Heal & Nourish

Yes. Spot on!

When you remove sugar in your diet you will find these processed foods become too sweet to your palates.

The hard truth that society doesn't accept. There is sugar everywhere.

Mango Jelly

Mangoes are in abundance now.

It's so easy to whip this with some gut-loving gelatin.

You just need:
*2 large overripe mangoes
*1 cup filtered water
*100ml coconut cream
*2 tbsp of gelatin powder**
*1 tsp cinnamon powder**

Blend everything except gelatin powder to combine. Then in saucepan and on low heat, cook the mixture till it liquidates, sprinkle on top the gelatin powder. Once gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat and pour onto a tray and let it cool then set in the fridge.

**I source my gelatin and cinnamon from .

Save this post to make later or make it today. It's mango season!

I was gifted this. It looks like it is to be eaten as it is 'uncooked'.

Is it safe to eat it uncooked?

How would you eat it?

Thank you for sharing 🙏

What’s in my Food?

Always ask and read the back of packets.

You don’t put the wrong fuel in your car, so why do you do it to your one body for life.

Want to know what’s in those colourful Christmas M&M? Check out this post from The Root Cause

Hey it’s Christmas but it’s time to double down and ask What’s In My Food?

Why? Because :
1. Children tend to eat a lot more ultra processed food each day as there is more of these foods gifted or on offer,

2. Ultra processed foods tend to be even more highly coloured at this time of year.

Let’s just consider this. 1 tbs or a small handful of Christmas Coloured M&M’s contains about 4 tsp of sugar 😱. That’s more than the recommended amount for a primary aged child across the whole day.

And then look at those colours!

In Europe, 2 of these colours must show a health warning on labels!

Potential symptoms of the colours in these M&M’s include, but are not limited to, behavioural issues, asthma, eczema, learning difficulties and more.

There are some simple swaps you can make. Choose plain chocolate, the darker the better.

Please share this post to raise awareness. Leave me a comment if you’d like help answering what’s in my food?

Breakfast is served!

Congee made with beautiful oyster mushrooms in chicken broth, garlic and ginger.

I use the plump Japanese sushi rice, soaked it overnight, so it cooks in just 15 minutes.

This is it. The last school lunchbox for 2022!

This is like the lunch from school canteen- meat pie.

I have packed 400 school lunchboxes this year with 2 children.

How many have you packed?

Not feeling 100% after I woke up this morning- itchy throat and brain fog.

Made a pot of fresh ginger tea.

5cm long fresh ginger, wash clean, and with skin on smash it up then boil in 2 cups of water, then simmer down to just about 1 cup of liquid.

Let cool and drink it up with lemon juice and raw honey.

What's your go to remedy when you are feeling off?

Practice makes Perfect.

My energy balls are pretty evenly rolled up in equal sizes.

This time I added cooked quinoa, dates and MCT oil.

The Guidelines- should you follow or should you not?

I shall leave it to you to decide. Whichever you decide, I suggest you to read and find out who created our beloved and trusted guidelines. Link in comments.

Dr James Muecke

“The Guidelines apply to all healthy Australians”

With over two-thirds of Australian adults and one-quarter of our kids being overweight or obese, the majority of Australians are not metabolically healthy.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines are not relevant for most Australians…

Sunday dessert 😋

If you have ever travelled to South East Asia, you'd know what it is called.

Mango sticky rice with coconut cream.

I like mine served cold on a sunny day like today.

You need
*fresh ripe mango (in season now)
*coconut cream- I used 2x270ml
*sticky rice- I used 3 cups of mixed white and purple sticky rice.
*1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
*2 tbsp coconut sugar
*1 tbsp of gelatin powder
*coconut milk
*good salt

***I soaked the rice overnight with a pinch of salt. Drain and rinse well. I used electric rice cooker- 3 cups of rice with coconut milk up to 2 cups level, add a pinch of salt.

In a saucepan on low heat, add the coconut cream, 1 tsp of cinnamon powder and 2 tbsp of coconut sugar, whisk it up till sugar dissolves. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of gelatin powder and continue stirring till it dissolves.

Remove from heat and serve warm on cooked rice with cut up fresh mango. Sprinkle on some extra cinnamon powder and roasted sesame seeds.

The coconut cream mixture will become jelly like once it is refrigerated, which I like to eat mine.

Make this today or save this post for later.

Happy Sunday!

When are they going to leave our children alone?

It's imperative for us as a collective to stand for our Children’s Health. If we don't, who will?

