Happy New Year and a Raw Choc recipe

Wow.

It has been ages since I've done a post. Sorry bout that. ekk.
I'll do a quick update for you.
Life has been fairly much the same, netball season finished, I started a business called 'The Organic Unbakery' where I make raw paleo treats that are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free and egg free. So that, along with the hectic schedule of having a 4 year old and 1 year old, has prevented me from dedicating much time to the blog. my bad, sorry.
Pip's off to school this year, so I'm hoping I might have a bit more time to dedicate to the blog. Hoping....

So this year I have some big goals to achieve, both personally and business wise. I'm looking forward to being more creative, finding balance in my life and learning a ton of new information in the world of health and nutrition.

 Here's a couple of pics of my creations from The Organic Unbakery.

and my little cherubs...

Best share a recipe with you while you're here!

Raw Chocolate

Ingredients

1/2 cup cacao butter

1/2 cup cacao powder

1/4 cup of maple syrup (more or less to taste)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

pinch of salt 

You will need-

Pot of simmering water

Heat proof bowl

Spatula

Chocolate moulds or pattie cases (whatever you want your chocolate to go in)

Method

Gently melt together the cacao butter and maple syrup It's just as easy to pop a heat proof bowl over a small pot of just simmering water. (I use my thermomix on 37 degree spd 2 until melted so it's still 'raw')
once melted, stir in the cacao powder, vanilla and salt.
pour into moulds and pop in the freezer to set.

I like to add in some nuts and coconut for a bit of crunch.
Hope you enjoy!
Clair

Summer salad with quinoa, peach and sweet dukkah chicken

It's really hot here.
We've not had a day under 28 degrees for about 2 weeks.... TOO LONG! Today we're sitting on a cool 35 degrees, with the next 7 days expected to be between 35-40. Delight. The amazing CFA have been doing it tough battling fires that continue to burn in our area. Hats off to these awesome people who are keeping us all safe.

This hot weather has me pining for a refreshingly light salad and simple protein to keep me satisfied. And since peaches and nectarines are in season here I thought I'd throw them in for that lovely fresh sweetness.
The dukkah chicken is also great- since it's baked, you don't need to stand next to a hot pan. Pop them in the oven for 12-15 min and you're done.
This salad is so delicious- the dressing is a light vinaigrette which matches perfectly with sweet peach, creamy avocado and nutty quinoa, and that satisfying crunch of cos lettuce. Top with the dukkah chicken (hot or cold) and you've got a scrumptious lunch or dinner that everyone will love!

Summer salad with quinoa, peach and sweet dukkah chicken

Serves 2

Dukkah chicken

1 chicken breast, cut into 2 cm strips 

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

3 cloves

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cracked black and white pepper

1/4 cup almonds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon pistachos 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Grind spices together in spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) until finely ground. Add in nuts and seeds and pulse (or smash up) until chunky. 

Toss chicken through dukkah mix, coating evenly. Spread evenly onto a lined baking tray. Pop into oven for 12-15 min (depending on how thick you've cut your chicken).

Tip- I find using whole spices and grinding them myself gives a better flavour and fills your kitchen with a delicious scent. But pre bought ground spices will do just fine.

Quinoa and peach salad

1 head of cos lettuce (or use whatever you like, spinach leaves, rocket, lettuce will also work well)

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 avocado diced

1 peach or nectarine (or even mango would work well) finely sliced

Method

Rinse and cook quinoa in 1 cup water, simmer gently with lid on until you can see 'tails'- about 12 min. Add more water if it's not cooked and you've run out of water (test a little bit- if it's still crunchy it's not cooked).

Once cooked, spread out on a plate to cool.

Wash and drain lettuce, cutting up into bite sized chunks. Add in avocado and peach.

Vinaigrette Dressing 

(enough for 4 serves, so keep some aside)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of maple syrup/ rice malt syrup

1/2 cup olive oil/ avocado oil.

Whisk together ingredient until combined.  

Add cooled quinoa to salad, drizzle dressing over and toss through salad. 

Plate up salad, and top with chicken and some lightly roasted almonds if you like :)

Clair xx

Turkey burger

We survived! Christmas and New Year are behind us- hooray! Our Christmas was 2 days of non stop eating, family, fun and water! We packed up after Boxing day and headed to the beach (hence my quiet blogosphere!) 

beach fro

New Years morning at the beach

'shameless selfie' 

Get in ma belly

 

 We had a wonderful time at the beach, eating fresh fish, shark, abalone and crayfish everyday. It was delicious! Nothing beats fresh seafood!









