That Sugar Film - A Doco on One Man's 60-day Sugar Experiment

There is no question of the over consumption of sugar to be bad for your health. To think that type-2 diabetes (which is directly linked to poor diet) kills someone every six seconds around the world, it is no wonder that doctors are closely examining what we eat.

Move over saturated fat as sugar is now demonized as the old dreaded 'fats' once were. Books on eliminating sugar from your diet have repeatedly hit the best sellers' list in the past 18 months.

It's not just confectionary items that give you a sugar overload. With 80% of processed foods containing sugar including many perceived 'healthy' foods, some people are unwittingly consuming much more of the sweet stuff than they may realize. Cereals, yoghurt, muesli bars and sauces are all culprits for loading up your sugar dose, quite often those labelled 'low-fat' or '97% fat-free'.

With a onslaught of 'healthy eating' practices bombarding the public it is no wonder we are confused. Paleo eaters boast the benefits of eating meat, giving up sugar entails bumping up your fat intake and new research tells us meat shouldn't be eaten regularly for good health. Each piece often seems to contradict one another and after sugar got beaten around in the media, health experts started to tell us not to quit sugar as your body needs it for clean fuel. You can't blame the public for throwing in the towel.

Personally quitting sugar has worked for me. I lost weight easily and realized how much sugar I had unknowingly been eating with my breakfast cereals, love for honey toast, sugary yoghurt snacks and afterwork cocktails. I never thought to think about what it was doing to my body until I stopped eating it and gained much more energy, mood stability and maintain a weight 6 - 7 kilos lighter than when I ate more sugar.

Australian TV actor and filmmaker Damon Gameau set about to do the reverse of my lifestyle change and revert back to eating sugar in a seemingly 'healthy way' for 60 days. His journey is documented in 'That Sugar Film' where Damon completely changes his health in a mere few months. The shocking results on his mental and physical wellbeing were staggering. Within a few weeks he had the beginning of fatty liver disease, he felt on edge and was terribly tired. Damon had gained 10cm of visceral fat around his waist and was informed he was on the fast-track to obesity.

“I had no soft drink, chocolate, ice cream or confectionery,” Damon told Australian program 'Sunrise'. “All the sugars that I was eating were found in perceived healthy foods, so low-fat yoghurts and muesli bars and cereals and fruit juices, sports drinks ... these kind of things that often parents would give their kids thinking they’re doing the right thing.”

A typical breakfast for Damon would have low-fat yoghurt, cereal and apple juice containing 20 teaspoons of sugar (where 4 grams of sugar relates to one teaspoon of sugar). He believes many people don't realize they are consuming so much sugar and that labeling in ambiguous and misleading.


SOME OF OUR WORST SUGAR OFFENDERS ... according to Damon

• Raisin toast (4 teaspoons per slice)
• 250ml popular liquid breakfast drink (4 teaspoons)
• 250ml bottle of multi-vitamin juice (6 teaspoons)
• Iced tea (8 teaspoons)
• Powerade (8 teaspoons of sugar)
• 400ml apple juice (10 teaspoons)
• A serve of low fat yoghurt (11 teaspoons)
• A low-fat strawberry standard size smoothie (18 teaspoons)

I am looking forward to seeing this documentary when it is released in March 2015.

ricotta pikelets with figs and honey

ricotta pikelets with figs and honey 

This recipe is super simple, fresh and healthy. Ricotta is a yummy low-fat soft cheese that is mild in flavour and creates light and fluffy pikelets. To me, combining cinnamon and honey at breakfast time is one of life's little pleasures and this always makes my morning a little more special. Treat your guests to a home-cooked pikelet feast or make this treat just for yourself.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra, to serve
• 2 eggs
• 100g extra light ricotta, plus extra to serve
• 3/4 cup buttermilk or almond milk
• 2 tbls honey
• spray oil, for cooking
• 6 figs, quartered, to serve
• honey, for drizzling, to serve

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and ricotta together until smooth. Whisk in milk and honey, then combine with dry ingredients. 
3. Heat a heavy based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan using the spray oil. Add ¼ cup of batter and cook until golden brown on the underside, 1-2 minutes. Turn over and cook until just cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Stack up piklets on serving plates. Top with a spoonful of ricotta, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a generous pile of figs and finish with a drizzle of honey.

