Total Wellbeing

Naturopathy in Sunshine Victoria

Jodie Williams

Raw Zucchini Salad Breakfast

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Getting more vegies in your day, sometimes has to start early. Thinking about what to have for breakfast today I was confronted by a glut of homegrown zucchinis and a craving for something fresh! Not a bad problem as it turned out. Combining a few cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, lemon juice, a little pink Himalayan salt and some lightly toasted seeds I'm loving this super quick, easy, tangy, fresh start to my day 🙂

Our friend Tracy had mentioned she was doing Veganuary – Vegan for January, so feeling inspired took out my regular old vegie peeler (no special zucchini spiraliser in our house, so a little improvisation was in order), and made short work of a medium-sized zucchini. The result is like a wide, flat noodle and looks really pretty with the dark green skin along the edges.

Ingredients

  • 1 zucchini, spiraled or sliced thinly with a vegie peeler
  • 1-2 tablespoons of mixed seeds and nuts – I used pepitas, sunflower, flaked almonds and pine nuts, lightly toasted in a pan
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Fresh basil leaves, torn

Method

Googling for recipes this morning, I didn't find one that exactly fit the ingredients in my pantry so I drew from the inspiration of Jaime Oliver who loves a

few sprigs of fresh basil,

and the genius Lisa Featherby of Gourmet Traveller, who suggested I take my zucchini noodles and

season with sea salt flakes and stand until zucchini softens (2 minutes).

Tossing everything together for this really clean, January breakfast, I'm feeling ready to take on the world. Serves 1-2, depends if you're willing to share 😉 If you do, your friend will be really impressed, I know mine was!

Summer is often a time for reassessing your diet, making a few changes to bring up your energy and getting set for a great start to the year. If you've done this before or need a reminder, a naturopathy consult could be what you need to help talk through some practical changes in line with your goals, mix you up a herbal potion to complement your needs and plant the seeds for good habits in 2018. Book online or give me a call to set it up today.

Your Recipe for Making Healthy Babies

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 Why is pre-conception care important?

Amazingly, it takes just two cells to build a baby and what most of us don’t realise is that these two cells contain all the energy and nutrition needed for your growing baby for the first 4 weeks of its life. It’s at this point that the foetus, which has been nourished by the egg sack during those first 4 weeks, begins to be fed directly from the blood supply of its mother. So making sure you have the healthiest, most nutrition-packed eggs and sperm makes a lot of sense when you think about this crucial developmental period.

To give you an idea of what happens in these first 4 weeks, take a look at a few of the milestones the foetus hits it this short period:

  • At day 7 the embryo attaches to the uterus.
  • During the next week, the basic placenta develops.
  • By the end of the 3rd week, the rudimentary digestive system has developed.
  • At 22-23 days, the heart begins to beat.
  • By the end of the 4th week, the neural tube has closed. It is an abnormality here which leads to spina bifida and related conditions. Fortunately, adequate nutrition in the pre-conception period has been found to reduce the occurrence of this condition.

So, how long should we allow for a pre-conception program?

This question may be influenced by factors related to your unique situation, but in most situations, we would allow 3-6 months for preparing your body for conception. Why so long? Well, sperm need at least 86 days to mature and eggs mature over a period of 90 days before ovulation. Thus, this is the length of time we have to influence the quality of your genetic blueprint and see the difference in terms of healthy lifestyles on the sperm and egg. Sometimes, a program for improving your diet, lifestyle, and supporting egg and sperm quality will happen alongside actively trying to conceive, but in the ideal scenario, this would happen some months earlier.

It’s not just all about the ladies…

It makes total sense that healthy men pass on the best genetic material to their babies. Having a nutritionally replete diet means better stats in terms of conceiving, placenta development and having a healthy baby. There are even studies that show a link to reduced risk of cancer and diabetes genes with proper pre-conception care! The basics are the same for both partners – lots of fruit and vegies, limiting saturated fats, topping up on fish, exercising, sleeping well, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding toxins (such as chemicals, drugs, and alcohol) and taking a good quality pre-conception multivitamin designed especially for men. In addition, because sperm is sensitive to heat, wearing loose clothing and avoiding saunas and hot tubs in the pre-conception period is a good idea. Small studies suggest carrying a mobile phone in your pants pockets can influence sperm health too. For this reason, we suggest storing your phone away from your body as much as possible.