Anyway! Onto my turkey burger recipe! This is very simple, tasty and full of goodness to nourish your body post Xmas/ New Year festivities.... Perfect for a light dinner, and easily refrigerated for lunch the next day, so go ahead and make a double mix. It has a great mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats to perfectly fill your belly and keep you satisfied. Choose your own salads to go in your burger- anything tastes great (more tips below).

Turkey burger on a sweet potato 'bun' with seasonal salad and tahini dressing

Ingredients-

Turkey burger (makes 2 burgers)
300gms turkey mince
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 egg
1/2 carrot, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
pinch of salt and pepper.
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds ground in mortar a pestle

sesame seeds and poppy seeds to top the burgers.

Feel free to mix up the spices- add extra or omit, depending on your taste.

Sweet potato 'bun'
1 sweet potato, cut into 5mm discs.
1 teaspoon of melted coconut oil to coat

Tahini dressing
1 tablespoon of tahini (sesame paste)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of water
sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional)
Mix all together until well combine. Add more water if too thick.

Method.

Preheat oven to 180'
Coat sweet potato in coconut oil, place on lined oven tray and pop in oven for 40min
Meanwhile, make your turkey burgers-

Turkey burger
In a small pan, cook onion and garlic until soft. Put onion and garlic mix in a large bowl and add all other ingredients. Combine well.
With slightly wet hands, shape into two round burger patties with flat tops
Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper/ silpat mat.
Top with sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
After 20min have gone by on the oven, pop your turkey patties into the oven. At the same time, remove, flip, and return your sweet potato discs to the oven.

Once time is up (20 min) check your patties are cooked through (please adjust depending on your own oven) remove and plate up sweet potato on the bottom followed by salad/veggies of your choice, turkey burger then a big dollop of tahini dressing. Sprinkle with nuts if you like (I used activated pepitas in the picture)

On my burgers I had grilled zucchini (i used the same pan as the onion and garlic was cooked on), tomato, avocado and spinach, but you can put what ever you like (think cucumber, beetroot, or even some sweet mango, avo and mint goes deliciously with spicy foods)
My garden is over flowing with zucchini and tomatoes so they go in everything I eat at the moment!

Enjoy

Clair xx

THE easiest pancakes you will ever make!

Quick and Simple breakfast right here- Banana pancakes with only 2 ingredients.
And did I mention they are DELICIOUS! Your kids will LOVE them!!
Top with some good quality coconut cream and nuts and you have a delicious rounded meal to start your day.
Full of protein, good fats and carbohydrates to nourish and fuel your body.

Recipe:

1 Banana

2 eggs

1 egg white

Method:

Pop all ingredients in a blender and whizz until bubbly.

Over a low heat, melt a little coconut oil in a pan and drop in 3-4 tablespoons of mixture.

Flip once it starts to bubble.

This mix makes about 3 pancakes.

Remember not to have your pan too hot as the natural sugar in the banana will burn very easily.

Top with whatever you like- I have used coconut cream, organic maple syrup, walnuts and some bee pollen.

You could top with berries, coyo, more banana, or a raw chocolate avo mousse for a special occasion. 

Perfect gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly meal.

AND I'm very excited for my lovely friend Jodie (you may remember her as a guest blog post here)

She launched her cookbook 'One Nourished Life' yesterday- I cannot recommend this book enough- it is full of delicious recipes and ideas on how to live a nourished, happy, healthy, vibrant life. It features easy to follow recipes, meal plans, exercise ideas, how to stock your pantry and notes on sustainable living and creating a vegetable patch your neighbours will envy!

Follow her on Instagram here and repost to win a copy of her book and some delicious Soma Bites. You can order her book online at www.onenourishedlife.com or pop into Anytime Fitness Horsham to pick up your copy!

Sneaky vegetable salad with spiced chicken

Sneaky vegetable salad with spiced chicken
This salad tastes so good, you'll forget that it's packed with vegetables full of delicious nutrient to nourish your body and soul.
Inspired by the veggies I had just picked from my garden and some delicious tahini I had the previous night, I threw them all together and the result was mouth watering!
Freshly picked baby kale, broccoli, beetroot, lemon and spring onion out of my garden, adding in some carrot and pear for sweetness and the tahini for a creamy nutty dressing is delicious.
For all you vegetarians, you can easily omit the chicken, or replace with tofu coated in the same spices. 

