Thursday 10 March 2016

I lost 4kgs in weight - and that wasn't the best thing about the Eat Real Food plan....

I want to share with you a story written from the heart by one of my clients. One of the best things about my job is helping people to a better quality of life, this client is managing her long time digestive issues and as a bonus has dropped a dress size and looks and feels better than she did twenty years ago!!
"I’ve always been reasonably fit and healthy, eaten organic veg and followed government eating guidelines.  Nonetheless I was always carrying a bit more weight than I wanted to – probably due to my love of pints!
Over two years ago I started feeling unwell, with stomach pain like a stomach bug / gastroenteritis, many symptoms went away eventually but the stomach pains never did.
After 6 months (and lots of trips to the doctors, with no success with a whole host of medicines and scans) I went to see Julie.  We talked about my diet – what foods might be triggering or exacerbating the problem, and how I could improve my health generally.  As well as being hugely informative, it was also nice to have some support and feel that I could – at last - do something proactive to help myself.
The first couple of weeks were tough – I didn’t know how I was going to manage without some of the foods I relied on (and some of which I had proactively chosen to eat because I had been taught they were good for me).  I definitely went through a major carb detox.  But Julie gave me strategies to cope and was on hand for my questions (and whinging!).
After a couple of weeks I was able to introduce some new foods (and lager – sorry Julie).  But, what surprised me most was that I didn’t have the cravings that I had initially had.  It was actually becoming easier to make positive choices. 
After a month or so I found that I felt much healthier.  I felt stronger inside and less bloated – like ‘Pilates for the insides’.  And I was starting to change shape – a bonus!
After a couple of months I had dropped a dress size (and lost 4 kilos).  Remember that this this was not my main objective and I was eating as much as I wanted to.  The pains were harder to deal with, however.
Two years on, I am still following my diet.  I feel so healthy that I can’t imagine ever going back.  I have maintained my weight (which is just as well as I couldn’t afford to replace my clothes again!).  More importantly, my pains have faded and I rarely experience them now.  I believe that the improvement in my gut health has allowed my body to deal with the stomach problems I incurred.

What are my top tips?

Plan ahead – make sure you have good choices ready; make lunch in the morning – don’t wait until your only choice is to grab a sandwich.

Adopt Julie’s pragmatic approach – unless you are doing food exclusions, it’s OK to have treats but try to stick to your plans most of the time.  Don’t give up because you’ve had a bad meal / day – they are allowed.  Every meal is an opportunity to improve your health, so every good choice counts". 

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Gluten free savoury pancake




Makes 1 good size pancake, serve with savoury filling of your choice. You could use this instead of a wheat tortilla for fajitas. This can be make dairy free by using coconut milk instead of cream. 

You will need:

1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons double cream (or coconut milk)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon coconut flour
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon coconut oil, avocado oil or macadamia nut oil for cooking

Method

Mix the double cream into the beaten egg. Add the water

Add the coconut flour, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and blend well

Heat the oil in a pancake pan until it smokes slightly

Turn the hob down slightly, add the mixture and cook for a few minutes until it is puffy and leaving the bottom of the pan (be careful it doesn't burn)


Flip over (it should flip in one piece if it is cooked enough) and cook for another couple of minutes.

Fold over and add toppings