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Health Benefits of Nuts and Seeds

Why you should eat nuts and seeds on a daily basis!

When I was growing up, the only nuts I knew were peanuts, which are actually not nuts but legumes. They are classified as nuts because of the similar effects they have in our bodies. There are many different types of nuts and seeds; Cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, Pecan nuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Macadamia, Pistachios, Groundnuts, Chiaseeds, Flax/Linseeds, Sunflower seeds, Hempseeds, Sesam seeds, and Pumpkin seeds.

 I buy as many different nuts as I can, actually I always have nuts and seeds in my house. I have learned a trick on how to make everyone in the house eat nuts and seeds; I always have a jar of nuts and seeds that I mix and crush, and so I mix them in smoothies, in soups, in currys, in stews, in pancakes, in salads, in oatmeals…everywhere!

Dr. Gregor in his book „HOW NOT TO DIE“ talks about Erectile Dysfunction ( the inability to get an erection, or not a hard one) in young men.“ Erectile Dysfunction may be caused by artery–clogging diets (like meats, eggs, processed foods, heavy alcohol drinking, smoking etc). Hardening of your arteries, can lead to softening of your penis, since stiffened arteries can’t relax open and let the blood flow!   40 percent of men over age 40 have erectile dysfunction. Measuring the blood flow into a mans penis can predict the result of his cardiac stress test with an accuracy of 80 percent.“ He continues to say that the reason why young men should care about their cholesterol levels is because they predict erectile dysfunction later in life, which in turn predicts heart attacks, strokes and a shortened life span.

A study shows that men who ate 3-4 handfull of pistachios a day for 3 weeks experienced a significant improvement in blood flow through the penis accompanied by significantly firmer erections….now you understand why I put nuts everywhere!!

But I also do it for myself, because; in Women, higher cholesterol levels report significantly lower AROUSAL,lower ORGASM, lower LUBRICATION and lower SEXUAL SATISFATION! Guys, I am at my early 40s,  I don’t want to start buying lubricants! And women over 40, you know we are approaching menopause, where these problems already exist, so don’t make them worse by having  high cholesterol! Eat your portion of nuts, lots of fruits and vegetables and integrate some kind of movement into your day, a 20 minutes walk is good enough!

 

What are Nuts and Seeds otherwise good for:

Some nuts have more of different nutrients than others, but generally they have the same nutrional value:

  • They are a good source of proteins, healthy fats, minerals-Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Selenium,Phosphorous and folate,  fiber and vitamins-E, B6,
  • They are high in fiber and low in cholesterol
  • Against heart diseases, the unsaturated fats in nuts and seeds is said to have protective effects
  • Some nuts are high in Amino acids whichis said to keep our blood vessels healthy which keeps your blood pressure in check
  • When it comes to weight, although nuts and seeds are high in fats, they may even help in weight loss. This is because, their fats are not fully absorbed by the body and also the fact that their nutrient density and fiber content are high, they keep you filled up for long hence eat less.
  • Nuts have phytochemicals that act as antioxidants helping to fight neutralize free redicals in our body that cause chronic inflammation which in return are responsible for diseases like cancer and diabetes.
  • LDL Cholesterol which is also known as the „bad cholesterol“ could be reduced by consuption of nuts and seeds which have good fats

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend 30 Grams of nuts on at least 5 days a week. This is equals to about 30 almonds, 10 Brazil nuts, 15 Cashew nuts, 20 Hazel nuts, 10 Walnuts, a handful of Peanuts, 15 Pecan nuts, etc

 

Of all nuts, Walnuts have the highest Omega 3 levels and antioxidants and are said to supress Cancer Cell growth!
In a Research- Association of Nut Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality, participants who ate 28 grams of nuts daily had a lower death rate than those who didn’t.

Nut consumption is said to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases like heart diseases and Diabetes.
 

I hope Nuts and Seeds are now on your next shopping List! Eat them raw and unsalted as a snack, cook them in foods, add them to your cereals, to your smoothies and everywhere else!

The Power of Sweet Potatoes

They are as delicious as they are healthy!

I love this Sweet Potatoes-Vegetable Curry because of it's colours. In food, different colours means different nutrients, and that is why we are encouraged to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Since I became vegan and started reading a lot about foods and how they help our bodies, I have become very specific about how I combine my foods. I choose foods that compliment each other, offer enough nutrients for my body and also make my taste buds do a happy dance.

One of the foods I nowadays eat alot of, is sweet potatoes. I add them raw in my smoothies, cook them like potatoes, mash them, bake them, make burgers with them, prepare dips with them and like in this dish, include them in my currys.

