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Banana, Coconut Breakfast Pancakes with Strawberry Kefir

April 22, 2015 by admin 6 Comments

panckaes

One of the questions I get asked the most is what to eat for a healthy breakfast.  Many people want to avoid the sugar-loaded cereals but have a breakfast that will convert even the fussiest of children, so I present you with.. pancakes!  I appreciate that Mum’s with a few mouths to feed might not have time to make these in the morning but these are certainly worth the effort at the weekend!  If you ask my daughter what her favourite food is, she will definitely say “Mamma’s pancakes” (maybe interchanged with sausages).

I serve these pancakes with kefir yoghurt, it is one of the most potent fermented foods that you can consume, full of probiotic goodness, we consume daily to keep our gut flora full of healthy bacteria.  This yoghurt can be made from either kefir grains or a starter culture but if you haven’t started fermenting yet, I would highly recommend buying some coyo from your local supermarket, a coconut milk based yogurt. *Please note coyo does not provide a therapeutic strength probiotic to repopulate your healthy bacteria but it does provide a delicious alternative.

Linseeds (sometimes called flaxseeds) provide a really healthy addition of nutrients to breakfast. Unfortunately they are not the best source of Omega 3 as many health proponents claim because your body is not very efficient at converting Alpha-Linolenic Acid (in linseeds) into EHA or DPA, the types of Omega 3 in the body.  They do however provide plenty of fibre and magnesium which is good for digestive health.  They also contain lignans which have estrogenic properties so they are really helpful for menopausal women.  Linseeds want to be freshly ground to retain maximum nutrition once they are exposed to air they lose much of their value.

Tip: Make sure your bananas are really ripe for his recipe so this is great way to use up those really black ones that are left in the bowl.

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Banana Coconut Breakfast Pancakes with Strawberry Kefir
Author: Vanessa Woozley
Recipe type: Banana and Coconut Pancakes
Cuisine: Breakfast
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  10 mins
Total time:  20 mins
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 very ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut flour
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon of whole linseeds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 cup of kefir yoghurt or coyo
  • Cacao nibs for decoration
Instructions
  1. Blend the bananas, flour almond butter, flax seeds and eggs together using a food processor or hand blender to create a batter
  2. Heat a skillet or frying pan on low and add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan
  3. Drop 1 heaped tablespoon of the batter into the pan to form rounds, I normally cook 3 at the same time
  4. When you start to see little bubbles forming in the middle they are ready to flip and cook the other side
  5. Pour Kefir yoghurt or regular coyo yoghurt into a liquidiser with the strawberries and blend
  6. Pour on top of the pancakes and sprinkle with cacao nibs
3.2.2925

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Uncategorized

The GAPS Diet Protocol

April 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

GAPS-Protocol

Most people who know me personally know that I’m a strong advocate of the GAPS diet and that the GAPS Protocol has made a big impact healing my family.   It has recently made huge waves on the Internet, it is frequently used by those practicing Natropathic Nutritional Therapy or Functional Medicine and you will find thousands of testimonies all over the Internet from families attesting to its healing capacity. The GAPS premise in the main can be very simple to implement – remove certain inflammatory food groups and introduce foods that heal, allowing the the gut to rest and repair.  For more serious conditions a GAPS healing protocol will entail implementing a diet plan, whilst taking steps to reduce toxicity in the surrounding environment and using minimal supplements where required.

GAPS, standing for Gut and Psychology Syndrome or Gut and Physiology Syndrome, is a strategy developed by Dr Natasha Campbell McBride, a trained Doctor with a post graduate in Neurology and Human Nutrition who resides in the UK.  The protocol is used for a variety of conditions, many that will overlap and some that will not even fit into a diagnostic box.  Here are some of the most common:

  • Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, bi-polar and depression
  • Auto-immune conditions of which there are now over 200 (including coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Crohn’s, diabetes type 1 and more)
  • Atopic conditions such as allergies, asthma and eczema
  • Chronic Fatigue, fibromyalgia, ME
  • Digestive conditions such as IBS and gastritis

GAPS is developed from the conclusion that first and foremost these conditions begin in the gut and advancing scientific literature lays out foundations for a new blueprint in how we treat disease.  Hippocrates, the very famous physician who lived over 2000 years ago once said ‘All disease is born in the gut’ and modern science is pioneering that chronic metabolic diseases like those mentioned above, which are prevalent in today’s society, stem from what is now termed professionally as intestinal permeability but also commonly referred to as leaky gut.  Despite the symptom, what all these diseases have common is gut dysbiosis (abnormal gut flora).

The GAPS Protocol is an advanced solution that aims to:

  • Repair the intestinal lining
  • Provide a diet that is gentle and soothing to the digestive tract
  • Repopulate beneficial bacteria into the gut
  • Remove an overload of toxins and pathogenic (unhealthy) bacteria

When following the GAPS diet you would look to remove the following foods:

  • All grains
  • Refined sugar
  • Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and parsnips
  • Processed foods

What you are left with is a very nutrient-dense traditional diet, as close to nature as possible:

  • Bone broth
  • Grass-fed meat
  • Fish
  • Seafood
  • Organic vegetables and fruit
  • Eggs
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Avocado
  • Healthy fats – ghee, coconut oil, animals fats
  • Raw and cultured dairy
  • Fermented foods

Fermented foods are core to the healing process, not only are they inexpensive and simple to make but provide a powerful medicinal treatment. These foods proliferate your gut microbiome (the gut flora which hosts the bacteria in your gut) with healthy bacteria which will eventually crowd out the pathogens. They also have many other very important functions as listed here.