Maximum nutrition for making babies

It makes sense to eat foods with the highest nutritional benefit, as these foods give you the most bang for your calorie. Weight maintenance is important in preparation for conception and eating high-quality foods is a great way to ensure you are maintaining a healthy diet.

What are the best foods to eat for fertility?

  1. Fish is an excellent source of clean protein and 3-5 serves a week gives you a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids. Eat larger fish such as tuna, swordfish and shark only occasionally (maximum of once every 2-3 weeks) to avoid potential mercury contamination. For convenience tinned sardines can be a good choice and also provides you with a source of calcium. Wild salmon is also an excellent choice. Check out my blog on the humble sardine here, for some ideas on including them in meals.
  2. Fresh seasonal bio-dynamic/ organic fruits & vegies where accessible and affordable, increase your access to essential vitamins and minerals and reduce the toxic load on your body.
  3. Lean organic meats, organic eggs and organic dairy. Animal products are more likely to have pesticide residues stored in fats, so it is particularly important to choose organic where possible. The lean products also help you minimise saturated fats and support your fertility.
  4. Good fats and oil such as those found in seeds and nuts, flaxseed oil and avocados provide vegetarian sources of omega 3 oils.

The basics of nutrition for making healthy babies is the same as being healthy yourself. In fact, couples embarking on a pre-conception program often find they feel the best they have ever felt, full of energy and vitality, well rested and exercised with their eye on providing the best start they possibly can for themselves and their baby.

What does one eat on a detox diet?

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If I'm correct, you probably generally know what not to eat, and while occasionally in denial, know what goes in a healthy diet. And a detox diet is really just that, healthy food. The aim is to minimise any of the nasties in your diet to give your body a moment to clean house – after all, that's what detoxification is. I'm not saying this isn't something your body isn't doing already every day, it's just the difference between a quick vac around your furniture once a week and taking the time to do a proper spring clean. Enough with the cleaning metaphors! You get the idea.

Why detox?

But why are you detoxing? Think about what it is that you are trying to achieve. Are you feeling a little sluggish, tired, feeling the need for a clean start? Perhaps the stressors and pleasures of a modern lifestyle are catching up with you? Burning the candle at both ends, even if it's to fit more fun things in, will eventually cause you to feel a bit under par.

Get enough sleep

Sleep time is the healing time your body needs every day. If you are ‘dreaming' of the luxury of an early night – book it in! Nothing says detox like getting enough sleep and this is the number one lifestyle prescription for a successful mini detox. Detoxification involves the large and small intestines, the lungs, skin, liver and kidneys all processing the things we put into our body to make sure there isn't any backlog. Mostly, this is done while we sleep!

Do I have to cut out everything?

Reducing the processing load on your organs means cutting out caffeine, alcohol, fried foods, sugars and foods that people are commonly sensitive to, like gluten grains and dairy. So what's left? Plenty! Focussing on vegies, fruit, vegetable proteins from nuts, seeds, beans and lentils, gluten-free whole grains like quinoa, buckwheat, brown or white rice along with fish and eggs you'll find you have lots to choose from. It can, however, feel like almost everything in your pantry is off-limits if you haven't done a little preparation.

Step 1: Extra nutrition is the first part of a successful detox diet

I like to start with adding the extras. Extra vegies, legumes, beans, regular serves of berries, clever herbal teas and exciting salads. Expanding the good things you regularly eat, it won't seem so difficult to gently ease out the other more processed items in your pantry. Putting some extra greens in your smoothies can be another spot to start adding some extra nutrients. You are aiming for at least 5 serves of vegies and 2 serves of fruit each day. These are all excellent sources of fibre which is essential to assist detoxification and help bind and eliminate the chemicals and hormones your clever liver processes.

