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

Time for a little coaching?

When it comes to health and wellness, we’ve got your back here at Urban Remedy. So much so, that we are taking cleansing to a whole new level to keep you healthy, well and of course happy!

Drum roll please! Introducing our brand-spanking-new...

Urban Remedy

Health Coaching Programs

What is health coaching, we hear you say? Well, we’ll let Claire answer that.

Meet Claire Obeid, our very own Resident Health Coach, who just happens to be a little bit (okay, a lot) keen on health and wellness:

“Health Coaching is a fantastic opportunity to work one-on-one with a knowledgeable (certified and trained) advisor who will provide you with the support, guidance and information to set health and wellness goals, but also help you achieve them in a sustainable way!”

Think about this. Have you ever wanted to change something in your life – your relationship with food, your fitness level, your overall happiness, your lifestyle habits – but you didn’t know where to start, how to make it happen, or even what change really looks like?

That’s where a Health Coach can help. Our delicious and nutritious (if we do say so) cleanses are an amazing way to kick-start new healthy habits, but sometimes we need a little push and shove to stay on track and build the healthy habit momentum. 

Claire will devise a personalised program – based on your needs and where you are at on your own wellness journey – that will radically improve your health, wellness and happiness. If you’re not ready to launch into a full blown program, Claire can start you off with an individual session and you can take it from there, no strings attached.

Want better skin? More energy? Less stress? Would you like to feel balanced? Learn how to cook? Understand your body? Be aware?

Do we hear a YES? Well then, get in touch. If you would like to check out our individual sessions and health coaching packages, or just want a little more info, it’s all here.

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.

Meet our new favourite super-herbs!

These four potent little herbs are all in our winter menu. They have some pretty noteworthy health benefits. Check them out:

Mint

• Digestive aid: relieves bloating, nausea, indigestion, cramps, spasms, IBS
• Antispasmodic: relaxes smooth muscle in the GIT
• Anti-microbial: wages war on germs and nasties
• Anti-allergic: helps prevent histamine release
• Analgesic: helps reduce pain – great for tension headaches!
• Respiratory aid: clears and soothes the respiratory tract
• Stimulant and cognitive aid: mint tea is a good alternative to caffeine when you need your brain cells to get their busy on in the evening but still want to fall asleep afterwards!
• Antioxidant (oh yes, we all love a bit of anti-ageing, cell-protecting goodness)

Parsley

• Digestive aid: it… um, helps you go to the loo more often
• Astringent and purifier: cleanses the liver, kidneys, intestines and blood
• Anti-microbial: helps ward off infection
• Immune booster: repairs and strengthens
• Cardiovascular aid: prevents hardening of the arteries and helps eliminate blood clots
• Anti-inflammatory: supports joint health and relieves arthritis
• Anti-carcinogenic: helps inhibit tumor formation and neutralizes carcinogens
• Antioxidant (bye bye free radicals)

Rosemary

• Anti-bacterial: less bugs, more goodness
• Antispasmodic: reduces cramps and spasms in the gut
• Hepatoprotective: loves your liver (someone has to)
• Anti-inflammatory: reduces inflammation throughout the body
• Anti-mutagenic: doesn’t stop you from turning into a mutant but does reduce the effect of toxins on cells (we like)
• Improves cognitive function: making you all alert and perky and stuff
• Mood booster: popular remedy for depression
• Antioxidant (yep, this super-herb keeps your cells young too)

Thyme

• Respiratory aid: your new super-weapon against colds, flus and the like
• Anti-tussive and expectorant: calms coughing and helps produce um… mucus
• Antimicrobial: less of the nasty stuff
• Astringent: it’s a great disinfectant for skin conditions
• Digestive aid: useful in treating gastritis, dyspepsia and other stomach complaints
• Antispasmodic: reduces cramps and spasms in the gut
• Antihelmintic: fights off parasites (particularly of the wormy kind, ew)
• Antioxidant: (herbs really are your new anti-ageing friends)

And there you have it. Who would have thought these weed-like creatures could be so darn useful... Is it us or do herb gardens suddenly seem less pretentious master-chef, more medicinal genius?

