Monday Mix-up - New Year's resolutions and our culture of "stuff"

This is going to be my last post for the year. We are heading to Durban for a few days to spend some time with my family, visit some good friends and also to just have a bit of a holiday and I don't think I am going to have any time to post anything for a while.

It's hard to believe that 2013 is almost over! Whenever a year comes to a close, a lot of people find themselves reflecting on the time that has passed, what they've achieved, what they had hoped to achieve but didn't, what they still WANT to achieve over the next few years, what needs to change and what will stay the same. That's where new year's resolutions come from and we've all, at some point in our lives, made them. I'm personally not a big believer in them, but I DO believe in setting goals, making changes and basically challenging yourself. Resolutions shouldn't be made once a year but rather, whenever they are necessary. Even better NOT to make a resolution, but simply to DO it.

As I said a few posts back, the gyms are PACKED from January to about March as people try to live up to unreal resolutions of finally getting the perfect body. Most of them are there under duress. They don't really WANT to change, they just feel like it's something they should aspire to. As March comes and goes, the gyms get quieter and quieter until you are only left with those who are serious about their health and fitness, not people just trying to be someone they can never be. That kind of resolution is never going to work.

I started on a path of clean, organic, free-range, real food just over a year ago. Around the same time, I suddenly realised that, how I lived my life affected everything and everyone around me and I made a decision to become more aware of my carbon footprint, and also to have more respect for the planet that allowed me to be its guest for a few decades. It wasn't a new year's resolution. I just suddenly realised that change had to happen. I didn't sent a date for it. I simply changed things. I'm not saying it was instant and easy. I had a lot to learn. It was frustrating at times, for me and for my wife, GLM. I didn't give in though. It was like a switch went on in my mind and I suddenly realised change would only happen if I changed myself. If I gave in I would be cheating myself AND the planet.

I don't do things in half measures. It's pretty much all or nothing. That means that giving up is not even an option. Now that I'm aware of my impact on the world, I just can't go back. I'm only one person, but I am trying my hardest to spread the word with my blog and through my friends and family.

If you are set on making new year's resolutions then I hope that 2014 brings you to a new understanding of your responsibilities to yourself, to each other and to planet earth. Living life with awareness isn't something that should just happen now and then, it has to be constant. The festive season is an example of where people totally forget to live with awareness. The problem with the festive season is not over-indulgence in terms of food, it's other excesses like the buying of hundreds of thousands of things that are only going to put more pressure on our planet and ultimately, end up gathering dust in a cupboard, and eventually, in a landfill somewhere, leeching toxic poisons into the soil around it.

I'm all for giving. There is nothing better than seeing the look on a person's face when they receive something that they want or need. It feels good. But things DO get a bit out of hand over the festive season and I think most would agree. The shops take FULL advantage of our need to spend and they stock up on all sorts of things that we THINK we need like tinsel and crackers and decorations, not to mention possible gifts for people. It's so hard to resist everything we see on the shelves.

I'm not saying don't buy the stuff. But THINK about what you buy. Re-use your decorations. If you buy crackers, at least recycle the paper and cardboard. Keep christmas paper to re-use from year to year instead of adding more to the environment. Let's face it, you seldom use it all up anyway? As for spoiling the kids, well, in my opinion, kids just have TOO much stuff already. We buy one gift per niece, nephew or godchild. They are usually too overwhelmed by all the presents to really take in what's happening. They will also invariably attach themselves to ONE of the toys they received and play with it to death and the rest might as well be stuck in a cupboard. In fact, my sister doesn't allow my nephews to have all of their toys at christmas and birthdays. Half of them are put in the cupboard for use a few months later. Old toys are periodically sorted and given to children's homes to prevent too much clutter. At least they are being re-used. But what happens when they finally break and get thrown in a bin? They end up in a landfill to stay there for thousands of years.

Why must we keep creating this culture of STUFF. We create the expectation that we can just keep collecting more and more stuff and that it's ok. We should rather be educating our kids about the effect that all of this "stuff" is going to have on the planet.

I read something really scary today. Julienne Stroeve is a scientist who has studied Arctic ice for decades. Every summer she travels north to measure how much ice has melted. She already knows that climate change is melting the ice fast, but recently, when she went there, she received a nasty shock. Vast areas of Arctic ice have disappeared, beyond our worst expectations.

The experts have been warning us about this for years. As the earth warms, it creates many "tipping points" that accelerate the warming out of control. Warming thaws the Arctic sea ice, destroying the giant white 'mirror' that reflects heat back into space, which massively heats up the ocean, and melts more ice, and so on. We spin out of control. In 2013 everything from storms to temperatures, was off the charts. We all know this.

This might be cute if it wasn't so frighteningly true.

Why should this affect you? The Arctic seems so far away... It may be, but the effect you have on it is not so far removed. Every time you put a chemical into the environment, you are contributing. That cigarette smoke doesn't just disappear, it makes a serious impact on the environment. That Loreal shampoo and conditioner, that Omo washing powder and sunlight liquid is not just disappearing. It's going into our water supply and into the environment and its effects are devastating. And the sad thing is that's not just you using it, it's almost EVERY household in every town, in every city, in every country all over the world. No wonder we are experiencing such extreme weather.

We CAN stop this, if we act very fast, and all together. If we don't, it's a given that the human race will be extinct in a few decades. The earth will still be here. She will heal and regenerate, but we will be gone.

