Crispy, crunchy, salty goodness

Sometimes, crazy hectic life gets in the way of more important things. Sometimes your thoughts get in the way of more important things. Sometimes you forget what the important things actually are. And sometimes this requires a re-evaluation of your life and your priorities. I've been through this recently, but I'm re-finding myself. Over the past couple of weeks I've got back in the healthy eating/regularly exercising thing and enjoying it so much, I can't imagine falling much off the wagon again. I've got my sleep back in order. I've ordered a bunch of nootropics (L-theanine, Ashwaghanda, Rhodeola rosea, tulsi tea, etc) which have helped immensely. I've purchased a heart variability monitor. I'mt weaking and refining and striking for optimal health. And it feels REALLY good. I want to blog regularly.I want to post all my delicious recipes (including the occasional treat ;-) ) and I want to keep track of my fitness goals. It's all happening, baby! And today I'm going to share crispy kale chips. They're everywhere, they're packaged and sold to health nuts, but it's easier and cheaper to make your own. I do mine simply with salt, and honestly it's the easiest and tastiest vegetable I'm eating these days. And it's super healthy too which is just a bonus! :)

Ingredients

A whole bunch of kale
Coconut oil
Salt

Method

1. Tear or chop the kale up into bits, removing the stem (it's too fibrous and chewy)
2. Rub coconut on your hands and massage into the kale
3. Toss with salt
4. Bake at 150C in the oven for about 10-15 mins turning them over half way, until crispy

his post has been shared at Thank Goodness It’s Monday at Nourishing Joy.

Why do I fast?

A while back, I posted a Facebook status about my 24 hour fast followed by some sprint intervals in the sun and a cold shower, and was asked why I do this. Apart from just feeling really good, there are some specific reasons I choose to intermittent fast, work out on an empty stomach, and take a cold shower every once in a while. Yeah, clearly I don't buy into the whole "eat 6 small meals a day or you will go into starvation mode, and lose all your muscle, and get fat, and unable to lose it!"  I'm here to dispel some of the myths.  There is lots and lots of info out there, but I'll just go through the basics...

INTERMITTENT FASTING
This has a ton of health benefits for most people. It works in a similar way to calorie restriction but without the constant hunger and inevitable muscle loss that goes along with it. It is theorized our hunter gatherer ancestors went through periods of feast and famine, and this makes sense when you consider how re-enaction of this positively influences our bodies. Some of the health benefits for fasting every now and again are lower fasting insulin, greater insulin sensitivity, improved exercise recovery and improved blood lipids. Let's go through them one by one shall we??

Improved insulin sensitivity - This study showed that after two weeks of intermittent fasting (20 hours every second day), plasma adiponectin increased by 27%. Adiponectin is positively correlated with insulin sensitivity. Muscle glycogen was unchanged, while liver glycogen reduced. This makes sense in evolutionary terms as on a fast we would have needed our muscle glycogen to hunt/find food.

Workout benefits - This flies in the face of most 'conventional wisdom'. Exercising while fasted increases the insulin sensitivity benefits. It stimulates glycogen resynthesis (it was around 3 times higher in a group who exercised fasted compared to a group who exercised after a carb rich meal) Intramuscular triglycerdies were also broken down while fasted but not when carbohydtae was eaten. Muscles thus, are better able to adapt to exercise stresses when fasted, so when glycogen levels are full, your workout will be miles better as your muscles have adapoted to working on low glycogen just fine! The study also found that peak VO2 and peak power improved more when training fasted compared to training in the fed state!

Fat loss - when intermittent fasting most people tend to automatically eat less. Coupled with the increased insulin sensitivity and the fact you are giving your body a rest from the processed refined carbs that most people eat, it will be much easier to burn your fat WHILE maintainting muscle mass. It's a win win!

Longevity - It;s been widely established in many animal species that calorie restriction extends life. However, I can't imaine life being very fun if you're constantly hungry. But luckily, intermittent fasting appears to have the same benefits. Technically you're not restricting calories to a great extent, as you eat extra when you eat to make up for the food not eaten during the fast, but the intermittent nature has been shown to increase lifespan nevertheless. And MUCH easier than eating salad all day,

Brain health - Studies such as this suggest intermittent fasting and calorie restriction can improve neuronal plasticity and inhibit brain degenration


Intermittent fasting is simple yet profoundly beneficial, though I would recommend eating fairly 'primally' (that is, a lower carb diet made up of more natural, whole foods, as you can read about in my dietary philosophy) before fasting, as this way of eating primes your body to be good at burning fat as well as glucose. Thus instead of crashing when not eating, you feel full of life, as your body is efficient at burning your fat stores for energy! To find out more check out Marksdailyapple (he has many excellent, thorough and easy to read posts on the subject).

