Fabulous Health

I get asked almost EVERY day if the plant-based meat alternatives like the Impossible Burger or the Beyond Burger are good for our health.  

Before I answer that question, you need to know that these plant-based meat alternatives were formulated over years to be almost exact replicas of the texture and taste of meat, but without using a live animal. 

What does meat have in it that people like?  

FAT.  

So these meat substitutes also have a lot of fat.   

Saturated fat to be precise.  

A standard Beef burger patty  (say, From McDonalds - which is not the best quality, but it's a good comparison) is 67% fat, most of that is Saturated fat - the fat that clogs your arteries and gives you heart disease amongst other nasty things. 

An impossible burger is 53% fat - again, most of it saturated.  

So, in that sense, is it healthier?  Not by much

BUT. . . 

This is what store bought plant-based burgers have going for them:

1.  They are MUCH better for the environment, using a fraction of the water and land resources as a meat patty

2.  They are MUCH better for the animals - none of which are tortured and killed in the process of making said burger

3.  They have no cholesterol or hormones, or medications or chemicals that are present in meat. 

So, in that sense they are better.  But eating them instead of a meat burger is only marginally healthier.  

What can you do instead?  Make your own . . . with WHOLE FOOD!!!

It's so easy.  

Throw the ingredients in a bowl.

Shape into patties.

Bake.

Eat.

Freeze the rest for later. 

Here is my SECRET formula for the PERFECT veggie burger. 

Choose your favorites in each of the categories to make the burger that is perfect for YOU. 

ENJOY!  Make your own and tell us about it in the comments.

Whoa!  That’s a big claim!  
EAT MORE, weigh LESS.  
Yeah, Right!!   I hear you.  I thought so too.

I’m a qualified Nutritionist with a Masters and I struggled with my weight for YEARS.  NOTHING about weight loss is easy…or so I thought.

 

Let me get real with you.  A couple of years ago, due to me living in different countries with different work permit regulations, I wasn’t able to use my degree professionally.  All I wanted to do is help people lose weight and get healthy, but I was not legally allowed to work.

 

So, I blogged and I went on Facebook and fluffed around.  Another thing I did was put on weight.  YEP, I, the person you have come to, to help solve your weight issues, got pudgy.

 

We are all too often faced with a situation where we are hungry, but not hungry enough for a meal.  
It’s snack time.  
So, consider this scenario.
You are just about to leave work or school for the long commute home.  Dinner is a good 2 hours away but you need something NOW.  So you pop into 7-11 and try to find something that will satisfy that grumbly tummy.

You spy two options: A bag of Trail Mix and a Chocolate Bar.  Hmmm.  
You really WANT the Chocolate Bar with all it’s creamy chocolate and gooey caramel. But, instead you tell yourself that you should get something ‘healthy’ and you opt for the bag of trail mix.  By the time you get home, you have completely demolished the entire bag feeling smug that you made the right choice.  But did you?

I LOVE Autumn and all the lovely flavours that come with it.  Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Orange.  So yummy.
Usually pumpkin soup is full of cream - or if it's vegan, it's full of cashew nuts to mimic that creaminess.
I've come up with a way to make this soup luscious and creamy WITHOUT any dairy and WITHOUT added fat, sugar or salt.  So it's nut free too!

I used 2 types of pumpkin, Butternut and Kambocha, but you can use any kinds you like.  I like these varieties because they add a really nice sweetness.  And, if you are a pumpkin purist, you may say they are not pumpkins at all, but in fact are squash.  Well, in my world if it's hard and orange and has pumpkin seeds inside, it's a pumpkin.

I used Essential Oils in this recipe to get the complex Fall flavours.  They are so versatile and delicious, but be warned - they are very potent!  Just a drop or two will do it and ALWAYS only use the Young Living Culinary Vitality Oils as these are safe to eat.  Of course, if you want to use dried spices too, that will be fine.  
A little sage might be lovely as well.  Just spice it to your taste.

Let me know if you make this soup and leave a comment below.
Happy Fall Y'all!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 small Butternut  Squash
• 1/4 Kombacha Squash
• 1/2 Large Onion
• 3-5 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Medium potatoes
• 4 cups Salt Free or Low Sodium Veggie Stock
• 2-3 Drops Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Blend (see below)

INSTRUCTIONS

Roughly chop the squashes, and onion.  Add to a baking tray with the garlic.Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until cookedMeanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until soft in the veggie stock.Make a Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Blend. Into a small glass bottle, decant: 2 parts Cinnamon, 1 part Clove, 1 part Nutmeg Vitality Essential Oils.When everything is cooked, peel the garlic and transfer everything to a high speed blender.  
 Add the essential oils 1 drop at a time. Blend and taste. I used 3 drops total. (Add 1 drop , blend taste.  Add another drop, blend, taste etc till you get the desired flavour).Reheat and serve .

Today I am going to dispel all the myths about Coconut Oil.  Is it the wonder food people on the internet claim it to be, or is it just a beat up?   First let’s find out exactly what is coconut oil and where it comes from.

 

You may be surprised to know that a coconut is not a nut at all. Coconuts come from the palm Cocos Nucifera and the coconut itself is the seed. Cocos plants grow in sandy soil along tropical coasts which explains why it is used abundantly in Asian cooking.    The sap of the tree can be used to make alcohol, the flower can be cooked as a vegetable, whilst the roots can be used to make a coffee substitute.  You can drink coconut juice from green coconuts which is high in electrolytes such as potassium, calcium and magnesium – however, as a side note, drink your coconut juice straight from the coconut, as nutrients are lost soon after it reacts with oxygen in the air. 

