Author: thejuicenut

Vegan, raw foodie, juice nut, writing somewhat wryly about health/nutrition/wellbeing with a little creativity on the side. pearsnotparsnips@mail.com

In Case You Miss Me, I’m Recovering From All The Decluttering!

From today, I’m taking a break to have some osteopathy and rest my body after a hectic few weeks of Christmas, family visits and mass decluttering of cupboards and wardrobes, alongside all the normal family support and blog-writing.

I’ve done a 3 week juice plan and flooded my body with healthy nutrients to see me through the busy times, now I need to take some time to rest and give my back a chance to unknot and my mind some peace and tranquility.

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This is just one small cupboard that was still filled to the gunnels with my daughter’s school and university stuff – and the yellowing old French book on top? Mine from A Level French, a whole lifetime ago! It’s all gone now. The music books are having a new life with my daughter’s musical sons.

Dusty old classics and plays and poetry, from the 60s and 70s, all gone to the charity shop – and this scribble was inside the copy of Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Villette’, neither of my children are owning up!

It is quite daunting clearing out things you’ve loved or which belonged to people you love that have always just been there on shelves, in cupboards, on walls. But there comes a time when you just know it has to go!

I followed the advice in this post from Watching the Daisies, of placing a small bowl of salt in the rooms whch need decluttering –  it alters the chi or energy in the space, and, before you know it, things are magically winging their way out of your home to start another life elsewhere! It really worked!

I’ve scheduled some posts for while I’m away, but I won’t be able to respond to comments or questions until I return, so please forgive my silence.

Take good care of yourselves, be sure to replenish your energy stores once in a while.

A bientôt!

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Health Revolution Giveaway Winner!

Just a short post to thank all who entered the giveaway and to announce that Lydia is the winner. Congratulations! Have a wander over to her blog and say ‘hi’.

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Just a reminder that Dale’s book is available on Amazon for £7.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited or £2.99 download.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Warming Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

img_2883This is a favourite in our house, it is so simple and quick to make and makes a very welcome lunch or dinner on a cold winter’s day. It takes less than an hour to make and you can make it as thick or thin as you like and spicy or not according to your tastes. We prefer to blend it with a stick blender to thicken it up, but leave it a little coarse. We steamed a little broccoli for garnish and extra nutrients.

Sweet potatoes and carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, for healthy eyesight, while sweet potatoes also contain Vitamin D, B vitamins, iron and magnesium – necessary for relaxation of mind and muscles; celery contains potassium, B vitamins and, like carrots, is a good source of Vitamin K, necessary for bone health; ginger is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Broccoli is a good plant source of calcium, B vitamins and protein. The yeast extract contains protein and B vitamins, including B6 and B12, important for vegans. So now you’re good to go!

All measurements are approximate and all ingredients are vegan, gluten-free and organic where possible. Hence, we scrub the veggies and leave the skin on for more nutrients and more flavour.

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Ingredients

1 Tsp Raw Virgin Coconut Oil

3-4 medium Sweet Potatoes, chopped

3-4 Medium Carrots, chopped

1/2 a Stick of Celery, chopped

1-3 thin slices of Ginger Root, depending how thick the root is and how spicy you want the soup, very finely chopped

1 Tsp Yeast Extract, we use Natex as is low salt and has a slight herbal taste.

1 Low Salt Vegetable Stock Cube

dissolved in about

500 mls of hot water (enough to cover the veggies)

Black Pepper

A few small florets of Broccoli to steam for garnish

Method

Melt the oil. When hot but not smoking, add the ginger and stirfry for a few seconds before adding all the other veggies except the broccoli.

Add some Black Pepper.

(Black Pepper aids absorption of nutrients as well as adding flavour).

Stirfry for a minute or so, mixing them up as you do, then turn down the heat, place a lid on the pan and allow to sweat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock and Natex, turn the heat up a little, but try not to allow it to boil. Replace the lid and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

Leave to cook for about 40 minutes, until the veggies are done but not falling apart.

Steam the broccoli.

Turn off the heat, remove the pan and blend with a stick blender.