Low carb cheesecake

I was in the mood for a creamy, low carb dessert the other day, so made this amazing (and incredibly easy!) cheesecake. I don't eat pasteurized dairy often, but  I make an exception once in a while! This is an adaptable recipe - I split my filling in half, added baileys flavouring and carob powder to one half, and cocoa powder and dark chocolate nutella to the other, swirled it around, and produced this chocolate baileys cheesecake. Next time I may swirl some strawberry jam through, or make some coconut milk caramel to top it with....mmmm....endless possibility!

Crust

I used the Coconut flour crust from Coconutmama, but use your favourite crust recipe

Filling

450g (16 oz) cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

3 eggs

Sweetener to taste (I used some stevia, a touch of honey and dexrose)

1 T vanilla extract

Method

1. Make the crust, bake and set aside to cool

2. Beat the cream cheese with the sweetener, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating till smooth

3. Add the sour cream and vanilla

4. Add any extra fun flavourings or leave as is

5. Pour filling into crust and bake at about 160C/320F for an hour, or until the edges are set and the middle has a jiggle to it

6. Let cool, refrigerate  for 6 hours or overnight

7. ENJOY!

Revolution!

I always thought Russell Brand was a bit of a genius and this just further solidifies that! REAL TALK right here!

What about GMOs?

I read this article recently on GMOs.

I thought it was very well written and neutral, considering what strong viewpoints are had on either side. You've got the die hard fellow hippies who believe that GMOs are evil, evil, evil , then you have the others saying they're progress and will help feed the world. I used to be totally in the former group, and even now I lean more towards that. GMOs are relatively recent, we don't know their long term effects on human bodies or the environment. They are mostly controlled by Monsanto, who I think we can all agree are an evil corporation who are all about greed and money. They patent their seeds and sue farmers, they hide evidence and encourage monoculture crop growing - none of which is good for the environment or people (especially farmers). Furthermore GMOs reduce biodiversity of the food we eat as well of the animals/plants in the ecosystem.

However, in the hands of responsible ethical scientists, GMOs could be used for good. They could be grown in places where they wouldn't contaminate non GMO crops. They could be used to create nutritionally superior food for starving countries (eg golden rice) or to create trees/plants that improve the ecosystem . If we knew what genes were altered,, and there was more accurate information and less deception, maybe we could accept the potential for some genetic modification to help society and the world as a whole ; the current overpopulation of humans, pollution, factory farming etc is surely in need of change.

I still avoid GMOs because of my corporate anti-sentiment, as well as the fact I have no idea what the genetic modifications actually entail and what their long term health effects are, as well as ethical issues (eg I avoid non organic meat as most is fed GMO soy which is grown on massive mono-culture farms which are created by destroying rainforest in the amazon). But I understand that in an ideal world, where GMOS were handled by ethical, progressive scientists, and used with certain regulations and rules to benefit society, I would be much more accepting of them. Unfortunately that's not the current situation. Who knows, maybe things will change. But for now, I'm doing my best to stick to  local veggies and organic meat!

Sauvage

Gahhh blogging fail. Ok I've sorted my life out. I think so anyway. I've had a crazy weekend of birthday celebrations. Before that it was travel and a festival interspersed with going to hospital like a good medical student. Now, it's detox time. It's get my life in order time. It's achieving time. And importantly, it's blogging more time!

I hope someone missed me ^^

I thought I'd kick things off with a little restaurant review of basically the first 'Paleo' restaurant in Europe. It's called Sauvage and it's in Berlin. I went there for a few days to visit a friend, and since we both kind of follow paleo principles we decided to check it out. And I'm am SO GLAD we did. It was incredible! One of the best meals I've had, and knowing it was healthy was just the (refined sugar free) icing on the (gluten free, low carb) cake! Sauvage follow Paleo principles in their cooking - so no dairy or grains in any menu item. Desserts are sweetened with natural sugars (like honey). Meats are organic/free range. It's all about fresh, organic and made from scratch.