If you eat fish (which is a great idea!), focus on the smaller varieties. As they do not take as long to mature, these fish have less time to accumulate heavy metals and are cleaner in terms of mercury and other toxins. Try mackerel, anchovies, sardines, salmon and herring or just remember MASSH which is a handy abbreviation to keep these fish in mind when you make your shopping list.

Step 2: Detox your mind

Detoxing your mind goes hand in hand with a lifestyle detox. Taking a few minutes for mindful meditation will enhance the process. A great place to start is with this fantastic free course by Headspace. Full of cute animations and meditations that you can take 3, 5 or ten minutes to complete, and the benefits speak for themselves.

Findings suggest that meditating for just four days is enough to improve novice meditators’ working memory, executive functions and their ability to process visual information.

Amazing! So not only is your memory better, the executive functions of the brain improve which means you are better able to:

  • Pay attention.
  • Organise, plan and put things in priority.
  • Start and complete tasks.
  • Put yourself in another person's shoes.
  • Regulate your emotions.
  • Keep track of what you're doing.

Once you've completed the easy 10-day course, you might like to sign up for a membership or check out other apps. Buddhify might suit you, or maybe Smiling Mind app. Smiling Mind is a free, Australian mindfulness app but you may find the style of other apps suit you best and opt to purchase an annual membership.

Alternately, some people find more active meditations like a walking mindfulness exercise more their style. This type of meditation has you observe the sensations of walking, the sounds, the feel of the air on your skin, the colours and shapes surrounding you. A guided meditation with an experienced Forest Therapist might also be something to try on a detox. Shinrin-Yoku 森林浴 Forest Therapy Australia which is a local Victorian based business may be able to help you establish a regular walking practice if sitting still is not something you can relate to currently.

Step 3: Hydrate

Water assists detoxification processes and flushes out the by-products. Make sure you are getting your full quota each day. For more tips on how to remember to drink water, check out this article here.

Step 4: Cut back on irritants

Caffeine can be a bit tricky to give up in one day, so try cutting down every second coffee to gradually wean off. In a similar way, sugar withdrawal can be a little challenging. Make sure you are having a protein with every meal and snack to help stabilise your blood sugar levels. You can take several days to wean off sugar in this way too. So once you have all the extra salads, fish, healthy meals and vegies added in ease out the caffeine, alcohol, fried foods, sugars and foods that people are commonly sensitive to, like gluten grains and dairy. This will give your body a wonderful rest from having to process additional irritants, so it can concentrate on cleaning house for a week or two.

Be gentle with yourself, take some time out and come chat if you need some tips to get your detox started.

The benefits of pregnancy massage

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Week by week pregnancy demands adjustment. For your pregnancy massage practitioner, this presents an opportunity to support these physical changes with body therapy.

At our Sunshine massage clinic, things that pregnant clients commonly complain of include:

  • aching feet,
  • sore neck,
  • sore shoulders
  • fatigue
  • and upper and lower back pain.

None of this seems surprising considering the postural changes and pressure on the spine associated with a rapid increase in weight over 9 months.

The good news is, these symptoms are often relieved with massage. Many women report feeling pain-free and completely relaxed after a massage.

Pregnancy massage has major benefits for:

  • improved sleep,
  • mood and
  • general well-being.

In a world that doesn't slow down, the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood are often another layer of endurance in an already busy schedule. Taking time out for massage can put more emphasis on the importance of self-care and ease the muscular aches and pains associated with growing a baby. It also feels really great!

Staying connected to your body with pregnancy massage

Clients tell me that being pregnant has its ups and downs. Some experience an amazing connection with their bodies and are amazed every day by the miracle growing inside them. Others find the changes difficult, and issues relating to body image can be underscored during pregnancy.  Doing all the work of growing a baby can seem hard, especially if you are suddenly confronted by a body you can no longer control. There is something about being cared for during massage that calms the mind and restores positive feelings. In fact

Massage therapy has been demonstrated to be effective during pregnancy. Women who received pregnacy massage reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels decreased and, in turn, excessive fetal activity decreased, and the rate of prematurity was lower in the massage group.

