What to do when craving a toasted teacake!

I've been eating a plant based whole food diet for a few years now; before that I was dairy and yeast free. It was challenging at first, especially when my mind kept telling me I really needed to eat cakes and cheese, or anything processed and refined!
Refined sugars and fat are pretty addictive, particularly when put together. Think sugar and cream. If you eat them separately, you can only manage a small amount - the sugar sticks to your mouth, the cream is bland but sickly. Put together and chilled, you get ice cream. Eating loads of that is no problem! Our bodies are programmed to want sugar and fat as in the distant past, they were hard to come by and humans had to stock up to get through long, hard winters. These days, we have an over abundance of food, so there's no need for our bodies to stockpile. But we still do; the explosion in obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health problems in the last few decades is the consequence. Evolution of our brain and body has not caught up with the revolution in the food industry. And refined foods such as ready meals or junk food are packed full of fat and sugar, so your brain tells you to go back for more (clever food scientists!).
Over time, my body has detoxed itself from the junk and the cravings have pretty much subsided. I no longer sigh heavily if someone makes a cheese sandwich, or have to sniff a gorgeously cream laden chocolate pudding. I do, of course, indulge on occasion, enjoying a beautifully light dairy free cake or two from time to time, but I don't get that urge to keep eating it, which is a relief for my waistline and my health!

Occasionally, though, a random craving does appear out of the blue. Recently, it was for toasted teacakes.
I have no idea what triggered it, but one day I suddenly recalled eating delicious hot buttered toasted teacakes at my in-laws hotel in Devon. We had been out for a brisk walk on the coast and came back freezing cold. Sneaking into the kitchen for a hot chocolate, we found a new pack of teacakes so popped one into the toaster. The aroma soon spread through into the bar, and suddenly guests started to order them too. The pack was soon empty. That gorgeous cinnamon and raisin aroma was just too good to resist.
Once this memory had popped in my mind, all I could think about was toasted teacakes, but being dairy and yeast free, there's none I can buy. So after searching for a recipe, I made an alternative - a cinnamon and raisin loaf. Each slice can be toasted and covered in non-dairy spread (if desired) and tastes rather marvellous. Of course, I've made it as healthy as possible, with wholewheat flour and only a small amount of unrefined coconut sugar. And when toasting, those gorgeous aromas are released, so be warned, others will want some too!
Cinnamon and raisin loaf (adapted from 'A Bit of the Good Stuff' recipe)
400g light wholemeal self raising flour (I used Marriages Organic Light Wholemeal)
or gluten free self raising
1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt
300mls dairy free milk
squeeze lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
good pinch nutmeg
150g raisins
4 tablespoons of coconut sugar
Preheat the oven to 200oC. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin. Pour the non-dairy milk into a bowl and squeeze in the lemon. Put to one side (this helps it curdle slightly).
Place the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl and mix together. Add the coconut sugar and raisins and mix again. Pour in most of the milk and stir to create a sticky dough. Add the remaining milk if needed. Place the dough into the tin, and tap on the work top to release the air bubbles. Smooth the top level and place in the oven. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, then check to see if it is cooked by inserting a cocktail stick into the cake - if it come out clean, it's done. If not, cook for a few more minutes until it's done (it could take up to 45 minutes in total, depending on your oven). Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Tip out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
When you are ready, cut slices and pop in the toaster. Let those enticing aromas hit your nostrils and enjoy it piping hot and delicious!

Fast food my style

Some weeks are just so busy that there just doesn't seem to be time to fit everything in, including writing blog posts, so this is going to be short and sweet!
Time is a real issue in so many peoples lives, trying to juggle work, home, families and hopefully fun.

Lack of time is often the reason people give for relying on processed ready meals or takeaways. And I'm no purist; the odd takeaway is great. But regularly relying on fast food carries not only a financial cost, but a huge health cost too.
Having to avoid dairy and yeast means, for me, that I cannot rely on processed foods as basically one or the other of these allergens appear in some form. So my food sensitivities have actually been a great blessing, as they have enabled me to make better choices, and eat real, nourishing food.  I'm also fortunate that I really love cooking, but there are times when I just don't have much time to spend in the kitchen.
That's where planning ahead comes in. Working shifts, every week for me is different. So thinking about what is happening each week, who is where and needs feeding when can get a little complex, but with the right planning I can usually ensure that the whole family gets a whole, nourishing meal every day, even when I'm not there.
As my kids get older, I feel it's important that they learn to feed themselves well, so sometimes they have to do it; my role is to ensure they have the right produce to hand and a reminder note of what they need to do!
I've found that one pot meals and stews have become a really important feature of our weekday meals - quick, simple and easy to reheat. You can also make it hearty and filling, essential for my growing giant-boy teenager! This particular hotpot is inspired by a couple of Jamie Oliver recipes. Roasting the sweet potato intensifies the flavour and enhances the texture; using passata creates a deeper, richer flavour in a relatively short period of time. This may not be as quick as one of Jamie's 15 minute meals (can you ever really cook one of his recipes in 15 minutes anyway?) but it can all be done and dusted in 30 minutes.
This dish is highly nutritious and positively bursting with fibre, which is essential for health; not only a healthy gut but a healthy heart too. To make it even more heart healthy, sprinkle some ground flaxseed at the end to add some essential omega 3 fatty acid. The sweet potato and beans are filling in themselves, but if you need to fill hungry tummies, then serve with rice, or even wholemeal pitta bread. And don't forget to add some green veg on the side too!
Red bean and roasted sweet potato hotpot

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 packet passata/400g tin tomatoes
1 400g tin kidney beans
thyme
chilli flakes
salt and pepper
First, heat the oven to 180oC. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into medium sized chunks. Lightly grease a baking tin, pop the sweet potato chunks on it and roast in the oven until they start to brown slightly and feel soft to touch - about 15 minutes. In the mean time, heat a little olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the garlic for a minute but don't let it burn. Add the peppers, thyme and chilli flakes and sauté for a couple more minutes. Pour in the passata and mix well. Bring to boiling point then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the peppers are soft. Add the beans. By now the sweet potato should be cooked, so take out the oven and add to the pot, stirring well. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the flavours have perfused, season to taste and serve. Simple, tasty and whole!