So, which health benefits do sweet potatoes have?

  • They boost your immune system. They are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C also enhances the absorption of Iron and that means that getting enough vitamin C helps your body get enough Iron thus decreasing the risk of Iron deficiency-Anaemia.
  • They are rich in Vitamin A. The bete-carotene in sweet potatoes is converted to Vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A is important in protecting eye health.
  • They help reduce Constipation. The fiber in sweet potatoes aids in digestion. Foods high in fiber are said to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
  • They may help in reducing blood pressure or maintaining a healthy blood pressure level. The American Heart Association encourages people to eat a low sodium(salt) diet and a high potassium diet. Potassium helps in excreting sodium out of the body. Sweet potatoes are high in Potassium!
  • They may help in reducing the risk of type 2 Diabetes. Studies have shown that people who consume more fibre appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
  • They are good for breasfeeding mothers and pregnant women because they are rich in Folate or Folic Acid. Folate is necessary in the production of red and white cells in the bone marrow. Folate is very important when children are growing, ranging from a foetus in pregnancies, through infancy up to adolescence.

Cooking sweet potatoes with their skin can increase their nutritional value. Clean them well if cooking with the skin!

Sweet Potatoes- Vegetable Curry with Smoked Tofu

One big sweet potatoe about 750g
5 medium sized potatoes
1 medium sized broccoli
350 grams smoked Tofu- if you dont have Tofu, add beans fort he proteins
5 tomatoes-diced
200g green beans (mishiri)
150g button mushrooms- optional
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 medium red onions
6 cloves of garlic-diced
a piece of ginger-diced
2 full tablespoons of curry powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
250ml vegan creme or coconut milk
750ml water or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons of crushed nutmix! You can also just add the nuts you have even without crushing them- but crushing then makes your sauce creamier
Juice of one lemon
Coriander
Salt and Pepper
some cherry tomatoes to top and garnish

-Prepare all the vegetables like in the photos
-Heat oil in a large pot, add onions and fry till transluscent, then add the mushrooms and the diced garlic and ginger, fry for about 3 minutes.
-Add the tomatoes and the spices and cook for another 2 minutes
-Potatoes need longer than sweet potatoes to cook, so add potatoes and the tofu first, stir well then fill up with water or stock. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
-Add the sweet potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes
-Add all other vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes, make sure not to overcook your vegetables. Taste for salt and pepper, add lemon juice,  the nutmix and the creme or coconut milk. Cook for one more minute
- I normally cut the stems of my coriander, put them to cook with the food for more aroma and then add the leaves while serving
-Serve in a large bowl, slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters, sprinkle on top. The tomatoes give this dish some fruitiness, tanginess and also freshness! Add as much coriander as you like!!!

 

 

 

 

SMOOTHIE FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS

Which foods should breastfeeding mothers be eating more of?

A mother who is  breastfeeding has to always be careful about what they eat. The Food you eat should have enough nutrients because that is exactly what your baby is getting. Breastmilk is the first important stone you lay as a foundation for your Baby’s health.

There is so much that has to grow and be formed, your baby’s bones have to strengthen, the teeth have to come out strong and Even the brain has to grow.

 

A mother needs foods with lots of vitamins and minerals. Mostly, these are found in plants and that is why I insist on taking smoothies with raw vegetables and fruits. The foods I choose for this smoothie are rich in Calcium, folate, Zinc, Vitamin C,  healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and Proteins among other things.

SWEET POTATOES –KALE–BEETROOT SMOOTHIE 

7 leaves of Kale

1 medium sized sweet potatoe

1 medium sized beet root

1 Cup of boiled white beans (without salt)

3 Stalks of celery

½ Pineapple

1 Banana

1 Apple

1 Kiwi

A piece of ginger

500ml fortified  Soy milk

500ml coconut water or just water or you can take 1 liter of milk.

2 tablespoons of almonds

2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon of Chia seeds

 

Blend everything together till smooth. If you have a small blender,do it in bits and mix the blended smoothie.

This gives you about 2 liters, maybe for breakfast and lunch and then you can take some lentils Curry with brown rice and broccoli and carrots for lunch.

Ask yourself what nutrients your Food has and how you can improve on that. You can add nuts like groundnuts or cashews to your lentils or beanstew because thatway, you add vitamins, minerals and the Good fats that help in brain growth. Cook your food with little oil and then add an avocado to it. Avocados have good fats but also vitamins and minerals, normal cooking oil only has fats!