Curated from Pregnancy and labor massage 2010

The quote from the 2010 study above testifies to the benefits of massage not only for you if you are pregnant but also for outcomes for the baby. In conjunction with support from other caregivers,  massage can be a wonderful tool to help manage anxiety.

Helping progress labour

Other good news suggests that massage is also associated with easier labours.

In a study of labour pain, women who received massage therapy experienced significantly less pain, and their labors were on average 3 hours shorter with less need for medication.

Curated from Pregnancy and labor massage 2010

A great way to include birth partners in this is to bring them along to one or more of your pregnancy massage appointments. Your practitioner can talk your birth partner through some easy techniques to use during labour.

Helping prevent postnatal depression

In a study of women diagnosed with major depression while pregnant, massage was found to alleviate symptoms.

The massage therapy group women versus the control group women not only had reduced depression by the end of the therapy period, but they also had reduced depression and cortisol levels during the postpartum period. Their newborns were also less likely to be born prematurely (4 vs 16%) and with low birthweight (2 vs 10%).

Massage is recommended at least every month through the second and third trimesters until around week 36. At this time, weekly massages may be more appropriate to keep mum and baby cool, calm and collected until birth. If you are pregnant or know someone who is, book in now for a massage treatment. Our certified pregnancy massage therapists are passionate about helping mothers in Sunshine, Victoria and surrounds have the best pregnancy experience they can.

Tips to help you drink more water

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How many times have you been encouraged to drink more water? Some find it easy, while others just don't enjoy it. Is that really it, you don't enjoy water? It is a little hard for me to understand, being a water guzzler and loving the taste, texture and everything about water!

Do I really need 8 glasses of water a day?

There has been a lot of research put into determining the optimal intake of water for health at the NHMRC, so don't think it's all a load of baloney – we really do need 8-10 glasses of water every day! And that's not including the water we get from foods and the 250 mL that our body recycles from our internal filtration systems.

Solid foods contribute approximately 20% of total water intake or about 700-800 mL. The remainder of the dietary intake comes from free water and/or other fluids. An additional 250 mL or so of water is also made available to the body from metabolism (water of oxidation). Excluding perspiration, the normal turnover of water is approximately 4% of total body weight in adults. In a 70 kg adult, this is equivalent to 2,500-3,000 mL/day.

Curated from Water | Nutrient Reference Values

Dehydration has scary consequences

Typically, the consequences of dehydration that I think of include constipation, poor concentration, headaches and urinary tract infections. However, chronic mild dehydration (drinking about half of your daily recommended water intake) may cause other hidden problems.

Dehydration of as little as 2% loss of body weight results in impaired physiological responses and performance. The reported health effects of chronic mild dehydration and poor fluid intake include increased risk of kidney stones, urinary tract cancers, colon cancer and mitral valve prolapse as well as diminished physical and mental performance.

Curated from Water | Nutrient Reference Values

Hang on a sec, I'm just going to grab my water bottle… So, it's pretty clear why, for good health, our bodies require water. Now how do we remember to do it?

4 quick tips for taking in more water

1. Always have water available

Carry a reusable water bottle with you where ever you go, and keep it filled. On your way out the door, grab your bottle. If you're sitting down to work at your desk or to watch some tv, grab your bottle. Maybe to make it a mental habit, you could repeat the mantra “keys, wallet, water!”.

2. Water in water out…

If you're on the way back from the bathroom, grab a glass of water as part of the routine. Stopping off in the lunch room or kitchen while you're already on your feet, makes sense to me! Keeping hydrated is not something you can do once a day, it's a system and requires topping up frequently.

