Friday 29 April 2011

Life love and politics oh wait !!!!!!! It's actually all about food.

I have discovered  fantastic pasta sheets from my local organic store.
For all you pasta lovers you will appreciate having access to pasta that doesn’t hurt the stomach.
They are great in lasagna and tastes delicious

Sweet Potato Gnocchi


Ingredients

1kg Sweet Potato
250-300g Spelt whole meal flour
Sea Salt

Pepper

Method
1. Steam Sweet potatoes in their skins, drain, then peel (with a small sharp
knife) when cool enough to not burn your fingers
2. Mash by hand or in food processor, fold in sieved flour and salt and combine well
3. For ease of handling, divide into four, lightly flour bench, and roll each into a long sausage approx 2cm in diameter
4. Cut into approx 1.5cm thick pieces, once rounded place a fork indent into the side so you have a slight indent and throw into a large pan of boiling salted water
5. Gnocchi is ready when all pieces rise to the surface. Drain well, and serve with your choice of pasta sauce.


For a pasta sauce please see past blog

Monday 18 April 2011

It's just a theory.

An interesting theory was placed before me this morning while reading Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth
It says:

“What is a negative emotion? An emotion that is toxic to the body and interferes with its balance and harmonious functioning”

 “Do positive emotions then have the opposite effect on the physical body? Do they strengthen the immune system, invigorate and heal the body?”

What if these issues we are having with intolerances can be made worse by emotions?
Stress is a known cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and affects millions of people.

Wikipedia outlines stress as a known cause of irritable bowl:
“IBS may begin after an infection (post-infectious, IBS-PI), a stressful life event, or onset of maturity without any other medical indicators”.

What if the way we live our lives and allow events and emotions to affect us has a physical manifestation on our bodies?
What if all of the illnesses we face are caused by the way we see our lives and deal with stress and anxiety?

Our minds are a complex machine and scientists today have still not unlocked the secrets of the human brain.
The mind controls what we eat and how we digest it.
Our minds also control our cravings and how we respond to food.

Some people respond to food as a feel good activator, others see food as “we eat to live not we live to eat”

The obesity problem in Australia and American is huge, are we perhaps the problem?

“More than half (54%) of Australian adults are either overweight or obese, according to new analysis from the 2004-05 National Health Survey released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Maybe it is ourselves causing the health issues that many of us are struggling with”. Aus Bureau of statistics (2004-2005)

I have decided I am going to start trying to see my life in another light.
Deal with emotions more rationally and teach my mind to rest.

Some people may call this spiritual “hocus pocus” but I think it has nothing to do with any spiritual element.

We live such busy lives, we work longer hours and we spend less time with our families.
Relaxation has become fast food, a bottle of wine and a date with the couch and television.
Don’t get me wrong I love to do this too but is it really the best option for our minds and physical health?
Exercise for most people is also a great stress relief and mood cleanser.


I have decided I will spend more time reading and reflecting on my life.
I don’t know when the last time was that I just sat still and stared out into the distance.
I have started to write in a journal to document my random thoughts and feelings to still my mind.

I hope that perhaps with living a more centred life with less stress that maybe my health will improve.

Exercise + Stillness + Writing + A Healthy Diet = 100 % Health

Why don’t you give it a try????????????????

Thursday 14 April 2011

Great Australian race

Yesterday I decided to walk home from work.
The walk is approximately 6.8 km and I gave myself an hour to try and complete it in.

The walk involves hills, busy city streets and crossing the Brisbane river.

I set out on this challenge with a lot of enthusiasm and felt afterwards that I had conquered a mountain.

The walk was hard as I kept up a pace of  approx 7km hour (walking speed).

By the end of it I was incredibly red faced, my thighs were burning and I was definitely at my limit.

I was glad I had done this challenge and plan to embark on it again tomorrow (Friday), weather permitting.

The walk took me 65 minutes to complete and that involved my cool down period at the end where I took on the last 1 km at a slower place.

My goal tomorrow is to complete it in under 60 mins.

I will let you know how I go.

Last night while shopping I discovered these amazing spelt wraps   http://www.oldtimebakery.com.au/certified_organic_range.html.
  
 
I have tried them and they are great.
Spelt bread is an awesome bread to eat if you are Fodmap intolerant
There is nothing in the bread that can cause bloating or bowl discomfort.

Great for making wraps for lunch, using them in Mexican meals and great to use as a pizza base.
You can find them at your local organic supplier or wholefoods store.

I found mine at Fundamental Food store in Paddington Brisbane

Tuesday 12 April 2011

A new start


I have decided today will be a new day.

I am going to start my week afresh consuming only foods that make my body happy.

I have started off my day with my home made muesli.
Fodmap friendly may I suggest

I have eaten for morning tea, 15 grapes.
I will follow this by having for lunch 2 pieces of spelt bread with a slice of cheese accompanied by my home made pesto, toasted.

Afternoon tea is carrot sticks with 5 rice crackers.

I have decided to share my recipe with you all.


Home made Muesli (Fodmap friendly)

2 cups oats (gluten free, untoasted)
½ cup maple syrup.
1/3 cup cranberries
1/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/3 cup almonds


1)    Combine all ingredients into a large bowl mixing together until evenly combined.
2)    Place the ingredients onto a heat proof tray and place under the grill until toasted.
 (Mix the ingredients together every 5 mins until all oats are evenly toasted)
3)    The muesli should change to a nice golden colour.
4)    Place Muesli into an airtight containerand it will last up to 4 weeks.