 

As a breasfeeding mother, even when you want to loose weight, which is understandable, don’t restrict your calorie intake. If you opt for healthy foods like beans, even soy beans, vegetables, salads, brown Rice, brown pasta, potatoes, sweetpotatoes, arrowroots (nduma), Oats, nuts, seeds like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, chiaseeds, hampseeds etc, the weight will be gone before you know it.

 

Make sure you eat green leafy vegetables everyday! Kale (sukuma wiki) is the king in this categorie, but also spinach, mangold, terere, managu, pumpkin leaves and all the other traditional greens available!

 

Last but not least, take time everyday to go out for a walk with your baby, even if it is just for 20 minutes, the fresh air is good for you and your baby but also the vitamin D you get from the sun. Vitamin D is important because, after eating all these foods with Calcium, it would be a pity if the body cannot use all of it due to lack of Vitamin D, it is the Vitamin that helps the Body to absorb Calcium. Infact I advice everyone to take Vitamin D supplements!

 

Research has shown that even people who eat animal products might not get enough Vitamin B12. This Vitamin is one of the essential one for the bodyand should be taken everyday. When you mostly eat  plantbased meals, invest in Vitamin B12 supplements!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CABBAGE IS A SUPER FOOD!

Cabbage has more nutrients than many of us think.

Salads are always a great way of eating highly nutrious foods with low calaries. Greens are packed with vitamins, minerals and also fiber which helps feed our good bacteria.
The good thing with salads is that you can mix almost everything, make them colourful and also combine with other nutrient dense foods like nuts, seeds, fruits and even dried fruits.

It is however important to check the dressing you are taking with your salad. Often, we think we are eating healthy salads but the dressings we add are high in fats and sugars hence making them unhealthy.

One of the salads I really love doing is Cabbage Salad, and I don’t do it with mayonnaise , the coleslaw that we know, I do it with a sunflower seeds dressing.

 Cabbage is widely undermined and not necessarily seen as a super food, but it actually is very healthy. It is a cruciferous vegetable, that means that it is very high in antioxidants and also rich in vitamin K & C,  Folate and Manganese.

Your digestion also benefits from eating cabbages. And for those with high blood pressure, cabbage might help lower it because it contains potassium which helps the body to shed sodium (salt) through urine. We all know that too much salt is bad for you, so you might as well reduce your salt intake!

CABBAGE -ARUGULA SALAD

1/4 Cabbage sliced into stripes

100g Arugula, you can replace with spinach, mangold, lamb's lettuce, or any other green leefy vegetable 

3 Stalks of spring onions in small slices 

10 Cherry tomatoes cut into halves

1/2 Cucumber thinly sliced 

1 red onion cut into thin slices 

1 red Bell Pepper in thin slices

Chives or parsley nicely diced 

mix everything well

 

SUNFLOWER SEEDS DRESSING 

100 g Sunflower seeds

1 Tablespoon Tahini( sesam seeds paste) or just 1 tablespoon of Sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon of white Miso ( fermented soya paste)

300ml Coconut water or orange juice

1 organic lemon- peel thinly, getting only the yellow/green and then peel the rest to get the flesh

1/4 Cucumber 

1/2 bunch of Coriander/Cilantro

1 teaspoon of coconut sugar, agave syrup or normal sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt, be careful with salt coz Miso is salty

Put in a blender and blend till smooth, for about 2 minutes depending on your blender.

Pour over your salad and enjoy it with a piece of whole wheat bread for lunch.

To add on more nutrients, you can add a cup of kidney beans to the salad!

 

 

 

SET SMALL ATTAINABLE GOALS

Do not overwhelm yourself with how much has to be done or how much weight has to be lost!

„Don’t wash your dirty linen in public“, is that how the saying goes?
First things first, my laundry is clean.
And I mean cleaned, ironed and arranged. Doing these three things within two days is unheard of in this house. I am one of the least organized people you have ever met. So, this is where the washing of the dirty linen in public comes in. I am publicly talking about my bad habits!

I wash frequently, but the thing I do not do very frequently is iron. So, I will wash, fold the things that don’t need to ironed and put them in the wardrobe or drawers, or hang them. The things that need to be ironed especially in summer, because that is when I mostly put on blouses, I pile them in a basket and wait until I get into an ironing mood….which is never!

