My Wholefood Romance

How to make delicious Oat Milk, and Crunchy Superfood Truffles with the leftover pulp.

April 1, 2013 By Meg With no comments yet

We have some fabulous herbs and foods in our world that can assist us though busy times, or times of stress, and the humble oat is my first port of call today.

Oats are wonderful! In naturopathy we use oats both as a liquid herbal extract, and as a food in treating a whole host of conditions. They are warming and soothing in nature, and contain lovely amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, vitamins A, C, E, K, B vitamins, amino acids, and of course soluble fibre. Whoa! Traditionally, they have been used as a nervous system tonic, used for nervous debility and exhaustion, and to support an overly stressed nervous system.

Not only that, but they are well known for their effects on cholesterol management due to their soluble fibre and beta-glucan content. The beta-glucan increases the production of bile acids by the liver, which bind to cholesterol, preventing its reabsorption and it is promptly escorted out of the body. There have also been studies showing positive effects in lowering high blood pressure, and balancing blood sugar – awesome!

You can use them topically to calm irritated or itchy skin. Pop a cup of rolled oats in a clean old stocking or sock and soak in the bath with it’s milky goodness.

So pop on some porridge, make up some muesli, or whip up some oat milk! Oat milk is a great alternative for those not eating dairy, and it’s nice to make your own to avoid the vegetable oils and what not that comes with the shop bought varieties. Plus it’s loads cheaper! It may not have the protein profile of a nut milk, but it is still full of nutrients and has a richer taste compared to some other nut milks. I have used oat groats

…

Continue Reading →

A Gut Healing Guacamole, introducing Slippery Elm Powder!

March 18, 2013 By Meg With 12 comments

Guacamole is one of my favourite foods. This is probably because it’s made up of avocado, which is one of my favourite foods for taste, texture and nutritional talents. Think about these issues you may regularly struggle with, and see how avocado can help.

1. My beans are boring. *add avocado
2. I don’t know what to put on my toast. *avocado
3. My smoothie is not creamy enough. *add avocado
4. My skin is dry and I need to improve my lipid profile. *eat avocado

I could go on, but you get the idea, and I have spoken about the wondrous benefits of avocado before here. Today I’m focusing more on gut health.

Introducing Slippery Elm Powder

For those who are not familiar, slippery elm powder (SEP) is the ground inner bark of the slippery elm tree. It is a mucilage, meaning that it is hydrophilic and is able to trap water where it then swells and becomes like a gel. Once consumed, this gel is broken down by the gut bacteria and has a soothing effect on gastrointestinal inflammation, irritation and for conditions such as diarrhoea, gastritis, reflux, peptic ulcers and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. SEP has a traditional usage as a nutritious ‘gruel’ for children, and no wonder given it contains vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium and B vitamins. On top of this, you can also use it topically to soothe wounds, burns or inflamed skin, and to draw out boils or abscesses. Cool! I recommend it in clinic for anything from mastitis (topically) to IBS.

I suppose the catch is that it’s not amazingly palatable. But don’t let that stop you, there are some tricky ways around it. You can try mixing 1/2 a teaspoon with a little warm water to make a paste, then

…

Continue Reading →

Salads, sesame and top 10 health tips.

March 11, 2013 By Meg With 2 comments

It’s been a super hot week here in Melbourne, so there have been salads galore. They are the perfect thing for a hot day, and also to use up any left overs that are hanging around. I usually work on a basic principle of combining a protein source with some crunch, and a fun dressing. So whatever I have in the protein stakes (tofu/tempeh, fetta, haloumi, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa etc), with some fresh leafy items, crunchy veg, some nuts or seeds to round out the protein, and a dressing including a lovely healthy fat of some kind (olive oil, flaxseed oil, tahini/nut butter, you get the idea). Including protein and good fat in your salads this way will keep your blood sugar regulated and will keep you feeling full for longer – creating a legitimate satisfying meal. Fab!

On Friday I was lucky enough to be featured on Jess Ainscough’s website The Wellness Warrior as a Friday Foodie. If you haven’t visited Jess’ site, make sure you check it out. She is an absolute inspiration and a wonderful person, and her site is full of educational and inspirational posts, videos and books, along with my favourite weekly inspiration board.

I decided to make this nutrient packed sesame noodle salad. The noodles are made up of buckwheat noodles, arame, and spiralised carrot and zucchini; combined with marinated tofu, fresh veg, coriander/cilantro and pepitas. The dressing is a ripper. For the full recipe, check out the post but do me a favour – add 1-2 tablespoons of lime/lemon juice to the dressing (a bit of a typo…). I also forgot to write the clove of fresh garlic for the tofu marinade in the ingredients section, but we won’t go there, I’m sure no-one noticed!…

If you have any left over dressing, it

…

Continue Reading →

Blackberry hazelnut fudge cake with surprise black beans.

March 4, 2013 By Meg With 6 comments

Little sticky fingers! I can’t really blame her though, this little treat of a cake is the perfect treat for those special times. Like today. Monday. That’s special right? Take heart in the fact that it is dairy and gluten free, can be vegan if you like, and has lots of nutty and fruity goodness. And….black beans! How exciting is that! A sneaky little addition of a lovely amount of protein and fibre to help balance out the blood sugar spikes, and some extra magnesium and B vitamins on the side.

This cake also uses coconut sugar, which manages to maintain quite a decent nutritional profile when compared to other sweeteners, including vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. It is also quite low GI (35), and is sustainable.

Other than that, this post is a little bit of pure wholefood indulgence. This cake is the perfect blend of fudge and cakey for me, and is amazing served chilled from the fridge.

Blackberry hazelnut fudge cake

Adapted, barely, from Golubka

2 small oranges
2/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tbs chia seeds
1/2 tbs pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup good quality dark chocolate/dairy free/carob etc
1 cup cooked black beans
2 tbs tahini
1/2 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup brown rice flour or oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
blackberries and passion fruit to decorate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees F.

Pop the hazelnuts on a baking tray, roast for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool. Once they are cool, rub with a clean tea towel to remove the skins, and blitz them up in a food processor – keep them slightly chunky. Set aside.

Next, add the peeled oranges, 1/3 cup of the coconut sugar, chia seeds

…

Continue Reading →