Chickpeas once more - in a bread!

The internet is a wonderful thing - quick access to information about any topic under the sun. Sometimes it's prudent to be careful and question where this information is coming from, particularly controversial points of view; for recipes though it's like having one massive cookery book at your finger tips with so much variety, abounding inspiration is available at every moment.
I can spend hours browsing websites and blogs, googling random ingredients and following a path of ingenuity and creativity. There's so many different options on offer, I tend to forget where I've been, and take ages finding that fascinating fact or idea that's tantalising the edge of my subconscious. Now I try to bookmark everything that I want to return to; that list is getting pretty long and unmanageable!
Recently I found an article featuring marvellous things to do with chickpeas (that old obsession returns once more!); this led me to a recipe for 'Eggy Breakfast Bread', a chickpea based bread, similar to cornbread but sweet http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/10/11/eggy-breakfast-bread/. Made with chickpea flour, it looked great, but I'm not so keen on sweet bread, so decided to omit the sugar and add in some savoury flavours.

I have to say, not only is it incredibly easy, the flavour and texture is fabulous. And totally moreish! Not being able to eat bread other than wraps and the occasional soda bread (home made version) due to my yeast intolerance, it was exciting to create something that was so tasty and felt so right in the mouth.
This recipe calls for flaxseed. If you've not come across it before, you're missing out. Nutritionally it's a brilliant plant source of omega 3, absolutely packed full of fibre, lignans (anti-oxidant phytonutrients) and other anti-oxidants. When mixed with water, flaxseed swells and can be used as an egg replacement in plant based cooking. When you see how it swells in a cup with a little water, you realise how it's going to swell in your gut. So it's not only good for healthy bowels, it will  help you stay full for longer if you're trying to lose weight.  Adding it to cereal in the morning is a wise thing to do!
Here is my savoury version of this bread. The herbs and spices can be played around with to create different flavours. I'm planning on experimenting with pesto (dairy free of course!) by omitting some of the oil and adding the equivalent pesto. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Savoury chickpea bread

1 cup chickpea flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon vinegar (omit if yeast free diet)
1 cup of dairy free milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil or water
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper

Pre heat oven to 180oC and lightly grease a round metal pie tin.

Combine flaxseed with all the wet ingredients and whisk together really well. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients together, then pour the wet into the dry and stir until well mixed.

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until firm and slightly browned on   top. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes. Cut into triangles in the tin before removing.

Best eaten warm, it's still delicious cold - that's if you can leave it to get cold before gobbling it up!

Home-made almond butter

Eating a dairy free, whole food plant based diet is becoming less labour intensive as more products become available in the shops. This is great for convenience, but does carry a pretty hefty price tag, especially if that tag is headed 'free from'! And because of the need for an extended shelf life, products may not be as whole as they should be, with added extras - sugar, salt and oil are added to not only improve flavour as the natural taste fades over time, but also to act as preservatives. There are many other natural preservatives, and colours, many of which are now grown on yeasts, so are a no no for someone with a yeast intolerance.

My daughter has recently developed a passion for almond butter. Always declaring an innate dislike of peanut butter (despite never tasting it!!), I bought a jar of almond butter one day which she tried under protest. To her surprise, she loved it and has be adding it to her food in imaginative ways ever since (baked sweet potato with almond butter topping?). The jars found at the supermarket are pretty small and don't last long. They are also not cheap. I tried to make it myself, my ever reliable food processor working hard, but just ended up with a dry powder. I could have added oil, but then it wouldn't be a whole food, so never tried again.

Until recently that is. Browsing on the internet one day, I ended up on a discussion forum about making almond butter (it continues to amaze me what you can stumble upon on the web). According to this chat, almond butter was easy to make, only requiring whole almonds but needed one vital ingredient - patience!

I realised the dry powder I had created was only the middle stage of the butter making process. If I have let my processor continue for another five minutes or so, the nuts would have broken down enough to start releasing the natural oils which change the ground nuts from a dry paste into a beautifully rich, moist spread. And not only is the flavour remarkable, you know exactly what is in your almond butter. If you roast the nuts before hand, you don't even need to store it in the fridge, although I do, although more out of habit than necessity, because to be honest, it gets eaten up pretty quickly.

Almonds are amazingly healthy. They do contain lots of fat, but it's healthy monounsaturated, the type which has been proven to help lower the 'bad' cholesterol in your body and improve heart health. They also contain fabulous amounts of vitamin E, and anti-oxidant that helps in heart health, but also in your whole health, and is great for your skin and helps slow the ageing process. Almonds also have a shed load of fibre, a good amount of magnesium, which is also essential for heart and general health, B vitamins and phytonutrients essential for overall health, so what's not to like?

And of course, this process is applicable to any nut or seed. So I've made my own tahini, which is way more tasty and powerful than anything in a jar, plus the oil doesn't separate from the solids, which always seems to happen with shop bought. I also made peanut butter, which is seriously intense! So if you have a few spare minutes and fancy experimenting, give this a go and revel in the extraordinary flavours you'll create.

Almond Butter

1 1/2 cups almonds 

a food processor

patience

a small jar, cleaned and rinsed with boiling water

Heat your oven to 180oC. Place the almonds on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes. Take them out the oven, check they're not getting burnt and pop them back for another couple of minutes. You don't want to over roast them otherwise they become too dry and you won't get a good butter. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Once cool, pop in your food processor and blitz on a medium speed until the nuts are broken down and stuck up the side of the bowl. Stop, get a spatula and scrap down to the bottom again. Resume processing. Repeat this process until the nuts eventually start  releasing their oil and stay at the bottom of the bowl. Increase the speed slightly and leave on until a beautifully unctuous butter is created. This will take about 10 minutes in total. Stop the processor and check the texture - continue until you get a smooth texture. Then spoon out into the clean jar and enjoy!

Seasonal Slaw

It's late autumn and the weather in the UK has suddenly turned rather chilly. It's the time of year for comfort food - soups and stews and and a mighty dollop of fruit crumble. But sometimes these can all be a bit heavy; the solution is a great seasonal salad, packed full of immune boosting nutrients for the inevitable sniffs and snivels as well as lip-smacking flavour.
And to match the dazzling autumn trees, this seasonal slaw has an array of deep orange and reds to provide well needed colour to an otherwise green leafed plate!
For those with a dairy intolerance, shop bought coleslaw is generally a no-go area, with some milk product popping up in the long list of ingredients on the packet. And once you've read that list, somehow it doesn't seem quite so palatable! Unless they're described as creamy coleslaw, they all taste rather vinegary to me as well…..