But since I decided that this year, I will be productive during my BODY, MIND and SOUL Detox or fasting time, I wrote down the things I wanted to accomplish in the five days I was going to be alone in the house. One of the things was filing my letters and document (There is a blog coming about that), and the other huge task was ironing. I had three baskets full of clothes, bedsheets, blouses, summer trousers, headscarves, children’s clothes which have been inside there for some months now and are probably already too small for them, even the blue dress I wore when I went to meet the Kenyan Ambassador to Germany in October was also inside there!

Are you now asking yourselves why I am so lazy? Hold on a minute, don’t get me started on how busy my normal day looks like…but also don’t dare ask me what my phone statistics says about how much time I spend staring at it or how much I have binged on my Netflix series…this is not the issue here! Let’s forget about the time factor for a minute, the real reason, is that I hate ironing! If someone would offer to be ironing for me once a month, I would offer to cook for them and their immediate families a delicious meal once a month…would that be a fair deal? But anyway, as long as the baskets are arranged nicely and kept away, they don’t disturb anyone…. except they do, they disturb my subconscious mind that knows that I have 3 baskets of clothes waiting to be ironed!

So, on the first day of fasting, I take all the three baskets and put them in the living room where I get to see them all the time. I try avoiding looking at them, but they are as present as the hip of documents that need to sort out and filed by me. Mind you, I have no Phone to look at while walking past them, nothing to keep my mind busy with! At some point I get angry at myself for letting things pile up for so long. I then make myself a cup of tea, sit at the dining table, which only makes me think about food, and I start making new year’s resolutions of how organized I want to be, the list is long…. just another maneuver to avoid starting what must be done.

It is mind blowing how much time you have when you wake up at 5am and go to bed at 10pm without cooking for the kids, setting the table and eating with the family, arguing with your kids, driving them to school, helping them with their homework, looking for school things that they have misplaced, making mandazis for school events, cleaning their rooms, cleaning your sons shoes that are full of dog shit that just landed on your carpet, driving them to their respective hobbies, all that before you go back to work or in between!  
 You have 17 Hours! And even when you deduct, 1 hour meditation,1 hour prayer, 1 hour of journaling, and 2 hours walk, and maybe even 1 hour sitting on the toilet coz you pee a lot and 1 hour of taking an afternoon nap, you still have more than 10 hours at your disposal. Do you know what you can accomplish in 10 Hours? 10 Hours a day! I think I will get rid of these kids and start getting rich!

 I stand in front of the Ironing board feeling extremely overwhelmed.  There is a lot that must ironed, I don’t even know where to start. So, I decide to return one basket to my bedroom and the other one to the bathroom and just iron one basket. I promise myself that if I didn’t want to, I would stop and continue later. I finish the one basket, go to the bedroom take 3 blouses, iron them and then 2 and then a bedsheet and then 2 trousers from the bathroom basket…
After almost 4 hours, with stops in between, I was done with all the baskets! I was tired, but also happy and relieved.

Now you know why I don’t iron, where on earth would I get so much time to iron on a normal day? Ok, maybe I should plan my day better, or be better organized. But I already have some kind of organization in my not organized house. I know where to find everything when I need it, and it‘s not like the things are lying around everywhere, they are nicely stacked in those baskets, even that is organization!

Anyway, I learned a lesson all in this…sometimes we overwhelm ourselves with big seemingly impossible tasks. We often feel helpless because the tasks before us are too huge to do or deal with at once and thus end up not doing them at all.
Me telling myself that I just needed to iron one basket, reduced the pressure I had in my head of having to do everything at once.

This is what happens for example when we tell ourselves that we want to loose 20kg in 3 months, or want to stop eating carbohydrates or fried foods for the rest of our lives. Our goals are so big and so unrealistic that they are not attainable. We might start, but after a week, we get so frustrated because things are not going as fast as we had told ourselves they would, and then we stop, and eat some more. At the end of the 3 months, we realize that we did not loose but add 2 kgs.

How about you be gentle with yourself, make a goal to loose just 500g this week, and when that is done, celebrate, be happy with and proud of yourself and then make the next goal for the next 500g. This is an attainable goal, and if you are consistent, in doing the things that helped you loose the 500g, in one year or less, you will loose the 20Kg. It is not realistic to expect to loose those 20kgs in 3 months! And believe me, one year is not a long time, see how good you will already look after 3 months with about 5kgs less. This will motivate you to continue. You have to be patient with yourself, even on exceptional days when you eat all the fried food you can get your hands on, go back and do it right the next and don’t beat yourself up for it.

