Eat food you love that loves you back
Day 3 of my Sensitive Foodie advent calendar, and it’s another sweet treat. Perfect for dunking in a hot coffee or dairy-free chocolate on a soggy or chilly winter’s day, these super crunchy biscotti are packed with seasonal spices and a satisfying crunch. Continue reading “Crunchy Christmas biscotti”
It’s not often these days thatI rush home to catch the beginning of a TV programme, but last night it was different. And it’
s definitely not often that the programme I’m rushing to see is Come Dine with Me. But when you know someone appearing on it, it’s different!
After months of waiting, the opening episode of the new series was in Brighton, and featured a gorgeous eclectic Brighton mix of individuals, including the lovely Sue Bradley.
I met Sue through a fabulous networking organisation called the Mumpreneurs Networking Club (MNC) and got to know her better after she came along to my Eat Well, Live Well course (although I did not know she played the saw!!!). Sue is a yoga teacher and an Eating Psychology Coach, and is passionate about fabulous, real food. If you missed last night’s episode, follow this link to see the fun, frolics and food http://www.channel4.com/programmes/come-dine-with-me
I caught up with Sue recently to find out more about what she does as an Eating Psychology Coach: here’s what she told me.
Sue: Eating Psychology is all about HOW and WHY you eat, rather that WHAT you eat. My practice incorporates mind-body nutrition and neuro-slimming for overeating; simple and effective techniques to help people change how they think about food and banish overeating and negative behavioural patterns for good. Basically, I help people transform their relationship with food.
Me: Sounds good! What type of people do you work with?
Sue: Anyone who wants to change the way they eat. I meet a lot of people who have been on diets that don’t work for years, obsessive about counting calories or weighing and logging every ingredient and develop an unhealthy relationship with food. Or others who overeat and are stuck in a negative mindset.
Sue: Yes, I also offer food education and re-education for those who already know what to eat, but are still finding themselves unwittingly consuming things that they really don’t want to. This is often 
due to the addictive qualities of the food-related products we are surrounded by. This involves various processes, including demystifying ingredients on food packaging and helping people to shop smarter and healthier.
Me: So how can people get to see you?
Sue: I work with clients on a one to one basis. I can meet people in person here in Brighton or across the South East and London, or can meet worldwide via Skype, so I can be accessible to anyone. There’s more information on my website http://eatingpsychology.co.uk
Me: You have a YouTube channel too
Sue: Yes, I have some short food education vlogs that people can watch – people can find out more by watching this short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7phY-awavg
So there you have it, everything you needed to know about Sue’s Eating Psychology but didn’t find out by watching Come Dine with Me! Mind you, Sue’s dishes made my mouth water, especially her dessert. Luckily, the recipes are available as an ebook – click here to get yours http://eatingpsychology.co.uk/come-dine-with-me/. Right, key lime pie, I’m coming for you!
My son recently declared “I just love jam”. It made us all laugh as we hadn’t actually been talking about jam at the time, it was just a random statement that came from nowhere. Of course!
Continue reading “Chia up with jam”
So, what are your resolutions for 2017? Most people tend to say eat better and exercise – both positive actions, often short lived though! Making changes can be hard, especially if you are doing it on your own. With social media, however, you never need be alone now, and there are campaigns throughout the year you can join in with to help keep you going on your well-being mission.
There’s been a huge rise in eating a more natural plant based diet and the Veganuary campaign during January has played a big part in this (see www.veganuary.com for more information). It’s easy to access, with lots of information, ideas and recipes to keep you interested throughout the month, and hopefully feeling keen and enthusiastic to make lasting changes to the way you eat as well as your health.
Big campaigns that raise awareness are great, and as customer demands increase, so does supply of products – you only need to see the expansion of ‘free from’ ranges in the supermarkets to note how animal-free is becoming mainstream. But that’s where my word of warning comes in – just because something is ‘vegan’ doesn’t automatically give it ‘healthy’ status. Chips (as a rule) are vegan after all!
Essentially, the way I look at it from a nutrition, and therefore health, side of things is that processed and refined food is still generally junk, whether it’s animal or plant derived. Once the ‘whole’ has been taken out of ‘food’ and chemicals and extras added in the nutritional content goes down and the negative impact on us, and the environmental cost, goes up.
As a sensitive eater, vegan processed food is often still a no-go area, with yeasts added in all over the place, whether as yeast extract or ‘natural’ flavourings and preservatives. And you’ll often still find a high amount of refined sugars in varying forms as well as highly refined oils.
So what to do? The best way is to eat as close to a food’s natural form as possible most of the time and enjoy it in all it’s lovely gloriousness, and add in a few plant based extras in every now and then. Then you will get all the amazing benefits of going plant based, and will feel so good and energised that Veganuary will slip into February, then March……..see where it will take you!
So if you’re taking the plant based plunge for New Year – enjoy! Don’t forget there’s loads of easy, tasty recipes for you to try on this blog. And if you want to know more, then why not check out my Eat Well, Live Well course that starts again at the end of the month? You will gain loads of essential information about eating whole food and plant based plus a whole bunch of amazing recipes, meet some great people and dine on dishes made by me. What more could you want to really get 2017 off to a great start? Check out http://www.thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/courses.html
It’s that time of year again where we shop until we drop, and eat until we burst! Now we’re actually into December, my mind is turning towards Christmas cooking. I love all the seasonal flavours with warming spices, sharp pickles, rich nut dishes and crunchy greens.