10 ways to improve your body image

10 ways to improve your body image

Low self-esteem and long-standing negative core beliefs can often fuel negative thought patterns of your body image and appearance. The first step to creating a positive body image is to question those negative thoughts and introduce yourself to healthier ways of viewing your appearance. The more you practice these new thought patterns, the better equipped you will be to block out you inner mean girl and banish those negative thoughts to create a more positive body image.

Your body image is a function of how you feel about your appearance and how well you feel your body performs and your general health. Some of the cues that influence your body image come from your own perspective and others are affected by social factors. For instance, if you feel that you are strong and capable you will have a better body image than if you feel uncoordinated or weak. Similarly, a chronic illness can cause you to resent your body for causing pain and impeding your life goals.

Another facet of body image, and perhaps the most prevalent negative aspect in society, is your feelings about your appearance. What you view as your appearance is largely determined not by how you feel but by how society defines ideals of physical beauty. Most people who experience body image disturbances are sensitive to these social definitions. They feel that there is a mismatch between how they look and how they "should" look.

The list of techniques below that help to build self esteem are taken from The National Eating Disorders website. They are really helpful ways to second-guess your negative thoughts are shift your perspective, which will help to see your body in a more positive light!

1. Appreciate all that your body can do.  Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams.  Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you—running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc.

2. Keep a top-ten list of things you like about yourself—things that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like.  Read your list often.  Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about yourself.

3. Remind yourself that “true beauty” is not simply skin deep.  When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you carry yourself with a sense of confidence, self-acceptance, and openness that makes you beautiful regardless of whether you physically look like a supermodel.  Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of your body.

4. Look at yourself as a whole person.  When you see yourself in a mirror or in your mind, choose not to focus on specific body parts.  See yourself as you want others to see you–as a whole person.

5. Surround yourself with positive people.  It is easier to feel good about yourself and your body when you are around others who are supportive and who recognize the importance of liking yourself just as you naturally are.

6. Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not “right” or that you are a “bad” person.  You can overpower those negative thoughts with positive ones.  The next time you start to tear yourself down, build yourself back up with a few quick affirmations that work for you.

7. Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good about your body.  Work with your body, not against it.

8. Become a critical viewer of social and media messages.  Pay attention to images, slogans, or attitudes that make you feel bad about yourself or your body.  Protest these messages:  write a letter to the advertiser or talk back to the image or message

9. Do something nice for yourself--something that lets your body know you appreciate it.  Take a bubble bath, make time for a nap, find a peaceful place outside to relax.

10. Use the time and energy that you might have spent worrying about food, calories, and your weight to do something to help others.  Sometimes reaching out to other people can help you feel better about yourself and can make a positive change in our world.

Healthier Jam Drops

Lots of your Nana's or Mum's sweetie recipes can be transformed into healthier and more nourishing versions with a few ingredient swaps. Subbing regular processed sugar for stevia and replacing plain flour with low-gluten wholegrain flours, you can replicate those old-fashioned favourites the healthy way.

Jam drops are one of those childhood baking memories I thought to make over. These biscuits keep really well and you can have them on hand all week for sweet treats. Their sweet and straight-forward flavour mean they are a hit with the kiddies as well.

