Health by Nature

Does chili and cayenne assist with detox?

2010-08-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

My aunty asked me why many detox programs include chili or cayenne pepper, which is made from the dried pods of chili peppers. Many off the shelf detox programs include these ingredients, so I did a bit of research to find out if these ingredients actually help the body to detoxify, or not.

The main medicinal properties of chili are derived from the chemical capsaicin. It's the capsaicin that gives chili the heat and the hotter the chili, the more capsaicin it contains. Indian and Chinese medicine practitioners often use chili to treat digestive ailments as it stimulates the flow of stomach secretions and saliva which help to digest food.

Chili increases blood flow in the body, and increased blood flow to the liver is important during detox. The liver is the bodies detoxification organ. It removes toxins from the body. If blood flow to the liver is impaired, nutrients don't reach the liver and the liver has problems removing waste materials. Chili is therefore included in detox programs to help the detoxifying function of the liver.

As well as stimulating the body to create the feeling of heat, capsaicin increases body temperature and metabolism. Increased metabolism increases the number of kilojoules your body burns. Therefore chili is included in detox programs that claim to assist with weight loss.

Aside from its detoxification and weight loss potential, chili contains vitamins E and C and carotenoids. Carotenoids act as antioxidants, reducing damage caused by free radicals (the nasty things that cause aging, tissue damage, and disease).

When I think of chili, I think of Mexican food. Here is an easy, healthy and yummy recipe that uses chili.

Mexican Chili Bean Wraps (serves four)

Ingredients
• olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

• a pinch of chili powder

• 2-4 red chilli's, chopped finely (leave the seeds in if you want it hot, take out if you want it mild)

• 1 teaspoon tomato puree

• 480g tinned red kidney beans, drained and washed

• 150g tinned tomatoes

• freshly ground black pepper

• ½ green pepper, sliced

• ½ red pepper, sliced

• 5 large flour tortillas

• 150g cheese, grated

• lettuce leaves

• 1 chopped tomato

• 2 grated carrots

Fry onion for 10 minutes in oil, then add garlic, fresh chili, chili powder, tomato puree, drained kidney beans and tinned tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes until the juice has reduced. Put half of the mix into a bowl and mash with a fork until it forms a mush. Combine with the unmashed half and set aside in a serving bowl. Put peppers under the grill until they soften slightly. Prepare your salad ingredients and lay out on a platter with the peppers. Serve with warm tortillas and get everyone to make their own wraps.

Result! Healthy ideas for a busy person

2010-07-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

Back in May I wrote a blog post Healthy ideas for a busy person about how I was helping my colleague with some advice about what to eat to boost his energy. Six weeks later, he has shared his results:

"I had been eating rice bubbles and corn flakes, but it turns out in terms of food, these breakfasts are useless. I would eat a giant bowl of corn flakes and two hours later I would be hungry. How can they get away with advertising this stuff as food if you’re still hungry after eating it? The whole point of food is to stop you being hungry."

My colleague made some easy changes to the foods he eats, and he has seen a big difference.

"Now I can work until 1pm, go to the gym and then eat lunch without problems. I don’t need as much for dinner and I’m eating less overall. I have lost 2kg."

You can read more about the results at www.chabgassie.com

My colleague was kind enough to draw this picture of me in exchange for my dietary advice.

Food Inc.

2010-07-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

The American documentary Food Inc screened in the US several years ago, and has finally been released in Australia.

The documentary-style film produced by Robert Kenner was nominated for a best picture Academy Award, and covers a range of issues relating to the corporatisation of the US food industry. The film paints a very scary picture in covering issues including factory farming, foodborne illness, food labeling, genetic engineering, farm worker protection, and cloning, as well as the many social issues that impact the food we eat.

The Food Inc. official website provides more information about the issues or watch the Food Inc. preview. They offer ten simple ways to improve the food system including

Go without meat once a week (an estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals)
Shop at local farmers markets if possible (these markets allow farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer)
Find out where your food comes from by reading the labels (in the USA, the average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to the dinner plate).

