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Alcohol and young teens can be a tricky parent dilemma. In the interests of arming ourselves with some solid advice for those fast growing kids I’ve been doing a touch of research. Let’s be clear I am talking about early teens, post 16 is an entirely different ballgame.
So the big question is – if we, as adults, drink alcohol then why shouldn’t they?
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How can we live well into old age? This is a question posed in my current workshop ‘Longevity Nutrition’. We can’t put it all down to what we eat but careful nutrition certainly ups our chances of long term health. One of the foods of focus in my talk is the humble sweet potato with its high levels of fibre and immune enhancing nutrients, so I have chosen this recipe in order that we can have our cake and eat it.
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Berry Salad with Turmeric Dressing
Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Sun Dressing
We discussed the wonderful spice turmeric during my Longevity workshop in Gozo last month. Turmeric has many well researched health benefits. Curcumin is the active ingredient; this is an antioxidant which demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties. I've used it myself for a hip bursitis issue with great results. The running injury occurred last year, and being restricted to limping I sought a natural approach knowing that pill popping is not a safe long term option for pain. With a well-rounded nutrition and supplement plan I no longer limp and avoided a steroid injection.
Interested in natural pain relief, take a read or get in touch for further information - "Although nonsteroidal medications can be effective, herbs and dietary supplements may offer a safer, and often an effective, alternative treatment for pain relief, especially for long-term use."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3011108/
This beautifully vibrant green salad dressing is one way to include turmeric on a daily basis.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice + zest of 1 Lemon
¼ avocado
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. raw local honey — if not vegan
pinch of Himalayan sea salt (to taste)
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Add more avocado if you desire a thicker consistency.
Turmeric Root, pictured above, featured in my Longevity Nutrition workshop at the Gozo retreat. We explored the research surrounding Okinawa and the other Blue Zone - areas of the world with the largest number of centenarians. Of course, it's not all about the number we live to but the propensity to live well into old age. We discussed not only nutrition but social connections, faith, respect, exercise and surrounding ourselves with people who have a healthy approach to life too. We found that this is what Amchara is all about - sharing a desire to feel good, eating optimally, exercising without over-exercising and working on the respect we have for ourselves and others.
It is very easy to think - why on earth would you fly across Europe to drink only juice, do yoga and avoid all the usual holiday naughties - booze, caffeine, sugar, lethargy ....do we really feel well rested after this. I'd say no. I have never felt so well rested. A retreat such as this may well extend your longevity - only, of course, if you take home some of the health strategies and place them with commitment into your routine.
Read moreLove it all, lapping up the healthy living in every way possible. Started the day yesterday with a restorative yoga session then breakfasted on chia pudding.
Yoga studio
Every day I've woken around 6 am but it's got earlier each day. I can't sleep. There's a morning call from the rising sun to get going as each day is precious.
Personalised juices and shots
My energy is still boundless. Today began with a coastal bike ride before collapsing in the 8 am morning gentle rays of the sun.
Gozo colour
Amchara provide health talks each day. Yesterday I presented my Longevity workshop in which we explored The Okinawa phenomenon of having the highest number of centenarians. I'll be blogging on this later in the week as the group are keen to use the turmeric and sweet potato recipes discussed. I made fresh turmeric tea which was well received (nice change from juices).
This place is magical ... it's 3 pm I'm off for my juice. More later ...
Early morning bike ride
Feel great, boundless energy after an hour in the hot tub before bed. Woke at 6 am. Started the day with a bike-ride along winding lanes followed by an hours yoga. Breakfast of eggs and a shot of spirulina blended with coconut water (great idea, it's the first time spirulina has ever tasted good).
Swimming, sunning and then lunch - a pineapple smoothie.
Just had my 3pm beetroot juice and a long chat with other cleansers. All is well. Looking forward to another yoga session later and a sunset walk.