3. Choose water in restaurants

Ask for a jug of water for your table and make it your business to fill your glass and start sipping. It's also terribly thoughtful if you top up your companions glasses also, water drinkers are in good company!

4. Manage your excuses

What's your favourite excuse? Too warm, too cold, tastes boring, I'm not thirsty? Add some fruit or a little flavouring, a mint leaf, chill it, warm it up and count your glasses of water. If you haven't had a glass of water in the last 1.5 hours, you're behind on your quota – you might not feel it, but your cells are thirsty already!

Water is a  requirement for digestion, absorption, dissolving nutrients, elimination of waste products and keeping our body temperature stable. It's one of the easiest improvements you can make to how your body functions and one I'm grateful to have readily available to all of us living in countries like Australia with clean drinking water. It's our privilege to be hydrated. Make the most of it.

Tips for Surviving a Cold or Flu

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You know all those common sense tips that are on tip of your tongue when someone else is sick? Sometimes it all leaves you when you are under the weather yourself. With that in mind, I thought I'd add these little gems here, in case you (or I!) run into a nasty cold or flu.

Usually, a cold or flu can be weathered with good rest, nutritional and herbal support, however, if you have more serious symptoms, it is essential to seek medical help. These include if,

  1. You have trouble breathing or chest pain.
  2. Your fever doesn't get better.
  3. You are at risk of dehydration because you can't keep anything down.

My top 3 tips to help you recover well are:

Steam Inhalations

Steam inhalations can be very soothing and help ease congestion and soothe inflamed airways. Try a few drops of eucalyptus in the bottom of your shower or lean your face over a sink of warm water and drape a towel over your head (the old fashioned way!) to gently inhale the steam. Even without the addition of essential oils, a warm shower or bath can help ease congestion before bed and make sleeping easier.

Lots of Fluids – Try this Savoury Broth

Drink lots of warm fluids, keep warm and eat easy to digest foods. Soups are great at this time and drinks like lemon and Manuka honey are particularly helpful for sore throats. You can make an easy savoury broth by boiling together in water some common kitchen herbs, especially sage, thyme, a bay leaf, rosemary, ginger and sliced fresh garlic. This makes a tasty broth that is very nourishing between meals. Garlic and ginger help break down mucous, and sage and thyme are soothing respiratory antiseptics and are great for sore throats.

Soups for Recovering from your Cold or Flu

Soups are also a great, easily digested food for when you are unwell. Lots of red, orange and green vegies help to supply you with lots of Vitamin A and C to help repair your airways and support your immune system. A couple of easy recipes include my favourite pink Sweet beetroot, pumpkin and red lentil soup and this fantastic sweet potato, cauliflower curry. It's very easy to make, although if you can ask your friends, partner or family to make it, even better:

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Both of these recipes can easily take some baby spinach or whatever greens you have on hand to boost up the healing power.

Rest

Remember to rest! This is the most important tip. Going to bed early and having naps throughout the day is essential to your recovery. Keep this in mind after you recover too – completing a period of post-illness follow-up strengthens your resilience, which reduces the chance of relapse. Make it your mission to get to bed earlier than usual for the next two weeks also. For some tips on staying well in the winter, check out this article here.

Remember, I offer existing clients ten minute, over the phone consults for acute conditions like colds and flu. Herbs and nutritional supplements can help you recover well. Book online here or call me on 0402 097 028 if you need an appointment today.

Hopefully, you won't need this advice for some time, but if you do, it's always here for you to look back on!

Diet tips for happy hormones

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Hormones are wonderful things, and with everything running smoothly they keep your skin plump and healthy, your sex drive humming along and a pep in your step. That said, excessive hormonal influence can make you think your body is taking you on a wild ride of emotional instability, uncomfortable periods and a myriad of other nasty symptoms. The simplest method of modifying the way your body processes hormones is through diet. What's the trick to keeping your hormones on side?