GAPS Controversy
When you google GAPS, it must be noted you will find some Doctors critical of the GAPS diet because there have up until now been no clinical trials of this treatment, they will state that the science is “unfounded” and “experimental”. This will soon be changing as a study has received funding from Virginia Commonwealth University by Austen M. Mulluy PhD and the results will be published shortly.

This certainly didn’t deter me because more importantly when you break apart the components of the GAPS diet there are thousands of studies that prove:

  • Probiotics remove toxins, improve digestion, immunity and more
  • Bone Broth provides collagen that heals and seals the gut
  • Real whole-food nutrition supplies vitamins and minerals for optimum health
  • Grains (when not prepared properly) are problematic for a large proportion of the population
  • Healthy fats are a necessity for heart health, brain function

Anecdotal it may be, I have seen the results that have worked for each and every one of my family. Nothing has 100% success rate because we are all biologically unique but when properly implementing a diet of whole-food nutrition you ultimately risk very little and have so much to gain.

Look at your symptoms kindly as a warning that your health needs your attention, give your body the right tools and it has an incredible capacity to heal.

If you would like to learn more about GAPS please subscribe to my newsletter or if you would like to discuss how you implement the GAPS protocol please contact me for an appointment.

Filed Under: Adults, Children, Nutrition, Uncategorized

3 steps to be Hayfever-Free this Summer with the GAPS Protocol

April 17, 2015 by admin 2 Comments

 

hayfever

Hayfever is for many people a miserable affliction, every summer you learn to dread the next door neighbours mowing their lawn and those really hot windy days when you can see the pollen blowing in the breeze. Medications make you drowsy and hayfever symptoms make you irritable, I know I’ve been there!  I also know people suffer with far worse conditions than these but there are some important reasons NOT to ignore these symptoms.

For many people antihistamines offer little comfort, nasal sprays perhaps a little more but you have to remember to take them religiously. I suffered with hayfever from the age of 5 years old, add to that an allergy to any animal that molted and dust, I can fully empathise with 25% of the population who now experience this.  The NHS will spend £50 million on hayfever medications this year and up to £900 million on allergy-related illnesses, hayfever also accounts for 2-3% of Doctors visits, so it’s also a big burden on the health system too.

 What is Histermine?

Histermine is a neurotransmitter (sends messages between the cells) and has the required function of reducing inflammation and allergic responses.  Histermine is released by the immune cells to work against pathogens and toxins.  If your body becomes too toxic by an imbalance of beneficial bacteria or inflamed, histermine up-scales to counter.  The resulting hayfever or allergy is a signal that your body doesn’t have enough beneficial bacteria to remove the excessive histermine as exemplified in studies where probiotics are introduced. Hayfever is therefore one of the first signals that you have a gut imbalance. 

It’s not the Pollen

Pollen is not the problem, if it were we would have experienced hayfever related issues from birth but the reality is most people incur symptoms later in life only to get progressively worse.

Some of you will want to blame genetics but the reality is although you have a genetic predisposition to these types of allergies, whether you switch on those genes is determined by outside influences (health, external environment etc), which you have ultimate control over.  It is important to note that you will also inherit the gut microbiome (your gut flora of bacteria) from your parents so their health at pregnancy will determine your health at birth.  These explanations help to determine why you may experience these symptoms but what can you do about it?

Hayfever Relief

You need to find the route cause which is based in the gut.  Introduce plenty of beneficial bacteria to remove the pathogens and toxins and allow histermine to rebalance .  Support gut healing by eating foods as close to nature as possible – organic fruit and vegetables, grass-fed meats, bone broth, fish and healthy natural fats such as olive oil and avocados. The good news is that relief can be found pretty quickly, I did the GAPS introduction diet and stopped having hayfever within a couple of weeks. I have not encountered hayfever for the last 3 years and summer is now bliss, I want to share the secrets with you so that you no longer need to fear pollen.

3 steps to Hayfever Relief

  1. Take out food groups that are inflammatory and difficult for the gut to digest, predominantly grains and sugar
  2. Introduce probiotics, either in tablet form or fermented foods such as fermented kefir or sauerkraut, this will rebalance your gut flora and help remove toxins from the body
  3. Consume plenty of bone broth to heal and seal the gut.  Bone broth contains many critical amino acids which repair and protect the cells in the gut lining while detoxifying the body.

Filed Under: Adults, Children, Nutrition, Uncategorized

Top 5 Ways to Heal Eczema Naturally

April 12, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

 

Eczema can be healed naturally at the root cause by healing the gut and introducing fermented foods – nature’s secret weapon to healing.