If so, what do you take?  

 

Did you know that most vitamin and mineral supplements may be a complete waste of money, because what they claim to have inside the bottle is not regulated and could be complete lies?

Added to this, vitamins and minerals and are not physiologically beneficial unless your body is deficient.

If you have been reading any kind of fitness magazine or website, you will probably have been told that you need to "eat more protein".  

In Australia (1) and the USA (2), the average person eats about 15% of their calories from protein.  

But do we really need that much protein?  

Before we answer that question, let's look at what protein is, and how the body uses it first. 

Unless you live under a large rock, you will know that plant-based anything is BIG business right now. 

Think Beyond Burger or Daiya vegan cheese. 

Companies are cashing in on the public's change to a vegan lifestyle. 

Buy why? 

Because people are aware of the environmental impact that farming livestock has on the planet. People don't want to feel responsible for widespread animal cruelty and global warming. 

But what about the health benefits?

The word ’superfood’ has been bandied around often these days.   Just look in your local supermarket and you’ll find food manufacturers claiming everything from coconut water to goji berries are ‘superfoods’.  

Blueberries,  according to Californian farmers’ conglomerate, Giant®, are the most super of all superfoods (2). But are Blueberries Super? Or are they just a yummy fruit?

Blueberries are part of the Vaccinium genus of plants that includes bilberries, cranberries and grouseberries.  Vaccinium are native to many parts of the world, including North America and Europe and are farmed in Asia and Australia (7). 

Blueberries are mainly grown in temperate and cool zones and are available all year round due to different growing seasons and climates across six Australian states (8).

Blueberries are a nutritious fruit and high in Vitamin.C.  One cup of blueberries contains about a quarter of an adult’s daily Vitamin.C requirements (9). 

How is that for a headline?

Did I get your attention?  

Well? Does Oatmeal give you cancer?  

Read on...

Whole grain oatmeal is a nutritious food that contains a good source of complex carbohydrates, iron, B vitamins, soluble fibre, protein, plant sterols, calcium, zinc - basically it’s a superfood. 

Eating a bowl of oatmeal every day can lower your cholesterol by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) and circulating blood triglycerides (the fat in your arteries). 

Antioxidants in oatmeal assist in lowering inflammation - and if you know anything about disease progression, inflammation is at the root of all evil? 

I was on Facebook recently and a lady in a group I belong to was complaining of the extra pounds she had put on following menopause.  

She was 52 years old – just like me – so I offered her some general guidelines I use for keeping the fat at bay, hoping I could help her out.

But it got me thinking...

 Is adding pounds a natural occurrence after menopause?  

I always accepted it was just a normal part of ageing – and maybe of getting lazier as we age. 

 If hormonal changes contribute to excess adipose tissue (fat) then are we, as mature women, stuck with the muffin top?  

Wow! 2020 has been a weird year.  

The obvious difference being the pandemic of Covid-19 that brought the world to a stop.  It has seen us all at home with no gyms to work out in, no trails to run, no classes to attend.  

Add to this the inability to get to the markets for fresh food and the twenty-first century convenience of home delivery, and you have a recipe for falling off the health wagon.  

Add to this the inability to get to the markets for fresh food and the twenty-first century convenience of home delivery, and you have a recipe for falling off the health wagon.  

The internet is FULL of ‘get slim quick’ programs promising to help you lose that Covid-19.  

Not the virus, the 19 pounds of fat you might have accumulated over four months of being cooped up watching Netflix and snacking on Oreos.

This recipe is SO easy. It is great with oatmeal, on top of pancakes, or as a yummy dessert all on its own.

I make it weekly and use it every day on top of my porridge.  It's so yummy and so sweet - without the need to add any sugar.  

It's a Winner!  It only takes 5 minutes to make.  

When fruit is abundant in season, you can make large quantities and store it in the freezer.  Let me know if you give it a try.

Who doesn't LOVE cookies?  

What I don't love is the abundance of sugar, oil and salt in most cookie recipes.  

I want a sweet treat, but without the hangover afterwards.  Am I right?

I just made these delightful little Christmas cookies and cannot wait to scoff myself with them.

In fact, if I eat the entire batch over the next few days, I will not care one bit.

These cookies are so healthy, you can have them as a snack with a cup of tea, or grab and go a handful for breakfast in the car!

They are chewy and delicious - full of all the lovely Christmas flavors including spicy ginger, warm apple and tart cranberry.

and it something I try to do every single day. Even if it’s just 15 mins of yoga on my rest days.

Of course you can work out whenever you want. People often ask me “when is the best time of the day to work out?”.  

My answer is “Whatever time you will actually do it”.  

It sounds so simple, but sometimes we need to just be practical. It’s no use me telling you that you need to jump out of bed every morning and go for a 5 mile run when that is the last thing you want to do.

I hear you!  Young Living is not CHEAP!  Of course it's not cheap.  When you purchase Young Living products you are NOT purchasing inexpensive fillers, toxic chemicals and dangerous ingredients.  Those things ARE cheap and Young Living will have nothing to do with them.

Young Living only puts in the purest natural botanical ingredients to make the best product possible - and nothing else.  Young Living scientists work for YEARS to formulate products to the utmost standards before they are released to members. Many of the products they make are highly CONCENTRATED and can be diluted to suit your family's needs and your budget.  Lets have a look at a few Young Living products we can dilute.