This is a perfect time of year to start living consciously. It's a perfect time to teach your kids too. If you are the kind of person who prefers to set a date for a resolution, then this is a pretty good time. A new year, a new start. If every person made a decision to be more aware, we'd actually stand a pretty good chance of saving ourselves.

Sound dramatic? It's not really. It's just the truth.

Real Food Friday Feast - Gluten Free Mince Pies

I started this post on Friday and I was actually making the mince pies as I was posting but things went a bit pear-shaped when I realised that I miscalculated the amount of butter I was supposed to use and so I had to re-look everything before I posted. That is why Friday's post is being posted on a Monday!

My previous post was all about indulgence in the RIGHT way. You can enjoy all your usual holiday treats without eating things that are going to make you feel flat and lacking and energy. And honestly, what would Christmas feel like without mince pies?!

Mince pies are generally made with gluten and loads of sugar, amongst other things obviously. But if you could just change those two ingredients to something healthier, you could eat them without having the bad side effects and, if it's your waistline you're concerned about, then you can eat these feeling relatively guilt-free:)

I went on the hunt for a recipe that I could make because I haven't had a mince pie for at least 10 years and I always used to love them! These are my own recipe and, given that I am not too sure what they're even supposed to taste like anymore, they may taste different to the ones you are used to but they will still be yummy!

Gluten Free Mince Pies - Makes 14

Filling:

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins and sultanas
1 grated lemon rind
2 Tbs mango pulp
1 apricot
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs raw honey

Pastry:

1 cup gluten free flour mix (I use Health Connection gluten-free flour mix)

4 tbs organic brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
Pinch mineral or sea salt (I used Himalayan Rock salt)

Method

Pastry:

• Preheat oven to 170ºC
• Cream together in a bowl the butter and sugar
• Add the flour and salt 
• Mix together with your fingers to form a dough
• Make like a cat and need it for a minute and then roll into a ball, put it in a container and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Filling:

• Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a rough consistency

• Line your muffin tray with a bit of butter
• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to prevent it sticking until it's about 3mm thick
• Using a cutter, stamp out rounds and line the base of the muffin tins with these
• Gather all the trimmings together and keep rolling until you've filled your muffin tray
• Use these rounds to line the base of the tins
• Fill each with some "mincemeat" - don’t overfill them or it will bubble out during cooking

• Choose another shape if you like, (stars, hearts, etc) and cut out the tops of the pies and place over the top pushing the edges down to the rim of the pastry tin
• Cook for about 15 minutes
• Take out the oven and leave to cool
• Dust with some flour (optional) 
• Enjoy!

I don't have photos of the finished product because, due to me using too much butter in the dough, the mixture was not dry enough! They still taste good but they aren't quite like your usual mince pies;) I am definitely going to make them again, this time with the RIGHT amount of butter and I know they will work out fine:) Either way, they were delicious!

Enjoy!

Wellness Wednesday - Holiday indulgence

It's that time of year again. Even if you aren't going to business lunches or dinners, you're having MORE lunches or dinners with friends and family because it's a festive time of the year whether you celebrate christmas or not. It's holiday time and that means a time of over-indulgence.

If you've read any of my blog posts you will know that the size of your waistline (or mine) isn't really my concern. It's your health I'm interested in. But how do you manage to stay healthy during a time of year when you are bombarded by christmas cake and mince pies?! It's difficult. Especially if everyone around you is convinced that it's mandatory to eat mince pies and christmas cake every day!

There's no reason, to my mind, that you should deprive yourself of good food. I think people tend to make themselves so miserable over holiday time thinking about all the calories they are putting in their mouths and how much they are going to have to exercise in January to work off all the extra weight gained. Seriously, have you noticed how FULL the gym is from January compared to December? You just KNOW that that's all the new year's resolutions about gymming every day and getting into shape. That starts to peter out around the end of February/March;)

Looking after yourself should never be something you set a date for. It should just be a permanent part of your lifestyle. It's actually really easy to do if you know how. The misconception is that you can never eat anything tasty or full of fat again. If you think that, then you would be wrong. What you DO need to watch out for is sugar. I'm talking about bad sugars like refined sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup. It's actually the over-indulgence of carbohydrates that make people gain weight and feel flat and lacking in energy over the holiday season. Things like cakes, biscuits, mince pies and sweets are not going to do you any favours.

Fat is not something you should be avoiding unless it's in the form of vegetable oils. In other words, if you want to use the fat from a roasted leg of lamb, to make a gravy for christmas lunch, by all means, USE it! What you DON'T want to use is a packet sauce that pretends to be healthier because it's "low-fat". I guarantee that powder sauce is horribly bad for you. Here's a look at some of the ingredients you
will be eating if you go with a processed, packet sauce:

Whey, Corn and/or wheat starch-modified, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, nonfat milk, natural and artificial flavors, lactic acid, disodium phosphate, msg, brown 5, brown 5 lake, brown 6, brown 6 lake, silicon dioxide

Seriously... blegh!

I'm making a 2kg leg of roasted lamb for christmas lunch. And I AM going to be using the fat from the lamb to make a gravy. The lamb is free range, ordered from Terre Madre. That means it comes from very happy sheep who meandered around open fields eating a grass diet like they were meant to eat. It's excellent quality and that means it's going to be exceptionally healthy for everyone who eats it, fat and all!