I can only hope that we avoid this path in Australia. Information about Food Standards in Australia is available online.

Check here for session times at your local cinema.

Chai Rice Pudding with Poached Pears

2010-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

This blog post is part of the Two for Tuesday carnival

Chai Rice Pudding

3 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk
4 black chai tea bags
1 cup short- or medium-grain white rice
1/4 cup honey
1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup dark raisins
cinnamon for garnish, optional

Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup soymilk to a boil in large saucepan. Remove from heat, and add teabags. Cover, and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out any liquid. Stir rice, sugar and salt into tea mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups soymilk, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until rice is soft. Stir in apple and raisins; remove from heat. Cover pot, and let sit 10 minutes.
Spoon pudding into 2-quart heatproof dish. Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.

Poached Pears

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 whole pears (ripe but firm)

In a small bowl, combine the juices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to mix evenly.

Peel the pears and leave the stems. Remove the core from the bottom of the pear. Place in a shallow pan. Add the juice mixture to the pan and set over medium heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes, turning pears frequently. Don't boil.

Transfer the pears to serving plates.

DIY Beauty Products you can whip up at home - good enough to eat!

2010-06-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

I found a great blog post at the Spicy Pink Sugar Beauty Blog with some DIY beauty concoctions including a lemon and olive hand scrub and a chamomile tea face mask courtesy of ex-beauty editor and DIY Skincare Chef, Carla Oates. Read it here.

Korean Bibimbap

2010-06-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

I recently had the Korean dish Bibimbap at Melbourne’s Oriental Spoon. To me, it seems like the kind of meal someone made up one day from the odds and ends at the bottom of the fridge, but don’t let this put you off because it’s really good!

Bibimbap is also really nutritious, so I thought I’d put a recipe up here for others to try out. I found a recipe online but adapted it to make it a bit healthier. It’s best made in a traditional Korean stone bowl called a ‘dol sot’ but I don’t have these so I’ve adapted this recipe to use any oven-proof bowl instead.

Korean Bibimbap (serves 4)

2 carrots, sliced into matchsticks
2 zucchini, sliced into matchsticks
Handful of spinach
Handful of bean sprouts
1 cup of dried mushrooms
2 brown onions, sliced
A packet of firm tofu (Blue Lotus brand is good)
4 free range eggs
Korean chilli paste (try to get a real Korean one, as it has a really nice smoky flavour)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Cold pressed rice bran oil
Black Pepper
Sesame seeds
4 cups hot cooked white short grain rice

1. Cook rice. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Put individual serving bowls in oven to warm up (the hotter the better).

3. Soak dried mushrooms in water until soft. Drain, slice and mix with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Set aside.

4. Fry onion in mix of rice bran oil and soy sauce until brown. Set aside.

5. Stir fry carrots and zucchini in mix of 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic and some pepper. Set aside.

6. Blanch spinach and bean sprouts in boiling water for 15 seconds. Strain combine with 1 teaspoon crushed garlic and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

7. Heat tofu through. Set aside.

8. Fry one egg per person.

To assemble, place a cup of rice on the bottom of each hot bowl and then arrange all other ingredients on top side by side. Top with the fried egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve chili sauce separately so each person can add as much or as little as they like.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse

2010-06-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

Who knew that chocolate mousse could taste so good and actually be good for you!

If you love masterchef as much as me, you will know that Skye recently made something similar to this. The recipe below was passed to me by a friend of a friend, and it makes one cup of mousse.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

1/4 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup mashed avocado (about one and a half avocados)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
1/4 cup water

Blend the dates, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processor until smooth. Add avocado and cocoa and process until creamy. Add the water and process briefly. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep for three days in the fridge or two weeks if frozen.

How to use your used coffee grounds in your garden

2010-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

I received an interesting email today from the Natural Health and Organic Living Blog, on how to use your used coffee grounds in the garden.

Some healthy ideas for a busy person

2010-05-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

My work colleague Chab read my blog and asked me to put together some ideas for him on new foods to incorporate into his diet. Chab wants foods that will provide him with energy to get through his busy day but finds that many of the healthy options don’t seem to fill him up or give him much energy.