So this autumn slaw is a real change in direction from any of those vinegary or creamy ones you may have come across before. It's sweet, but has a sharp flavour from the apple and lemon juice. It's definitely crunchy and has great textures. In fact, I find it really moreish and one serving is just not enough. Which is no problem, as it's really healthy and good for you as well as tasty, so there's no downside - unless the beetroot affects you on it's way out!! Many people experience red wee after eating beetroot - beeturia! - which isn't too much of an issue as it's just a short term issue. Apparently for some, though, it may mean there's a problem with iron metabolism.
The three main veg in the slaw - carrot, beetroot and red cabbage - are all packed full of phytonutrients of varying kinds which are anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and known to help the body detoxify. Beetroot also has fabulous amounts of folate, manganese and fibre as well as vitamin C which is also a big feature of the benefits of red cabbage. Surprisingly, red cabbage has over 50% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, much more than citrus fruit. And being a cruciferous vegetable, red cabbage has marvellous anti-cancer properties too!
So try this slaw as a side, or the main feature of your lunch. Not only is it packed full of flavour and nutrients, it really does look pretty on the plate! (To add more zing, you can use red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice, but this doesn't work for those who have to avoid fermented foods due to yeast allergies.)
Autumn Slaw

1 medium carrot
1 small raw beetroot
1/8 of a red cabbage
1 small stick celery
1 Cox's apple
2 tablespoons sultanas
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
Pop the sultanas in a dish with some hot water for a few minutes so they plump up. Drain and put to one side. Wash all your veg thoroughly. Grate the carrot, beetroot and apple. Thinly slice the cabbage and celery. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with the lemon juice and season to taste. Add more juice and seasoning as required. Leave to one side for a while to let the flavours develop then serve and enjoy.

Seriously scintillating sesame slaw

The summer sunshine is lingering - salad is definitely still on the menu. But so many salad dressings are packed full of no no ingredients, keeping to a dairy and yeast free diet can make them a little boring at times. I love lemon and olive oil on my leaves, but repetition makes it a bit dull.
Browsing through my fabulous Leon cookbook, I stumbled across a double page spread of coleslaw recipes. I love coleslaw - my favourite sandwich used to be cheese piled high with creamy coleslaw - but so often the dressing is laden with some form of dairy it's a rare treat to find one I can eat. Even the Leon one has had to be modified to leave out any vinegar or fermented products, but the overall taste is still marvellous.
Having soya milk or cream as a dressing base hadn't occurred to me before - goodness knows why! The sesame is a strong base flavour but isn't overwhelming and stands alone as a great salad dressing for strong green leaves and cucumber, as well as this slightly different coleslaw. And of course, being high in calcium and other minerals, it's pretty good for you too!
The slaw contains edamame beans. If you're not into Japanese food, these may be a mystery to you - it's just green soya beans, rebranded! Soya gets a bad name some times, especially in the States where GM is an issue. But these beans really are worth a try as they are not only delicious but packed full of goodness. One of the few vegetable products that is a complete protein (contains the full complement of essential amino acids), they are high in fibre, low in fat (and being a veg contain no cholesterol) and have impressive amounts of vitamin C, folate and thiamin, as well as magnesium, iron and a superb dollop of manganese. Often served in the pod as an appetiser at Japanese restaurants, they are juicy, sweet and a much more interesting and less bitter alternative to broad beans. I've only found them fresh in the pod in a specialist store in London, but luckily my local supermarket stocks bags of frozen beans - not as much fun but still pretty tasty.
I'm definitely going to be trying out some other non-dairy creamy dressings - in the mean time, try this Asian-ish coleslaw and give your taste buds a sesame treat.
Creamy sesame dressing
3 1/2 tbspn soya milk or 2 tbspn soya cream mixed with 1 1/2 tbspn of water
1 tsp Dijon mustard (or mustard powder)
2 tbspn lemon juice
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 tbspn sesame oil
100mls light olive oil
salt and pepper
Apart from the oil, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil and continue whisking until the dressing has emulsified. Add an extra tablespoon of water if it's too thick and extra seasoning to taste.
Sesame slaw

1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
200g peas (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
110g edamame beans (defrosted if you can't find fresh)
1/4 white cabbage shredded
2 medium carrots grated
1 portion of creamy sesame dressing
handful chopped parsley
Toasted the seeds and leave to cool. Prepare the vegetables and combine everything except the parsley in a bowl. Pour over the gorgeous dressing and leave for a while for the flavours to fuse. Sprinkle the parsley over the top when you're ready to eat and enjoy!

Saucy cauliflower

There are some recipes that just seem to work best with dairy - white sauce is one. Melting rich butter, frantically stirring in flour to form a roux, then slowly adding creamy milk whilst whisking madly, sending out a little prayer that it won't be too runny or lumpy. If the white sauce works, the rest of the dish does too.
Since going dairy free, making a good white sauce has been a challenge. Dairy free spread makes a great butter replacement (as long as the pan is not too hot) but soya milk has too much flavour of it's own and rice milk is too watery. As they were my only options in India, I used vegetable stock to make a savoury sauce for pies but was never really satisfied with the results.

After visiting Vegefest earlier this year, I discovered Kara (or Koko, not really sure which one it's called!). Made from coconut milk, it's rich and creamy and perfect for cooking with, particularly sauces. Surprisingly, fresh Kara doesn't have a strong flavour; the long life one is more coconutty. So white sauce is no longer a challenge if I want to make it the traditional way and dairy eating family members can't tell the difference!
But this is not necessarily the healthiest route to go. My food journey is about using food to heal, not just sustain the body, so I'm always looking to maximise my nutrition intake by reducing anything processed and inflammatory and focusing on whole foods.
And that's where the humble cauliflower comes in.
When cooked and pureed, cauliflower makes a wonderful creamy sauce that can be used for pasta dishes, lasagna or even a kind of bechemal sauce. Apparently, you can add nutritional yeast to create a cheese sauce, but as yeast is a no go area I can't comment!
Because it's one of those super-healthy cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower is packed full of nutrients, including a whopping amount of vitamin C, vitamin K and folate, and is pretty good for manganese, B5, potassium and fibre. It's anti-inflammatory, packed with anti-oxidants and phytonutrients and helps your cells to detox.