Healthier Jam Drops

Ingredients:

• 110 grams of organic butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup of stevia
• 1 organic cage-free egg
• 1 cup of ground almonds or hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/3 cup of quinoa flour
• 3 tablespoons of chopped coconut flakes
• low-sugar strawberry or raspberry jam

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and line two baking trays with greased-proof paper.
2. Use an electric mixer to whisk the butter, vanilla and stevia together until white and creamy. Beat in the egg. Add in the ground nuts and use the electric mixer once more to combine.
3. Add the flours and coconut and mix by hand to make a dough. 
4. Spoon out a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, flattening down onto the tray. Repeat with remaining mixture leaving 5 centimetres apart from each biscuit.
5. Use the end of a spoon to make a hole inside each biscuit. Fill with jam.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Depending on your oven, you may want to keep an eye on them after 10 minutes. My oven always cooks baked goods much faster than recipes predict!
7. Let the cookies cool on their trays for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Raw Chocolate Brownie

This recipe is taken from The Conscious Foodie, another blogger dedicated to providing yummy healthy treat recipes! What's great about this recipe is you don't have to do any baking, just prepare and leave to cool in the fridge for a fudgey and delicious end result.

Conscious Foodie's Raw Choc Brownies

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 10 fresh dates (seeds removed)
• ½ cup cacao powder

Icing Ingredients:

• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup coconut cream
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Strawberries (or other berries) to serve

Method:

1. Process almonds, walnuts and cacao until the nuts turn into a fine meal and the cacao is well combined.
2. Add dates slowly until the mixture combines and starts to stick together.
3. Finally add coconut oil and process until well combined.
4. Press the combined brownie mixture into a small tray. Place in the fridge while you make the icing.
5. To make the icing, process all ingredients until smooth and then spread on top of the brownie.
6. Cool in the fridge for 3 hours, then cut into squares and serve with strawberries (or other berries). These brownies are best stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

healthy spinach quiche 'greek pie' inspired

Part quiche part pie, this dish has a few of my favourite ingredients, pine nuts, fetta cheese and spinach, combined much like the classic Greek meal Spanakopita. Yum!

However this creation is defined, I absolutely loved how it turned out and it was delicious warm for dinner or wrapped up cold for lunch.


Healthy Spinach Quiche

You will need a flan or pie baking dish for this recipe.

Crust:

• 1/4 cup of almond meal
• 1/4 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/4 cup of gluten-free plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4 eggs
• 6 cubes of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 block of light fetta cheese, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 4 tablespoons of milk of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, sift in the flours and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the flours and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix together until the ingredients start to come together. Use your hands to form a dough. Add more flour in the dough is too wet. Form a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. In a small fry pan, sauté the garlic and onions until soft and fragrant. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Mix in the spinach, fetta, pine nuts and the cooked onions. 
5. Take out the dough and sprinkle with flour. Cover your kitchen bench with some cling film and also dust with flour. Roll out your dough with a rolling pin on the covered bench until you get a thin stretched circle to cover the pie dish. Make sure you use flour as you go to prevent the dough sticking.
6. Lightly oil the pie dish and carefully transfer your rolled dough to cover. Press into the sides. Don't worry about it being perfect. Little bits of dough can be used to cover any patches or holes. It is important to not have any leaks in the dough to keep the filling intact.
7. Once you are happy with the crust, blind bake for 10 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. 
8. Now you can pour your filling in and bake for a further 20 minutes.
9. Serve with a green salad with some kalamata olives. 

vegan sugar-free mocha cake

Me: Love coffee?
You: Need. Now.

Me: Love chocolate?
You: Duh.

Me: Love cake?
You: Mmm. Cake... (cake cake cake)

This one's for you.

Ok let's do this.

Vegan Mocha Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 shot of espresso coffee
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/3 of stevia granules (I use Natvia)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds or chia seeds
• 3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 tablespoon of cacao powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• vegan choc chip for topping

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced (moderately hot).
2. Grease a bundt tin or cake tin with coconut oil thoroughly. You don't want that baby to stick! 
3. Whip together the coconut oil, stevia, flax or chia and vanilla. Whisk in the espresso and almond milk.
4. In a large mixing bowl, sift in the oat flour, almond flour, spices, baking powder and salt.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and gradually pour in the wet ingredients. Very gently (!) mix together the ingredients until just combined. This helps the cake to stay moist and not gluey when it bakes.
6. Pour the mixture into your greased cake tin and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when you press the top.
7. Let the cake cool slightly (few minutes) before turning onto a wire rack to cool.