If you don't want to do lamb, try a free-range chicken or free-range pork or beef. Just make sure it's free-range. Take a wander through my archives to find out how to cook a delicious roast chicken. Try to avoid grains if you can. That is what is going to make you feel terrible and put on that body fat that you are trying so hard to avoid. If you are going to eat them, make sure you prepare them properly. There are also some great dishes like this sweet potato bake which tastes more like a dessert and yet is healthy! A nice healthy, TASTY dessert is apple crumble or cranberry pie. If chocolate cake is more your style, try this one. Add some dried fruit to make it more christmassy. There's also banana bread which you can modify and use apple and cinnamon to make it more christmassy as well.

You see, it's so easy to make healthy, DELICIOUS food over the holidays if you allow yourself a bit of extra time to make things from scratch instead of buying ready-made sauces, desserts and other dishes. Holiday time seems to centre around food anyway so why not get the family involved in the preparation and spend some nice quality time together:)

If you live your life with a constant aim towards being healthy, you never have to feel guilty about anything you eat and you won't have to worry about your waistline. To be honest, your concern should be more aimed towards avoiding a dread disease like cancer or type 2 diabetes than it should be towards your waistline.

This holiday season, instead of setting unreal goals, why not make a decision to simply put your health first. It's probably the best decision you will ever make.

Wellness Wednesday - Mood food

We're in a bad mood epidemic. Depression and anxiety have tripled in the last ten years. It's not something that people really talk about so you would probably never guess who, out of your friends, is on antidepressants but I can tell you that there are more of them than you would guess.

It's nothing to be ashamed of because it's honestly not something you can control. Like diabetes or cancer, depression is a medical condition. Yet, when someone hears that you are suffering from depression, the reaction is pretty standard, "Oh, um, ok..." and that's about it. You can feel their awkwardness and you just know they aren't sure if they should start tiptoeing around you, tell you a joke or tell you to get over your pity party and get on with life. I know because I used to be one of those people, until I got hit with depression.

Naturally I wanted to know everything about it so that I could figure out how to beat it without medication, because that's how I roll;) So, let's have a look at this thing called depression.

No-one is 100% sure what actually causes depression but there seem to be certain biological, psychological and environmental factors involved which can trigger it. Biologically, one of the most widely thought theories is that depression is caused by an imbalance of naturally occurring substances called neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord, namely, serotonin and norepinephrine.

Psychologically, people are affected by events differently and each person’s thoughts will determine how he or she will experience life, which can affect whether or not they become depressed. Our childhood has a huge role to play in how we think about things and how we view the world. For example, a strict upbringing where a child is surrounded by negative comments and criticism, can lead to a child growing up to view the world in a negative way. It follows on from that that, later in life, when that person has to deal with difficult situations, they are going to have a harder time than most. They will automatically be predisposed to emotional suffering.

Environmentally, depression can often be triggered by very stressful life situations such as:

• The death of a loved one, a move, a divorce, financial difficulties or job loss
• Social isolation
• Periods of relationship conflict, whether marital or family-related
• Demanding work or a stressful workplace
• Health issues, especially when the person has a chronic health problem

I think that MOST people would find these situations difficult and hard to move past, even if they didn't suffer from depression, but ironically, for those who do suffer from depression, the biggest hurdle to getting better and moving forward from the situation is the depression itself. For example, it's common for a depressed person to purposefully remove themselves from the company of close friends and loved ones who could encourage and comfort them, and go into hibernation and stop going out and doing things they would usually enjoy doing as result of being depressed. Unfortunately, all this does is make their condition worse.

The thing is, most people don't even realise that they are depressed. For myself, I can say that I had no idea even though it was plain as the nose on my face! I'm pretty sure my cause was environmental although I am psychologically predisposed to it as well. I am a pretty over-sensitive soul. Most songwriter's are. They call it artistic temperament;) We artists seem to feel things incredibly deeply. I've been that way since I was a child. Being a gay child in a religious family meant a lot of guilt and pain and probably laid some serious groundwork for where I ended up.

I went through a period in my life where several of my longterm, close friendships came to an abrupt and painful end. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever experienced and I felt devastated and unbelievably sad, but I didn't even consider that it might hit me hard enough to mess with the chemical balance in my brain! I simply got on with life. I buried myself in my college work and pushed through, burying the emotions, but it got harder and harder to do it. No matter how much I achieved, and how happy I was supposed to be in my life, it didn't trigger any feelings of true happiness. I just felt dead inside, completely empty and numb. I didn't even feel enough to feel sadness. I just felt like a hollow shell. I was exhausted, I couldn't get myself out of bed. Living just felt like hard work. I continued to wear a smile but it never reached further than my teeth.

When GLM suggested I speak to someone, I agreed because I knew I wasn't doing us any good. I knew I wasn't handling things well on my own. I didn't expect to be told that I was suffering from depression! But I said that, under NO circumstances, would I be taking antidepressants. There had to be a natural option. That's where my research started in earnest. In a strange way, it was my saving grace because it gave me some direction and something to pull me out of bed and to my desk.

Firstly, I discovered a natural supplement called 5-HTP which I started myself on. The body actually makes 5-HTP naturally from tryptophan and, then, converts it into serotonin which improves your mood. Because it’s a naturally occurring compound in the body, 5-HTP is safe for short-term use but it's not recommended for longer than 12 weeks.