After evaluating Chab’s diet, I found it was pretty high in salt, and towards the high side in cholesterol and saturated fats, mainly due to the high animal product content (dairy and meats). Chab’ diet was also fairly low in fibre and carbohydrates. A bowl of cornflakes for breakfast just wasn’t giving Chab much to work with through the morning, so he was very hungry at lunchtime.

My advice for Chab is to eat a good breakfast and choose foods that keep you full for longer by releasing their energy slowly. Complex carbs are great for this, so Chab should try to eat more whole grains, especially in the morning. It’s also important for Chab to eat protein-rich foods, as these keep hunger pangs at bay. An added bonus of my menu ideas for Chab is that that many of the foods help boost concentration and have high fibre content which is great for keeping cholesterol low. I’ve made sure the foods below are quick and easy to prepare – as Chab told me he doesn’t want to be slaving over a hot stove after work every night!

Chab has agreed to give these new foods a try, and to let us know how he’s feeling in a few weeks.

Five new foods for Chab to add to his diet

Beans - one of the most filling, versatile and healthy foods around, beans are simple to prepare and come in many varieties (chickpeas, kidney beans, etc). Beans are full of fibre (good for lowering cholesterol and keeping you regular) and can be used in many ways.
Ideas for beans: baked beans on wholegrain toast, a baked bean toasted sandwich for lunch, red kidney bean burritos, stir a can of chickpeas into a salad or soup or use hummus instead of butter on sandwiches, wraps or crackers.
Raw nuts - full of fibre and containing lots of good fats, nuts are a great healthy addition to the diet. Ideas for nuts: roast nuts and put them on salads and stir-fries, nibble on a handful at morning or afternoon snack time, sprinkle on porridge in the morning.
Eggs – Proven to fill you up for longer, eggs help improve concentration by providing necessary nutrients and protein while being low in saturated fat and calories. One egg contains all nine essential amino acids and 6 grams of protein. Eggs from free range fed chickens are higher in Omega-3 fatty acids than chickens fed grain or soybeans. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve brain function and improve focus.
Ideas for eggs: great in the morning poached, scrambled or boiled with brown bread, boil some eggs and take to work to eat with your lunch as a great protein boost, egg and spinach sandwich on rye break, egg omelette in the evening with spring onion, spinach and red capsicum, on the weekend make frittatas using muffin pans and take to work for lunch.
Porridge - The breakfast of kings! You really can’t beat porridge for breakfast. It is filling, cheap, nutritious, easy to prepare, and you can mix it up by adding different toppings. The high fibre content provides a steady stream of energy. Oats also contain Vitamin B which helps transform carbohydrates into usable energy.
Ideas for porridge: Prepare with half milk/half water and top with plain yoghurt, berries, banana, honey, seed mix, sultanas, grated apple, seed mix kapaipuku which my Mum loves, the list really goes on. Just don’t cover it with sugar!
Yoghurt - Full of vitamin-B, which helps your body convert other nutrients into energy and includes lots of good bacteria for your tummy. Make sure it’s not full of sugar and additives you can make your own which is so easy you’ll never buy it from the supermarket again.
Ideas for yoghurt: on porridge or muesli, use instead of mayonnaise in salad dressings, add to curries, add to fruit smoothies, eat simply on its own as a snack with the porridge toppings previously mentioned.