For a more substantial meal, you could place some cooked orange lentils or organic brown basmati rice in the bottom of the bowl before ladling the soup over the top. 

Top with the broccoli or, alternatively, some bean sprouts.

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Serve with crusty bread.

PS. Look out for Zesty Orange Squash Soup, coming soon!

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Homemade Beans On Toast Video

I promise you, you will never look at a can of baked beans in the same light again after you watch this great video of homemade beans on toast – not a can opener in sight, not even tinned tomatoes! It’s spicy and colourful and will definitely tempt your tastebuds. By the way, it’s vegetarian not vegan and not gluten-free though you can make your own substitutions, vegan sausage for the Linda McCartney ones here and gluten-free bread for the sourdough.

Do visit Juddy at Long Player Kitchen. He has great plant-based recipes and, being a musician, a wealth of music to accompany them!

Juddy Brown's avatarLong Player Kitchen

Video update today.

I have made a video of an old recipe from here, but one of my favourites, my version of the British classic “Beans on Toast”.

Loved by Brits, mocked by others! Give this recipe a try and I can guarantee you will start loving beans on toast!

This is also the first time I have put my voice to a video too, you unlucky gits!

Enjoy….

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500 Up: It’s Giveaway Time!

Yesterday, I received a lovely surprise in the form of a notification from WordPress that I now have 500 followers! I only began blogging just over a year ago, not having much of a clue technically, but having completed the Blogging 101 course I had gained a little more know-how and a few blogging friends, many of whom are still with me and have provided much-needed support.

My (at the time) newly-retired husband is very grateful to you all for keeping me occupied and out of mischief!

To say thank you, we are having a small giveaway. 

imageMy friend, Dale Preece-Kelly, aka Organic Guinea Pig, published his first book ‘Health Revolution’ almost 2 years ago. I have a spare paperback copy to give away. You can read a fuller review of the book here but briefly, Dale lost everything, his marriage, his home, his job and almost his life following a motorbike accident. His lifestyle didn’t help: he smoked, drank was overweight and had a heart attack.

He managed to turn his life around through healthy eating, juicing, exercise and a positive attitude.

Dale tells his story in a chatty, light-hearted style, providing amusing anecdotes, recipes and advice in a non-dogmatic manner.

We had a visit from our smallest grandchildren at the weekend and we made Dale’s Sweet Potato Chocolate Orange Brownies, the recipe is in the review above and in the book.

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If you would like a chance to win this book, simply leave a comment on this post saying you would like your name to go into the hat. You don’t need to do anything else.

  1. The competition is open to all my Blog Followers. My husband will pick a name at random.

2. The competition runs from publication of this post until midnight GMT Saturday, 28th January, 2017.

Dale is a successful author, nutritional therapist, Life Coach and also runs a renowned and well-respected animal assisted therapy business, focusing on mental health issues.

‘Health Revolution’ and Dale’s new book ‘Unleashing The Healing Power of Animals ‘ are available on Amazon.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Environmental Benefits of Adopting a Vegan/Vegetarian Diet

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Vegans are often held to a higher standard when it comes to dietary ethics, be it the environmental impacts of their food choices, animal welfare or health benefits. We all have our own line in the sand, we do what we can given our circumstances and our resources.

Here are some of the ways a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle can be beneficial not just to our own health as individuals or in terms of animal husbandry but for our environment and the world’s populations too.

First, water.

img_6549(Graphic from Vegan Community)

This is quite a startling graphic given the water shortages in some parts of the world. And it doesn’t end there.

Chemical run-offs from farming and processing livestock also contaminate water supplies.

Climate:

Intensive livestock farming and its support infrastructure are a major contributor in the production of greenhouse gases, both from the production of methane but also from transportation, and at current rates this could rise by 50% by 2050. According to a Guardian Environment article which quotes a study from Oxford Martin School, ‘adoption of a vegetarian diet would bring down emissions by 63% by 2050.’*

I have seen many articles like this from various sources advocating the reduction of meat and dairy consumption for environmental reasons and the knock-on beneficial effects on human health.

Deforestation:

According to the film Cowspiracy, beef production accounts for 90% the destruction of Amazon rainforest. Many activists have lost their lives or been injured in land disputes with meat producers and indigenous peoples removed from their land.