I knew that diet HAD to play a role in helping me out though so that was my main focus. I'd been slowly cleaning up my diet for a few months already so I just got a lot more strict with myself. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, if you've read any of my blog that nutrition directly impacts brain performance just as it does the functioning of every other organ in your body. When we talk about a diet that supports mental health, we’re essentially looking at nutrition that sustains both optimal neurological functioning and hormone balance.

Depression is actually an inflammatory condition, though it's not commonly talked about as such. Current research shows that inflammation is a cause for both depression itself and the neurodegenerative symptoms seen in people with depression. Research has further found that people with clinical depression show elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers. Added to that, risk factors for depression include conditions linked to inflammatory response such as low omega-3 levels, leaky gut, and late pregnancy/postpartum rise in cytokines.

Not surprisingly, there’s a strong link between depression and insulin resistance. Although researchers are still probing the chicken versus the egg concept on this, they know that many depressed individuals are addicted to carbs. Carbs, of course, raise the level of serotonin, one of the mood-related neurotransmitters. But it's always short-lived and those carbs then contribute to the overall problem when the effect of the carbs wears off. The carb crash sends your mental energy and hormone levels on a hectic, crash and burn, roller coaster ride. Constantly eating carbs only promotes more inflammation, which exacerbates the depression.

A diet that supports mental health should do four main things:

• Limit inflammation inducers
• Include anti-inflammatory substances
• Prioritize antioxidants to counter oxidative stress
• Contain the essential building blocks for neurotransmitter synthesis

Here's what I did:

• I removed ALL processed foods from my life.
• I cut out grains completely and limited my carbohydrates to fruits and veggies. What this does is help keep your hormones balanced and prevent inflammation. 
• I completely cleaned up my diet to minimise environmental toxins which stimulate the body’s inflammatory response. 
• I got rid of all conventional beauty products and household cleaning products to remove those toxins from my life as well.
• I began to take a healthy dose of omega-3s daily to help fight any existing inflammation. (Experts have known for years now that fish oil is an effective therapy for depression.) 
• I modified my morning smoothies to include every possible range of fruits and vegetables to get as much omega 3, vitamins and minerals into my diet as possible. The more variety, the more advantage you have. Minerals like selenium, chromium and magnesium have a very good impact on brain function and mood. 
• I already eat a lot of protein in my diet but I made sure it was always clean and free range. Animal protein is full of amino acids which are extremely beneficial for brain function and mood.
• I started taking a good quality multivitamin to cover all my bases even though my diet was pretty good by this stage.
• I made certain foods a standard part of my diet: 
• raw, full cream dairy like milk, kefir, yogurt and cheese
• All sorts of healthy fats like lard, coconut oil, butter etc
• free range liver
• bone broth
• free range eggs, lots of them!
• Fermented foods

I am  happy to say that, a few months later, I am a new woman:) All of this stuff really made such a difference. I stopped taking the 5-HTP and relied totally on my diet and I feel like my old self again. I have on and off days, but that's more to do with what's happened in my day. It's not an ongoing thing. I've learnt to forgive myself for feeling this way. It doesn't help if you keep telling yourself you're just being stupid. It's very real. Please don't ever blame yourself and please, the next time you meet a person suffering from depression, don't brush them off as a self-pitying party-pooper! They can't help how they feel and you aren't going to help by telling them a joke! Try a little understanding and maybe send them to my blog;)

HAPPY eating!

Monday Mix-up - Natural teeth whiteners

We all go to great lengths to whiten our teeth. If it's not just the usual whitening toothpaste we're buying, then we're actually buying special teeth whitening kits that can be used at home or we're off the dentist to get them bleached or, in extreme cases, capped.

It's true, bad looking teeth can totally put you off. If I see a mouth full of bad looking teeth I am a little grossed out to be honest. My thought is that, if they don't look after their teeth, imagine how the rest of them is! And let's not forget about halitosis... My absolute WORST.

I'm talking specifically about brown, chipped, unhealthy looking teeth. A person can't help if they are born with too many teeth, or teeth growing in places they shouldn't be, but a person can usually help it if their teeth are white and clean and healthy.

I'm not a great believer in dentists and all the conventional dental care stuff that we are brainwashed into believing from primary school. I blogged about that a while ago. It baffles me that all of the stuff that we are supposed to be putting into our mouths to clean our teeth, has warnings all over them about how they shouldn't be swallowed. They instruct you on how to contact the poison control centre in case you swallow any of the products. Am I the only person who finds that a little disconcerting?

Let's think about this logically, you are supposed to keep teeth whitener in your mouth for anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes... How do you NOT swallow any of it?!

The answer, of course, is that you do! It's unavoidable. Package inserts are often more about reducing the company's liability than actually keeping you safe. It's the same reason they put “may irritate eyes” on a can of pepper spray... uh.... DUH! And why they have “warnings” about gum irritation if you use tooth whiteners. If they were really concerned with their consumer's health and wanted them to be educated, the label would say:

WARNING: This product is likely to contain coal tar, fluoride, aspartame, aluminum and benzene and has demonstrated acute toxicological effects in rats, including but not limited to laboured breathing, bloody urine, infertility and incontinence.