Read the ingredients list. Vote with your dollar.

Thank you Dr James Muecke for sharing this information.

Get ‘em hooked early….

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-08/toddler-food-products-failing-sugar-guidelines-research/101749342

It's mango season 🥭🥭🥥🥥

Time to whip up this family favourite.

Can you guess what it is?

Friday's school lunch is just another fridge clean out meal.

Steamed, roasted vegetables topped with pan fried eggs.

Plus some cacao bliss balls and fresh vegetables and fruit.

1 more week to go for school in 2022.

Have you ever thought of how many lunchboxes you have packed in a year?

An interesting read on how our body stores carbs as fats.

Some great information to be found via the app

Study reveals carbs, not fat, increase risk of type 2 diabetes.

A new study finds high body mass index (BMI) is closely correlated to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Limiting carbs is more effective at treating type 2 diabetes than lowering blood sugar with medications.

Nutritional guidelines urge us to eat less fat, but this study highlights the importance of more appropriate and up to date nutritional advice.

For decades, nutrition guidelines have stressed a low-fat diet as the key to good health and reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes, but the latest science demonstrates that simply isn’t true. A recent study has shown eating too many carbohydrates, not dietary fats, can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

What did the study entail?

Researchers conducted a study to better understand how the body processes large amounts of carbohydrates. They believed that overeating carbohydrates might contribute to metabolic distress, which can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The study tracked healthy weight and healthy overweight participants, as they consumed a carbohydrate-heavy diet (in some cases over 350g of carbohydrates a meal).

What did the study find?

The study demonstrated that an excess of carbohydrates could increase the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Participants with a high BMI were more likely to develop serious metabolic issues, not just those who were overweight.

Why is this important?

Treatment of type 2 diabetes focuses on lowering blood sugar rather than preventing excess carbohydrate intake. But overeating carbohydrates is a widespread problem. The study shows that if our intake of carbs isn’t controlled, some traditional ways of treating diabetes, like giving patients more insulin to lower blood sugar, can potentially be more harmful.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/10/bodys-ability-to-prevent-cell-damage-hampered-by-excess-carbs/

https://www.defeatdiabetes.com.au/

Wednesday school lunch

*Kebab stick
*Choc bliss balls
*Baby cucumbers and grapes

What have you packed for work and school today?

Wow. Look at the price of red meat at Costco today 😢 and they aren't grass-fed meat.

It's time to eat more lentils, legumes and plants, as reminded by my farm animals
🥬🌶🫑🍆🥕🍍🍄🧅🥦🌽🍏🫑🥒🥜🥝🫐🍓🍒🍑🍐🍉🍈🍊🍋🍌🍇🥭

What am I making?

Doing a catch up of baking and cooking tonight because weekend was spent with kids concert and swim meet.

What would you make with these real ingredients?

My dinner tonight. After a long day at a swim meet. I just want my greens:

Packed the blender full half with baby spinach
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup cooked chickpea
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup frozen bananas
1 cube frozen sweet potato
1 tbsp green banana resistant starch
1 tbsp gut-loving powder from Deeto
A small pinch of salt
Fill the blender to maximum level with coconut water.

Blend it up and eat the smoothie with a spoon!

Today's work and school lunch.

Just a fridge clean out meal because it is a Friday.

How many vegetables and fruit can you spy?

What colour is missing?

Purplish PINK or Pinkish PURPLE?

Is this your favourite colour? It's mine 🥰

Home-made (fermented) beetroot hummus

What you need:
*3 medium beetroots
*3 florets of cauliflower
*1 cup cashews or cooked chickpeas
*2 tbsp h**p seeds
*2 tbsp tahini paste
*1/2 cup roasted garlic
*1 tsp probiotic powder (optional)
*1 tsp mushroom powder (optional)
*1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
*1 tbsp of lemon juice
*A dash of LOVE ❤️

How to:
Soak cashews in salt water overnight to activate. Drain and rinse cashews.

Wash the beetroots and remove any dirty parts. Leave skin on, boil till tender- when a skewer runs through. Roughly chop up and let cool completely.

Pulse the cauliflower into rice then throw everything else in a food processor and pulse till it has the texture you like.

If you like it with the same sweetness as store-bought one, add 1 tbsp of maple syrup otherwise omit it. I did. Mushroom powder gives that umami flavour.

Enjoy it with your favourite veggies sticks, crackers or eat it by spoonful like me 😋😋😂

**Store-bought hummus has added vegetable oil, additives and preservatives.

Why not make your own?