We went on a balmy Friday evening. Inside it's fairly small, but intimate with lovely ambiance, but outside (where we sat) is where it's at! The outdoor tables are on a quiet residential street, and although a bit dark, it was perfect on that evening. I ordered a main course and dessert. For mains it was some kind of mutton ragu with olives and yucca mash with nutmeg. The meat was tender and flavourful, bursting with Mediterranean flavours, while the mash was creamy, smooth and slightly sticky. It's hard to describe if you've never had yucca before, but if you're a fan of starchy foods like potato or yam, you'll love the stuff! I got addicted to it on my South American travels. Dessert was a lemon mousse with fermented berries. It was basically a lemon curd, which I assume they used coconut oil in instead of butter. Oh man, it was beautiful. The tart berries perfectly offsetted the creamy lemony goodness of the curd. I also tried one of their homemade spirits (can't remember which) but that also, was amazing.

I love that this restaurant is all about local, organic, fresh food, and everything is made from scratch.  That's true sustainable commitment. It was a bit on the expensive side (but totally worth it, and what you'd expect for this kind of quality) and the entire experience was wonderful. ALSO, I cannot forget to mention the toilet. THAT was pretty cool in itself! There were candles, and ornaments and it smelt good, more like a shrine than a toilet. Who'da thunk it?!

If you're ever in Berlin, check this place out!

Contact information

Pflügerstrasse 25, 12047 - Berlin

Tel: 030/53167547

reservations(at)sauvageberlin.com

I'm sharing this with Real Food Wednesdays! Check it out for more real food posts

I'm back

After a long blogging hiatus where I was busy with exams, travelling, and more, I'm finally back to blogging! I will post some food posts from my travels around South America and Europe in due course. After months of semi-primal eating, and bad sleeping habits, I'm finally getting back to living in a way to optimize health. So I'm slowly scaling back bedtime to around 10:30pm and focusing more on organic meat and veg with reduced carbs instead of tons of rice and other grains. I've also begun experimenting with bulletproof coffee , which I am still in the early days of so will expand on that later! 

For now, enjoy this simple lamb chop recipe. All I did was make a spice mix of 1T turmeric, 1T cumin, 1t chilli powder, salt and pepper and rubbed it into some lamb chops and cooked in some coconut oil till rare.

Yummy!

I ate a pigeon....and I liked it

So the other day,I was at borough market in London  talking to Farmer sharp at the wild meat stall. Long story short he convinced me to try pigeon, and suggested a tasty way to cook it.  I tried his idea the next day when I had dinner with a friend, and holy shit it was good!! Never in a million years would I have thought I'd actually eat pigeon and enjoy it but there ya go ; try new things!



For two pigeon breasts:
1. Heat up some cooking fat (butter or coconut oil) and fry some garlic and the breasts, about 4 mins each side (you want them rare or medium-rare)
2. Remove breasts and rest on plate
3. Add about a tabelspoon of creme fraiche (or regular cream) to the pan, along with a splash of red wine and cook for about 5 mins to reduce
4. Serve the breasts with the sauce on top, and sprinkled with some chopped parsley :)

I served this with steamed asparagus and tenderstem broccoli, boiled potatoes, and wilted spinach and chard. Tasty and healthy! :)

(Excuse the bad phone pic)

When life gives you lemons..

See that? Looks beautiful doesn't it? It's a spoon full of low carb, healthy, lemony deliciousness. It combines two recipes ; a lemon coconut bar/cake with a lemon cream made of butter and eggs, based on Dorie Greenspan's lemon cream recipe. The results is a thick cream with a slight custardy taste (due to the eggs) with a crumbly dense cake. I already have plans to make a sort of low carb trifle with this, with some cooked strawberries for the sauce :)

I got the lemon coconut brownies recipe  from Seasonal and Savory

Here is the lemon cream recipe:

Ingredients
3 small/medium eggs
160g butter
1 T grated lemon zest
1/3 C lemon juice
Sweetener of choice (I used stevia, and a tablespoon of honey)

Method
1. beat the eggs with sweetener, zest and juice, and place over pan of simmering water, stirring constantly until thick, with the texture of lemon curd
2. Place in blender, and beat till smooth, add butter, pieces at a time, and blend after each addition, until light and creamy

Shrimp curry!

I've had a bit of a hiatus from blogging, but I'm back with a lot of stuff to post, as over the past few months I have been cooking and baking and reading lots!

To start, I thought I'd post a recipe given to me by my friend Tara at Eat, be and see. By teegee.
She cooks some pretty darn good Indian stuff, and when she told me all about her shrimp pineapple curry, I knew I just had to make it.

I bought some fresh shrimp (prawns) from the farmers market, but was running out of time to use it, and I didn't have all the ingredients, so I left out the pineapple, curry leaves, asafoetida and cilantro. It was still pretty damn delicious though...I cant wait to try it with everything, to make it that little bit more mouthgasmic. :D

Served with fluffy basmati rice

Sammich

Feast your eyes on this! That is a "sandwich" made of fat bread (i.e bread whose calories come mostly from fat - the good kind in macadamia nuts, coconut oil and egg yolks), with some lamb salami I picked up from a music festival of all places, and raw cheddar cheese from the farm me and my mum visit. Put together, it created this sandwich of awesomeness. Actually tasted like it looks. Even better in fact!