Of course, every positive has to have a negative, and cauliflower can have a smell issue! Some of the phytonutrients release sulphur compounds when cooked so the house can take on a farty aroma for a while! Minimal cooking produces minimal smell, but for sauce making the cauliflower has to be soft, so keep those windows open!!
To get a good savoury flavour, use vegetable stock; place your chopped cauli in a pan with a tight-fitting lid and pour over the stock, not quite covering all the veg, then boil with the lid on, stirring it up every now and then to make sure everything is cooking. The cauli will break down as it cooks and release its own water. Once cooked, leave to cool in the stock, then blitz it all together (this is why you don't want too much stock otherwise it's too watery). This way you retain as many of the nutrients as possible that may have leached out into the cooking water. Then season and serve.
I recently made a pasta sauce this way - whilst the cauli was bubbling away, I sauteed some onion, red pepper, garlic and mixed herbs until everything softened, then added some broccoli and sweetcorn for another few minutes, adding a tiny bit of water from the pasta to stop everything from sticking. Once it was all cooked and properly seasoned, I added the veg to the pureed cauliflower to create a beautifully light, creamy sauce, dolloped it onto the pasta (wholewheat of course!) and watched my 14 year old giant-boy wolf it down, declaring it to be lovely. As macaroni cheese is his favourite meal, that's quite a compliment!

Gorgeous Dairy Free "Boursin"

I keep searching the 'free from' and health food shop shelves for a decent ready made cheese alternative, and as yet have failed to find one that works on both taste and texture. So many have a dodgy after tang or a seemingly never ending list of ingredients that I just don't want to try. There really isn't any point in trying to eat a healthy free from diet if a product is loaded with additives and preservatives. And since I found out about citric acid and how natural flavours and colours are created (see http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/yeast-free-challenges.html) there really isn't anything on the market that I can actually eat!
Recently, I had some friends round for dinner and wanted to give them an inspiring, flavourful plant-based, whole food meal. Whilst in India I attended a number of cooking demonstrations with Dr Nandita Shah from SHARAN; browsing through some of my notes, I came across a vegan boursin recipe that I had forgotten about with "delicious" scribbled next to it. My mouth started to water at the memory so I just had to make it - and I'm so glad I did, as my guests appeared to enjoy it just as much as I did!
Although there is a little soaking time, this is really easy to make and is really adaptable. It's gorgeous raw and can be used as a dip, dressing or baked potato filling. It works equally well cooked and even browns a little so you get that crispy crunch that I really miss from baked cheese (the crunchy bits on macaroni cheese are always the best!). So either use it stirred in to pasta, as a pizza cheese topping or a savoury sauce. The key is the flavour balance - you want enough garlic to give flavour without overwhelming it, and a nice selection of herbs to complement each other. And it needs quite a lot of salt, certainly more than I would use normally in cooking, to bring it alive, so it's important to taste as you go.
This dairy free 'boursin' is gorgeous stuffed into some button mushrooms and baked in the oven - the mushroom juices and texture complement the salty filling; the flavours just make your mouth sing! Much better than any alternatives I've found on a supermarket shelf.
Dairy free 'Boursin'

200g silken tofu
200g cashew nuts, soaked for a minimum of 2 hours
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, basil etc)
1 - 2 tsps salt
freshly ground pepper
water
1 tsp fresh lemon/lime juice
First, drain the cashew nuts and discard the soaking water. Place cashews in a food processor or grinder and blitz to get a smooth paste - you may need to add up to 1/3 cup of water, but don't add too much otherwise your boursin will be too runny. Once your cashew nut paste is smooth, add the tofu, salt and garlic and blend until well mixed and smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and carefully stir in your fresh herbs, juice and season with black pepper. Check your flavours and add in more salt or pepper as needed.
To make the boursin baked mushrooms, simply wash a handful of button mushrooms and remove the stems. Place a teaspoon of the mixture in the centre and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so until the mushroom has softened and the boursin has browned on the top. Gorgeous!!

Yeast-free challenges

The best way to overcome food intolerances is to remove them from your diet for a period of time, then slowly reintroduce them one by one and monitor the effects. I have an intolerance to both dairy and yeast, and have tried to eradicate them from my diet.
Dairy appears in different forms in many processed foods, but there are good alternatives, and as a recognised allergen, food packaging is pretty helpful.  Yeast, however, is rarely highlighted. On the surface, it should be pretty easy to avoid - cut out bread and doughnuts, wine, beer and cider. Apart from cider, I used to enjoy all these things with great gusto, but I've learnt to manage without, although its so tempting at times, especially wine and bread when you're on holiday in France!
Recently though, I realised I pay more attention to avoiding dairy than yeast, even though I know it's a big issue. Dairy gives me terrible head and neck aches that easily develop into migraines if not caught early enough. Yeast has a more insidious effect, gradually building up producing a multitude of seemingly random effects including restless legs, fatigue, headaches (different ones), itchy skin, dry eyes and (to the family's delight!) terrible bloating and wind! It's not going to kill me but it makes me feel so grotty at times, it really does have a negative effect on my life.
We all have various yeasts and bacteria in our bodies; our guts are alive with its own little eco-system that helps to keep our bodies healthy and balanced. Problems start, though, if that balance is upset; the not so friendly bacteria can start taking over and yeast becomes overgrown, eventually working it's way into the gut lining and allowing undigested food proteins and bacteria to seep through into the blood stream. This can lead to food allergies, amongst a long list of other problems. To get rampant yeast under control, it needs to be avoided food wise, the over growth eradicated and the gut eco-system restored to a healthy balance.
So step one, avoiding yeast, is easier said than done. It is more than just leaving out the bread and wine. For a start, yeast is a mould, so moulds in general need to be avoided. Not that I have a habit of eating mouldy food, or not obviously mouldy anyway, but it appears in many places, including anything fermented.
This includes ingredients such as soy sauce, over ripe or dried fruit, vinegars of all kinds, miso and malted anything.  Then there's stock cubes, Marmite (yuck!), pickle, mayonnaise - the list goes on!
Now I've tried to avoid many of these for some time now; some of the nasty effects from yeast have subsided, but some have not and others just keep reappearing.