Salad

Kale leaves, (baby ones if possible, or else massage leaves until soft, see tip below). If you can't get your hands on kale, baby spinach would suffice. About 1 cup chopped.

1/4 beetroot

1 small carrot

1/4 pear

1/4 head of broccoli, 

1 whole broccoli stem

1 spring onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Chicken

1 chicken breast (either whole, or chop it up into bite sized pieces)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayane pepper (omit if you can't handle hot spices)

1/4 teaspoon ground corriander seeds

1 teaspoon coconut flour

salt and pepper to taste

coconut oil for cooking.

Dressing

1 tablespoon Tahini

1/8 teaspoon cayanee pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste 

Prepare salad

Cut stem off broccoli and put aside, then cut up the head into very small florets. Steam for 2-3 min, remove from steamer, put in bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cold, drain, and spin in salad spinner to get rid of all the water.

Massage kale leaves with a little lemon juice and salt until they ‘wilt’ and go darker. Massaging kale is important to reduce the bitter taste and soften the leaves. The acid in the lemon helps break down the cell wall in the kale, making it softer and sweeter. This may take up to 5 min, depending on your kale. I used baby kale fresh out of my garden and it was soft and palatable as is.

Chop up kale.

Peal the outer layer off you broccoli stem, much like you do a carrot. The outer stem is fiberous and stringy but the inner flesh is soft, crunchy and delicious. Slice up the stem finely. 

Grate your pear, carrot and beetroot (I use a mandolin with a fine julienne attachment)

Finely slice spring onion.

Toss all your salad ingredients together with lemon juice

Prepare Chicken

Mix spices and coconut flour in a bowl, coat chicken breast in mix.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and cook chicken until golden.

Dressing

Mix spices and olive oil in the tahini paste. 

Plate up salad, top with sliced chicken breast and top with tahini dressing. Sprinkly sesame seed ontop for a bit of glamour ;)

Tip: Cook up twice as much chicken and freeze it for a day when you can't be bothered cooking. It can easily be added to a quick salad or steamed veggies in no time.
Preparation is the key to healthy living, having nutritious foods on hand all the time and you can't fail. 

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail".

One Nourished Life guest post with sweet-spud and coconut coleslaw recipe

For those who follow my Instagram account, you'll often see me posting pics of food by a lovely friend of mine Jodie. This wonderful lady is a foodie extraordinaire and health yogi and has just had her first book published. She encompasses everything I believe in regarding food, exercise and holistic health and I cannot recommend her book highly enough!

You can buy it HERE or follow her on Instagram HERE or also on Facebook HERE

I asked Jodie to do a guest post for me, so here she is to tell you more about her wonderful book. 

Hi, my name’s Jodie and here’s a little introduction to my book One Nourished Life…

"When friends started suggesting I turn my healthy cooking passion into a book I thought they were crazy! My reaction was always, “But I’m not famous!” Golly, I’m not even a qualified chef or nutritionist. I’m just an everyday person! I work, sleep, and endure the same life stresses and trivialities as much as the next person. My respite from this however, is in my love of food, food that nourishes the body and satisfies the taste buds. Sourcing it, preparing it, cooking it, and of course, eating it!

As a full time gym owner and personal trainer, working in the health and fitness industry has inspired me to take this love of food and use it to complement my efforts in the gym. My passion is to enhance the health outcomes and fitness goals of not just myself but clients too, ensuring optimum nutrition as part of a holistic healthy lifestyle. I gain incredible satisfaction from what I do, helping people to reach their health and fitness goals, but have found the battles of my clients are often only half won. The imperative of diet and quality nutrition often fall by the way side compared to all those hours spent in the gym.

One Nourished Life highlights the ease and simplicity with which nutritious and delicious foods can be incorporated into your everyday life menu. These foods will not only liven up your dinner table and lunch box with new delicious and exciting tastes and textures but will nourish you from the inside-out! Nourishing your body will ignite a new, vibrant lease on life. One which nourishes self, mind, body and soul to permeate a new, healthier way of living."