Growing Food to Feed Animals to Feed Us!

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One of the reasons I first became vegetarian many moons ago was because it didn’t seem right to me that so much land was given over to growing crops to feed animals to feed us when we could just cut out the middle ‘man’ and just eat the crops! When there are so many starving people, it seemed so inefficient and such a waste of resources.

Here’s another graphic to illustrate the point:

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Developing Countries Having to Grow Cash Crops for Animal Feed in Developed World:

Another reason I became vegetarian was that so many poor countries in the developing world have been forced to grow cash crops to sell cheaply to Western countries for animal feed in order to pay off unpayable loans when they should be using them to feed their own populations and earning appropriate prices.

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Overuse of Antibiotics and Bacterial Resistance:

A major concern for human health and that of livestock is the overuse of antibiotics. 

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This is a shocking statistic! This is bad for the animals, bad for the environment, bad for our health. There is widespread concern about resistance to antibiotics and this is the main reason, the antibiotics given to animals end up in our food and the bugs are getting wise to them.

Last but not least is the issue of genetically modified feed and hormones used in the meat and dairy industries. Wherever you stand on the use of GMOs in food, the widespread production of single crops and consequent depletion of the soil, there is great concern among the scientific community as well as environmentalists about how adding and removing genes to alter the behaviour of plants and crops will affect the behaviour of our own genes and dna, as well as that of the animals, birds and insects that feed on them and the consequent ecological ramifications.

Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone is banned in most industrialised countries but is widely used in the US dairy industry. Milk from such cows contains higher levels of a hormone linked to breast, prostrate, colon, lung and other cancers. *

Many other GMOs are banned in most other developed countries, being linked with various cancers and other inflammatory conditions, as well as environmental pollution and crop contamination, but deemed safe in the US. There is little to no regulation of their use and unlike European consumers who have food labelling, for the most part US consumers are not privy to the information. (For example, a US company is about to begin selling packaged GMO sliced apples that don’t go brown in some mid-Western stores but consumers will not be told which stores nor will they be labelled as such).

A series of programmes made about these issues were forced to be postponed and the makers threatened.

There is an informative post on this here by The Organic Consumers Association and another on Unregulated gene editing by Natural Health 365.

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Just after I published this post, I came across this quote on Instagram which starkly but neatly sums up all the issues:

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Finally, on a lighter note:

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* https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/21/eat-less-meat-vegetarianism-dangerous-global-warming

* https://ourgreennation.org/2017/01/02/gmos-in-dairy-institute-for-responsible-technology/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

It’s January: S.A.D.? Do What You Love!

I bought a new mug the other day. Well, actually, it’s a rather large cup that you need two hands to hold, one of those Friends-type ones that you can snuggle up with, full of hot chocolate*, in front of a cosy fire. It’s nothing special. It cost 99p in a local shop and is both dishwasher and microwave safe. It was what was written on the front that resonated.

I don’t usually like things with slogans, but this one says:

‘Do what you love!’

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Being January, with its cold and damp grey days, and being a little susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder, I have learned to try always to have a project on the go to absorb my attention and give my brain something else to contemplate other than when is the sun ever going to wake up and the garden turn green again?

In the past it’s been family history research: when I finished my own, I helped someone else. I try to catch up on letter-writing too. Real letters with real ink written on real paper! I love to use a fountain pen, and this year I have my precious old one sent to me by my primary school teacher, Evelyn (you can read about it here).

21f65416-e275-4687-a6cc-13eef10a45aaI’m currently on my second week of a juice plan, so that has occupied me somewhat – and made me get some much-needed early nights! – but I needed something creative too.

Every year, when we take down the Christmas cards, I put them away for recycling and reusing in November for next Christmas. But I always think I should do it now because November is always such a busy month with all the other preparations and my back really suffers so that I’m always in pain at Christmas.

img_2968This time, when I saw the mug, it was like a message from the universe! So, here I am, doing what I love, making Christmas cards in January! Oh, and drinking my favourite liquorice and cinnamon tea.