The 'bread' recipe comes from Richard Nikoley at Freetheanimal. I made it exactly as is. Genius. Pure genius.

Don't forget a thick layer of butter!

Other sandwich ideas I'm planning on trying - chicken salad, BLT, beef/horseradish... :)

Seriously, go make it now!

"There is no death, only a change of worlds" (Duwamish)

After a long hiatus (where I was in the US for a month), I am finally back in London, ready to blog more!
There were many experiences I'd like to share here , but if I had to limit it, I'd limit it to the animal slaughter I was present at, as it was something I particularly wanted to share, and also something that will especially be appreciated by real foodies.

So a neighbour farm to where I was volunteering were slaughtering two of their lambs one day, and I, along with a few others also at the farm decided to head over to witness it. It was a hot sunny day like any other, and about 15 or so of us were in a grassy field surrounded by trees. The lamb was led to a pen where it was lain on it's back by Augustine, "the guy with the knife", who was to make the cut (sheep get really docile when on their backs).  Augustine was the perfect person for the job, he was clearly an animal lover, but also one who realized this was a part of the circle of life...humans eat meat, and therefore animals must die. And when we die, our bodies are recycled back into the earth which nourishes the grass which nourishes the herbivores that we eat. This cycle is part of a much larger cycle that is essential to our ecosystem and Mother Earth. And whatever qualms one might have with killing animals, etc, this is a fact which cannot be denied. Before being cut, the animal was thanked for the sustenance it was to provide. After sharing the experience, my friend Mike made this comment which I thought was insightful and beautifully said :

"It reminds me of the ritual that was performed whenever a Native American would take one of its brothers or sisters of the wild to feed his tribe. He would place his hand on the animal as it was on its way out and lovingly say something along the lines of, "Dear brother (or sister) I thank you for your life which will now be used to sustain the lives of my family. As you know, the cycle must go on. Nothing of your corpse will be laid to waste. When you find your spirit in the form of a human and I find mine in the form of a buffalo, I will give myself to you as you have given yourself to me." 

As the animal bled, it did not look as distressed or in pain as I imagined - I would say it was certainly humanely done. While the lamb lay, everyone was silent; a few of us in the pen rested our hands on it's warm body and a few cried. Even as someone who eats meat and who finds nothing inherently wrong with killing animals for food, this was still an intense and powerful moment, and I felt like I was taking part in something much bigger than myself. It also reminded me why I do my utmost to avoid supporting conventionally raised meat. This was the slaughter of animals who were well taken care of and loved. It wasn't about efficiency or supremacy (i.e "we are humans and we're better so we can do what we want"). It honestly felt like we were all equal. Animals, humans, the earth  - we're all in this together. The concept of 'death' was also different - rather than being a horrible negative thing (as many of us in the west are led to believe), it was clear it was a natural part of life, one which needn't be feared. You can't have life without death, and this experience was a poignant reminder of this.
 When the second lamb was brought out, we sang 'The river she is flowing' as it took its final breaths...

The river she is flowing, flowing and growing
The river she is flowing, down to the sea.
Mother, carry me, your child I will always be
Mother, carry me down to the sea

Finally, the lambs were hung from some trees, and we set to work skinning and gutting them. The strong smell of the fat lingered in the air (not an unpleasant smell), and we all played 'guess the organ' as we found the good stuff. The intestines (which took up a large part of the inside of the carcass) were set aside to be thrown away, and great care was taken not to perforate them (or the smell would have been a lot worse than it was!).   Finally the heads were removed (the brain was to be used to tan the hides), and the carcasses wrapped up to be hung and then butchered.
         Once the lamb became a carcass, it didn't seem so 'real', and it was much less emotional, though of course the previous events were still fresh in our minds. In a way, it is a shame most of us buy our meat all cut and wrapped up, so it's hard to imagine the life of the animal, how it died, what it was fed, and the impact of everything from beginning to end.  It makes us very disconnected to our food, , but I guess that's an  inevitable part of modern city life, and the luxury of convenience. But even if we can't always have  one on one experiences such as this, we can think and question and make choices, whether we live on a farm or in a city, and I am very thankful for that.

The hide

I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this, and it definitely made me feel more connected to nature and where my food comes from. I would highly recommend anyone  to take an opportunity like this if it ever arises!