So I decided to look into yeast and moulds in food a little bit more, and it didn't take long to make a huge, and rather disappointing discovery. Many of the 'natural' food flavourings and preservatives found in processed foods are made from cultured yeasts and moulds! The particular one that stood out to me was citric acid, a preservative and stabiliser that appears in hundreds of different food products, including simple items such as tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, tortilla wraps and flat breads - in fact many of the substitute foods I use!
I always thought that citric acid was a natural derivative of citrus fruits. A weak organic acid with a sour, acidic flavour, it is a natural preservative. Historically, Italy was the main producer of citric acid, formed from their huge citrus fruit harvests. Supplies were disrupted during the First World War but by this time a biochemist had discovered a yeast that grew on a sugary medium that produced citric acid, and so this replaced the natural fruit source. Citric acid is still a 'natural' preservative, but one that's manufactured! Today, 1m tonnes of citric acid is produced this way every year, and demand is so high it wouldn't be economical or practical to get citrus acid from fruit - there's just not enough of it to meet demand.
Natural flavourings and other preservatives are created in similar ways, so we are all inadvertently eating yeasts and moulds, although for most people this is not a problem. However, for myself and many others, it is and I'm disappointed I didn't realise this before. There's so much to learn about food science! If I really want to get to the root of my yeast intolerance, it seems I have to make absolutely everything from scratch, including my flat breads and tomato sauce. Convenience foods are suddenly absolutely inconvenient!

Milk in wine - surely not?

The more I find out about food and drink, the more I’m amazed at exactly what is contained in the every day products we so readily consume. One of the best things about have a food intolerance is gaining knowledge – you need to be informed of exactly what is used to create your favourite dish.

I am constantly amazed, and often dismayed, to find milk or some form of dairy in the most seemingly innocuous products. Crisps are a regular offender (chilli and lime flavor – where’s the need for milk in that?), as is any form of ready meal or processed food product. It hides in different forms – skimmed milk powder is easy to recognise, but then there’s whey, casein and lactose (check out medicines for that one!). But it doesn’t stop there; whey appears in many forms, including gelling and stabilising agents like lactalbumin and lactoglobulin. And as for casein, the milk protein that is my problem, it appears in a multitude of guises as an emulsifier and binding agent (gets processed foods to stick together!). So watch out for anything that has ‘caseinate’ in it, such as sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate, casein hydrolysate (that just doesn’t sound good full stop!) or paracasein.

My daughter became a vegetarian at the age of 12 after finding out that marshmallows contained gelatin – or rather that gelatin was made from crushed animal bones. She was flabbergasted and has never eaten a piece of meat since (and she was a real steak and roast meat eater before). It was a real ‘OMG’ moment for her. Mine came after I read an article about wine; it often contains some form of milk! 

I love wine, but it really does not love me!! Having a yeast intolerance as well as milk has meant that wine has been a real no no over the last few years. Previously, if I’ve had wine to drink, I was so ill the next day. Spirits just don’t effect me in the same way therefore I had always assumed it was the yeast. Now I realise it's a double allergen whammy; it explains so much!!!

Apparently, a multitude of odd products are used by wine makers, and brewers, either directly to add flavour, or in the filtration process. These include casein, egg white, honey, sea shells and isinglass (fish bladders) to name a few. Casein is often used for fining, a process that removes particles and soluble substances that achieves clarity quicker and more economically than leaving wine to mature over months, or years.

I can’t believe I didn’t know this before; I even had a previous boyfriend with a degree in wine making, but I only remember him going on about sulphates and tanins. Oh, and drinking lots of wine……

So what to do? One option is to not drink wine! But, if you don’t have a yeast intolerance, then why? There are vegan wines available on the market; check out websites such as www.barnivore.com or www.vegans.frommars.org that provide pretty comprehensive lists. The wines listed will not contain any animal product, covering a huge range of allergens, which is really handy!

The government is making it easier too – at least in the UK. All wines with a 2012 vintage onwards must state on the label whether milk or egg derivatives are used in the manufacturing process, along with sulphur dioxide levels greater than 10mg/litre.  This will make it easier to buy wines at the supermarket, but not sure how a snobby sommelier will react!!

Thankfully, for me there are always spirits to enjoy, although not all of these products are unadulterated so care is still needed! And of course, I have to say, any alcohol must be consumed sensibly and in moderation. Hangovers cannot be blamed on additives alone!

Eat your greens - they really are so good for you!

Remember growing up and being told to eat your greens? That they would make you grow big and strong? Well, it's true! In fact, there's been some research that shows that cruciferous vegetables contain unique sulphur containing compounds that convert to isothiocyanates (thankfully shortened to ITC!!), phytochemicals that have immune boosting, anti-cancer effects.