Save this post for later or make it now.

How beautiful is this photo🐝🐝🐝

Did you know that bees sleep 5-8 hours a day, sometimes in flowers? They also like to sleep with other bees and connect their feet.

📷

Having so much fun last night at Open for Business networking event hosted by Rainbow Crossing Inc at OzFunland.

Connecting with local business owners. Food + Music by talented Julie Accordion had us all off our chair, dancing and singing along 💃🕺

Who says you can't mix business with pleasure 🤣

What a great night to end the Small Business Month!

Good Morning Macarthur

Photo credit All About Style Personal Stylist

Monday dinner is meat-free, so Tuesday school lunch is leftovers GF pasta tossed in garlic, cashew cream.

It may not look like enough protein but kids had 2 poached eggs with roasted vegetables for breakfast this morning.

Sweet potato brownies with maple coated nuts and green plum and pear.

What's in your lunchbox today?

It’s that time of the year where schools are having end of year parties, disco 🪩

These events are for celebration. Sadly children are often overloaded with sugar, junk and synthetic foods at these end of year celebrations.

Check out this post from The Root Cause

Be a Kid’s Health Hero and Stand with us for our Children’s Health.

We provide our partner schools ideas 💡 for real food celebrations.

https://therootcause.com.au/children's-health-program/?ref=8

Call me the Fun police👮‍♀️, or whatever name you wish, but I Stand for Children's Health.

I know it's coming to the end of the year. I know it's Christmas.
BUT, this is just insane! 🤯
🍫🍭37.5 tsp sugar and about 58 additives (as a bare minimum). 🍫🍭

1 primary aged child goes to a school disco.
This is what she was given by the school.
All children were given an ice block and a Chupa Chup on their way out. This girl also won the Super Sour Stocking.

Her mum sent this to me saying "All kids were already eating their ice block by the time she arrived to collect them and of course she wanted eat the lollies when she got home too. The struggle is real."🤪

😱 Right now we have 43% of Australian kids living with a chronic illness.
😱Adult onset conditions like diabetes type 2 are now impacting our kids.
😱 A new British study has just found 1 million kids who visually looked healthy, were in fact carrying fat on the inside around their organs and this is heavily linked to the food ultra processed they eat and their sedentary lifestyle.

Let's just be 100 clear.
There is no 'just one won't hurt' - because it's no longer just one.
There is no moderation - because kids are eating ultra processed foods every day.

As adults responsible for the health of this generation, we need to do better.

We seriously are giving our kids mixed messages about food. School is a place where we educate kids on healthy choices, but at many turns, children are given lollies like this. It just sends mixed messages.

At home we tell them to eat their vegetables yet they have packet food in their lunchbox every day.

Mixed messages everywhere.

Look don't get me wrong. I believe there is a time and a place for this kind of food, but I also feel we need to be a little more responsible with how we dish out this kind of food.

That's why our Children's Health Program is super powerful. We help schools and parents recognise the role both play in children's health, and what their responsibilities are. We help them realise food can fun without all the sugar and additives.

Enquire at https://therootcause.com.au/childrens-health-program/

Have you ever wondered who owns what?

Here is the whole picture- Big Food Companies with an illusion of choice.

There appears to be hundreds of brands to choose from. In truth, they are all controlled by the same large corporations.

All of them put their big profits before public health. And none of them have your health in mind.

Knowledge is Power. Education is Key. Vote with your dollar.

Just Eat Real Foods. Shop at Farmers' Market. Make Your Own. Grown Your Own.

The Root Cause

My Sunday read.

Such a great book! I highly recommend it.

How our food pyramid is fraudulent and in some way responsible for the 6 epidemics in our society.

This weekend only-
GREEN FRIDAY SALE- Buy 2 Get 1 FREE

These products are handcrafted by university-qualified nutritionist.

Check them out here:
https://www.deeto.com.au/?ref=sokka

Transparency: I only recommend the brands that I personally use and trust. By using this link to make your purchase, you are supporting 2 small businesses as I may receive a rebate with no extra charge to you. Thank you 🙏

I don't know about you but I am celebrating because it's the end of Week 7 💃

Take a moment to look at how far you have achieved on whatever you set to achieve even you haven't reached your goal yet.

Give yourself some grace ❤ Celebrate your small turtle steps 👏

Today our school lunchbox contains dinner leftovers- bolognaise spaghetti, sweet potato brownies and nectarine.

