Post Brain Food AHA! Moments....
Thank you to those who came to our BRAIN FOOD event last week. There were so many light bulb moments and nodding heads. We had a great turnout and lots of fabulous information to take away from our superstar speakers.
To kick off we heard about the gut brain connection from nutritionist Kry's Lojek http://www.kryslojeknutrition.com/ and how important it is to create balance in our bodies and minds. Inflammation is often the cause of brain fog and foods that contribute to a dullness and lethargy are the obvious culprits. Gluten pays a large roll, it's difficulty to digest causes lots of issues. Sugar or course plays it's part too and a diet that is lacking in green vegetation.
Eating raw unprocessed foods also helps with balancing out our bodies. Avoiding caffeine.. you may think it keeps you bright... it does for a moment, but there will always come the crash. Green Tea is a much healthier option and is packed with antioxidants which protect brain cells. You just need to get used to it..
Keeping hydrated was talked about.. often we feel lethargic because we are not consuming enough water it's that simple.. 2 litres at least a day for women 3 litres for men. You can great Apps that remind you ..
Eating the right fat.. yes butter is on the menu again. In moderate amounts. But as we learnt our brains are made of fat.. so we need to ensure we are eating plenty of good fats, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and ghee are the better options.
Kry's also touched on organ meats, such as liver being a superfood and fantastic for nurturing the gut lining. For me I absolutely love eating Liver and bacon on a mashed potato with lots of gravy. But maybe that's a British thing.. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. So Kry's recommend a wonderful Liver supplement that can be hidden in unsuspecting children's foods and smoothies. Traditional cultures the world over have considered animal organs and glands to be some of the most essential, nutrient-dense foods available. Many of the tribes visited and studied by Dr. Weston A. Price praised organ foods as special and sacred, prioritising them over all else, with liver being the most commonly eaten organ meat. Gram for gram, liver contains more nutrients than any other food on earth! It provides: The most concentrated and usable source of vitamin A Abundant B-group vitamins, particularly vitamin B12 and folic acid. A highly useable form of iron Rich amounts of trace-minerals, including copper, zinc and chromium CoQ10, a nutrient of particular importance to the cardiovascular system, and a renowned energy booster. If you are up for cooking with it.. try chicken liver pate.. Kry's was so packed with goodness you could lick the plate!
Kry's also recommend a fabulous gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate which has a fast assimilation time, is easy to digest and may help in the following ways: Repairing and rebuilding connective tissue, Replacing synovial fluid between joints, Helping to repair the gut in gut healing programs and diets. We gorged on Kry's blueberry and coconut jellies, introduce these to your family instead of the nasty sugar filled gummies that kids adore.
My turn now with reducing inflammation with Turmeric. Our bodies need inflammation to fight off infection and bad bacteria ... but sometimes we can get too inflamed causing stiffness, aches and swellings. Again eating a junk diet can contribute to inflammation in the body. So being free flowing with turmeric pot can really help.
I shared my Raw Turmeric Egg Mayonnaise recipe which is just about great with everything, it's so easy to make with raw cashews, coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, coconut oil, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. I particularly hammered home the importance of making your salads with bitter leaves and making them the colour of the rainbow. We are so lucky to be supported by Brian's Best Organics... available twice a week from St Georges Heights..https://www.facebook.com/Brians-Best-Organics-1454924454824351/
I don't like to always go the soft option with cos or or butter lettuce which is not half as potent as the bitter varieties. I love radiccio, red kale and chard. Finely chopped and mixed with a dried fruit like cranberry or cherry which adds a little sweetness and some sprouted seeds for extra amaziness. Drizzled with Virgin Oliver Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and topped with my Raw Turmeric mayo.. it's a magic combo!! Eating live food like just makes you feel bouncy!
Finally I whipped up the Almond Turmeric Latte which I love instead of a the old coffee latte problem... it's a easy combination of almond milk, turmeric, ginger raw honey or maple syrup (if you are vegan), cinnamon and nutmeg. Heated gently not till it boiled and then whacked in a high speed food processor like a Thermomix or use a hand whisk. You can feel the warming goodness light up the body and brain!