Beautiful Amchara
It's day 4 - feeling incredible. Started the day with a 6.45 am walk - purely optional, I was up at 5 and ready to go so enjoyed a coastal walk. Back for a swim in the gorgeous pool at 8 and ready for my eggs and avocado plus a shot of aloe Vera and a mineral shot.
At 10 am I had an appointment to rate my heart variability - a stress response test. This is a great tool for identifying your stress intolerances, how you manage stress and using this as a focus to implement change. I'm not stressed here. Not sure I could be however others would find many stressors been when cleansing - when we give ourselves time to relax often we are flooded with worries which we had hidden away. Amchara is the perfect place to tackle this as the support system is so well thought out.
Nothing to complain about. The staff are always on hand and ensure that all is well with all their guests. There's lots to do but no obligation to do it. Space is respected.
Chia pudding - so delicious
Food is amazing - off for a sunset bike ride ...
Lots of pictures on Instagram -
It's day 3 in Gozo. I'm staying with Amchara on a retreat aiming to cleanse with no distraction for 7 days. Gozo is a rustic little island off Malta. There's not a great deal to lead us off the path of detoxification. Our room is surrounded by palms, rolling fields and pure tranquility.
Welcoming sign
Having run my own cleanse for 8 days before leaving, I'm suffering no ill effects. Alcohol and sugar were long gone, caffeine had been very late leaving my world but interestingly I've had not one headache or coffee craving since arrival; likely due to the tapering off but also there has been little room for considering its loss. Amchara retreat is full of 'giving'. Juices on arrival, calm and supportive advice, a timetable of events which offer a perfect balance of relaxation coupled with self-caring activities.
I started my day with a swim, had an breakfast of eggs with a mineral shot chaser, moved on to a spot of sun-bathing, followed by aqua aerobics and the lunch - a deliciously blended smoothie.
My daily mineral shot...pretty palatable, everything tastes good at Amchara
Yesterday we headed to a small island - Comino- sped off on a motor-boat to explore dark caves then landed on a beach for a few hours of sun-soaking.
All very idyllic. My expectations of hunger have not been met. Many cleansers are juice fasting - I'm on a semi-raw food/juice and eggs for breakfast plan as all clients are professionally screened to check they are up to juice fasting. Due to an under-lying health issue I'm on a food / juice plan which was gleefully accepted as I'd already seen Amchara's tasty food concoctions on Instagram.
On day 3 I can't recommend it enough and will be organising a trip over here later this year, so keep an eye on the newsletters and if you haven't signed up for this yet please do.
View from our apartment
(If you can't wait that long please mention my name when booking!)
I'm off for a steam....
The words ‘cleanse’ and ‘detox’ are often used interchangeably. I prefer to use the word ‘cleanse’ for my courses as the term detox immediately rings alarm bells for many. Words like restriction, fast and hunger spring to mind and create a negative vibe.
There are many cynics when it comes to clean eating and detoxing. One blog I found describes cleansing with a very black and white mentality:
‘There's no specific definition of a detox or cleanse, but they often involve limiting your food intake to pressed juice, avoiding specific types of food, or drinking a concoction of juices that supposedly rids your body of toxins.’ And this goes on to provide a sceptical overview of how the body is perfectly capable of detoxing itself and how just drinking juice for a period can be dangerous.
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Spring is blooming into summer and I’m embracing this beautiful month by bringing lots of colour into the kitchen. May sees my first Cleanse event of the year so I’m sharing a Superfood Recipe with you; it is one which features in my Cleanse food plan. This dish can be eaten as a lunch (great with feta chunks on the top) or served as a side salad alongside lamb, fresh fish or BBQ chicken. I recently ate this salad nestled alongside a piece of battered fish from the chippy; as life is all about balance.
This superfood salad combines two key cleanse foods. Quinoa is a rich source of protein. If you are unfamiliar with this South American seed it can be used much like couscous. Watercress is rich in folate and vitamin C. In this recipe, these foods are given a flavour upgrade with fresh herbs, spices, and sweet red grapes. (serves 4)
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Lent is the season of reflection and preparation before the chocolatey celebrations of Easter. This time of year always inspires me to dip my toe into some form of foodie deprivation. I’m not going as extreme as fasting but thought a stint of veganism might give me that middle ground. How wrong could I be! Hardly feels like penance, I’m enjoying some creativity around dairy free. Here is my version of Jamie Oliver’s vegan take on an old time favourite.