And when it comes to healthy eating, just promise yourself to do a smoothie in the morning, when that is done, plan the same for tomorrow, and after 2 weeks of doing that consistently, see what changes you can do to your dinner, maybe take a salad with some beans or beans and vegetables, leave out the white rice or take your white rice only for lunch. It is these baby steps done consistently that will get you to your goal.
 

Don’t make new year’s resolutions, make new day’s resolutions. The one right thing you did today, repeat it tomorrow and then tomorrow and so on, just one day at a time. Set small attainable goals!

 

Brussel Sprouts

There are many reasons why you would want to include brussel sprouts in your diet.

Brussel sprouts belong to the cruciferous vegetables like broccolis, cauliflower, cabbage and the like. They are full of antioxidants which neutralize free radicals that are responsible for inflammation. Continued high levels of inflammation can contribute to diseases like cancer, heart diseases and diabetes!

One cup of brussel sprouts caters for your daily requirement of vitamin K which helps in blood clotting and strengthening of bones.
They are one of the few plants that contain Omega 3 fatty acids, these are otherwise found in large amounts in fatty fish like salmon.

Brussel sprouts are also high in vitamin C which strengthens our immune system and also helps the body in absorbing iron from other foods.
They may even help in regulating blood sugar because of their high fiber content!

In other words, brussel sprouts are a super food which you can combine in every dish like you do with broccolis or cauliflower!

Brussel Sprouts-Potatoes Curry

Ikg Potatoes peeled and diced according to size

500g Brussel sprouts

250g Green soya beans

15 Button mushrooms cut into half

4 tomatoes diced

2 red onions finely diced

300ml tomatoe purée 

500ml water 

200ml coconut milk

2tbsp oil

4 garlic cloves finely diced 

2cm of ginger finely diced

2 tbsp of curry powder 

Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper 

Fry the onions in oil, add the mushrooms and potatoes and fry for 3 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger,  curry powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper  and fry for 2 more minutes.

Then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add water and cook till the potatoes are almost done. Add the brussel sprouts and coconut milk and cook for 3-5 minutes!

Enjoy!

 

 

BODY, MIND AND SOUL DETOX

Switching off all the outide noise in order to listen to your inner voice.

If someone told me to sum up 2021 in one word, I would say EXTRAORDINARY!
Extraordinary is a word used to describe things that happen outside ones normal. 

On the first of January this year, I did one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever done. I switched off all my electronics and media devices, I switched off the television, my mobile phone, my Laptop, my radio, and my Tablet. I removed all foodstuffs from the house. I did not read anything.  I did not talk to anyone, I did not have any contact to human beings whatsoever.  I was just spending time with myself without any input from the outside. For 5 days, I cut myself off from the world and I was alone in the house fasting.

I know you are now asking yourself what you do, if you are not eating, reading, looking at your phone, listening to music or watchting television?
I woke up every day at 5am, I meditated, I prayed, I journaled, I went for a 2 hour walk in the forest early in the morning to make sure I was just alone, I came back home, drunk lots of water, stared at the wall for some hours, then did another round of meditation, prayer and jornaling before going to bed at 8 or 9 pm!

On Day one, I moved around the house looking, not exactly knowing what I was searching for. I opened the empty fridge almost every 15 minutes, knowing there was nothing but kind of hoping there would be something. I thought about all the food I have ever left over on a plate, I thought about all the mutura, the pilau njeri,  the Kartoffelklöße (German Potatoe dumplings) which I absolutely don‘t like, I even thought about the terrible high school food that we used to abhore…everything would have tasted like Chapati and Stew on Christmas day.

 I held my Phone and the remote control more than a hundred times wanting to switch them on.  I, after some time, removed them from my sight and put them in a drawer where I couldn’t see them aymore. I noticed how uncorfotable I was doing nothing.

You cannot imagine how hard it is, to not have something to numb your feelings and destruct your thoughts with.

On the second day, I couldn’t even concentrate on my meditation for 15 minutes without feeling like I was going crazy. I was hungry, I had a headache, a terrible mood and I was missing human beings especially my kids! At around 6.30am in the morning, I knew with a 100% certainty, that I was going to drive to the next supermarket, get me some unsliced bread and a bottle of Fanta then eat everything outside my car on the supermarket parking lot!
 Don’t ask me why an unsliced bread with Fanta, or even why outside my car on a parking lot….this is just how exact and crazy my food fantasy was.
 

