Kimchi Recipe

Kimchi Recipe

Following on from the previous post on the importance of gut health, we have included our very own recipe for making this probiotic rich food at home.

You can really play around and substitute different ingredients and use up what you have in the cupboard- you can even add things like seaweed, fennel, jerusalem artichoke, beetroot! 

Ingredients 

1 cabbage (you can use any kind, but the typical one is napa or sweetheart)
1 daikon radish
2 carrots
2 onions (you can add spring onions or leeks as well)
3/4 cloves of garlic
3/4 hot red chillies (or you can use the typical korean chilli paste- Gochugaru)
3/4 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 

Sea salt 


- Make a brine by mixing 4 tablespoons of salt per litre of filtered water- the brine should taste very salty.
- Chop the cabbage, radish and carrots (and any other veg you want to include). 
- Soak the chopped veggies in the brine, for a few hours at least, and best overnight. Use a plate to make sure they're all covered keep any veggies from submerging.
-Create a paste with the spices - onion, garlic, chilli, ginger (again adding any extras you may want eg turmeric, coriander or dill seeds). You can either blend this all together or use a pestle and mortar. 
- Once the vegetables have soaked, remove from the brine keeping the brine handy as you may need it later on.
- Taste the veggies, they should taste salty but not unpleasantly salty. If they are too salty you can rinse them, or if you can't taste any salt then add a couple of teaspoons and mix well. 
-Mix the veggies with the spice paste, making sure they are all coated. 
- Stuff everything in a sterilised glass jar making sure to compress the veg so its all submerged. You can put a plate on top to help, or use a bag filled with water. 
- Leave to ferment in a warm place for three days or longer- this part is up to your taste buds. Once it is to your taste take out and put in the fridge where it will continue to ferment slowly.
- Enjoy!

You can add a little with your meals everyday and this will really help support that good bacteria in your gut! YUM!

All About Gut Health

How to love your gut

All about your gut health, its links to mental health and what you can do to nourish your gut bacteria.

Research has now confirmed that our gut microbiome could be the key to our health. The microbiome is a collection of 100 trillion micro organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi which live in our gut. They are so vital to our health that the microbiome is now being considered as another vital organ that can affect digestion, mood, hormone balance, the immune system and cognitive function. The gut supports a healthy immune response, and in turn helps to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses and maintain a healthy and balanced state of health.

There is strong evidence that suggests an indisputable link between our gut health and mental health. The microbiome and central nervous system interact with each other to help regulate stress, anxiety and memory. It is no coincidence that we often feel 'butterflies' in our stomach when we are nervous or excited and use the phrase 'trust your gut'; this is because scientists are now finding that there is in fact, a direct link between the two organs. 

Research has found that one bacteria in particular 'bifidio bacterium longum' dampens down the stress response, which decreases anxiety and can help to improve overall mood. This strain can be found in most probiotic supplements as well as in a variety of food. This suggests that by nurturing our gut microbiome we are in fact also helping to improve our general mood, reduce anxiety and live a happier, healthier day to day life.

One of the key factors in supporting the gut bacteria is diversity- this means eating a wide range of foods and increasing fibre intake. 


5 ways to support your gut health

Fermented foods: Increase your intake of fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut. You can do all of these at home, as a starter you may need kefir grains or a kombucha scoby. Plenty of people give them away, so do check in your local community.
Check our other post for our recipe on a homemade kimchi- you can experiment with any ingredients you have in your fridge (I have even included seaweed in one of my krauts- it was incredible!).



Fibre: Eat a fibre rich diet, including as many wholegrains as possible, plenty of fruit and lots of nuts and seeds. Foods especially rich in fibre include lentils, chickpeas, artichokes, broccoli, chia seeds and oats amongst others. 

Avoid processed foods: Avoiding foods with lots of chemicals and artificial sweeteners- making recipes from scratch at home is a good way to do this. Try to reduce your refined sugar intake as much as possible. If you do have a sweet tooth, you can substitute with a natural sugar lower on the GI (glycemic index) such as coconut palm sugar or agave syrup. 

Get dirty: Scientists are recommending farm visits, getting hands dirty in the soil and playing with animals. Introducing our microbiome to varied forms of bacteria helps to strengthen it which in turn strengthens the immune system. As if we needed another excuse to get in the garden!

Probiotic Supplements: Taking a daily probiotic supplement is a great way to ensure your body is getting as much good bacteria as possible. 

Raw peanut butter and jam protein slice

Recipe - Raw peanut butter and jam protein slice

I am such a big fan of peanut butter and jam. The combination of sweet and salty is a classic and is a firm favourite for so many people on toast, in sandwiches, on pancakes.... However, heavily laden with refined sugar I now tend to stay away from conventional jam in favour of home-made healthy alternatives.

I wanted to create a recipe that used this winning combo but in a healthy snack that doesn't involve smothering it on top of carbs, and a slice seemed like the perfect solution. This recipe also doesn't use nuts in the base so it's really light in texture and on the tummy. 