I kid you not, that stuff is true. Still think having white teeth is worth it?

Luckily there are natural options! The first option is to try oil-pulling, which I do on a daily basis and have blogged about before. Read all about it here. The second option is going to sound weird but it's kind of the same as, "you need to eat fat to lose fat."

The secret to naturally white teeth is activated charcoal... Yes, you need to brush your teeth with black stuff to get them pearly white;)

Activated charcoal is made by processing charcoal with oxygen and either calcium chloride or zinc chloride. It was used medicinally by both Hippocrates and the ancient Egyptians, and it's still the poison remedy of choice in emergency rooms today. The reason is because it’s extremely adsorptive, which in plain english means it attracts substances to its surface like a magnet. ABsorptive substances work like a sponge but ADsorptive materials bind with certain compounds and prevent our bodies from using them.

Fortunately, activated charcoal is a bit particular about what it attaches itself too. It’s not interested in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and other compounds you probably want to hang onto (including your tooth enamel). It does, however, happen to like tannins – the compounds found in coffee, tea (even herbal tea), blueberries, wine and spices like cinnamon that stain our teeth. As a bonus, activated charcoal also balances the mouth’s pH and is even considered beneficial enough to be used in some tooth re-mineralization formulas.

It's very easy to find. Dischem sells their own brand but loads of other brands have it as well. It can be bought in powder form or capsules or even tablets. Ideally you want the capsules or powder.

It's even easier to use:

• Open a capsule of activated charcoal (about 1/8 teaspoon) and pour about half into a bowl
• Wet your toothbrush and dip it in the charcoal, then brush gently. Note that you are not trying to scrub your enamel, you are simply massaging the surface of your teeth with the activated charcoal so that it can attract tannins like a magnet
• After brushing, hold it in your mouth for 2-3 minutes to allow it to continue to work.
• Spit and rinse thoroughly, then follow with a second brushing using your regular tooth powder/paste
• Now look in the mirror and smile:)

You may see a difference with the first application, especially if your teeth are noticeably stained. If not, give it a few days to a week and you'll definitely see it! The advantage of using activated charcoal is that, if you swallow it, it's not, in any way, bad for you! In fact, I used to take the capsules often because of my IBS. It's not an ideal solution to IBS, but any time I ate something that I knew would affect me badly, I'd take a charcoal tablet and it would simply get all of the disagreeable food out of my system for me. The problem is I ended up suffering from malnutrition and a really bad immune system because I was relying on the charcoal instead of trying to use food to cure my IBS. It's not something I'd recommend taking on a daily basis for that reason alone, but it's definitely NOT going to harm you.

If you can get your head around trying something new, instead of the usual chemical teeth whiteners, give it a bash. You really have nothing to lose!

Real Food Friday Feast - Cranberry Pie

Before I go into today's post, I would like to pause and reflect on my own memories of a great man and leader. Years ago, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and subsequently became our president, I remember everyone talking about this man who was supposedly a criminal. Some were horrified that he would end up being our president. Many packed their bags and left. I was brought up to believe that everyone was created equal and that the right to freedom should apply to all people. As a child I remember clandestine meetings of grown ups in our house watching illegal videos of the torture that some anti-apartheid activists had to endure at the hands of the police and I remember how deeply they affected me.

I remember having a debate with some of my school friends about how we would all feel going to an inter-racial school. (Hard to believe that was ever something to discuss!) I had quite a heated argument with one girl in particular who said she would leave the school if it ever happened and I kept asking her why it was such a bad thing. She couldn't really give me a reason. That's what mass media brainwashing does...

I have never understood why some people feel that they are better than others, and that they have the right to say the most hurtful, unimaginable things about another human being and think that that's ok. I have never grasped the concept of racism.

I was one of the people who felt positive about Nelson Mandela becoming president. I didn't know much about him, but I knew that something great was happening. It was wonderful to see just how great he was. Once in a while, a person is born that embodies EVERYTHING that is right, and good, and kind, and just. He was one of those people. He never put himself first. Everything he did, he did for the people of his country. He lived a hard life but he retained no bitterness or anger because of it. He opened his arms to people who wanted nothing to do with him, who treated him with hatred for NO logical reason, and he forgave them all and proceeded to put THEIR needs before his own. How incredibly humbling and what a great lesson to all of us.

I can only hope that his passing, and the outpouring of love and devotion from around the world, will be a wake up call to our current government. THIS is the legacy they should be working towards leaving behind. To do anything less than that is to dishonour everything that Madiba stood for. If we can all aspire to be even slightly like him, we will achieve greatness.

Its incredible to think we lived in the same time as a man of such greatness. I wonder if we all know how honoured we actually were. Madiba, we knew this day would come but selfishly, we wanted to hang on to your light for as long as possible because you made us feel like we could also be great. Your light hasn't gone out and it never will because of who you were. It will continue to touch millions for years to come and we are so grateful to you for that. Even as we celebrate who you were, my heart still feels so sad today. Rest in Peace Tata.

And now onto today's post!

Is it just me or do the weeks seem to be getting shorter and shorter? There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done! By the time the weekend comes around I am so grateful to see it.