I didn’t have my car, I had had it driven away from the compound before I started fasting. I was  thorough in avoiding all kinds of temptations, and mind you, the next supermarket is about 9 km away, I couldn’t just walk….or could I?
 I live in a very quiet and secluded area with no shops or restaurants around. I had also informed my neighbour what I was doing, just so that they wouldn‘t worry about me, which also means, that it would have been shameful for me to ask them for food on the second day in the morning.  

So I had nothing to do but kneel down and pray. I prayed to God to send me someone who would bring me food without me calling them…that way, it would not have been my fault that I ate, I prayed for the overripe banana I had thrown away on the 31st of December to still be in the dust bin…I knew that no gabbage was being collected on the 2. of January, I prayed for strength to be able to go for a walk. I prayed for a sign that I was not going crazy and that I could make it.
When I finished praying, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were my jogging shoes. I dressed up, put on my jogging shoes and run for 10 Km without stopping. I felt alive and I knew that I had more strength than I thought.

Day 4;

Do you know how it feels when you take out everything out of your kitchen cupboards and drawers, sort them out, throw away the rusty knives and forks, the partly broken plates and cups, the plastic curtlely you have been keeping there for the last 3 years just incase you go for a picknick. The feeling when set aside the things you don’t use regularly, clean everything else and rearrange them neatly back into the drawers and shelves.
Sometimes you even notice some things you used to love but were forgotten somewhere behind all the unnecessary stuff you didn’t need. You start finding things more easily in the drawers because they are not overcrowded anymore. You might even think of going shopping to buy new things to replace all the broken unsable ones that just occupy space and crowd your cupboard.

 

This is exactly how I was feeling on day 5. I had never, at any one point in my life as an adult had so much time to think, reflect, sort out, eliminate, add, clean, rearrange and just have the drawers in my head be empty for a while! This is the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I have ever done.

 I didn’t want to stop, but I had to go back to work and of course see my kids. I fasted for another 5 days to complete the 10 days  I had planned. The last 5 days were easier, just like the 355 that followed.

I give a lot of credit to those first 5 days. I was able to clear my thoughts, to plan, to make important decisions that had been troubling me for a long time, to put executing measures in place, to look at the people around me and sort them out accordingly, and to be open to new people to enter my life and to even painfully let some go, even if just emotionally.

I am not saying that the year has been easy for me, I am not saying that I have not had difficulties and disappointments…
I am saying that I have learned that everything around me will continue being. Life will continue happening, people will be who they are and do and say things the way they think is right, Corona news, new variations and even the threat of another lockdown will always be imminent, an unfair comment will be posted on one of my fotos……
I am saying that the only person I have power over is myself and I can decide to shut off the noises, be silent and listen to me, to my inner voice. Sometimes just for an hour, it works wonders.

You may not have the luxury of being alone for 5 days, but you can decide, after putting your kids to bed,or when you come back home after work,  to switch off the phone and the television and the radio and the computer, and the music streaming from your other gadjets and just be with yourself for 2 hours.

Iam making this a personal ritual every year to help me do a reset and clean the shelves and the drawers. It is not easy, but it is necessary. So for the next 10 days, I will be fasting, the first 5 alone again. I will meditate and pray and go for a walk and the meditate again and talk to God for as many times as feel I need to.

Do you actually know how your body reacts to fasting, or the benefit? Let me talk about this when i get back online:

 I wish you a happy new year, Gods blessings and the strenth to be able to make decisions that will be life changing for you.

Yours truly

Chef Carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS?

How important are they and which foods are rich in antioxidants?

I talk alot about consuming foods that are rich in antioxidands, choosing dark coloured vegetables, consuming lots of fruits, vegetables and beans.
But what are they and why are they so important?

Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are compounds, normally helpfull to our bodies, but when their levels are too high, they become dangerous. They are linked to dieseases like diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. 
When free radicals are more than the antioxidants in our bodies, it can cause what is called oxidative stress. When this continues for a long period of time, the free radicals  damage our DNA. A damage to our DNA increases the risk of cancer. Even the aging process is influenced by the level of oxidative stress in your body.

If treated well, our bodies are made in such a way that, they are actually capable of taking care of themselves. The reality is unfortunately quite different and there are so many other factors that influence the bodys functions. Our diets, the enviroment, alcohol intake, smoking, high blood sugar levels, radiation-even long sunbathing, high intake of unsaturated fatty acids eg in burgers, pizzas, fried foods, processed foods etc., are just some of those factors.