My top 5 ways to heal eczema naturally are:

  1. Eliminate problem food groups from the diet – dairy, eggs, gluten containing grains and possibly nightshades (not everyone)
  2. Avoid triggers by reducing the exposure to toxins in the environment
  3. Introduce probiotics in the form of fermented foods
  4. Increase levels of Vitamin D from the sunshine and the diet
  5. Eat Healthy fats – such as grass-fed animal fats, coconut oil, fish oil, cold pressed olive oil, nuts and seeds

The solution offered to most parents for their children are harsh steroid creams, these are well-known to thin the skin, making it dry and fragile.  Sadly these creams rarely offer a long-term solution because they are only treating the symptom and not the root cause.  Some children will grow out of eczema but it rarely means that the gut issue is resolved and frequently a different symptom will flare up as the child ages.  My personal experience with eczema was for it to disappear only to flare up as continuous hayfever from age 5 years old which subsequently ceased when I healed my gut.  Many of these conditions are accepted as a normal part of growing up and we need to consider they are usually an indication of a deeper seated health concern that requires your attention and can be remedied.

Some useful supplements to consider

  • Probiotics – if you do not want to make fermented foods
  • Fermented Cod Liver Oil -Rich source of Omega 3, vitamin D, A and K2
  • Zinc – Assist with wound healing

For more tips check out my youtube clip above or read about how I healed my daughter’s eczema here.

Filed Under: Children, Nutrition, Uncategorized

Fermented Foods – Nature’s Secret Weapon to Healing

April 4, 2015 by admin 2 Comments

SONY DSC

Fermented foods are eaten by many traditional cultures all over the world and before refrigerators, were a critical component of preserving food to last several months, even years.  You’ve probably heard of Sauerkraut (Sour Cabbage) from Germany or maybe even Natto (soy beans) from Japan but there are many others spanning the globe such as Kimchi, Kefir and Kvass.  In fact let it be said that you can ferment any naturally occurring food whether it be fruit, vegetable, meat or fish.  What you may not realise is that homemade Sauerkraut* has more beneficial bacteria than many therapeutic-strength probiotics you buy.

We live in a symbiotic relationship with microbes in the environment.  Today we are taught to fear bacteria, continually encouraged to use anti-bacterial wipes, soaps and bleaching to kill 99.9% of bacteria.  The reality is that we are bacteria, in fact 90% of our bodies consist of bacteria, and we are only 10% skin and bones.  For weight loss and the avoidance of associated metabolic dysfunctions studies show the requirement to harness the power of these friendly microbes that make up your cells and introduce them back into your guts. Your gut flora (community of microbes living within your gut) coats every surface of the gut providing a protective layer with bacteria.

The functions of the gut flora are:

  • Digestion and absorption of food 
  • Synthesise minerals and vitamins in the body
  • Provide protection for the delicate digestive tract
  • Chelate (remove) toxins from the body
  • Keep pathogenic microbes at bay
  • Responsible for your immune system 

If your body is the orchestra think of your gut flora as the conductor signalling every important function within the body and allowing it to play in perfect harmony.

Due to environmental toxins, antibiotics, food manufacturers heavily processing food and many other present-day factors, many will suffer with a subsequent gut imbalance.  The very famous Physician, Hippocrates once said “All Diseases begin in the gut” and modern science is now able to determine that chronic metabolic diseases can be linked back to the digestive system.

Atopic conditions are more prevalent then ever and studies have shown probiotics are a critical component to healing

  • 25% of people now suffer with hayfever
  • 20% of children suffer from eczema
  • 1 in 11 children has asthma

Many people are also suffering with food sensitivities, exemplified by bloating, upset stomach or IBS.  These are some of the first signs you have a gut imbalance (although please be aware you may not have gut symptoms at all) and by omitting certain trigger foods and implementing a healing protocol of probiotics and / or fermented foods the studies are now showing the effectiveness of this treatment.  85% of your immune system is contained in your gut so the right sustenance is essential to re-balance your gut flora and heal your body.  I’ve seen and experienced the power of these wonderful life-enhancing foods within my own family, healing my daughter’s eczema and my hayfever, which you can read about here.

You can of course purchase therapeutic-strength probiotics but please note you will not receive the health benefits from a live-cultured yoghurt available in a supermarket.  Probiotic tablets can be expensive so my preferred method is to very simply produce lacto-fermented foods.  Homemade fermented foods contain literally billions of beneficial bacteria, so much so that you have to be very careful to introduce these foods gradually, literally a half teaspoon of sauerkraut juice to start so as to minimise a die off reaction, a very normal bi-product of healing.

Fermented foods go beyond healing known health conditions, they can slow down skin-aging, help you lose weight, sleep better and improve your energy.  Once you discover health and vitality through these foods they really will change your life.

If you would like to learn how to start fermenting food at home then please click here to view my next available workshops.

*This does not apply to shop bought sauerkraut which is mostly pasteurised before sale and therefore loses it’s probiotic content.

 

 

Filed Under: Adults, Children, Nutrition, Uncategorized

Vanessa Woozley

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