Last night I had a little dinner party for some friends and that means yesterday was a flurry of activity as I tried to prepare the meal and do everything else that needs to be done on any given day. I made my bobotie, some soaked brown rice and a big, green salad. Fortunately, yesterday was market day so I was able to get my hands on all sorts of lovely organic and free-range food just in time for dinner. I'm not sure how much it mattered to my guests but it matters to me that I feed them good, tasty food and they definitely noticed the difference:)

For dessert I made a cranberry pie and it went down really well with everyone so I decided to blog about that today. Let's just take a quick look at why cranberries should be a regular part of your diet:

• Treats urinary tract infections - Cranberry juice contains proanthocyanidins, which help to prevent E. coli bacteria from sticking to the walls of the uterus and bladder. One glass of juice a day is all you need to prevent and heal urinary tract infections.
• Fights cancer - Studies have shown that cranberry can prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying and cancers like colon, prostate and lung cancer can be prevented by eating cranberries.
• Fights heart disease - Cranberries help lower the bad cholesterol levels which can clog the arterial walls. They also help to prevent plaque from forming on the arterial walls, which can lead to atherosclerosis, (the hardening of the arteries). This reduces your chances of a stroke. If you have already suffered from a stroke, cranberries can help you to recover from it.
• Helps kidney problems - Cranberries contain citric acid and other nutrients that can prevent kidney stones, and other kidney problems.
• Prevents dental problems - Consuming cranberries on a regular basis can help you avoid dental problems such as gingivitis, gum disease, cavities and plaque build-up.
• Promotes weight loss - Cranberries are high in antioxidants, which help flush out your system. This improves your metabolism and digestive system which aids weight loss.
• Anti-aging properties - The antioxidants found in cranberries help your body to get rid of all the free radicals which age you. They not only help your skin look younger, but help your internal organs to function longer without problems.
• Improves mental health - Cranberries can help lift your moods by relieving stress, anxiety and depression. Studies show that they are good for the brain and can help to improve your memory.
• Strengthens the immune system - The antioxidants in cranberries work hard to flush out the harmful toxins which suppress your immune system. Once those toxins are removed, your immune system will be better able to ward off sickness or disease.
• Relieves skin conditions - Skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema are all greatly improved, and often healed, by cranberries.

Cranberry Pie

Topping

3/4 cup coconut flour or 1 cup chickpea flour
2 cups pecan nuts
3 tablespoons flax seeds
4 Tbs butter

Filling

2 cups cranberries, fresh or dried (I had no luck finding fresh but dried cranberries are pretty easy to find)
1/2 cup pecan nuts
1/4 cup raw honey

Method - Filling

• Preheat oven to 180ºC
• Grease 9-inch pie dish with some butter.  
• Place the cranberries and chopped pecan nuts into the pie dish. 
• Pour the melted honey over the cranberries and pecan nuts and mix it up well.  

Method - Topping

• In a separate bowl, add the flour
• Break up the pecan nuts either with a knife, or a pestle and mortar (my choice was the latter) and add to flour 
• Add melted butter
• Mix it up and use a fork to make small crumbs
• Flake topping mixture over the cranberry mixture covering it thoroughly
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30-35 mins
• Turn oven to grill, remove foil and crisp the topping for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn)
• Serve warm with some organic cream!

That's it for me! I'm off to start cooking up a storm again for another dinner party:)

Real Food Thursday Feast - My big, fat, green (not greek) salad!

I know I usually do a Real Food FRIDAY Feast but seeing as I missed last week's Friday post, I promised to do two food posts this week and this is the first of them!

You're probably thinking a salad is pretty boring huh? Well, I don't think they should be! Restaurants whose salads consist of butter lettuce, 4 tomato quarters, 6 cucumber slices and a few bland olives are totally getting it wrong! A salad should be a culinary delight filled with all manner of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, fats  and even flowers if you have them!

When I make a salad it's usually a meal within itself. I can hear some of you groaning and saying, "Rabbit food doesn't fill anybody up!"My salads DO because they are filled with proper food and not just the requisite lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Basically, with a salad, there are NO rules. Anything goes. I find that a whole bowl of just raw vegetables can give my stomach a bit of grief and it's true that some vegetables are easier to digest when they have been cooked a little bit. Some even have more health benefits when they are cooked. So, just to make it easier on me, and to cover all my bases, I usually do a, more or less, half and half deal.

On any given day, this is how my lunchtime salad generally looks:

And this is how I make it:

Big fat green salad

 A mix of greens (in this include whatever leaves you can get your hands on: rocket, watercress, kale, spinach, fennel, basil etc. Woolies sells a really nice organic herb mix)
Tomatoes (rosa or cherry or both!)
Cucumber
Now that we've got the boring ones out of the way...;)
Carrots
Marrows
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Avocado
Patty Pans
Chilli
An large free-range egg
Roasted nuts
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cheese
Toasted coconut flakes
Apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
A big bowl!

Method

• Make sure everything is washed and scrubbed
• Start chopping everything and divide your spinach, kale, tomatoes, carrots, marrows, broccoli, mushrooms and patty pans in half as you go
• Put half of each of the above straight into the bowl along with your lettuce and herb mix
• Put a frying pan onto low heat and add a dollop of butter or lard
• Add the balance of the carrots and allow to simmer for a few minutes
• Add the balance of the tomatoes, marrows, broccoli, mushrooms and patty pans
• Sprinkle with some salt and pepper (cayenne pepper gives it a lovely flavour but it's not for everyone!)
• After about 5minutes, remove from heat. Don't overcook them. You just want them slightly cooked.
• Leave to cool for a few minutes while you add the avocado, chilli, nuts, seeds and coconut flakes
• Add the cooked vegetables
• Add some more butter or lard to your frying pan and fry your egg (Preferably leave the yolk soft but if you really hate a soft yolk then don't!)
• Place the egg over the top of the salad
• Grate your cheese over the whole salad
• Sprinkle some apple cider vinegar over your salad
• Eat!