Cruciferous vegetables, so called because their flowers have 4 equally spaced petals that form a cross shape, include kale, cabbage, collard or spring greens, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, broccoli and watercress. The sulphur containing compounds are kept in the cell walls - this is what gives these veg a slightly pungent, bitter flavour. Clever scientists have discovered a complex chemical process which is triggered when these veg are chopped or chewed; the sulphurous compounds are released and mix with an enzyme forming the wonderfully dynamic ITCs.
So what do ITC's do? Apparently there are 120, all different with different actions; combined together they have been found to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune boosting and anti-cancer, removing carcinogens and killing cancer cells. Broccoli, for example, can stop cancerous changes that occur within the cell, protecting it from DNA damage. Cruciferous veg fuels the bodies natural protective processes, turning on its internal defences. One study found that a 20% increase in green veg lead to a 40% decrease in cancer rates* - pretty good stuff!!
Apart from fighting against cancer, these veg stimulate the immune system to help protect against viruses and bacterial infections, helps the cells to process toxins and waste, help prevent heart disease and generally reduces the general effects of ageing. No wonder we are told they are good for us!!
The enzyme that's required to form ITCs is destroyed by heat, but ITCs themselves are not, so cruciferous vegetables are best chopped and blended first and either eaten raw (in a juice for example) or added chopped or pureed into stews, soups etc. Alternatively, veg like cabbage or broccoli  can be lightly steamed to keep as many goodies active as possible.
Of course, the veg also contain an array of other nutrients such as vitamin B, C, magnesium, iron, calcium, fibre - the list goes on! So they really are an amazing powerhouse of goodness. All these goodies aid the body to detox and heal, so great for overcoming food intolerances and allergies as well as other chronic diseases. When I was in India I had massive cravings for green vegetables, and even stir fried cauliflower leaves to satisfy them. Eating a minimum of 2 portions of cruciferous veg a day is recommended which is pretty easy if you have access to a wide variety of produce, not so easy if it means eating cabbage every day!! Mind you, there are lots of ways to eat cabbage..... And in the days things that shouldn't be eaten, isn't it great to have something we can eat more of!!!
A bag of Swiss Chard turned up in my veg box last week, one type of cruciferous veg. Chard has a deep, earthy flavour and works well with garlic, tomato and lemon. So I threw together this dish and it tasted rather wonderful - a hearty, warming weekday supper.

Swiss Chard and white bean stew(ish)
300g (or so) swiss chard, wash and roughly chopped
1 onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil or veg stock
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1 tomato sliced
1 400g tin cannelloni or flageolet beans rinsed and drained
lemon juice
salt and pepper
Heat the oil or veg stock (if you're wanting a fat free dish) in a pan and fry the onion on a low heat until it's soft. Add the garlic for a minute, stirring so it doesn't burn. Throw in the swiss chard, adding a little more veg stock if necessary, and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the tomato and then the beans, and cook for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and seasoning to taste and serve with mash or warm bread (or toasted flat bread if you're yeast intolerant). Simple, healthy and delicious, all in one!!

* Michaud, D et al (1999). Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of bladder cancer in a male prospective cohort. J Nat. Cancer Institute 91(7).

Warming dairy free squash soup

Soup is an all year round staple in our house, but particularly during winter. And at the moment, I need all the help I can get to warm up, on the inside as well as out! When my children were small, the vegetable eating battle commenced as they started to express their opinion over what they would or would not eat.  I discovered that soup didn't seem to count as a problem. As long as it was smooth and didn't look like it might be too good for them (ie: not green!), they guzzled down fresh vegetable soup with no problem.
Over time, certain soups have become associated with specific events. There's 'Holiday Soup' - red lentil and tomato soup taken away in a big flask to eat on the journey to our holiday destination. 'Lunchtime With Friends Soup', a marvellously hearty vegetable and tarragon soup which never fails to impress. So feeling cold and missing the warm, sunny days of a Bangalore winter, I've turned to one of my favourite soups I've made over the last couple of years whilst we've been away - pumpkin (or squash), ginger, garlic and coconut soup - 'Warming Soup'!
Eating soup in India may seem a little odd, and I must admit it wasn't on the menu during the extreme summer heat, but somehow it didn't feel out of place. Small pumpkins are readily available all year round, as of course are the other main ingredients, so it was easy to buy and simple to make. And it's utterly delicious as well as dairy free, and pretty much free of any allergens which makes it suitable for anyone.

It's the perfect soup for a cold winters day, as the ginger warms you from the inside and the coconut makes you think of warmer climes! In ayurvedic medicine, ginger is used to fuel the body's 'fire', so it really does warm you up on the inside. It's well known for aiding digestion and apparently helps improve circulation, reduce inflammation and ease colds. Garlic also has warming properties and is great for helping to improve circulation and fighting off colds. Ginger and garlic together are the perfect winter pairing!
I used butternut squash for my soup but this works with any orangey pumpkin or squash. Butternut squash is pretty good for you too, with no fat, low in carbohydrates and offers a good amount of vitamin A and C along with  potassium, manganese and a tad of magnesium.
The weights and measurements for this recipe are approximates - it all depends on what squash you are working with, how much you have and how much ginger and garlic you like. I do like my ginger fairly pungent, so you may want to use less to start. It's important to add the coconut milk at the end and don't let it boil otherwise it may split. The soup tastes ok, but doesn't look as appetising! If your accidentally put in too much stock and the soup ends up too runny once the coconut milk has been added, don't worry - serve it in a mug instead of bowl, it still works brilliantly.
Warming winter squash soup
1 butternut squash/small pumpkin, skinned, deseeded and cut in to small chunks
1 onion finely diced
3 cm chunk of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (add more or less as desired)
2-3 cloves of garlic (varies according to size or taste) finely chopped
1 tablespoon oil
800mls - 1 litre vegetable stock (or water if you have a yeast intolerance)
200mls coconut milk
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion until it starts to soften. Do not brown. Add the ginger and stir constantly for a couple of minutes, making sure the ginger doesn't burn. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or so. Tip in the squash, stir to incorporate then pour over the stock or water until the squash is well covered (you may need more or less water depending on how much squash you have). Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the squash is soft. Add the coconut milk and heat through without boiling. Turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly, then pour into a blender and blitz until smooth. If it's really thick, add some more water or stock. Season with salt and pepper then reheat gently and serve. Enjoy the warmth spreading through your body - it really is 'souper'!!