Note: You can add whatever nuts and fruit you wish to the Muesli


Happy breakfast everybody !

Monday 11 April 2011

The day and the life of a pizza fan.

I have tried recently to stick to a diet that is low in Fodmaps.
This indeed is a very hard thing to stick to.
A typical weekend for me consist of dinner parties and wine times with friends.
This weekend just gone I decided to try out a standard pizza base.
Nice white fluffy dough.
Boy was I wrong committing this sin!!!!

“Word of advise even though it smells good and tastes good doesn’t mean it should be placed into your month lol…..”

 
Basic Spelt pizza base:

2 cups of spelt flour sifted (Can be wholemeal or white)
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rising yeast baking powder olive oil or 1 1/2 tablespoons other cooking oil
2/3 cup warm water
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon
1 1/2 tablespoons


1)     Add Spelt flour, yeast, salt and Baking powder together combine and kneed until smooth
2)     While kneading, stretch the dough out with the palm of your hand and fold the edges back over like you are wrapping a parcel.
3)     Place the round dough into a lightly greased bowl lined with glad wrap.
4)     Cover the bowl and allow to sit for 1 hour.
5)     The yeast should make the dough rise.
6)     Using a rolling pin , roll out the dough into the shape you wish your pizza to be.(classic round, rustic, or thin or thick base)

You will now have a great pizza base to apply your yummy topping to.
This recipe is low in gluten and Fodmap free.

Say good by to the bread hang over. J

Friday 1 April 2011

Food List

Tonight I have been doing a ton of reading.
I have found that a lot of people do not have a full understanding of what foods can cause a reaction.
When doing an elimination diet it is important to take all the following foods away and eat low FODMAP foods only.

This helps to calm your symptoms and allow you to be able to have an understanding of how NORMAL should feel.
Then as you introduce each group into your diet you will start to experience symptoms.
Each food gets introduced one at a time and increased a quarter of a cup at a time (1/4 Cup).
The outcome will depend on that particular food and if it is ok to eat or not.

In my experience I found when some foods were combined together I would have symptoms but with some foods if I ate them on their own I would be ok.
I found that artificial sweeteners and preservatives could cause a lot of issues as well.
It is also important to eat a low gluten diet.

We have excessive amounts of gluten in many products, you may not be allergic to gluten but you can be intolerant.
I have found since following these principles I can tell the big difference between feeling 100 % and feeling unwell.



Foods to Avoid:

Fructose

Apples
Pears
Nashi Pears
Clingstone Peaches
Mango
Watermelon
Tinned fruit in natural juices
Quince
Guava
Persimmon
Apricots
Avocados
Cherries
Longan
Lychee
Nectarine
Peaches
Plums
Prunes
Blackberries
Custard Apple
White Peaches
Rambutan

Vegetables

Sugar Snap Peas
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beetroot
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Fennel
Garlic
Leeks
Onions ( Bad one to eat, cause a lot of symptoms)
Red Onions
Peas
Shallots
Okra
Spring Onions ( White part is not ok) ( Green part is ok )
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Snow Peas

Sweeteners

Fructose
Fructose Powders
(e.g. Sweet addin & Fruisana)
High Fructose corn syrup
Honey
Sugar free gum
Lollies
Sortitol
Mannitol
Xylitol
Isomalt
Maltilol

Cereals

Wheat & Rye
This includes ( Couscous, Crackers, Pasta, Biscuits)

Legumes

Chickpeas
Lentils
Dried and tinned beans

Lactose
(Not an issue with everyone)
Milk
Milk Powder
Evaporated Milk
Custard
Ice Cream

Yoghurt (The live cultures in Yogurt NATURAL YOGURT means the level of Lactose is lower than some dairy products)
Ricotta cheese
Cream Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Sour Cream

Miscellaneous

Chicory root & Chicory based drinks
Dandelion tea
Foods with added Inulin (some yogurt, fruit juices, Soy milks and some fiber supplements)
Fruit juice
Concentrated fruit juice
Large serves of fruit ( > 1 piece at a time)
Tomato Paste
Tomato concentrates
Cane Sugar
Sweet Wines


Just remember that everyone is different and it depends on how your body reacts.


*** Last night I decided to make a pizza.
I have been on the FODMAP diet now for 4 months.
I was walking through the supermarket aisles and thought how I would love to have pizza for dinner.
Instead of making a spelt based pizza base I thought "screw it" !!!
I will just buy a ready made pizza base from the cold foods aisle.
If any of you know RIGHT THERE ..... was my worst mistake.
Main ingredients of the pizza was my home made sauce base, salami and cheddar cheese.
So FODMAP wise I wasn't doing too bad.
As I ate every bite indulging in my sin, the soft crust of the pizza melting in my mouth, I forgot about the consequences that will unfold within about 20 minutes.

My stomach was huge, so stretched to the point that there was no more skin left to be stretched.
Cramping that kept moving up and down my left side.
I think at this point I am promising myself to never do this again!
Why is it we always forget the pain that we inflict upon ourselves and only remember the good parts, like eating the food?
I am now still recovering 24 hours later. Loss of appetite and bloating still present.
It is funny how we as humans never learn.

This weekend I will post more of my recipes so you all can try them out.