I’d like to share with you Clair’s favourite recipe! This is just one of my Nourishing recipes:

Food Styling & Photography –

Kate Olsson www.fingerforkknife.com

Kirsty Bryson www.kirstybrysonfoodstylist.com

sweet-spud with coconut coleslaw

Nourish:

This is my DIY version of the much loved festival ‘baked jacket potato’ with healthier flavours that really pack a punch!

Sweet potato is a superior nutrition alternative to the traditional white potato and boasts a lower glycaemic index (gi) and carbohydrate content while containing greater amounts of fibre & vitamin A.

Serves 1

1 whole small sweet potato

½ cup red cabbage, finely shredded

½ cup fennel bulb (or green cabbage), finely shredded

½ cup carrot, grated or noodled

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup organic coconut cream

1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1 small (or ½) clove garlic

1 tablespoon raw almonds, roughly chopped

drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

                                     

Pre-heat fan forced oven to 200 degrees. bake whole sweet potato (uncut and skin on) on baking paper lined oven tray for 1-hour.

Meanwhile, throw shredded veg into a mixing bowl and squeeze with lemon juice. Leave to sit while completing the next step.

In a separate bowl, mix coconut cream (tip: shake can well before opening), mint and garlic. Add to veg mix and combine well.

Once cooked, remove sweet potato from oven and cut in half. Top with coleslaw veg mix, sprinkle with almonds and drizzle with olive oil.

Feel free to add your favourite palm size portion of sustainable and organic fish, chicken or meat for added protein!

Nourishing your body from the inside-out will allow you to give more positive energy to your days and enable you to live a One Nourished Life! xx

Raw chocolate nut truffles

Sorry I've been a bit M.I.A on here lately!
I'm still alive, and still living and loving my paleo lifestyle- although, if you ever come to my house, do not expect to see a clean kitchen! I'm always cooking (which I love) but I don't love the mess! Oh well, you can't have everything!

Here's a recipe I threw together today for on of my most favourite things to eat! Raw chocolate nut truffles. It's pretty much a combination of everything I love!
They are sweet and satisfying, plus full of great fat, vitamins and minerals. Just try not to eat the entire mixture before rolling- like everything- moderation is the key ;)

Recipe mades approx 14 little balls
1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablesp cacao powder (extra for dusting on top)
1 tablesp desiccated coconut
1 tablesp cacao nibs
1 teaspoon mable syrup
1 tablespoon chia seeds
pinch sea salt

Blitz everything in food processor until sticks together when pressed.
Roll into 14 little balls (approx a heaped teaspoon each ball)
Put in fridge to set.

Raw chocolate caramel cheesecake

Another cake! Yep. I love making these delicious raw creations! Full of nutritionally dense ingredients, this cake tastes naughty but doesn't have any nasties in it that you get with traditional cheesecakes.
It is dairy free, gluten free, egg free, grain free, refined sugar free and vegan friendly!
The cake has a slight banana taste to it, if you're not a fan of banana's omit them and add another cup of cashews (preferably soaked) and increase the coconut oil to 1/2 cup.

Recipe

For best results, use a spring form pan. You can line it if you like.

Base

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (or almonds)

1 cup dates

1 tablespoon cacao

big pinch of sea salt flakes

Process all ingredients in food processor until ingredients stick together when pressed. 

Put into spring form pan, pressing down to make a firm base layer, going up the side of the pan slightly.  Put in freezer to set while making the cheesecake.

Cheesecake

2 Bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup cashews

1 cup macadamia nuts

1/4 cup rice malt syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup cacao

1/2 cup coconut cream

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Pour on top of base, and put in freezer to set for 1-2 hours.

Caramel sauce

1 cup medjool dates, soaked (discard water before use)

1 teaspoon mesquite powder (optional)

1 tablespoon almond butter

2 tablespoons coconut cream

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour on top of cheese cake, smooth out top. Return to freezer to set for 4 hours, or overnight.

Cut with a hot knife while still frozen. Allow to soften a little before eating...if you can wait.

Top with raw cacao nibs. Nom nom nom.

Raw carrot cake with 'cream cheese' cashew frosting

I love carrot cake. Sweet and moist with a hint of cinnamon spice and a sneak of coconut. I also love cream cheese- cashew cream cheese that is! Smooth, lemony, creamy goodness.....mouth watering deliciousness!!! Ommnomnom get in ma belly.
I found a good recipe and have changed it up to suit my way of eating- gluten free, grain free, dairy free. It is also egg free and refined sugar free too.
It is wonderfully moist, dense, and totally satisfying.
So here it is!