If your diet mostly consists of whole foods, beans, fruits and vegetables, is low in sugars and saturated fats, you do not have to worry about not getting enough antioxidants. If this is not the case, then, you might consider including these foods in your diet.
Berries like  Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Goji Berries are one of the super foods when it comes to antioxidants. Kale, Beans, red Cabbage, carrots, mangos, pawpaw, broccoli, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, spices, herbs,  dark chocolate, beetroot, pecan nuts, artichokes, apples, cherries, are also very good sources of antioxidants.
 

Eat a variety of rich coloured fruits and vegetables,- orange, yellow, blue, red, and green....they look beautiful and appetizing on your plate and are just what your body needs to fight the "ENEMY"!!!

So tomorrow morning when doing your smoothie, make sure you have something green-Kale or spinach, something red-tomatoe, something orange-carrots, something yellow-Mango and  something blue-blueberries or purple cabbage( we categorize this in blue)!

 

OVERNIGHT OATS

A healthy breakfast option for you and your kids!

Our mornings are hectic. Between preparing our kids for school and getting ourselves ready to go to work, there is no much time left for a healthy breakfast. We as parents then decide to go for what we think is a healthy option. We buy expensive "healthy" breakfast cereals. The thing about most of these cereals is that they are loaded with sugars.  There might be a notice written in capital letters, REDUCED SUGAR or 30% LESS SUGAR,  but the question is, reduced from what to what?, 30% less of how much?

Mostly they still contain more sugar than you should consider healthy, and if you have been reading my posts, you know what I say about sugar.
Oats are a cheaper and are a more healthy way to start your kids day with. This is also true for adults. Of course I have been telling you to take take green smoothies in the morning, but this is the one thing I happily take in place of a smoothie.

Just to highlight a few health benefits of Oats, they are said to:
-lower the chance of colon cancer
-help ease constipation
-lower blood sugar levels
-relieve skin itching and irritation
-help suppress inflammation
-lower cholesteral levels
_decrease the risk of childhood Asthma

Oats are cheap, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and because they are high in fiber, they make you feel full faster and remain full for a long time. That means that, if you are on a weight loss journey, on days when you are not taking your smoothie, have some oatsmeal, it might help you not to think of food after 2 hours!

It is easy to prepare. You can either do it warm in the morning like a porridge (will show you how to do that soon) or you can do it the way I prepare it, overnight Oats!

Take a jar that you can close tightly, it should be the same jar you maybe use to carry your oatmeal or give your kids to carry to school.

5 tbsp of Oats
1 Cup of Oatmilk ( or cow milk if you are not on a plant based diet)
1 tbsp of Flaxseeds or Chiaseeds
3 tbsp of Coconut Yoghurt ( or any other yoghurt if you are not on a plant based diet)
1 tbsp of nuts (peanuts or walnut or cashews, or almonds or pistachios, or pecan...)
1 Fruit e.g mango or kiwi or strawberries or blueberries or banana( if not consumed immediately, sprinkle some lemon juice so that it does not become brown), pineapple...

Pour the Oats into the jar and add the milk.
Stir well, then add the flax-or Chiaseeds. Do not mix anymore now.
Close the jar and put the mixture in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, add the yoghurt, then the fruit, then finish up with the nuts.
I like seeing the different layers coz it looks more appetizing than when everything is mixed together.

This will take you about 5 minutes in the morning and you will be off starting your and your familys day in a healthy way!

MY SUMMER DREAM SMOOTHIE

A smoothie can also be an elegant meal!

A Smoothie can also be an elegant meal. It's not something you should be hiding while taking because you think people will think you are detoxing or you have constipation or even trying to loose weight. I mean, a smoothie might help with all that, but it can also be a beautiful meal served on a special ocassion.

With smoothies, there are no limits. I have been on a plant based diet for more than one year now, and I have been experimenting a lot with plants and also bee reading a lot about a plants based diet. There is such a variety of plants out there, and I am always so excited to try out new things, that I haven't missed meat even once. My meals have become vibrant, energy giving, light, and I notice the change all over, may it be my face, my energy levels, my overall health, my skin, my weight, my hair, my toilet visits, the smell of my breath( Mouth), my aching joints, my bowel movement....and the list goes on!

I won't ask anybody to stop eating meat and dairy products, I will just tell you to consider reducing their intake and substitute meat with vegetables and beans two or 3 times a week.
What l nevertheless, feel compelled to ask you, is to consider taking One Raw Meal a Day, best would be in form of a smoothie in the morning, if you cant make it in the morning, do it for dinner. The problem with Dinner, is that some of you will think they are going to bed hungry and will start looking for things to eat before going to bed! Try it in the morning!
 