If you're really hungry, add 2 eggs. The whole idea is that the soft yolk breaks all over the salad and acts as a very yummy salad dressing but it's not essential. If you prefer a chicken salad, simply take out the egg and replace it with chicken, or another kind of meat if you prefer. The apple cider vinegar is also optional. I just love a tangy salad so it works for me.

My salad fills an entire dinner plate and by the time I'm done with it I'm so full I don't want to look at food for a few hours! It's also incredibly delicious, it's a lovely summer dish and it's the kind of meal you can eat without feeling in the slightest bit worried about your waistline. Vegetables have very few calories but they fill you up nicely.

Tonight I am using my friends as guinea pigs to test out tomorrow's Real Food recipe;) All going well, that will be tomorrow's Real Food Friday Feast! Holding thumbs!

Wellness Wednesday - Affordable, good-for-you, christmas gifts!

Did you know that conventional beauty products are not only terribly bad for you, but also for the environment? Have a look below to get an idea of what toxins you are putting into your system every time you use all of those beauty products that you think you need.

And these aren't all of them...

Pretty scary stuff if you ask me. The mistake that people make is thinking that, if it sits on top of your skin, it's ok. The thing is, your skin is like a big sponge. If a product contains any water, (which they pretty much all do) your body is going to absorb it. Underneath your skin lies a huge network of capillaries and that is how all of those toxins enter your bloodstream and start travelling around your body. Is it any wonder people are getting sick? Your body has any number of chemicals circulating through it at any given time. Take a look above and tell me you don't wear at least ONE of those. Most of you will probably have used 9 of them before you step out of your front door in the morning. Read this post to find out how much damage you are doing to your body.

With christmas getting more and more expensive every year, budget gifts are definitely in order. Prices keep going up and it's probably going to get worse with the e-tolls starting up this week. If you can stick to good value for money, natural, environmentally friendly gifts, even better!

Onto some shameless punting;) For those who aren't in the know, I make my own brand of body butters, soaps and lip balms. All of them are natural, biodegradable and good for you. They contain no preservatives or any other nasties shown in the image above.

I started making these products for myself because I use body butter by the gallon! My skin is literally a big, thirsty sponge and I go through about 300ml of cream in a week. I can't survive without cream. I just feel to uncomfortable. If you've priced natural, preservative free, good-for-you body butter at all you'll know that I was spending at least R350-R400 a month just on body butter! Organic IS expensive when it comes to body butter! I needed to make a plan...

So I started experimenting with my own. The first few tubs were a disaster. It's tricky to make an emulsification. ie. mixing oil and water. Many, many times I ended up with a tub of goop covered by a layer of water. I eventually got it right though and then I spent some time perfecting the recipe so that I was happy with the quality of it. I also had to make sure that GLM was happy with it because her skin isn't as dry as mine and she was complaining about all the oil on her clothing because her body wasn't absorbing it fast enough (which I don't blame her for at all!)

I gave a few away as gifts to my family and friends and, all of a sudden, I was getting orders and I was having to juggle the hours in my day to make sure I had enough time to make all my products:) It was wonderful. Now I have a nice little sideline business making all of these things and I love it because I know that I am putting something GOOD into the environment and I am helping people avoid a few nasty toxins in their lives. I know that sounds bizarre, but it floats my boat;)

So! If you are interested in ordering any Mellow Health products, please drop me an email: mellowhealth@melanielowe.co.za and place your order.

500ml body butter (vanilla, lemongrass, lavender, ylang ylang, rooibos and honey): R70
Soap bars (vanilla, lemongrass, lavender, ylang ylang, rooibos and honey): R10 per soap
Lip Balm (honey vanilla, vanilla, mint, rooibos and honey, choc-mint, chocolate) : R35

All of my products contain the following ingredients ONLY: Water, beeswax, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E oil, calendula herb, rooibos herb, essential oils.

Mellow Health also offers the following products to those in Johannesburg:

1litre cow's milk yogurt: R22
1litre goat's milk yogurt: R25
500ml raw apple cider vinegar: R15
500ml raw, fermented salsa: R45
500ml fermented veggies of your choice: R45
500ml sauerkraut: R45
500ml Cow's milk kefir: R20
500ml Goat's milk kefir: R25

Please bear in mind that making real food from scratch takes time so place your orders a week ahead of the date you want them to ensure that you get them in time!

That's it. You may think some of them will make strange gifts. In my opinion, giving anyone anything that is going to be extremely beneficial to their health, is a great gift and it shows consideration and thought:)

Monday Mix-up - How do YOU define health care?

Have you noticed how the term "Health Care" is always associated with pictures of doctors and nurses? Seriously, google it and click on images. I have to wonder how and when medication and surgery became a part of health care? Think about what the word "health" actually means to you. When you say you want to get healthy, it conjures up images of fruit and vegetables and a person dressed in gym clothes happily jogging along a beach. What it DOESN'T conjure up is an image of you popping off to a hospital...