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A google search with the words ‘plus sized model’ brings up oodles of proudly borne female flesh. But when googling ‘plus sized male model’ we get suit, modesty, no flesh. I cannot find an image of a true plus sized male getting it all out in a gesture of ‘I am who I am’ abandonment.
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Today is Pancake Day. It’s a day which always makes me wonder why we don’t eat pancakes more often. They are so simple and versatile. Here’s an idea for something a little different. I have chosen this Japanese street food dish to share with you as traditional food from this part of the world is generally fresh and healthy; and something I always give focus to in my Longevity Nutrition workshops.
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Keeping inspired whilst recovering from an Eating Disorder is crucial. That little voice over your shoulder that whispers 'you can do it' needs to be constantly nourished with a drip feed of 'lovely body positive' commentary. This phrase I'm using - Lovely Body Positive - is all the more powerful as it comes from one of the Recover Clinic (ED clinic in Brighton) clients who provided me with a list of positive online role-models.
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I recently came across a recipe for Mushroom and Mozzarella burgers which involves oven baking a large field mushroom adding a slice of mozzarella and popping into a bun with home-made tomato salsa. And yes, as much as I love the idea of the slippery mozzarella sitting so snuggly alongside an equally slippery mushroom I felt it was a shame to put this in a bun as you may well lose the beauty of all the textures amidst a lot of grainy density.
So here is my version, which would indeed work well alongside a hunk of sourdough bread, however I feel the mushroom need to take centre stage
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Colour in the kitchen for 2017
Bit bored of hearing about whether or not New Year resolutions are any good. A Daily Mail headline includes ‘Experts say keep them realistic and expect small changes’. Hardly hopeful, are there really experts on New Year’s Resolutions?
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She grimaced at the sound of Grandad arriving armed with presents, a large wedge of Stilton and a bottle of Baileys. It was the moment she'd been dreading since waking up that morning.
It was Christmas day; a day which should be joyful and merry. Actually she felt entirely hateful and ... merry maybe, but only in that the morning had started with a large sherry. Having struggled through two hours of unwrapping presents, she felt herself even more wrapped up in layers of guilt and confusion. Lunch lay ahead with all its indulgent chaos.
While the nation relaxed, ate and shared laughter, she felt so alone. No-one understood.
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I'd like to share my thoughts on encouraging those dear but pesky little neophobic children that are present in most kitchens around the country to be happy little eaters.
I don't have all the answers of course but having worked in the world of nutrition, hosting 'Taste Explorer' and 'Fussy Eating' courses and working on child weight schemes for a while now and having two of these small types myself I do have a few ideas of what might work!
Neophobia is the fear of the new. Those who study evolution have traced back and linked this fear of new food in toddlers down to the necessity of selecting non-poisonous berries and plants all those centuries ago.
Doesn't help hey when your child is hurling broccoli trees at you in unbridled disgust! What does help is remaining composed and having thought through your own strategies to deal with such behaviour.
How do we give ourselves permission to eat after years of restriction?
This is a post not only for those recovering from an eating disorder, but anyone who has over the years banned a certain food from their lives and turned it into a guilty pleasure. This may be due to media brain-washing, family role-modelling, a desperate desire to avoid weight gain or an embedded obsession. The fact is, we should be able to eat a little bit of what we fancy without beating ourselves up about it. Not always as easy as it sounds. So this post considers how we may go about making peace with these foods
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In my work both at The Recover Clinic in Brighton (a private clinic which offers clients with eating disorders a holistic approach to recovery) and with private weight loss clients, I often focus on working towards establishing intuition around food. This may have been lost over time, repressed by negative thoughts or overcome by constant and confusing media messages.
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