I am sharing this on Fight back friday

Week 3/Foood

So, I kinda failed in my 'weekly updates', but I blame lack of a stable internet connection and exams! Nevertheless my food for the last two weeks was pretty much similar to week one.. I took a pic of some of the stuff I ate...

"It takes 40 muscles to frown, but only 12 to shove some chicken and rice in your mouth and get over it"

primal lemon curd - egg yolks, butter, lemon juice/zest and a touch of honey

mackerel and cortido

Technically this was supposed to be a 4 week experiment, but I sort of splurged on icecream and chocolate after my exam. However, after a few bites of over sweet stuff, and realizing it really wasn't worth it, I'm back to primal eating.

So how did it all go? Well pretty good. I'm glad I decided to be more strict diet-wise, and I know the benefits to me, so there won't be many lapses in the future! Also, 'the pain' as I have now started to refer to it did not come back when I was eating well, and taking care of myself.  This was just a reminder to myself that I shouldn't take health for granted, and that my chosen 'lifestyle choices' as my friend's refer to it are important to my well being. I encourage everyone to do their own 'experiment' - just take a few weeks, to be very strict health wise - so eat well, exercise, sleep well, reduce stress via meditation or other means, and just see how it feels. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Week one of 'diet experiment'

So it's been one week since the start of my lil experiment.
 Here's my food diary for the week:

Fri - grassfed beef top round, strawberries, an avocado,  organic elderberry syrup (low sugar)
Sat - 1 tbsp raw honey, rare grassfed beef top round with some suet, ginger and spring onions, 1 small avocado, handful strawberries
Sun - ground beef/lamb with spices, onions, garlic and peas, with some white rice
Mon - meat stew (oxtail, lamb breast and neck cooked in red wine with garlic and sprouted cabbage tops), grassfed beef top round, a bit of vanilla yogurt (grass fed unhomogenized guernsey milk), spicy mackerel cooked in coconut oil, elderberry syrup
Tues - small amount of basmati rice, spinach chicken curry, handful of blueberries
Wed - leftover meat stew, plain yogurt with some maple syrup, blueberries, strawberries, choc pudding (almond butter, avocado, cocoa powder, brown rice syrup)
Thurs - leftover meat stew, spicy mackerel in coconut oil, curtido, strawberries, almond butter
Fri - mackerel, curtido, strawberries, blueberries, primal lemon curd, whey

Thoughts
So, I think I did ok this week. Not perfect. But not bad either. I ate lots of berries, because my mum kept getting cheap organic fruit on offer for me, and we had a bit of a heatwave, and I like to eat berries frozen :)
Wednesday was a bit of a fail, as I had an exam and when I came home just wanted to treat myself (also had a ton of avocados that needed using up hence the pudding!). The elderberry syrup is also there as I came down with a sore throat and some sniffles (first time in a long time! Worst timing ever though :/)

I tracked everything on cronometer and here some important stats for my average daily intake:

Calories - 1267 net
Fat - 68g
Protein - 100g
Carbs - 62g
Sugar - 22g
Fiber - 8.5g

Calories are pretty low, but fiber is a bit higher than I would have liked, as is sugar (due to the fruit). Next week I'll work on lower fiber, slightly less protein, more fat and less sugar!

What differences have I noticed so far?

- A flatter stomach. It was amazing, I noticed a flatter stomach in the first few days and even after meals, as I was eating less in one go.
-My sleep was also slightly improved. Unfortunately I started this at the same time I came on with a bit of a sore throat/stuffy nose, but even then my sleep was pretty darn good

Diet experiment

I have decided to do a lil dietary experiment, suggested by a friend of mine. We are going to eat only animal foods for 4 weeks or so (though I won't be as strict - see below).
I've been slacking a lot with my diet recently, and I haven't seemed to have been able to get away with it, so I think it's good for me to do this experiment. I've been meaning to do it for a while actually, but finally decided to actually take the plunge! Plus doing it with someone makes it a lot easier.

Now I don't know if the time I have chosen to do this is the most ideal. I have exams coming up, and finish on June 8th. On the one hand I have no time to make extravagant meals or do baking, so I won't be doing that. But on the other hand, I'll be wanting 'treats' after a hard day of revision, plus I won't be able to stock up on grass-fed meat from the farmer's market as often. So I've decided to not be ultra strict with myself, but rather just focus on my main goals which are to:

-Drastically reduce carbs
-Eat more raw and fermented foods
- Limit fibre
- Avoid huge meals

So the foods I will allow myself in unlimited amounts : grass-fed beef and lamb, lamb liver, hearts, beef marrow bones, raw eggs, raw milk (fermented)

However, I will also allow myself some vegetables, low sugar fruits (berries) and coconut oil, in order to maintain variety and improve taste.  If I absolutely can't resist, I will also allow myself limited quanitites of white rice (a pretty much benign starch), BUT only once or twice a week, after a workout, and only 50g carb worth.

