Good health made pleasurable and practical with personalised advice from a multi-award winning Registered Clinical Nutritionist, Author, Educator and Speaker. Let Maria help you address ALL your health concerns - from large to small.
Makes about 1 cup of chermoula Vegan and Paleo; no gluten, dairy, egg, soy or other legumes, potato or tomato
No wonder the people of the Mediterranean have such great health statistics – as well as so many diners eager for their classic dishes.
Chermoula is an Arabic word used to describe a North African fresh herb, lemon, olive, nut and spice mixture used as a marinade or topping for fish, meat or vegetables. My hearty version was inspired by reading the sigh-inducing and internationally popular cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The book is also a touching memoir by these two men who lived in the western and eastern parts of the city and met later in London. These districts have been embattled with each other, but the authors say the food and hospitality practices, culturally unify them. Read more
Makes 1 litre/quart (Vegan; no gluten, dairy, soy, egg or cane sugar)
No ice-cream maker, dairy products or artificial additives are required. Instead enjoy the high antioxidant levels, pale green colour and light fresh tropical contributions of lime, mango, coconut and vanilla. These, with a little maple syrup (or honey), provide all necessary sweetness. Read more
Makes one 400 gram (14 oz) block (Vegan; no gluten, dairy or eggs)
Yes, dairy-free cheese. The texture is believable and it grates well. It’s most notable feature is how it convincingly melts over strong or direct heat… Read more
Serves 2-3 as a main (No gluten, dairy, legumes, egg, or nightshades)
Polenta is the Italian word for coarse cornmeal and also the dishes made from it. This is made with maize, which grows like corn on the cob, but is chosen for its starchiness – rather than sweet eating properties – and mostly ground into flour. Traditionally, yellow maize is seasoned and cooked in stock like a savoury porridge. It is then served as a side dish similar to a vegetable mash.
Or the porridge is poured into an oiled square or round dish and chilled until firm. Immaculate golden slices can then be sliced and baked or fried, forming a satisfyingly crisp, toast-like crust with tender interior. These are consistently popular. Some restaurants slice polenta into baton shapes and serve them like chips. Read more
Nails have practical value (such as picking up objects, and scratching), aesthetic value, and diagnostic value.
They act as a protective plate in contrast to the many sensitive nerves in your fingertips there to provide information when you touch something. Have you ever noticed how women shoppers are more likely than men to touch objects they are evaluating? Women’s bodies have more nerve receptors: for example 34 nerve fibres per square centimetre of facial skin compared to men’s 17. Read more
(No gluten, dairy, egg, cane sugar; with options for soy)
Sweet, moist, long keeping and super easy. The apricots are particularly high in alkaline potassium, a key nutrient for calm nerves and muscles including the heart. Dried fruit supplies a surprising amount of protein, fibre and minerals including iron. For visual appeal, choose a selection of different coloured fruit. Candied ginger is an especially punchy flavour contributor, but it does have cane sugar….. Read more
Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is a seed from Peru. It is high in protein and fibre while low in starch; a good source of manganese, magnesium, folate, flavonoids, some Omega 3 and other anti-inflammatory factors. It has a mild nutty taste; resembles and is used like a grain such as rice. Many people who are grain-sensitive (often to the gluten-containing grains) can do well on quinoa as it is not a member of the grass family. Whole quinoa (looks like bird seed) and flaked quinoa (resembles rolled oats) are in most supermarkets.
1 loaf: moist, pliable and long-keeping! (No gluten, dairy, cane sugar, legumes* or nightshades*)
Some people have called this “miracle” bread. The results are similar to the classic Vogel’s brand, though smaller in size. Gluten-free breads are often dry and crumbly, though some commercial versions achieve a light texture by being are low in protein and fibre. Or they cheat with numerous artificial additives. Read more
GOOD HEALTH SOLUTIONS – An Introduction to a Series of 3 Reports
Your Body: An Owner’s Manual
The original meaning of the word doctor was “teacher”.
In times of crisis we can be thankful for the impressive provision of pharmaceuticals and surgery. Healthcare though should focus more on prevention, and simple but effective treatment options wherever possible. Modern research verifies the targeted, yet multi-spectrum ways in which foods can act as medicine. However since natural substances cannot be patented and thus made mega-profitable, there is more commercial interest in heralding how a drug can drop cholesterol levels by 3%, rather than explaining how an everyday food might achieve results of 20%.
• Modern medical research. • Time-honoured traditional practices. • Contemporary convenience.
Scrumptious dairy- and gluten-free fare to enhance your health, pleasure and longevity.
By MARIA MIDDLESTEAD, Reg. Clinical Nutritionist
* * *
Have you been conned by a Soyburban Myth?
Benefit instead from the lessons of history and international research.
What is the secret ingredient to:
• The nation with the greatest longevity?
• The differing lifespans of individuals within that nation?
• Steady blood sugar regulation and easy weight management without restrictive, monotonous diets?
• Lowered risk factors for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, sub-fertility, PMS, menopausal problems, breast, prostate and many other cancers?
The answer comes packaged in the form of diverse and adaptable convenience foods with over 2,000 years of safe and venerated use: soy products.
But what about the taste? No one blames the likes of pasta and potatoes for being bland. That very quality lets them successfully showcase a myriad of flavours, colours and textures. The same is true of soy – a playful cook’s best friend.
Let this book help you discover a new world of innovative yet simple recipes, tested by and designed for the tofu-shy. By using such products as soy-based yoghurt, cream cheese, milk and strategically incorporated tofu you can seamlessly update household favourites without fellow diners even noticing the difference. Try Salmon and Red Pepper Dip followed by Courgette and Walnut Fritters, Spanish Paprika Pasta, and Smoky Summer Salad with Mango Dressing.Save room though for a gasp-eliciting Mocha Cherry Gateau. While catering to your immediate visual and sensual pleasures, such dishes also promote the long-term good health and vitality essential for life’s sustained enjoyment.
From their hormone-balancing isoflavones, a critical ratio of amino acids that stimulates metabolic efficiency, key antioxidants to discourage abnormal cell growth, hard to obtain fatty acids critical to routing the inflammatory symptoms of most diseases, to their unusually advantageous proportion of calcium to magnesium essential in the right ratio for healthy sleep, moods, hearts and bones – soy brings an impressive menu of physiological and culinary benefits to your table.
While superbly advantageous in their own right, soy products also provide an easy substitution for modern, highly manipulated dairy products. By minimising your dairy intake you can limit its contribution as: the # 1 dietary source of adverse endocrine disruptors (linked to the growing incidence of hormonal problems and sub-fertility for both men and women); the # 1 most likely food sensitivity in New Zealand; an inflammatory protein source that respected scientific studies associate with the development of diabetes; and a poorly absorbed calcium content that can encourage osteoporosis.
Enjoy Maria’s latest e-book, which can only be purchased from this site.
