Lee's divine 'Lemony Herb Crackers'

If you haven’t heard of her already, Lee Holmes is one to watch. She’s a wholefoods chef, the author of a truly amazing recipe book ‘Supercharged Food’, and an all-round inspiration. Lee is proof that you are what you eat. After discovering she had an autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia, Lee decided to heal her body with whole, natural foods and lots of green juice. We have had the pleasure of getting to know Lee and she positively radiates health. All of her recipes are gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar free. But Lee’s also a total foodie, so the dishes she makes (at midnight in her kitchen mostly) are absolutely divine. You’re in very safe hands.

So let’s get on to these lemony crackers. In Lee’s words, “they work well as a snack if you are feeling peckish in between meals – you can eat them instead of a carb or sugar-filled snack; they’re such a healthy way to refuel your body!” And to make these little beauties, all you need is 7 ingredients and 10 minutes. Let’s get cracking (no pun intended).

Here is Lee’s fabulous recipe, and a link to her video:

Lemony Herb Crackers
Makes about 35 crackers 

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups almond meal
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• 1 TBS dried mixed herbs
• 1 egg (opt for free range)
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon rind

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C and grease a baking tray
2. Combine the almond meal, salt, sesame seeds, mixed herbs and lemon in a bowl
3. In a small jug whisk the egg, then slowly add the olive oil while still whisking
4. Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to form a firm dough. If it is too dry to roll out, mix in a little water
5. Roll the dough out on a sheet of baking paper to a thin rectangle of about 35 x 25 cm
6. Place the prepared baking tray face down over the top then invert the two together so you now have the dough on top. Peel off the baking paper
7. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 5 cm squares
8. Bake until crisp, 12-15 minutes, turning them halfway through
9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving
10. Keep in an airtight container for freshness

Nutrition

• Almond meal is an excellent low-carb, high-protein option, which adds a sweet taste to the crackers
• Sea salt (Lee uses celtic in her video) is a great way to balance your electrolytes (and restore your poor adrenals); it’s also packed full of minerals!
• Lemon rind gives the crackers a zesty, citrusy tang, which comes from the aromatic oils and perfumes that are contained in the rind

If you like this recipe, check out Lee’s incredible new website. It just went live this morning! www.superchargedfood.com

Let’s keep it simple. Let’s get back to basics.

We were talking about what we like at the Urban Remedy HQ today. We like: green juice, warming soups, yummy smoothies (no surprises here)… and... well, we’re all a little bit methodical and organised (read geeky) so we also really like lists. When it came to discussing what we don’t like, we were pretty unanimous: we don’t like over-complicating things. And that definitely applies to the world of health.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the latest fad or to feel overwhelmed by the multitude of nutritional choices and suggestions out there. Breathe. It’s okay. You probably know a lot more than you realise. When it comes to living well and being healthy, we like to believe that you know best. You just have to tune into your body and get back to the basics.

To help you do so, we’ve compiled a list of super simple guidelines to living well. We’re guessing you know it all already but that’s kind of the point. Sometimes it’s good to remember that it’s not rocket science, that we already have all the information we need to be healthy and happy.

And because we’re total list junkies, here’s... well, a list of...

10 simple health rules:

1.      Always eat breakkie – king. of. meals.

2.      Drink more water – nope, not 2 litres all at once… sip it, slowly

3.      Know your food – make your own or find out what’s in the stuff you buy!

4.      Read the label – look out for trans-fats, sugar and nasty additives

5.      Keep moving – if you can’t do a workout, get your walk or stretch on

6.      Get enough sleep –  6 hours min… find a routine that works for you

7.      Identify your cravings – better yet, find a healthy way to enjoy them

8.      Reduce your stress levels – ask yourself: will worrying change anything?

9.      Listen to your body – are you hungry, thirsty, in need of some TLC?

10.    Take the time to eat – food is there to enjoy!

You’re the boss. Tune into your awesomeness.

The great coffee debate

To coffee or not to coffee? That is the question. Whether you’re a one-a-day kinda person, an abstainer, or a chain coffee drinker, there’s no doubt you have wondered at some point whether the stuff is good for you or not. And if you drink it, how much of it is actually okay?

Caffeine perks
• Improves alertness and concentration
• Improves mood at a consumption level of 200mg (roughly 2 regular cups)
• Helps combat muscular pain by stimulating the release of B-endorphins and other pain-reducing hormones
• Improves endurance: consumed one hour prior to exercise, caffeine increases performance and can assist in weight loss and/or maintenance
• Helps prevent diabetes through the minerals and antioxidants it contains
• Helps prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s by keeping dopamine molecules active
• Helps manage asthma if consumed moderately, and may be used to prevent an attack
• Enhances the effect of medication (eg. painkillers) through blood vessel constriction

Caffeine drawbacks
• Blood sugar swings: coffee causes a temporary surge in blood sugar and a spike in insulin production, followed by a crash in blood sugar levels
• Adrenal fatigue: coffee gets your cortisol going and stimulates your adrenals, leaving them flat afterwards. You get that ‘wired but tired’ feeling and crave coffee no2! Vicious cycle.
• Emotional disturbances: coffee can aggravate stress, anxiety, irritability and depression
• Sleep disruption: particularly if you’re an after-lunch coffee drinker
• Gastrointestinal problems: coffee can cause heartburn/reflux and increase the risk of ulcers
• Nutritional deficiencies: it prevents the absorption of certain nutrients, particularly minerals
• Ageing: caffeine dehydrates and promotes the decline of anti-ageing hormones

Our verdict
Like many things, coffee is good for you in moderation. It also doesn’t agree with everyone so each case should be examined individually. If you do choose to drink it, stick to a max of two cups daily, before 2pm, and pick a good quality coffee (not instant), minus the frills – cream, milk or a good quality dairy alternative is fine but skip the sugar, artificial sweetener, syrups, etc.

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 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!

Ditch that sugar addiction

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

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:

1. Avoid artificial sweeteners wherever possible.
2. 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/

Sugar, not so sweet after all

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/