This is also the time of year when the professional cyclists dust off their lycra, don their new team strips and bring us some much needed sun from Downunder!

The Tour Down Under began this week in Adelaide, just what I needed: sun, culture and men in lycra – and leading the family Velogames league after Stage 1 and 2 (I don’t even cycle, they take it very seriously) <wicked laugh!>

So I may be a little preoccupied for a while … with the cards I mean 😉

Time for my next juice, cheers!

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What do *you* love to do during these winter months?

*Recipe for Spicy Raw Hot Chocolate with Hemp Milk (or nut milk).

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Where to Get Nutritional Advice for Young Vegans and Newbies

Just a quick post to pass on this link fom The Vegan Society which gives nutritional advice for young children, 11-18 year olds and those new to vegan eating. It includes the importance of breakfast, calcium, omega 3, Vitamin D, iodine, B12 etc. with suggestions for meals and sources of these nutrients.

It is by no means comprehensive and it is important to do your own research regarding the issue of using supplements or not.

My view is that it is always better to get your nutrients from real food where possible, supplements come in such a variety of forms, strengths and quality, often have fillers and they are expensive and not always absorbed sufficiently by the body.

Isolating particular nutrients doesn’t always work since when they occur within real food, they are accompanied by lots of micro-nutrients which aid their metabolism and absorption, which isn’t always the case with supplements.

This is why it is important to consume foods containing Vitamin C with foods containing iron, for instance. That’s also the reason not to peel where appropriate as these micronutrients are found just under the skin.

However, there are cases where supplementing might be appropriate, but it is wise to seek advice from a qualified practitioner.

This article is a good start, along with Teen Vegan, a safe not-for-profit social network for 12-19s with lots of advice, opportunities to volunteer making care packages for local homeless people and summer camp activities.

Another great resource is Vegan Fitness TV (recently renamed Family Fizz TV) on YouTube. They are a family of four, the parents are very into fitness, training etc but are very down-to-earth, using convenience foods as well as fresh foods and regularly test out new products. The two young girls in the family also have their own channel.

Vegan Kids (What an 11 year old eats in a day)

Vegan Kids (What a 5 Year Old eats in a day)

The two sisters do their own videos, they are delightful, so confident, lively and have a lot of fun.

Don’t forget, all the recipes on this blog are Vegan and Gluten-free and and you can find additional advice on Becoming Vegan in the blog Menu.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Where Do I Get Iron on a Vegan Diet?

Here:

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Plus Figs, Dried Peaches, Mangoes, Goji Berries, Golden Berries, Spirulina, Watercress, Moringa Powder, but best of all for chocolate lovers is that Dark Chocolate (over 75%) and Cacao contain lots more iron than beef!

Other sources of iron include wholegrains: Quinoa, Barley, Bulgar Wheat, Oats, Rice. Other Nuts: Macadamias, Walnuts, Pecans and Pistachios. Homemade Nut Milks (see the Menu for recipes). Other Seeds: Pumpkin, Squash, Chia, Hemp. 

Plant sources of iron are not as easily absorbed as animal sources but it is simple to obtain enough through eating a rainbow of foods every day.

In fact, vegans with a varied diet consume more bioavailable iron than meat-eaters and vegetarians.

Dairy milk interferes with the absorption of iron.

There are many more plant-based sources of iron, even in small amounts, so eating a wide variety of foods will do the job.

Vitamin C aids the absorption of plantbased Iron, and if you’re on a healthy vegan diet full of fruits and vegetables, this will not be a problem at all.

Sprouting enhances the bioavailability of iron as well as other essential nutrients, including Vitamin C to aid absorption. It is easy to sprout all kinds of beans and seeds – we sprout mung beans, alfalfa, broccoli, lentils, chickpeas.

My post Sprouting for Health, Energy and the Environment! will show you how, and provide more information on the benefits of sprouting.

Please Note: It can be dangerous to take iron supplements unless under the supervision of your doctor.

Vegetarian Times  have a great article on How Much Iron is Enough and how to get the required amounts.

One Green Planet have a good article on Ten Plant-based Foods Packed With Iron.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Where Do I Get My Calcium On A Vegan Diet?

