hardened fats, refined salt and sugar (the list goes on), and bread is nowhere to be seen. It got lost somewhere in the mass of chemicals, additives, and well… cr*p! On top of this, double up quantities of yeast for faster cooking and throw pre-baked dough into the mix and you have a recipe for absolute disaster.

Real baking requires minimal ingredients and maximum effort. Preparing good quality bread takes time – the ingredients often need to work their magic (read ‘ferment’) overnight, and a true baker could be awake and baking away anywhere from 3am onwards.

When it comes to healthy bread, you really only need 5 ingredients:

1. Flour (pref wholegrain and stoneground)

2. Water (filtered if poss)

3. Yeast or sourdough culture*

The last two are optional…

4. Oil (good quality of course)

5. Salt (make it rock)

*We recommend sourdough if you suffer from bloating, candida or acne.

As with so many of the big food myths, the answer is pretty darn simple: anything can be bad for you if you don’t read the label, and don’t know what to look out for. Bread is NOT the enemy. You just need to choose the right one.

Is it time for the humble loaf to make a comeback?

Sources:

Felicity Lawrence, ‘Not on the label’, Penguin, London 2004

Mini Detox Menu (for between cleanses)

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

The Urban Remedy 'Easy Guide to Summer'

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.

Are you ready to sizzle at the races?

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!

Are you toxic?

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.

How to eat well and fit into your skinny jeans!

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!

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!

A super yummy recipe for ‘curry in a hurry’

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

Beat the bloat

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!

Up my what? A colonic affair

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.