We DO associate health with good, clean food and exercise. Google "healthy person" and this is what you find:

So how did, what doctors do, become "health care"? I think it's that, when healthy living doesn't produce the results we want, we always know we can fall back on medication, and we do, instead of persevering with that healthy living. It's too much effort and we comfort ourselves that we tried our best and we take those pills to give us an illusion of health and we manage to convince ourselves that we ARE actually healthy again.

When did we start accepting that taking medication on a regular or semi-regular basis was part of health care? Did you know that the average person fills 11.6 prescriptions per year?! That's a lot of medication for one person and that doesn't even tell us how MUCH medication is on each prescription. Taking medication has nothing to do with health care and everything to do with sick care. If you need to fall back on medication, it's because there is a bigger, underlying problem that pills aren't going to be able to adequately fix. They are going to mask the problem, temporarily fix the symptoms and give you the illusion of health.

Health means that you don’t need medication. It suggests vitality. It means you feel good, you have energy, and you are functioning well in your day to day life. It means that you take preventative measures to stay healthy, like eating the right foods and exercising. Those are not considered medication and I have to wonder why not. They certainly are more effective in the longterm.

What does it mean to prevent health problems? Is medication a part of that? Bear in mind that we're talking about your average person. I don't mean people who have serious health problems like needing a kidney transplant etc.

Most of us are born healthy. And, from birth, our only requirements to maintain that health are:

• Water 
• Macro-nutrients (fat, protein, carbs) 
• Micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) 
• Motion (exercise) 
• Emotional support 

In case you're wondering, that last one IS a requirement. There is plenty of research that has been done on this. Think of people in longterm abuse situations and what is does to their psyche, or babies and children that are left alone, in the dark, and have their physical needs tended to, but have no contact. They show stunted growth, never learn to move or speak, and a lot of them die very young. It's a fact that people who live "normal" lives, but don’t have emotional support tend to have higher levels of stress, depression, and physical disease too.

To go back to those bullet points, it therefore stands to reason that prevention should actually focus on the things that we need to maintain our health, to prevent disease. That should be a no-brainer. To be more specific, we should be eating healthy foods, and eating ENOUGH of them. We need to exercise regularly, even if it’s just a brisk, short walk, and it also means we need friends and family surrounding us and supporting us. Each person’s needs are unique when it comes to healthy food, exercise, and support, but each person STILL needs all of them.

Now that you have a better understanding of health and prevention, I'll ask this question: Where does medication fit into a person's life? It's not a part of prevention. We aren’t born deficient in medication. We don’t actually NEED them to be healthy. Medication manipulates our bodies to do a certain thing: to kill bacteria, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure or get rid of a headache etc. They don’t correct imbalances or address underlying causes in the longterm. They make the numbers appear on paper the way they “should.” They don't create health, or prevent disease.

This goes against everything I believe in, but I know, in some cases, there may be a time and a place for medication. If you have lived an excessively unhealthy life, and there are just too many things wrong, medication may help your body move past one part of it all so that you can start fighting everything else yourself. Just remember that medication may make you “okay” but it will never actually cure you and it will always cause side effects which you'll then need to recover from. The best thing to do in a case like that is bite the bullet, take the meds, but then change your life and prevent it happening again.

I mentioned that medication causes nasty side effects that your body will need to recover from. That, in itself can make you feel just as sick as the illness. Using medication too often creates a lot of additional problems. For example, we know that antibiotics are overused - we’ve created superbugs that are antibiotic-resistant thanks to doctors giving out scripts for the common cold and the flu. Antibiotics lead to further infections, diarrhea, and lots of other nasty side effects. They don't create health. Yes, they are intended to kill the bad bacteria that is making you sick, but they don’t actually make you healthy. They make you more sick and here's why.

Most people don't take probiotics with antibiotics. They don't change their diet to help their body to get back to its former self in terms of health. That is why they get sick again and again. Giving your body the food and nutrients it needs after antibiotics is part of prevention and health. 

If you take anything from this post, I hope it's this: Medication does not make you healthy. It is not part of a healthy lifestyle. It is to be used very rarely, in the case of a serious illness, to give the body a fighting chance. But it should never be a daily habit.

Now, if you’re new here, you might still subscribe to the view that medication is normal and okay to use. If you have a headache, you think nothing about popping a nurofen, if you have a cold or flu, you probably start by going to a chemist and getting some over-the-counter medication which seldom works. That's when you head to the doctor to get a prescription. Prescriptions are probably a fairly regular part of your life.

There is another way, though.

Stick around for a few posts and see what comes up in here. Go through some of the archives and find alternative solutions to medication.  Over the past year 2 years, I've slowly cleaned out all 

over-the-counter meds and we don't go to doctors anymore. Never underestimate the power of herbs and spices.  They are extremely effective AND they don’t cause side effects. They're also WAY cheaper!

I’m not suggesting that you never see a doctor again, or turn to chanting and meditation instead of medicine (although there is a lot to be said for meditating;) I’m suggesting that for minor illnesses, headaches, colds and flu etc, you try using natural methods instead of going straight to conventional medication or visiting a doctor. 

Live according to your body's needs as I listed above. Work on prevention instead of the quick fix and keep your body in a state of real health, not an illusion of health.