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Hi, I’m Chris, how are you? Welcome to The Quite Frankly Baffling World of Health and Nutrition!

 I love food! A little too much to be honest. I was once a no-clue student living off scrambled eggs and frozen mixed veg, hunks of cheese, and cream cakes from the on-campus bakery. I yo-yo dieted, ate too many orange Mivvies when pregnant and loved baking for the family.

However, over time I got the message and eventually became vegetarian, a Raw Food Nutritionist, Naturopathic Nutritionist, Juicer and Vegan.

(To follow my journey see About Me: From Vesta Curry to Vegan Sushi) 

Our health and wellbeing rather than weight are the main concerns of this blog. I eat a rainbow of foods every day in one form or another and juice at least once a day, while refined sugar no longer passes my lips! I enjoy treats, I still snack, but I do so consciously and try to avoid processed foods.

Health comes first and the weight falls naturally.

(To read about the positive impact of juicing on my health and weight see Juicing: How to Begin or Do As I Say, Not As I Did!)

Naturally colourful and tasty food is a means to a more healthful life, providing our bodies with the nutrients necessary to help support, renew and repair, and giving us the energy not only to work but to enjoy our lives to the fullest.

Cumin and Have Some Soup! – see What Juicers Eat: Savoury Vegan Recipes in the Menu.

I hope to inspire you and perhaps help you take a shortcut to avoiding some of the pitfalls of the modern Western diet: poor nutrition through over-reliance on processed food; struggles with weight management; yo-yo dieting, chronic inflammatory disease; fatigue and depression. I want to encourage the use of fresh, healthy, plant-based foods (organic where possible) and natural treatments to help keep our bodies in full working order.

Whilst I’m passionate about eating predominantly healthy, vibrant plant-based food that is quick and easy to make, it is easy to become over-earnest about food and health, even obsessive.

Above all, listen to your body.

Cooking and eating should not just be functional and nutritious, but creative and most of all fun!

My Red Nose Salad

Foods don’t just keep us alive: they can lift our spirits, cement relationships and provide lots of creative fun, especially when cooking with children – or a partner who doesn’t know their basil from their black pepper (not mentioning any names!) But they can also cause potential problems when over-processed or over-used.

It’s what you eat most of the time that counts, not the occasional slice of celebration cake, but it’s still possible to enjoy food, including treats, without loading it with unhealthy processed fats and refined sugar – see Raw Treats, Raw Chocolate Recipes & Tiger Nut Recipes in the Menu.

Vegan Raw Chocolate Easter Eggs 

With obesity, diabetes and heart disease in children rising at a frightening rate, involving them in food choices and preparation before they can walk can set them on the right path to a healthy life: the 1 year old in our family tests out his dad’s juice concoctions, while the 3 year old loves to be involved in the kitchen and frequently requests raw juices which give her a beautiful beaming beetroot smile!

(See also Spiralising: A Great Way to Get Your Kids Eating Their Greens, Reds, Yellows…)

I would like to share what I’ve learned through years of research and experience with food in all its guises – for example, juicing for health and weight loss (see under Juicing Posts in the Menu), being vegan (B12: What is it & Do we need to supplement? ), and coping with skin diseases (see How I Juiced My Skin Clear).

I hope some posts will amuse as well as inform (see ‘Life – You Have To Smile’ in the Menu), occasionally they will be interspersed with Vegan, Gluten-Free recipes for juices, raw treats, nut milks, shakes and smoothies (plus others in the ‘More Smoothies!’ Page in the Menu), as well as Vegan Meals and Snacks  via the Menu. There are also some Creative and Crafty posts in the Menu to uplift and inspire.

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Eating foods as Nature intended is good for the planet, which in the end can only be beneficial to those who inhabit it.

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Thank you for reading my blog. I wish you good health!

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Ps You can follow me on Twitter: @thejuicenut (but be warned, I’m also a bit of a cycling groupie!), Instagram @pearsnotparsnips and Facebook: Pears not Parsnips

Disclaimer: All content on this blog is from my own research or experience unless otherwise stated. It is for information only and is not intended to diagnose or treat. Please do your own research. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult your GP or Primary Care Physician. Please do not stop or alter your prescription medication, or begin any fast or cleanse without first consulting your doctor.

All text, photos and recipes are subject to copyright by the author unless stated otherwise and cannot be reproduced without prior permission. Should permission be given, any reproduction should be credited and linked to the original.

Copyright: Chris McGowan 5/11/2015