New Year eating

The more I learn about food and it's affect on the body, the more I realise just how much we take ourselves and our health for granted. Our bodies are finely tuned machines, wonderful at adapting to different situations and assaults, developing incredible coping strategies and processes so complex it's too mind boggling to comprehend. The appropriate fuel is needed to ensure this continues - the right vitamins, minerals, micro nutrients as well as a good dollop of carbohydrates, and moderate amount of protein and fat. It shouldn't be too complicated.
To many, a car is an essential item. It needs to be looked after though, so it gets checks at the garage, cleaned, the oil and water gets topped up the right levels and of course we put in the right fuel - diesel in a petrol engine spells disaster and the engine just conks out. Looking at it this way, we care for our cars better than our own bodies. Why is that? Maybe we don't make a direct financial investment in our bodies or we just take our bodies for granted, then when it goes wrong find ways to patch it up until eventually it conks out. Or maybe we just don't really know what we should eat, or have been fed the wrong information. Or maybe, we just care for our cars more than we care for ourselves.
Traditionally at this time of year, thoughts turn to the new year and our aspirations for the future. New year, new you. Losing weight or being more healthy usually heads up the top 10 new year resolutions along with quitting smoking and doing more exercise. But as nearly 80% of new years resolutions fail to be achieved, are they really worth making? Personally, I think they are, but maybe not to start on 1st January. That has to be the worse day to start anything positive, as most people are feeling pretty rubbish from the night before, be it from lack of sleep or too much alcohol - or both!!
To make a positive change, there needs to be a specific aim or reason, a real desire to achieve something. For me, my aim is to get rid of my food sensitivities and to feel well again - a short term and (so it seems) very long term project! People ask me how can I live without cheese, or wine. I'm no health food saint, but I honestly feel so much better without dairy or yeast, it's not really a hardship any more. Making changes depends on your perspective - I gain, not lose (although I would really love to eat bread and drink wine again!!). Making a positive change in your life can be hard but also so good.
Eating a plant-based wholefood diet is one the best treats you can give your body and your health - a real new year spring clean. If you want to give it a go, try the PCRM's vegan kickstart programme http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/kickstart/kickstart-programs. They have food plans for Western and Indian tastes, and it's pretty easy to follow. If you are a big meat and dairy lover, I would suggest you break yourself in gently - spend January reducing your meat and processed food intake and trying some of the menu ideas. Then try the kickstart in February when you're ready for it and see what happens! Be prepared for lots of energy and feeling pretty good!
So don't make a New Years resolution to go on a diet. Make a promise to be kind to yourself and make a positive change, to be in charge of what fuel you put in yourself not be a slave to an addiction to sugar, or fat. Have a tangible goal and above all respect yourself and your environment. And have a wonderful foodie New Year!

Planning Christmas dinner

Since my last post at the beginning of the month, I've moved continents!. The weather outside the window has changed from blue skies and 28 degrees to grey, cold and raining. Oh yes, I'm back in England! But to make up for the weather, it is Christmas time, and for the first time in 3 years it actually feels festive, with decorations in every home, the shops bulging with gifts and seasonal food and Christmas songs constantly played on the radio.
Now the jet lag has worn off, the present shopping is complete and we have an idea of where we are going to live, my attention is turning to food, particularly Christmas Day. Being dairy and yeast intolerant is hard at this time of year - all the mince pies are made with butter pastry, Christmas cake includes dairy and the brandy butter that melts so enticingly on top of the steaming Christmas pud is a non-starter! Then there's bread sauce and stuffing which I love, but certainly don't love me! This year I've made it even more complicated by eradicating meat from my diet too, so no traditional turkey either.

All is not lost, however. There's still the roasted parsnips, potatoes and other veg. And being back in the UK, alternatives are more easily available in the shops. This though, is a bit of dilemma. Meat alternatives can be a bit gross to be honest, and tend to be full of a long list of fake ingredients and chemicals that don't sit well in a wholefood diet. So it's a nut roast for me, filled with brazil nuts and hazelnuts for a festive flavour which won't over power all the delicious veg on offer.
By the way, brazil nuts are packed with nutrition. Unfortunately for some, they are also the second most common for nut allergies after peanuts. But if you're safe to eat them, they are fabulous for health, eaten in moderation of course. Whilst fairly high in fat, they are monounsaturated, so help deal with 'bad' cholesterol. They also have good levels of vitamin E, vitamin B's and selenium, a mineral that acts as a powerful anti oxidant. There's also a mix of other minerals such as manganese, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, all wonderful for your health and your skin.

This nut roast recipe is easy and tasty. It does use bread crumbs - in the past I have either used Orgran rice crumbs or whizzed up a tortilla wrap which works but gives a different texture. This year I am going to experiment with using quinoa instead. Using this and chickpea flour instead of wheat flour, this can become a gluten free recipe too. Now what sauce to put with it.........
Normal nut roast
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbspoon vegetable oil
2 tomatoes skinned and chopped
30g flour (wheat, corn or chickpea)
140mls water
1 tbspoon soy sauce/tamari
230g nuts (brazil and hazelnut in mine) finely chopped or ground
85g breadcrumbs or bread alternative
1 tsp mixed herbs
Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion until it's tender. Add the chopped tomatoes, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes or so until pulpy. Stir in the flour, add the water slowly whilst stirring constantly to prevent lumps forming. Once it's all mixed in, turn off the heat. Add all the other ingredients, mixing together thoroughly and place in a lightly greased bread tin. Bake at 180o C for 45 minutes or so until it's firm and crusty on top. Leaving to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out on to a plate and enjoy with all the Christmas trimmings and a glass of something bubbly!

Dairy and yeast free pizza - it's tasty, honest!!

Having a dairy and yeast intolerance, I've got used to not eating my favourite foods, often just admiring them from afar. There is one though, that tortures me - pizza! I love it - that crunch of a crisp base, the fantastic combinations of toppings that may your tongue tingle in appreciation and the beautiful soft, gooey cheese on top that just brings all three elements together. But for me, no matter how much I may love it, it does not love me - devil food!!!
All the vegan cheese I have tried in the past just doesn't do it for me, there's always a strange tang which puts me off. And over here in India, I've never seen it on the supermarket shelves in Bangalore. So I was delighted at the last cooking demo I attended that one of the things they made was a soft 'cheese' that had a flavour similar to strong cheese - ie: stinky sock flavour! When it was passed round the room, I was not convinced as to be honest, it smelt and tasted like off cream gunge, but later on when they made pizza, the flavour and texture just worked, and it browned slightly on top.  I couldn't eat the pizza, but they cooked some for me separately on some vegetables, so it was half way to a pizza but not quite there!