Only 3 weeks to go to end this year with a loud bang! You have got this 💪

Share what you pack in your kid's school lunchbox today.

School lunch today has

Sourdough seeds roll, filled with sardines and tuna mixture*, carrots and cucumber.

*With a fork, mash up a tin of sardines and a can of tuna with garlic cashew hummus, lemon juice, salt and pepper. This filled up 3 rolls.

Voila, healthy lunch made in 5 minutes.

How is your mojo for packing school lunchbox? We are in Week 7- not long now :)

WTH 🤬😡 I didn't know about this.

Did you know that

"Some costs incurred by junk food manufacturers – such as advertising, marketing and sponsorship – are tax-deductible, therefore reducing the cost of selling low-nutrition food products and sugar-sweetened beverages. Industry lobbyists persuade our governments to provide tax breaks, also called tax subsidies, which lower operating costs and the cost of their products, thereby increasing consumption,”- Dr James Muecke

Mums and Dads- Vote with your dollar and Be a stand for your children.

Don't trade your child's health for convenience. Feed them real foods that are grown from nature.

🚨The health of this generation of children is NOW IN CRISIS. It's why YOU must take a stand now. 🚨

The Root Cause

“I support Dr Muecke’s call to end tax subsidies for companies promoting unhealthy foods.” Sophie Scamps MP
Thanks for your support Sophie.
Thanks for the story Tom McIlroy from Financial Review.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/why-this-doctor-isn-t-pushing-for-a-tax-on-sugary-drinks-20221112-p5bxon

At Coles today 🤨

It's time to grow my own.

This is my lunch today .

I have heard of the restaurant before but have never visited it. As I was passing by after my appointment today, I drove in, parked my car and found myself inside the restaurant, warmly greeted with a big smile by the owner herself.

The ambience is peaceful and serene.

Looking at the menu I was sold, everything on the menu has real ingredients in them.

This is my plate of Steamed Green Twister plus a cup of Adrak Masala Chai full of ginger goodness.

Eating out is an occasional treat for me because most times I ended up not feeling 100% afterwards.

My region- Campbelltown LGA is inundated with fast food restaurants, I am thrilled to find a Cafe/restaurant that serves real wholefoods.

The Alkalizer is situated in the Campbelltown Council building on Queen St, if you are a local, check it out!

P.S. I am impressed that there are no fizzy drinks/cola in their fridge 👍

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the restaurant. I am just a great supporter of local small businesses.

This popped up on my tweets.

This is a breakfast of a child at a grandma's house 😢

I remember someone once told me that being a grandparent is a complete milestone- you love your grandchildren with unconditional love and without responsibility.

I am not sure what 'without responsibility' really means because I am not a grandparent yet.

But when it comes to a child's health, it is EVERYONE's responsibility to ensure that what we feed them makes them thrive NOT makes them sick.

We are living in a highly processed food world and our children are brought into this unhealthy world involuntarily.

It's our responsibility to ensure they get to live a happier, healthier and longer life than us.

We all have a choice. Be the change and stand with us for our children's health 🙏 If we don't, who would??

What are your thoughts?

The Root Cause

Monday 14th November 2022 was World Diabetes Day.

Diabetes Australia has published a new report with the following statistics:

✔️Every 4.5 minutes an Australian is diagnosed with Diabetes.
✔️Since 2000, the number of Australians with Diabetes has increased by 220%.
✔️ In the past decade, there's been a 37% increase in people under 39 developing Type 2 Diabetes.
✔️ Every year Diabetes contributes to 1.1 million hospitalisations- one every 30 seconds!
✔️ 1.5 million Australians have diabetes- that's the size of Adelaide.
✔️ 2 million Australians could develop diabetes-related complications in the next 2 decades.
✔️ By 2050, Diabetes will cost Australia $45 billion each year.
✔️ By 2050, more than 3.1 million Australians will have Diabetes. That's twice the size of Adelaide.

As the number of people living with diabetes continues to increase, so too do the costs associated with it.

In the past two decades, the cost of direct healthcare (up 289%), hospital costs (up 308%) and medicines (up 282%) have all exploded, while hospitalisations have increased by 149% since 2004.

The diabetes epidemic is one of the most significant health challenges Australia has ever faced.

Diabetes Australia is calling for all Australians to join their campaign for unified and sustained action in changing the trajectory of this epidemic to create a healthier future.

I Unite with Diabetes Australia in the fight for change.

This is why I love the work I do with The Root Cause. We stand for Children's Health.

Will you stand with us?