Christmas can be challenging if you are a sensitive eater, or are cooking for someone who is. This is not the time of year to miss out! With this in mind, I’m going to be doing a series of blog posts to help you out at this time of year. All recipes are plant based and can be easily adapted to gluten free too.
To start you off, here are some links to existing posts from the last couple of years:
1) A useful nut roast. This is my go-to basic nut roast recipe, simple to make and delicious eaten cold on Boxing Day too. You can jazz it up with some more herbs, or put slices of tomato or mushroom in the middle. A firm favourite with us.
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/planning-christmas-dinner/
2) Tasty tarts! I made these last Christmas for one of my supper clubs and they went down a storm. Worth making if you want something a little more innovative than nut roast. Use your pastry of choice – I now make one with minimal fat and will be adding the recipe soon
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/christmas-chestnut-tartlets/
3) The ultimate red cabbage. Perfect for Christmas Day, everyone can eat it and it can be made a couple of days in advance if needed. What more could you want!
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/comforting-cabbage/
4) A lighter dish. When you’ve eaten so much and are looking for something a bit lighter, this fennel stuffed pepper hits the spot. Sumptuous flavours without the need for a post-dinner snooze, unless you want one of course!
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/thanks-delia/
5) Rich paté without the meat. This lentil and walnut paté will hit the taste spot for a Boxing Day spread and no-one will guess how easy it is to make.
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/amazingly-tasty-lentil-and-walnut-pate/
Finally, if you have a sensitivity to egg, dairy or fish, don’t forget to check that your booze. Many beers, wines and ciders use animal proteins in filtering the yeasty gunk from their products which will then linger in the final product. Check out this old blog post to find out more and I’ll be doing a little update with some recommendations – it’s a hard life testing these things out for you!
http://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/milk-in-wine-surely-not/
Let the Christmas countdown begin!
Veganism has become the fastest growing lifestyle movement in the UK – there are over 500,000 vegans, 3 1/2 times more than in 2006. Campaigns such as Veganuary and Meatless Monday have raised awareness and as more research reveals the damage caused by our Western diet, many are deciding to go and live life on the veg.
So what are the main reasons for this change in lifestyle?
1) Health – as the world gets fatter and sicker, many have looked to take control of their dietary choices and gone plant based. Of course, being vegan does not automatically mean healthy, as there are many highly processed, nutrient poor vegan options! That’s why I always harp on about eating whole food and plant based – that’s the healthy bit; and there’s loads of research out there that backs it up. After all, what we put in our bodies breaks down into chemical reactions at cellular level – whole foods maximise the nutrients for these reactions. So putting more of the good stuff in lessens the bad effects like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Which leads me to number two……
2) Weight loss – when I went dairy free, I lost weight. When I went mainly plant based, I lost more, even though I was eating, and enjoying, loads. I went from always being on a diet, to never having to think about weight gain. Nice! And I’m not alone. Research revealed that people who went on a vegan diet lost 5kg more than any other form of diet. But that’s as long as junk is taken out. No wonder it’s becoming popular with Beyonce and the like!
3) Animal welfare – traditionally one of the most important tenets of veganism, factory farms and poor treatment turns many off being meat eaters and on to the veg. Documentaries like Cowspiracy and Earthlings have had a major impact on it’s viewers. Short films showing the conditions and treatment of animals in industrial slaughter houses is enough to make that steak look less appealing. Even though my journey to eating mainly plant based was motivated by my food sensitivities, the things I have learnt about the meat industry has definitely changed my view point.
4) Environment – going plant based is the single most direct effect a 
person can have on the environment. Producing food from animals is so costly to the planet, using up massive amounts of land and water, and contributing more green house gases than transport. That’s why campaigns like Meatless Monday are important for our world – less contributes so much more!
Everyone has their own reason for going more plant based; the internet has really opened up the debate and this increase in numbers is making it more mainstream. We delve into this topic in more detail in my Eat Well Live Well course, starting again in the New Year if you’re interested in finding out more.
So why not have your own little celebration, raise a glass of (vegan) wine and enjoy living life on the veg!
Over the weekend, I was wondering who decides if it’s a special day or week. For instance, last week was National Curry Week, celebrating what has become one of the nation’s favourite genre of dishes (and rightly so!). Continue reading “Oh so gorgeous lemon and blueberry cake”
Sometimes I feel really sorry for my friends who come to dinner, as they end up being guinea pigs for new recipe ideas or dishes, although I try to be careful not to scare anyone too much! Having invited a couple over recently, I found my mind wandering off on a creative menu tangent as I know they are quite up for trying different things. Continue reading “Aquafaba asparagus and pea savoury mousse”
Are you still struggling with a glut of courgettes? Then you will be so grateful for having an abundant harvest when you try this soup. Continue reading “Courgette and cumin soup”