Overall this will be a huge improvement on my dietary habits of late, and I'm hoping to see some benefits health wise. I'll do a weekly update, on what I've eaten and if I've noticed any changes. I'm looking forward to this!

And some people call them...PRIMITIVE

The other day I shared this picture on FB, which seemed to be slightly controversial with a friend of mine :P, who proceeded to list why this was misleading and untrue. I agree that  the picture was slightly oversimplified and idealistic, but i think it made some valid points and was a reminder that civilization and technology does not necessarily make us better off (and thus tribes/hunter gatherers are not 'backward' as the word 'primitive' implies).

Ok first, let's talk about stress. Do hunter gatherers constantly stress about where their next meal is coming from, and spend all their time hunting and foraging? I doubt it. Not all anyway. There seems to be evidence to suggest that  hunter-gatherer tribes in the past actually had an abundance of food, as do many tribes currently living their traditional ways. Food abundance was probably more common in the past - until overpopulation and exhaustion of resources led to agriculture ( it has been proposed that agriculture was borne out of desperation ). Granted, modern day hunter gatherers are suffering at the hands of fucking Monsanto and greedy westerners who are destroying their land. But the !Kung have been observed to only hunt for 3 hours a day and the rest of the day they talk, play, relax, etc. Three hour work days! Doesn't sound so stressful to me..
        Sure they may experience stress when they are actively hunting their food, but this is acute stress. They do not suffer from the chronic stress that is endemic in today's world where people constantly worry/stress about work, deadlines, traffic, their boss, their social drama, etc etc. They also don't suffer the physiological stress most westerners suffer from late nights (disruption of the circadian rhythm) and a diet full of sugar and processed carbs. So I would say that actually tribes-people have MUCH less stress than many westerners.


So what about the bombs, prisons, crime, war? Yes violence in hunter gatherer societies is common. Yes the homicide rate millions of years ago was much higher than it is now (and in fact that rate probably contributed to their low life expectancy, so anyone who says we shouln't eat a high fat meat rich diet as our ancestors died at a young age...there ya go! )). They didn't have full scale war though as human density was pretty low.  But who's to say that was better or worse than todays war/genocide? It may happen less now than it did then, but it still happens. Some evidence suggests violence was an integral part of our evolution, and perhaps violence is just part of the human condition. Something not even 'civilisation' can eradicate.

- Junk food? What?! Sure, if you take some hunter gatherers and give them a bunch of burgers and fries when they're hungry they will probably eat it, as they don't know about trans fats, preservatives, refined sugar, wheat flour etc. They simply do not have junk food available to them. In the paleolithic area it didn't exist. Therefore they are way healthier than most westerners by the fact they eat natural REAL food humans are designed to eat. Simples.

- External debt? Yeah, tribes live within their own small communities and as a result don't worry about external debt. Or money. Pretty straightforward.

- No pollution. No argument there. Tribespeople live in remote clean untouched areas of the world (well some do anyway). Thousands of years ago, the entire Earth was pollution free. Humans now have destroyed most of it. But I'm sure most would agree a beautiful green clean earth would be a nicer place to live than a smoky polluted chemical filled, grey one, no?

-And finally poverty. Yes, it's hard to define poverty. The argument was that hunter gatherer tribes live a much harder life than the poorest person in a city. As I have stated earlier, I don't agree this is always the case. Furthermore, it has been shown (and it makes sense) that if one has enough food to eat, a shelter, and a strong supportive community, material wealth does not increase happiness. So tribes who have this would be much better off than some homeless inner city drug addict. Also, ever heard of journalists going to remote places in Africa where the kids are the happiest they've ever seen despite having much much less than the average westerner? And look at the west;  depression among adolescents is the highest it's ever been. Hmm, something to think about no?

In summary, I believe that a traditional hunter gatherer lifestyle and a modern day western lifestyle both have their benefits and drawbacks. Sure I appreciate technology and the fact I am much less likely to be killed today than millions of years ago, as well as the fact if I got a nasty infection or I accidentally cut off my hand, I'm more likely to survive than die. But our bodies have not evolved as fast as civilization. Some modern tribes and our hunter gatherer ancestors enjoy(ed) fresh air, the outdoors, a healthy diet and less chronic stress. So yes, in some ways they are luckier than us. I try to live my life taking advantage of modern inventions (due to necessity or preference) while appreciating the need to enjoy nature, sleep well, take time to relax and enjoy things I like, and eat a "human appropriate" natural diet. Perhaps embracing the 'best of both worlds' instead of completely lambasting one or the other, would do many of us good..