Hormones should be one use only

Hormones, like estrogen are broken down in the liver and eliminated via the bowel. This is the ideal situation, as once they have had an effect on your hormonally sensitive tissues, we are done with them. However, if the path out of the bowel is a little slow, we can end up with these hormones being reabsorbed, essentially ‘recycled' and having a more intense impact on the body. This is where fibre and good bowel habits come in. Making sure you have a bowel motion at least once a day is the best way to ensure hormones only have the effect they were intended to have.

Where do you find fibre?

Fibre is best found in fruits and vegies, whole grain cereals, beans and nuts and seeds. Seeds like ground flaxseeds and chia seeds are easily added to meals, smoothies and desserts if you feel like your fibre is lacking despite your best efforts. Flaxmeal can even be added to burger recipes to increase the fibre of your dishes while taking advantage of its use as a binder, keeping everything together. Another way to use it is as a topper for fruit and yoghurt – the crunch of flaxmeal and the nutty flavour works really well in my opinion. Try it out and see if it works to your taste.

Phytoestrogens actually reduce the impact of your hormones

Phytoestrogens are found in plants, like lentils, beans, soy and  flaxmeal that have a very mildly estrogenic quality. These bind with the hormone receptors in the body and in effect block the action of the stronger hormones circulating in the blood. The positive effect here is that your hormonal response is soothed and there is less negative impact of over-active hormones in the body. So, eating more beans, lentils, a little tofu or tempe along with plenty of green vegies can lead to smoother menstrual cycles and emotions.

Try out these recipes:

Sweet beetroot, pumpkin and red lentil soup

Mushroom miso soup

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There are lots of things to love about soup! It definitely warms you up from the inside and is a great way to keep all the nutrition of your ingredients in one delicious pot. This easy soup is one of my favourites, takes about 10 minutes to prepare and has a noodle-y texture without the gluten (or carbs) if that's something you're looking out for.

Ingredients

500g button mushrooms, sliced

125g of enoki mushrooms, tails chopped off and separated

1 brown onion, finely diced

2-3 generous Tbsp of miso paste, to taste (I like the red one, but the white is good too)

1 Tbsp of freshly grated ginger

1 bunch of choy sum, roughly chopped (or other favourite leafy green)

200g of silken tofu, cut into small cubes

Spring onions, sliced finely for garnish

Olive oil for sauteing

2L of water

Method

Saute onion and button mushrooms in olive oil until starting to brown. Add ginger and stir until warm and fragrant. Add water and bring to the boil. Add silken tofu and enoki mushrooms (these are the noodles in the soup!). Once heated through add leafy greens and heat until just cooked. Dilute miso paste in a cup of warm, boiled water. Turn soup off the heat and add miso liquid. Stir through, garnish with sliced spring onions (these give a lovely fresh flavour to the soup) and serve!

Miso

This is a salty, fermented soy paste used to flavour Japanese dishes. It is also a live probiotic food, hence it is generally not heated at high temperatures for long periods. This preserves the health-giving properties of the miso. You can find it in most major supermarkets these days, usually alongside the noodles and other specialty foods for Asian dishes.

Tofu

Tofu is one of those foods that can be difficult to bring into your diet at first. With a neutral taste, it generally takes up the flavours of the dish it is prepared in. As a phytoestrogen, tofu can have beneficial effects on hormones, balancing the effect of estrogen whether you have an over or under supply of the hormone.

Ginger

This is a wonderful anti-inflammatory spice, helpful for stimulating a sluggish circulation, soothing a nauseous tummy and warming your digestive fire. I try to have a little ginger in my meals every day. I even grated a little over my breakfast creation of yoghurt, chia seeds, walnuts, pepitas, a sliced navel orange and rolled oats this morning 🙂 How do you use ginger?

Enoki Mushrooms

These are the stringy looking mushrooms that are starting to be available in more greengrocers these days. However, if your local doesn't have them, you can be assured that your local Asian market will, along with the other ingredients mentioned above! Enjoy!