The burning shot Ginger and Turmeric Tonic was a hit. A fabulous shot for any athletes needing their muscles to be loose before or after working out. Ginger and Turmeric are from the same family.. so they are a marriage made by our creator! I like to keep a bottle of this in the fridge and use it for the base of my Almond Tumermic Latte's! YUMSKY!
Our lovely Chef Steffen was next we were so thrilled to have him as he is busy running Jamie's Kitchen in the city and starting his outside catering company. Chef Steffen especially created a recipe for our event, it consisted of a salmon coated in a seeds, pan fried skin side down until it was crispy and topped an avocado and spinach salad. Totally yumminess! The flavour combinations were exquisite. Of course Salmon is a 'no brainer'.. full of omegas and the ideal brain booster food. We talked choosing wild sustainable salmon also. Will post links of fantastic supplier that Kry's uses.
Not forgetting about detoxing our homes we had the lovely Suzie Lewis run through some top tips to cleanse our homes. One of my favouite was taking your shoes off in the house... not only is it nice to feel free of shoes. But also you don't' tread in the lead from the streets! Who ever thought of that!!
We were also really lucky to welcome some mind and body experts into our project. Eilish Bouchier http://eilishbouchier.com/about-me-eilish/actually took the whole room through a short meditation. You could've heard a pin drop. From buzzy full room to a quiet stillness in just 3 minutes. We all felt rejuvenated! The power of meditation!
Belinda Eady who runs fantastic outdoor bootcamps aptly named Chocolate Fitness on the northern beaches took us through some no nonsense ways to get exercise into our daily lives and the science behind mood enhancement and regular exercise. I loved her idea of not worrying if you have to put on dirty sports kit 2 days in a row or letting go of your hair do injury.. Which is one of my problems.. ! We did some back stretches with bottoms up .. which we just about managed in such a tight spot. There were a lot of bum to bums squash ups!
Lastly Lisa Pitta told us why Emotional Nourishment is part of the complecated mind, body, spirit puzzle of managing our overall health. Her beautiful reminder silver bracelets offer a range of affirmations for whatever reminders we need. My favourite is TRUST.. which I have on my wrist most days. Reminding me that I trust all will be well in my world.
As we gave back more than we took ... which is one our motto's at The Wellness Project, then everyone experienced a wonderful morning and went home with better knowledge of ways to use food as medicine to support our brain health and a little gift bag from http://www.gpawholefoods.com.au/shop/traditional-fats-oils/blue-ice-fermented-cod-liver-skate-liver-and-butte/11
..... and really if there was only one tip that was taken away by each of our guests that would improve their quality of life - then we have succeeded! The Wellness Project is all about sharing with others and raising awareness about eating well, living longer in good health and leaving behind a sustainable, kind world.
Our charity that we supported for our brain event was World Mental Health Day. We asked our guests to go online and register their promise to make a healthy change in their lives. Please do share your promise here...
So with great excitement we wrapped up the morning... having packed in a load in just 2 hours. The raffle was whipped out, top prize was a $150 worth of products from Pacific Foods http://bioliving.com.au/brands/pacific_natural_foods and to the bafflement of many we handed out jars of starter Scobie for making Kombucha! There were quite a few Kombucha virgins.. So if you got one and have no idea what to do with it go to our facebook page for instructions.https://www.facebook.com/thewellnessprojectcommunity/ It actually makes a delicious drink! I drink it instead of wine..
Thank you to all the silent helpers who just stood up and started helping pack up! I saw you all out of the corner of my eye as I was inundated with people to talk to.. So thank you all you mystery lovely people. And special thanks goes to Kry's Lojek who was my right hand lady, Chef Steffen for being wonderful, charming and brilliant, Eilish Bouchier for sharing with us your outer worldlyness, Suzie Lewis for being simply lovely and handing out hugs, Lisa Pitta for your reallness and honesty, Belinda Eady for saying it how it is in sweat pants and Lil for stretching out our ham strings!
Here's to our next one SWEET ADDICTION which is going to be a game changer and will be a popular one no doubt just before Christmas! Who's up for kicking the habit that has gripped us ever since they started adding sugar into just about everything bread, tomato ketchup flavoured yogurts, leaving us with a population consumed by SUGAR! SAVE THE DATE… ticket info to come shortly!