 Don't mind my lack of food styling skill....

This is before it was covered in the cashew frosting

 Wala! My old cake decorating skills have come in handy....

The cake above is made in a very small (12cm diameter) spring form pan- so I halved the recipe below. Since I'm terrible at not eating the entire cake in one go, I thought I'd better make a small version...

Recipe
Use a spring form pan about 25cm diameter

Cashew frosting-
2 cups cashews (preferably soaked overnight, or for at least 4 hours, then discard water)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons of agave (or sweetener of choice)
2 tablespoons of coconut

Blend everything up in the food processor until smooth- if it seems too dry, add a little water. Set aside. Try not to eat...

Cake
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups almond meal
2 cups pitted medjool dates
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Process carrots until very fine. Add everything else, process until combined.
Press 1/2 mixture into bottom of spring form pan. Spread cashew frosting over top 1cm thick. Put in freezer for 2hours. Press the rest of the mixture on top. Freeze again for 2 hours.
Open spring form pan carefully, cover with rest of cashew frosting.
A small slice is perfect accompanying a cup of tea.
Enjoy!
Clair

Whole30 week 2 and sweet potato chippies!

Another week down!
This week was tough. I was craving sweet food so badly!! I've eaten so many pears and apples this week it is crazy!! If I wasn't doing the Whole30 I would have made up a big batch of my chocolate avo mousse, smothered it on a banana and topped with it walnuts! OMNOMNOMNOM! But I am being good, and not going to do too much SWYPO (what the whole30 call Sex With Your Pants On- turning paleo foods into something that looks and tastes non-paleo)

The crap weather here is so depressing- getting stuck inside- I get bored...and then find myself eating...out of boredom. Argh. I'm beginning to recognise little habits that I have formed over the years relating to when I overeat the most, these are-
when it's depressingly bleak/ rainy weather,
when I watch a movie/ TV (hello popcorn!),
when I'm tired,
when I'm thirsty
and when I haven't planned my meals.
So as hard as it has been this week, I've also learnt a lot- and this is exactly why I'm doing the Whole30- a bit of self discovery!

I've also had my first experience of eating out- the waiter looks at me strangely when I ordered the vegetarian breakfast, hold the beans, with extra bacon instead, and no goats cheese!! The roasted tomatoes still came out with melted cheese on top (meh!) so that was a bit disappointing. I feel for the lactose intolerant people if this happens to them! No cheese means no cheese on anything!!

Apart from all my cravings- I am still feeling really good! I've had a couple of days where I felt really tired and lacked motivation to hit the gym- but really- I'm at home with a 10 week old baby and 3 1/2yr old, I'm going to get tired now and then.

So this week I'm going to try and plan all my meals ahead- pinterest have some great meal planner spreadsheets like this one here

Oh! And you must try making some sweet potato chips (a bit of SWYPO) but hey- it's all good!

Thinly slice sweet potato with mandolin or knife. The thinner the crispier they will get (but be careful not to burn them!)
Preheat oven to 150C
Lightly grease some baking paper with coconut oil.
Place thinly sliced sweet potato in single layer.
Spray with coconut oil
Cook in over for 10 min, or until edges crisp up, then flip and cook again for 10min. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Sprinkle with good quality sea salt/ himalayan salt.

Whole 30

The past 6 months or so I have been a food journey, discovering healthy new ways to enjoy my food- 'have my cake and eat it too' type journey. I've been incorporating super foods into my diet, finding healthy alternatives to heavily processed, sugar laden desserts, and eliminating gluten from my diet. I've also slowly been eliminating diary from my diet- now only occasionally having greek yoghurt 2-3 times a week. I've been using soy in my coffee and almond milk on my oats. It's been an awesome journey- and I'm happily sharing it with all of you who follow my little blog (thanks for reading!)

I feel wonderful, my skin in the clearest it's been forever, my energy levels are good (not perfect- but hey, I've got a 2 month old baby!) and my moods are more stable. I also believe my healthy eating has contributed to my fast recovery after giving birth to Jimmy (after Jimmy was born I had a massive post partum haemorrhage and nearly died, but that story is for another day).