Sources: 
1. Herbs & Natural Supplements, An evidence-based guide, 2nd edition, Lesley Braun and Marc Cohen, Churchill Livingstone (Elsevier), Australia, 2007
2. The Juice Fasting Bible, Sandra Cabot M.D., Ulysses Press, USA, 2007

Will the real superfoods please stand up?

When we think superfoods, we generally conjure up images of exotic berries, green and blue algae, weirdly-shaped mushrooms, and above all expensive price tags. Sadly, we get so caught up in the hype surrounding these unusual food items (not to deny their place, their health benefits are proven) that we forget some of the simpler superfoods that lie right in front of us.

Given that winter is fast approaching, and our seasonal menu is in full swing (we can’t get enough of the lentil and green soups at the UR HQ), we thought we’d share some of these everyday superfoods with you. Sounds like a contradiction in terms doesn’t it? It’s not. They may be all around us but these everyday superfoods hide a veritable plethora of nutrients and health benefits.

Check out these bad boys:

Asparagus

High in vitamins A, C and K, as well as folate and chlorophyll. The fibre in asparagus has a very mild laxative effect, and can benefit the gastrointestinal tract and colon when consumed regularly. This little green shoot also contains glutathione, a clever phytochemical that helps reduce the risk of cancer.

Broccoli

A member of the brassica family, broccoli is closely related to cabbage and cauliflower. It's high in vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, chlorophyll and fibre. Broccoli and the entire brassica family are also beneficial in preventing cancer.

Lentils

Containing eight of the nine essential amino acids, lentils are an excellent source of protein. These little legumes are high in vitamins A and C, folate, phosphorous, calcium, iron and fibre. They also help balance blood sugar and lower cholesterol.

And the good news is all of these little beauties are in our winter soups. Enjoy!

Coconut & almond bliss balls!

We sat down with the lovely Lee Holmes (foodie, chef and author of Supercharged Food) the other day over a chai in Bondi and listened eagerly as she shared some of the delicious recipes in her book. We haven’t been able to get this one off our minds and we thought you might like it too!

Ingredients

For 14-16 balls of yumminess…

• 50 g almond meal
• 30 g coconut flakes
• 40 g sesame seeds
• 125 g chopped mixed nuts*
• 7 tbsp almond or cashew butter, softened
• 3 tbsp tahini
• ½ tsp natural vanilla extract
• 8 drops liquid stevia
• Extra sesame seeds, for coating
• Extra chopped mixed nuts, for coating
*Such as walnuts, cashews, pistachios

Preparation

1. Put the almond meal, coconut flakes, sesame seeds, nuts, nut butter, tahini, vanilla and stevia in a bowl  and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.
2. Using your hands, take scant tablespoonfuls of the mixture and roll each one into a ball. Roll half the balls in the sesame seeds and the other half in the chopped nuts, coating them all over.
3. Place the balls on a flat tray and refrigerate until party time.

Tips from the Chef

• You can easily make these bliss balls the day before you need them.
• They will harden when you refrigerate them, so pull them out of the fridge about 30min before you plan to serve them.

And there you have it. Hard to believe how easy these are to make. Not to mention that, like all of Lee’s recipes, they are gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar free. Enjoy!

For more recipes and info on supercharging your food, check out Lee’s website and blog.

Get your share on!

At the UR headquarters, we like to share. We share ideas, we share breakfast, we share recipes. We basically share everything… OK not everything but if it’s interesting, or funny, or yummy, we figure the more people who know about it, the better.

So, in the spirit of sharing, we’d like to encourage you to follow suit. If you’re currently cleansing, or just have a detox story to tell, get your Facebook share on. 

All you have to do is click on the link below and have your say... oh, and we give you a lovely $20 off your next cleanse! What are you waiting for?

Happy sharing!

x UR x