Roast potatoes and greens from the farm

 So the other day me and my mum went to this farm we frequently visit - Plaw Hatch. They are a raw dairy farm (they produce and sell unpasteurised milk, cream, cheeses as well as pasteurised products like yoghurts). They also grow plenty of vegetables, have chickens for eggs, and sell meat from their sister farm. So our day trips consist of admiring the beautiful countryside, grabbing a coffee somewhere, and buying loads of good local food (also, did i mentioned they are BIODYNAMIC?! :D). 

Today, I used some of their produce to create this simple but tasty dish. I halved some potatoes and roasted them in the oven with ghee, then topped with some black pepper cheese, swiss chard and wild garlic sauteed in ghee, and chopped chives and parsley. Add some seasoning and viola! Good eatin' ;). All ingredients in this dish were from the farm (apart from the butter which was from a farm nearby).

We were admiring their baby strawberry plants, and they were kind enough to give us two for free! The start of my summer fruit/veg garden :)

This beautiful vibrant flower was shot at the garden centre where we had our coffee.

Have a wonderful day :)

I'm submitting this to Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays

It's 5am and I got some deep stuff to talk about.

I went through a bit of a health scare yesterday/today. Ok maybe that's a bit dramatic. But it's been painful and uncomfortable and annoying. I had bad cramps which developed into lower left back pain that was similar to these bouts I had a couple of years back. I was never really diagnosed though my primary doc thought it might have been small kidney stones that resolved on their own. I was eating zero carb at the time and not drinking enough water, and eating too much dairy, so after eating some more carbs, drinking more water and sticking to high fat dairy only, it never happened again. (until POSSIBLY now, though  i don't know for sure). Anyway, during my worst pain, I started thinking..."wow we so take our health for granted when we're healthy"....or at least I do. I looked back on some things that happened recently that stressed me out, and thought...everything passes, everything changes. Some things are just not worth fretting over. One needs to focus on the important things :health, happiness, love, friends/family...
And as one who truly believes psychological stress/pain can manifest as physical health problems, avoiding negative emotions and stress is very important.

Anyway I'm still in a little pain. It's 4:30am in London town and I'm sitting at my computer desk listening to soul and typing away as quietly as I can, with a hot water bottle tucked between my back and the chair. But I'm feeling really happy. In a weird "I'm still a bit uncomfortable and I wish I was asleep, but am also feeling pretty amazing" kinda way.

I've vowed to never take my health for granted, and to be grateful each and every day that i am alive, and healthy. I have been a bit slack with my diet lately (overeating, especially on treats that although may be much healthier for you, are probably not good on a regular basis), and i haven't been meditating or spending time in nature etc as much as i want. I'm going to start focusing on living a much cleaner life now. I hope this feeling I'm feeling right now can be maintained. I'm sure I'll slip up sometimes. I'm only human. But I'll try, baby, oh yes I will. Because the pain of discipline is much better than suffering the pain of regret. (ofcourse this phrase doesn't apply to absolutely everything in life ;) )

And even if you are not fully healthy, you are alive. And living. You're able to read this post right now. Things could be so much worse. Negative thinking never got anyone anywhere, and it's a total waste of time. Sometimes we focus so much on what may be wrong or what we don't like, realizing life is all about balance. There are tons of  good things to focus on, we just need to find them! All of us have something to be grateful for, whether it's that we feel no pain in this very moment, that we can see and appreciate the lovely yellow daffodils that are springing up everywhere, that we have people in our lives we can count on, that we have a roof over our head and food to eat, etc etc..

Happiness is everything. What's life without it? I hope you, dear reader, can feel as blessed and grateful and wonderful as I am right now. Take care of yourself. Pass on the trans fat laden fries and sugar/wheat-bombs that is cake. You're better than that shit and you know it. Get away from that computer for a while. Go and appreciate the beauty of this world...the wonderful trees that try to keep our atmosphere clean, the colourful daffodils and roses and tulips and buttercups, the salt sea mist, the wide ocean, the wonderful animals and wildlife that coexist with us on this magnificent planet. Listen to your favourite music. Dance like no-one is watching, even if they are. Call your best friend/your sister/brother/mother/father and tell 'em how much you love them. Or better yet go hang out with them. Go study/work on that project you've been meaning to do instead of procrastinating, and reward yourself with a wholesome, happy thing/treat afterwards. Achieve your goals and dreams. Don't wait till tomorrow. Do it now. There ain't nothing you can't achieve. Quit makin' excuses. You can fucking do it. ↖

 Be healthy and happy and grateful, and realize that you are awesome. You ↓ and you ↑ and you → and you ← and you ↗ and you ↘ and you ↗ and even you!↙ 


It's past 5am, I'ma listen to this, then this and try and get some shut eye now.


