Organic Groceries with Delivery

There are many retail stores that sell organic fruit, vegetables, grass fed/organic meats AND pantry items. But we all do live in a busy world and I have collated a list of organic fruit & vegetables that can be delivered to your door.Eating healthy food can sometimes take a little extra planning, so it's no wonder that there are so many suppliers out there to choose from. I have also included a list of places that sell meat and nuts in bulk.Get your list here- organic-food-shopping-list 

Wheat Free vs. Gluten Free

Are you confused about the difference between gluten free and wheat free?

Let me give you the run down................

• All wheat items CONTAIN gluten- BUT, wheat is not found in rye, barley and oats (think flours that are used to make biscuits, pizza, pasta, crackers, cakes, bread, most beers)
• Gluten is in wheat, but it can also be in other items such as soy sauce, condiments and gravies.

And what about grain free?

Popular diets such as paleo, GAPS, SCD, AIP (auto-immune paleo) and Whole30, are all promoting a grain free diet.To make it easy for you, print off your gf-guideThere are many reasons why you may need to follow a certain diet. Generally, people with celiac disease have an allergic reaction to gluten. The other group of people just feel better by not including gluten in their diet.But there are many health conditions today (IBS, Crohn's, SIBO, IBD, MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Diabetes Type 2, CFS, Fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases), that get aggravated while eating gluten (and therefore are gluten free).Sometimes going gluten free is not enough for these conditions, and it's the grains/sugars that make inflammation worse. This is probably the reason why paleo diets have proven to be a relief for the majority short term.The long term complications can cause systemic acidosis. This is where things start to get a bit tricky and loading up on high acid foods such as meat protein can cause a major skew towards acidosis (the opposite being more alkaline).Hey, I'm the first to put my hand up and admit that I eat high acid forming foods (I follow mostly a GAPS/Paleo diet), but my acid/alkaline balance has suffered. So even though I might have my meat stock in the morning for breakfast, I will have a green smoothie for lunch. My focus is to out way the acid forming foods with high alkaline foods (leafy green vegetables and fruit).If you need help with your diet, contact me today.[bookly-form]  

Why self subscribing iron supplements can be dangerous

When you feel tired you tend to first think about the quality of sleep you maybe getting (or not)  or if you are female, iron levels are generally the next factor to be considered.How often have you gone to local chemist or health food shop and loaded your self up with a bottle of iron supplements?Diet is always a good place to start if you feel you are not getting adequate iron intake. Red meat is the highest source of iron and if you're vegetarian red kidney beans and spinach are the next best thing (remember you need to eat a larger amount for equal benefit).I always suggest to get a blood test for accurate iron level status. Your blood serum will indicate how much iron you have been consuming in the last few weeks. But your levels of transferrin are taken, and this provides if you have enough protein to CARRY your iron to places needed in your body. No use having plenty of iron when there are no buses to drive them anywhere.Another important measure is saturated iron levels. This refers to how much your liver is storing of iron. If you levels are creeping up to the high end of the range or are even over the range, this can mean that your liver is holding onto too much iron. Hemochromatosis is a condition where your liver is storing too much iron. And if you go popping more iron supplements this can very detrimental  to your health.Another reason why your liver maybe holding onto extra iron is because there could be underlying inflammation happening in your body. There are types of bacteria that FEED off iron and your liver is very clever this way, and will hold onto the iron to keep it away from the bacteria (helicobacter pylori feed off iron).Once you have been given confirmation of where your iron levels are at, then you can do the necessary SAFE steps in rectifying it. Vitamin C is needed for iron absorption and can be used as a supplement. Or if you feel that your digestive system is lacking the enzymes to break down animal protein, these could be used prior to each meal (an easy way to tell if you have trouble digesting animal protein is if your flatulence have an odour, or if you suffer from constipation).If you need help in getting your iron levels where they should be, contact me today or book an appointment online.[bookly-form]

What's in your almond milk?

      

Since starting on the GAPS/paleo diet this year, our consumption of almonds has increased considerably. As a family we probably consume on average 3 kg of almonds every fortnight. This would not include the amount of almonds that are included in our almond milk. Yes, that's right....I don't make my almond milk, I buy it!!!

I know, I know..it is not GAPS legal AND I should be making it from scratch, but sometimes something has gotta give. And in this house it's the almond milk. I definitely have the utensils to make my own almond milk (Thermomix to grind the almonds and a dehydrator to dry them out and use as flour). But it still is a process.

The reason why buying almond milk in a UHT container is considered 'illegal' is because it is processed when you purchase it this way, and it can also contain many additives and preservatives which can give reactions to some people and inhibit the healing process of your GUT.

There are two reasons why I decided to write this post. One because I was amazed of the difference of almond milk quality out on our supermarket shelves and two, because I came across an article that was published by The Guardian in late 2015 on why consuming almond milk is bad for our planet. One of the main contributors to this, is that it take 5 litres of water to produce ONE almond! But, in comparison, it takes 100 litres of water to produce 100ml of cow's milk.

As a family, I know we buy a lot of almonds. But what about the rest of the world? Majority of almonds come from California U.S.A, supplying 85% of the world's demand. Australia is the next exporter to the world, but is a mere 6.5%, with India being our biggest importer.  The full report for 2014/15 from The Australian Almond Board provides various information on almonds from planting, growing, harvesting to consumer purchase.

There are many benefits in consuming almonds. Today they are used as a milk alternative, flour alternative and contains a high amount of protein from a vegetarian perspective. Each almond nut also has good fats and natural sources of Vitamin E. To get a full nutrient profile visit www.whfoods.org for a full report.

The negative aspects of eating almonds is that some people are allergic to almonds and can be life threatening. Almonds are also high in oxalates, which is a natural compound found in various foods that can cause kidney stones when eaten in excess and intolerances.

      

So I got my detective glasses on, pen and paper ready and did some detective work Ruby Redfort style! (if you don't have an 8 year old daughter you may not know who she is). So this is what I came up with.......

I only went to one supermarket, but I am sure you get the idea of how important it is to read labels. By doing this article I became aware of the additive 'carrageenan', which is from red algae and often used as a thickening agent. There is a lot of research regarding carrageenan and it's harmful effects on your body. Fortunately I only found it in one product.

If you would like to know more about food and how they can effect your body, please book an appointment today or you can send me a message.

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