I had a few attempts at making this cheese myself; the first was too dry and took a long time to ferment and just wasn't quite right. The second, my hand slipped when adding water, so was too runny. Thankfully, in the tradition of the 3 bears, the third attempt was just right! I wasn't sure how to make a non-yeast pizza base from scratch, so cheated and used Orgran pizza base mix. This is a gluten free, dairy free, yeast free, everything you can think of free product which is has a pretty reasonable taste and easy to make up. As it's the gluten that gives dough it's elasticity and mouldability, gluten free flours can be dry and crumbly, but this Orgran mix didn't have that problem.
I made the 'cheese' 2 days before making the pizza so it was suitably stinky! After making up the base according to the packet instructions, I rolled out the dough, smothered it with tomato puree and chopped herbs, sprinkled crisp red pepper, onion, mushroom, sliced tomato and basil, then spooned on a few dollops of the 'cheese', then left it to the oven gods to do some magic!
For the pizza aficionado, it probably wouldn't taste so good, but to me it was delicious and I enjoyed every mouth-watering bite. One to make again that's for sure!
Raw sour cheese
1 cup cashew nuts (I only used 1/2 cup as only making for 1)
1/3 tsp salt.
Soak the cashew nuts in water for a minimum of 2 hours. Drain out the water and blitz in the food processor to a smooth paste.  You may need to add a little water. Place in a bowl or container, cover with a close and leave to ferment for 24-72 hours (it depends on how warm the room is). Once it starts to smell sour, and the texture changes, add a little salt to taste and it's ready. It will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Up for a challenge?

Over the last few years I have been changing my diet to try to solve my dairy and yeast intolerance, but both have persisted. Mind you, the more I find out about milk and dairy products, the less I want it anyway, but that's another post. Since August, I have been mainly eating a plant-based whole food diet in order to heal my gut, as I really want to be able to eat bread and drink wine again at some point in the future!
This has involved a change to the way I eat, but I have to say I feel great. Apart from clearer skin and less bloating, the chronic itching that I've suffered from for years has disappeared, which is amazing - and a relief!!! Certainly an unexpected bonus. I've managed a glass (actually it was 3!!) of wine one night with limited after effects but as yet haven't been brave enough to try bread, even though I am longing for a thick chunky slice of a rustic seedy loaf. The last time I ate a roll, I had a migraine for three days afterwards, so it's a risky business.

It's not been too difficult changing to a plant based wholefood diet - it just needs some planning and the right frame of mind. It's not what you're missing out on, but what you're gaining - a whole new way of eating that makes you feel great. The research is out there that people who eat this way have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, asthma, stomach problems, skin problems, joint pains and psychological problems. I've just finished reading The China Study by Colin Campbell, an eminent scientist in the US; it's packed full of research which shows that the western diet is responsible for so many chronic diseases which blight the lives of millions of people. It also shows how food can not only prevent these diseases from developing, but can also reverse the process and lead people back to good health - something nigh on unheard of when managed through orthodox treatments. I mean, once a diabetic, always, right?
Dr Neal Barnard, an American doctor has established a reversing diabetes programme. This same programme works for other chronic health problems, either to treat, or prevent. For those in India, there is a free 21 day kickstart programme starting on Monday 5th November. So if you're up for the challenge and fancy seeing how your health can be changed purely eating a different way, check out this link and register - remember it's free!!! http://www.21daykickstartindia.org. There are some cooking videos featuring Dr Nandita Shah. The cooking demo I wrote about recently was run by her and I was lucky enough to have dinner cooked by her a few weeks ago - it was delicious!!!
There is a non-Indian food programme you can follow too which would be easier if you're living outside the country or prefer western style food - http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/index.cfm.
Go on, give it a try - what have you got to lose?

More than just a cooking demo....

One of the great things I've been able to do since coming to Bangalore is attend a number of different cooking classes, some in restaurants others in people's homes. Often, I can't eat everything that's on offer due to my milk and yeast intolerance, but there's one class I've been to that I could eat everything on offer (well, nearly everything) that was not only really healthy but delicious too - a vegan one.
Say the word vegan and it tends to bring to mind aged hippies eating lettuce leaves, museli and chewy smoked tofu that gets stuck in the back of the throat, food with an odd taste and just not interesting. Go to a cooking demo by Dr Nandita Shah and you'll get a completely different opinion and a taste sensation.
We had morning shakes, mayo, tongue tingling salads, curries and dals (this is India!!) and, the most exciting for me, home made vegan 'cheese' that was used for pizza.
I haven't tried making it myself yet (the demo was only yesterday!) but I will, and once road-tested, I'll put up the recipe; I'm hoping it works out as good as yesterdays. Not being able to actually eat pizza because of the yeast in the base, they kindly cooked the pizza sauce and some vegetables together, topped with the cheese and it was absolutely gorgeous!
Apart from eating mounds of yummy, healthy food, the purpose of these cooking demos is to put across a more serious and profound message - that the food we eat really does make a difference to our health and that the chronic diseases that are on the increasing around the world, such as diabetes and heart disease, can all be reversed or prevented through eating a plant based whole food diet. It's a simple but radical message and one that can take some time to accept. Dr Shah herself is a the perfect advocate of this type of eating as she just glows with energy and vitality. This is the third session I've been to with her, and each time I take away more ideas and thoughts, and I'm gradually making the changes needed, although I haven't managed to stop the tea or the alcohol!
There were some really inspiring stories yesterday of people who had made a real difference to their health - I spoke to one lady who has been eating this plant based whole food diet for 2 months and has already halved her diabetes medication. There was someone else who was almost medication free since starting in June. Years of health problems building up and growing turned around in such a short period of time - quite remarkable.
So it makes me think about why don't more doctors advocate this instead of just handing out the pills and potions? Why aren't governments that spend so much money managing chronic health problems promoting this kind of eating? Why are there so many fast food chains still just chucking out the same, addictive junk? I guess it comes down to money - there's not a lot of it in carrots and brown rice, but there is in the pharmaceutical, meat, dairy and fast food businesses.  Co-incidentally, I read some startling statistics the other day. According to a UN report, 18% of the world's CO2 emissions are produced by animal agriculture, compared to 13% from all forms of transport combined together. Also,  it takes between 4000 and 18,000 gallons of water to make the beef for just one hamburger. So just from an environmental perspective, there are big issues related to animal food products even before you start looking at the health side.
So as well as feeding my stomach, the cooking demo also fed my mind, giving me lots to think and learn about. But one thing I am sure about is that food can harm, but it can also heal, and I'm following that route, so my next burger is definately a veggie one!
If you want to find out more about Dr Shah's work check out the SHARAN India website at www.sharan-india.org.