Here:

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And here:

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here too:

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I would also inlcude Watercress, Parsley, Swede, Rocket, Tiger Nuts, Plant Milks, and Hard Water.

It is a longheld myth that humans need cow’s milk in order to build strong bones. 

In fact, cow’s milk is made for the calves they produce which need to grow large bones and grow into large animals, they have the required digestive system to break it down and absorb the calcium content.

Calves grow to approximately eight times their birthweight by the time they are weaned and never drink milk again.

Humans make less and less of the enzyme needed to break down dairy milk as they get older – only young children have enough of the enzyme – which can lead to lactose intolerance and several health issues.

The type of calcium in dairy milk is barely absorbed by humans and is different from the type of calcium in plant foods.

Plant-based calcium is more bioavailable to humans.

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  • Many people, including babies and children, are allergic to dairy milk, they develop normally on non-dairy sources of calcium.
  • Many populations around the world don’t drink dairy milk, yet display no overall deficiency in calcium.
  • American women are among the biggest consumers of dairy milk, yet they have one of the highest percentages of osteoporosis.
  • Chinese people don’t eat or drink dairy milk and consume half the amount of calcium of most Americans, yet there is hardly any osteoporosis.
  • Dairy milk washes the calcium we already have from our bones and this can lead to osteoporosis.
  • Dairy milk is allowed by law to contain a certain amount of chemicals, growth hormones, antibiotics and pus (yes, pus!)
  • Most dairy herds are fed on GMO feed, so even if you avoid these in weekly shopping and home cooking, if you drink milk or eat meat, you are almost certainly consuming GMOs.
  • Many large mammals have plantbased diets: Elephants, Rhinos, Zebras, Moose, most Gorillas, Hippos, Yak, Bison – no-one asks where they get their protein/calcium from (they wouldn’t dare!).
  • Consuming large amounts of dairy milk can cause iron deficient anaemia in young children because they drink so much milk they have no room for other better sources of iron.
  • One family member has a condition which requires him to have a very low-protein diet. He has never had dairy products or meat. He is a strapping, healthy, active young man who is an outdoor activities leader specialising in canoeing, climbing and snowboarding, and a keen cyclist.
  • Exercise, especially the weight-bearing kind, is a good way to increase your bone density.

Who would think even fruits are good sources of calcium?

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My youngest toddler grandson is very strongwilled when it comes to food and unless it is fruit or pasta, forget it! Yet he is tall and strong and has so much energy he literally has to be fed on the go as he whizzes past on his next mission to create chaos and mayhem! His parents are very sneaky, though: he loves his dad’s freshly-made fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies which are full of all sorts of plants, nuts and seeds that he would vociferously object to if put on his plate!

Surprisingly, too, many herbs are high in calcium.

Mind Body Green have a great infographic explaining why calcium is essential, how much you need at various ages and according to gender, plus a list of plant-based sources.

Many Americans are deficient in calcium, especially teenage girls and women over 50, but it is easy to include enough of this mineral with a little self-education and thought. Some foods may be unfamiliar, but these days are easily accessible via online stores and there are many sites and books showing you how to use them. Three years ago, I had never heard used chia seeds, goji berries, lucuma fruit powder, goldenberries and so on, but now they are staples along with nut butters and tahini (sesame paste).

You can find recipes for homemade Nut, Seed and Tiger Nut Recipes in the Menu – Tiger Nuts are actually tubers and so are suitable for those with a nut allergy. They make lovely naturally sweet and creamy milk, full of vitamins, minerals and probiotics. It is very popular in Spain where it is known as Horchata.

It is important to note that Spinach contains oxalate which prevents the absorption of its calcium content.

Salt and Caffeine also inhibit calcium uptake.

It is also important to note that calcium supplementation can be dangerous: it can cause an imbalance in essential minerals in the body, overwork the kidneys, cause kidney stones to develop, create cardiovascular problems from calcium deposits and lead to many other health issues.

Sources: The Vegan Society and Vegan Community on Instagram

The Guardian

The Global Healing Centre

as well as courses and articles, too many to mention, and my own experience.

Hope this helps!

Copyright: Chris McGowan