Ingredients
Base
1 cup organic rolled oats
1 cup Medjool dates
4 tbsp organic peanut butter (I always choose ones palm oil free or from sustainable palm oil sources)
4tbsp raw hemp protein powder
Drizzle of maple syrup or agave
Jam Layer
250g berries of your choice (I used raspberries and blueberries)
4 tbsp chia seeds
Top Layer
1 tbsp coconut oil
1tbsp raw cacao powder
1tbsp coconut palm sugar or sweeter of your choice

Method
1. First make your jam, in a blender add all your berries and blend until broken down in to liquid consistency. pour in to a bowl and add the chia seeds, mix well and place in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to set.
2. Put the oats in a food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds or until oats have a breadcrumb consistency. 
3. Add the dates, peanut butter, hemp protein powder and maple syrup and continue to blitz.  This should slowly form a dense sticky mixture, if it's too dry add a little water and blitz again. 
4. Place the base mixture in a tin lined with baking parchment and spread and press evenly to all corners.
5. Once set, speed the chia jam on to the base and pop in the freezer for 10 minutes. 
6. Melt the coconut oil in a pan on a low heat, once melted add the raw cacao powder and coconut palm sugar and mix very well. You should have a thick liquid consistency similar to melted chocolate. 
7. Take the tin out of the freezer and pour the cacao liquid on top of the jam. You can cover it evenly or make patterns. Place the tin in the fridge for 20 minutes to all it all to set together. 
8. After it has set, take out from the fridge, cut in to squares, bars or shapes and enjoy:) 

Living Healthy on the Go

“Work to live, don’t live to work” is a saying I hear so much these days. And so often I meet people who are completely burnt out from working all hours, a lack of sleep, eating fast/convenient foods and not taking the time to rest or nurture themselves.

I completely support high achievers and admire career driven individuals who thrive on success. I do however hugely encourage everyone to create a healthy work/life balance. Making time and space to relax, give yourself a little TLC and feed yourself nourishing, live and vibrant foods is so important.

I also understand it’s not always easy to make this time when you have a career, children, a commute to or travel with work while also maintaining a social life. The pressures of balancing all these things can be hugely demanding.

I have lived in the London rat race and know first hand how easy it can be to slip in to an unbalanced lifestyle that in the long run is unsustainable. So here are a few suggestions I have learnt along the way for living healthy on the go…

Hydration Hydration Hydration

Keeping hydrated is absolutely fundamental to maintaining your health. Ideally we need to be drinking at least 2 liters of water each day. This will simultaneously help with the flow of key minerals in to your cells while aiding the elimination of toxins. Drinking this much water can help clear headaches, retain concentration and keep you awake. Trying having a pint of water instead of a coffee and see how you feel…

TIP: If you travel a lot, particularly on airplanes, it is especially important to keep the water up. Flying is one of the most dehydrating things we can do to our body so really bug those air stewards for regular water top ups.

Meals on the Move

Finding truly healthy foods when you’re grabbing a bite from a local supermarket, deli or train station can be really difficult. Often the options include poor quality ingredients on soggy white bread. Take a well-known supermarket (who shall not be named, but my Dad calls them Mordor) meal deal, a sandwich, a packet of crisps or choc bar and a fizzy drink for a few pounds… it hardly screams ‘healthy’ to me.

• I suggest preparing some wholesome snacks on a Sunday ready for your busy week ahead. A trail mix with dried fruit, nuts and seeds will fill you up, contains essential fats and vitamins and can be carried around easily. Or make oat and nut bars, store them in an airtight container and take one with you each day.
• One-cup smoothie makers are perfect for a morning mineral and fibre injection. Blend up fruit and nut milk with your favourite superfood powders or use it for making a portable chia pudding.
• Make a big batch of soup that can be divided in to portions and frozen. Then grab one each day to heat up in the office.
•  For me fruit is the ultimate snack, there’s nothing better than a juicy nectarine or box of blueberries to satisfy a hunger pang on the move.

Or if you are grabbing lunch out, these are a few of my fave healthy eateries around the UK...

-       Tanyas Café – Chelsea, London

-       Sweet Greens – Bournemouth, Dorset

-       Café Kino – Stokes Croft, Bristol

Yoga on the Train

Yes you heard me, I did say yoga on the train.

Last year I went to Colourfest Yoga Festival and met Eugene from AcroYoga Brighton. He taught us about his fantastic idea of fitting exercise in to your life even when you think you don’t have time.

Now, I’m not talking about headstands in the aisles or down dog on the seats, but you can often find space in the corridors or near doors to do some stretching, a few back bends or even a cheeky warrior pose. You might get a funny look or two but be brave, your body will feel the benefits far beyond the blush that your cheeks feel!

Sophia Harvey is one one of the owners of the successful online health food retailer DetoxTrading.co.uk and is currently studying to become a nutritional therapist with the nutritional healing foundation. Complementary therapy has been in the Harvey family for four generations, Sophia's great grandfather being one of the UK's first Osteopaths.

Make your own Toothpaste.

After sending my commercial toothpaste poison information out, I have had a huge response. . .  Like did you know the another common product used in standard toothpastes is 'Sodium Flouride' which is a by-product of aluminium manufacturing, which can also be found in rat poisons and industrial pesticides!!!

Homemade Toothpaste
Here is a recipe for homemade 100% clean toothpaste that does a good job.

6 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil
6 Tbsp Baking Soda
25 drops of peppermint essential oil or whatever you prefer.
1 Tsp Stevia Liquid (or more if you like it sweeter)

Mix it well and keep in a jar.

http://www.detoxtrading.co.uk/coconut.htm

(Soil Association Certified)