I made this beautiful smoothie for my favourite people this summer ( Strawberries are on season in summer) for lunch, and they loved it!
If you dont have strawberries, you can use mango or kiwi or watermelon, or blueberries, or even apricotsor plums. I love using fruits with deep strong colours coz they look beautiful, but you can also use other fruits!

1kg Strawberries  (Cooled) ( Substitute with any other fruit)
2 Bananas
15 Mint leaves
1 lemon ( Press the juice)

20 Cashew nuts ( substitute with almonds or walnuts)
2 Tbsp of ground nuts

In a blender put in half of the Strawberries, the bananas 12 mint leaves and lemon juice. Blend till smooth. To have it cooler, you can add some ice cubes.

Slice the remaining stawberries into very small cubes, fill them into a small cup and press with a spoon
Crush the nuts in a food processor or mortar.
Put the strawberries upside down into your serving bowl, sprikle some nuts on top, the pour in the smoothie slowly, garnish with the remaining mint leaves, like in the video.

Enjoy!!!

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR BOWEL MOVEMENT (POOP)?

This natural laxative smoothie might help!

How often do you go to the toilet? Are you the kind who poop after 3 days?
Normally, one should poop after every meal, but unfortunately, this very normal act of nature is a luxury that is only enjoyed by people who eat foods loaded with fiber.

When I do my 21 Days of One Raw Meal a Day Challenge, the first thing I hear after about 3 days, is how easy toilet visits have become.
All vegetables and fruits and also nuts and seeds are very rich in fiber, which you don't find in meat, fish, chicken, eggs or any milk product. If your diet mostly consists of animal products, you are depriving your body of this very essential food group. And the good thing about eating lots of fruits and vegetables, is the amount of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in them. You might be taking supplements, and maybe even getting enough vitamins and minerals, but these are only supposed to compliment your diet and not free you from eating foods in their natural state.

Even among vegetables and fruits, there are some that are believed to treat constipation faster than others. These are especially vegetables that are rich in magnesium which helps draw water into the intestines, thus helping easy stool passage.

Here is a smoothie that you might consider taking if you have constipation problems!

I of course, have to say that I am not a doctor, and that you should see your doctor if you have any serious symptoms. I just give recommendations mostly based on personal experience.

10 Kale leaves
4 Stalks of Celery
1/2 Pawpaw
1/2 Avocado
1/2 a thumb size of Ginger
1/2 bunch of Coriander/Cilantro 
1 Tablespoon of Flaxseeds or Chiaseeds
1-2 cups of Water (depending on how thick you want it to be, but more water is always good especially if you are constipated)

Blend everything till smooth.
This would be best taken in the morning after taking your cup or two of hot water.
Wait atleast 4 hours before you take anything else.
Does this sound like taking medicine? It might be, and I would try it first before going to the chemist, after all,  it has no side effects!!

Will carbohydrates make you fat?

Some diets advice you to avoid carbohydrates if you want to loose weight or maintain it. This could be happen, but is it sustainable?

Carbohydrates play an important role in the human body. They provide your body with energy for daily tasks and are the primary source of your brains high energy demands.
Your body can also generate energy from proteins and fats and also function, but what will you be missing?

Research shows that our bodies need dietary fiber. Fiber is responsible for bowel movement, it makes your stool bulkier and softer which makes is easy to transport out of the body. Adequate fiber intake is said to benefit your digestion and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

The other important function of fiber is feeding the "good Bacteria" in your body. These bacteria live in your large intenstine. They have an important function of providing nutrients to our bodies. Most of the food we eat without fiber is absorbed in the bloodstream before it reaches the large intenstines. That means that good bacteria is starved and your body lacks some nutrients.

Fiber is found in whole foods like beans, legumes, whole grain bread, brown rice, brown pasta, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Carbohydrates are not the enemy, it is which carbohydrates you eat that will add the kilos and contribute to poor health. Avoid refined carbs, sugars, white bread, sweet drinks like coke and lemonades, cakes etc. Get your carbs from nutrient dense foods like beans, legumes, whole grain bread, brown rice, brown pasta, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can also opt to leave out bread and Rice and Pasta, but if you eat BEANS, fruits and Vegetables, your body will get enough of the three important food groups, Carbohydrates, Proteins and Vitamins.  

Don't think a lot about carbohydrates, just think how nutrient dense a food is.  I bet your body will appreciate a piece of whole wheat bread spread with avocado tomatoes and some lettuce more than sausage, eggs, bacon, chicken legs and butter!