Happy whatever-the-fuck-this-day-is, friends! :)

The girl who silenced the world at the UN for 5 minutes

I cam across this video recently. This young girl speaks about the earth and the environment, sharing, poverty, and greed.. It's quite saddening as you realize what has become of the world, but also inspiring. It's a wonderful speech. If only there were more people like her. If only more people listened to her.

Treat the Earth well ; it was not given to you by your ancestors, it was loaned to you by your children" - Native American proverb.

Outrageous!

The other day I went to the farmers market to pick up  bunch of grassfed meat and veggies. At the veggie stall, as I hauled my load of onions, squash, brussels sprouts and parsley to the front to pay, the guy asked me if I wanted a bag, as he picked up a nice cloth tote bag with the words "wonderful and wise" and a picture of a rainbow of vegetables on it. "Is it free?" I asked (not wanted to spend money on a bag I didn't really need). "yes! It is! No-one believes us" he joked. So i took the bag and headed home with my yummy food.


Upon further inspection of the bag, I noticed it urged me to search the words "wonderful and wise", so i googled the term expecting some wholesome, crunchy company with good values and ethical concerns at heart.


How wrong was I.


Turns out "wonderful and wise" is an ad campaign by Lurpak for their new 'Lurpak lightest', a low-fat spread with the following ingredients. Butter (27%), water, vegetable oil (19%),  lactic culture, milk protein, salt (1%) , preservative (potassium sorbate).


Their advert  shows lots of fresh vegetables and real food, with the Lurpak lightest at the end. At first I was confused. How on earth are they linking fresh veggies with a fake processed food made with vegetable oil?! Vegetable oil being a highly processed item made by subjecting seeds to high heat and pressure, chemical solvents (including hexane), bleaching, deodorization, and other unnatural horrible processes that render the fat toxic and foreign to the human body. They are trying to equate this crap to food that is wholesome and healthy so people think that this spread is healthy. Such deception!! Real butter, full of vitamin A, E and K, carotenoids, healthy cholesterol, saturated fat, butyric acid, etc is healthy. Fake processed low fat spreads with only a tiny bit of butter? Far from it!


The second thing that outraged me (even more than the above since I know food companies lie all the time), is that Lurpak had the nerve to advertise their crap in my local farmer's market?!! It's insane. I go to farmer's markets to avoid greedy/selfish/lying food companies, advertising and mass produced food. Yet here, my market has sneakily been infiltrated by the very company farmer's markets are supposed to stand up against. 


I decided to email LFM (London Farmer's Markets, which many markets in London belong to), outlining my feelings on the matter, in the hope others will contact them too, and they can make a move to get rid of this type of product placement. I've copied my email here below.  I would urge anyone else in London to contact LFM and make your opinion heard!

Hey
I am emailing about a cloth tote bag I got for free at one of the london farmer's markets. The bags say "wonderful and wise" on them, with the instructions to search the words. So when i got home I googled "wonderful and wise" and was disappointed to see it was an ad campaign for Lurpak low fat spread. I think this flies completely against the face of what LFM stands for - local REAL food. I am very disappointed that you would allow such companies to infiltrate London's wholesome grassroots farmers markets, and I am sure many LFM customers would agree. Would you please look into removing this blatant product placement from your markets, so Londoners do not lose faith in the local/organic/ethical food movement. I avoid supermarkets to avoid being bombarbed with industrial, processed 'food', so please don't bring it to the farmers markets.


Thank you




UPDATE! - I received this reply:


Thank you for your email.
We didn't give Lurpak permission to give out their bags, the company
approached farms directly so the first we saw of it was when they
appeared at market at the weekend. It goes without saying that we will
be having words with whichever marketing company approached our stall
holders and we certainly don't  want to see them on stalls again,

(name omitted)
London Farmers' Markets


So it looks like it wasn't LFM that condoned this but some of the farms instead! That's even more worrying to be honest. Nevertheless, it looks like LFM are taking care of it! :D
(linked at kelly the kitchen kop)