I feel it's time for a new chapter in my journey book. Time to get serious about how I view food. Sadly, like most of us out there, food and I, we have a pretty poor relationship. Food has a hold on me. We constantly fight. I've lost the 'I'm full' signal mechanism. I have cravings. I give in to them. Sometimes I binge. I feel horrible. And one bad food choice can leave me feeling guilty and shit for the rest of the day. I get grumpy, look for comfort, find something yummy, and it feels good for the first bite. But then it's followed by shame and guilt... and the cycle continues. This doesn't happen everyday. Maybe one or twice a week, and luckily the food choices in my cupboard are mostly healthy (but that is not the point). There was a time in my life where it was an everyday occurrence. Especially when I was stressed- like high school, UNI, new job... lets just say the first half of my 20's were spent eating disorderly and binge drinking on the weekend....

I know I'm not the only one like this. I may be the only on that admits it... I'm hoping this may resonate with some of you. 

This isn't how our relationship with food should be. It is not healthy. 

We should be eating to nourish our bodies. Because we love ourselves. And yes, we should love ourselves. It's not selfish. Like that old saying 'No one can love you if you don't first love yourself'. We need to love ourselves enough to want to look after this body we have been given. And the best way to do that is nourishing it with the best foods possible.

So I'm going to be doing a whole lot of self loving from now on. Starting by doing the Whole 30.

I'm not sure if you have read about the Whole30 before- but basically you eat real food. Yep. Real food. For 30 days. NO CHEATS. Nutrient-dense foods like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils that have been raised, fed and grown naturally. Foods that are full of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Read more about it here

Things that are not allowed are sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes and dairy- all of which may not contribute positively on your health- aka- sugar crashes, alcohol binges, bread basket overload etc. 

Also, the way these foods are broken down in your gut can be the cause of, or exacerbate a myriad of disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, asthma, allergies, skin conditions, PCOS, infertility, migraines, depression, bipolar disorder, heartburn, reflux, joint pain, ADHD, thyroid dysfunction, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, leaky gut syndrome, Chron's disease, IBS, Celiac disease, diverticulitis, and ulcerative colitis.

It's NOT a diet- It's not about weight loss. You eat as much as you need to maintain strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight. 

I have some lagging IBS issues, even after cutting gluten, which I want to find the source of and eliminate (hence me already cutting back on dairy), but for me, the whole 30 is more about changing my long-standing, unhealthy patterns related to food, eating and my body image. Another bonus is that most people will see a dramatic reduction or elimination of food cravings, particularly sugar and carbohydrates. 

I've got a good start on the Whole30- since most of the no-go list I've already discovered for myself  negatively impacts my health- I don't drink alcohol (sober for 1 1/2 years) I don't eat gluten, I've minimised dairy and I don't eat much sugar. I will miss my healthy desserts (which although fit into the foods allowed- still psychologically have the same effect as naughty foods, so I'm steering clear for now). So hopefully I won't have as many sugar crashes/ carb cravings as people who eat all these foods to begin with and I can focus on my relationship with food- eg hunger cues (am I hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli? No, then it's a craving, not real hunger).

Don't be afraid that I won't be getting enough carbs or other nutrients- all the foods I have to eat are full of everything I need. Vegetables and fruits have carbohydrates. Meat has protein, nuts and oils have amazing amounts of essential vitamin and minerals. Food manufactures just like to spin it that their bread/milk/chocolate is full of the best whole grains/calcium/antioxidants  around. It's a big money making scheme (don't get me started!!). 

So essentially it's about empowering myself again (do I sound like Oprah?! haha!). I want to be in charge of my wants and needs, not be a slave to food and how it makes me feel. I'm hoping this experience will be the learning tool to gain awareness of how the foods I use to eat were actually affecting how I look, feel, live and perform. I can then carry that knowledge forward, and use it to change the way I eat for the rest of my life (since it's a whole30, not whole365, you can incorporate no-go foods back into your diet if you like, after the 30 days).

The website www.whole9life.com is full of wonderful and interesting topics related to Paleo eating. The book 'It starts with food' is a wonderful eye opener and a must read if you want to try Whole30. Personally I'm fascinated by nutrition, so I'm very excited to see how my body responds to this primal eating.  

So I hope you don't mind, my next few blog posts will be about my journey on Whole30. I'll be posting recipes along the way too.

Cheers,

Clair