Smoothie Etiquette 101

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In my opinion there really isn't much to smoothie making, and being a somewhat lazy chef, I seldom follow recipes. There is wisdom however in occasionally trying out a smoothie recipe from another's repertoire, as I found a couple of months ago when adapting this recipe from an IsoWhey newsletter that arrived on my desk. Pure gold! Definitely a winner for the taste buds there. Check out this recipe for the Rasberry Coconut Water Smoothie.

Measurements are also a tricky thing when making a smoothie. If you are freestyling with what you've got on hand to pop into your blender, it is quite easy to overdo things and end up with novelty size glasses of delicious liquid. The answer to this problem is… smoothies are made to share! Alternately, if there are no willing participants for your smoothie experiment, they also work really well in popsicle moulds for a creamy frozen treat on a future hot day.

Rules for a successful smoothie

  1. The main ingredients for a smoothie are fruit, protein powder of your choice and milk. Easy! Start simple if you are introducing smoothies to children or those not appreciative of new tastes. Aka, fussy friends, parents, husbands etc. Banana and berry is pretty much something any palate can appreciate. Pair it with vanilla, plain or chocolate protein powders and your choice of milk, coconut water, juice or water and you're set.
  2. Freeze your bananas! This is one of the easiest ways to make a smoothie irresistibly creamy. That hand of bananas getting decidedly ripe in your fruit bowl has a fabulous destiny you never imagined when you bought too many at the fruit shop. Peel and chop before popping into a freezer proof container. I try to always chop a banana into 8 pieces. That way, 4 pieces will always be around half a banana, when estimating serves. In addition, ice is also a great addition to your smoothie's texture, especially on a hot day.
  3. The hidden depths of a smoothie can disguise many an otherwise tiresome supplement to swallow. Cracking the capsules of a probiotic, sprinkling in some calcium powder, soluble fibre like inulin or more nutty flavours like flax meal, psyllium or chia seeds can flex your smoothie muscles in terms of food as medicine. Healthy oils like flaxseed or evening primrose can also blend well, and let's not forget yoghurt! A dollop of creamy goodness with digestive assistants can easily synchronise with other smoothie ingredients.
  4. Let's talk about spices! This is especially relevant if you are attempting a smoothie in cooler months. Cinnamon and ginger are warming favourites of mine however, turmeric can work well in a mango and banana smoothie, for an extra anti-inflammatory punch.

That's pretty much it. If you're making something experimental or you're putting in greens for the first time, go slow and blend up the usual things first. Taste as you go, both before and after adding the new ingredients. That way you can pick the point of no return for next time if it tastes somewhat “healthy” but you're unsure if you're actually keen on making it again 😉 Science experiments in the kitchen? Always 🙂

Christmas Salad Pick

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I love salad, and contrary to what Homer Simpson says, an impressive salad can certainly win friends and influence people, at least in my circle 😉

This wonderful recipe from Kate Taylor is a colourful addition to any Christmas buffet with beetroot, carrot and salad greens bringing the visual drama! In fact, arranged on a white plate in a wreath, this could even serve as an edible centrepiece!

As Kate says:

This salad is as flavorful and nutritious as its bold colours would suggest. It’s a meal-in-a-bowl version of my simple beet and arugula salad that helped me find some much-needed balance during my totally ungraceful day.

And if we're happening to be talking about adding a moment of detox into a Christmas Day feast, this salad could be the lifesaver that gets you between turkey course and pavlova.

Ingredients

Salad

  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen organic edamame (find it in the frozen section – enamame are soy beans, either in a pod or shelled, mine were in a pod and I shelled them after cooking)
  • ⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) (I used both!)
  • 1 medium raw beetroot, peeled
  • 1 medium-to-large carrot, peeled
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula roughly chopped (arugula = rocket, this is what I used, I didn’t chop it though),
  • 1 avocado, cubed

Vinaigrette

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro (cilantro – coriander, I opted for 1 of each)
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar (I used 1 tsp of coconut sugar, you could use any sweetener)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Follow the link to Kate's original post for the instructions. You'll end up with a beautiful pink salad if you toss it really well!

Enjoy!