Some menu ideas for Chab that incorporate these new foods

Breakfast ideas

Porridge with toppings
Natural muesli with fruit and yoghurt
Baked beans on toast
Eggs on toast with avocado

Snack ideas

Raw nuts
Seed mix
Carrot with hummus
Yoghurt
Piece of fruit
Hard boiled egg
Tin of tuna/salmon/sardines on crackers

Lunch / Dinner ideas

Stir a can of chickpeas into a salad or soup
Egg sandwich/roll with lots of salad
Baked bean toasted sandwich with salad
Mini frittatas recipe with salad
Mix left over rice/quinoa/couscous from night before with tin of tuna/salmon and squeeze lemon juice and eat with a salad
Sushi rolls
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Baked potato with baked beans or tabouli
Felafel kebab with hummus and salad
Instead of white rice with your meat and three vege, try other grains such as brown rice, quinoa or couscous.
Red kidney bean burritos (make the mix and freeze it so you just have to re-heat it after work and add some salad veges and wrap it up) recipe.
Lentil sheppard’s pie (freezes well so can take for lunches, re-heat when you’re busy) recipe
Make a huge pot of soup and freeze it in small containers so you can grad it and re-heat it
Make Indian style curries with chickpeas instead of meat. Recipe
Mini pizzas on pita breads (go easy on the cheese)
Have breakfast for dinner – baked beans, poached eggs, avocado, spinach and tomatoes on wholegrain toast is a perfectly good dinner
Make a healthy homemade hamburger with lean meat, heaps of salad and a wholemeal bun
Try nutmeat in place of mince in things like spag bol – you will either love it or hate it

Wrinkle-free skin - no creams required

2010-04-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

I’m sure you’ve seen ads raving about the benefits of collagen in moisturisers and other beauty products, but did you know that collagen is a large molecule that doesn’t penetrate the skin? It’s probably better to try to eat foods that either contain collagen, or that help the body to produce or sustain its collagen supply.

Collagen is the most common protein found in the human body. It’s found pretty much everywhere in the body; holding things together, protecting and supporting things. Collagen is made from protein. Two amino acids (hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline) help to form collagen, therefore foods with high amounts of these amino acids are useful. These amino acids are only found in animal foods, so it’s recommended we stick to the healthy ones.

Here is a list of other foods that can help:

Soy products
Dark green vegetables help strengthen the body’s ability to make and use collagen effectively
Red fruits and vegetables increase collagen production
Foods with omega acids help with collagen production (oily fish, nuts, avocado)
Sulfur-rich foods such as olives, fresh cucumber and celery
Legumes
Green tea contains nutrients that prevent breakdown of collagen

Vitamin C is needed to convert all these good things into collagen.

Do you have room for any more Easter eggs?

2010-04-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

My friend asked me if I could find out if there is anything nutritious about Easter eggs! Here goes....

A German study has found that eating a small amount of chocolate can be good for the heart and can lower blood pressure. The only downside is that they're talking a tiny amount (about a 20 cent piece - and I know you ate more than that over the Easter weekend Amy), and it's only dark chocolate that has the health benefits. The benefits seem to come from the flavanols in chocolate, which are found in cocoa, and which relaxes the smooth muscle that lines walls of our blood vessels.

You can read more about this research at the European Heart Journal's website .

The benefits and side effects of soy milk and cows milk

2010-03-31T22:47:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I asked the question “is coffee good for you?” and mentioned that drinkers should also consider the effects of the milk they are drinking with their daily latte’s.

Here is a rundown on the differences between soy and cow’s milk. I hope this helps you better understanding the benefits and potential side effects of each.

Soy milk is made by soaking and grinding dry soybeans or soy protein with water. Usually a combination of oil, sugar, salt is added. Soy milk made from whole soybeans is recommended as it is a more natural food. Many products contain genetically modified soy, so check this if you’re trying to avoid GM foods.

The benefits of soy are that is has little saturated fat or cholesterol, contains vitamin E and B vitamins and research has found it can help to decrease bad cholesterol. Finally, isoflavones (read below as they are also in the side effects section) in soy may help prevent some cancers and osteoporosis. There are also environmental benefits as growing soy doesn’t require as much land and water as raising dairy cows.

The side effects of soy mainly relate to the lack of calcium, additives, and the isoflavones or phytoestrogens (big words for chemicals found in plants). These phytoestrogens can affect the body in the same way that the female hormone estrogen does, which can cause problems for those who consume a lot of soy - More information . Many products labelled "soy drink" are derivatives of soy milk that contain more water or other ingredients than actual soy, and most soy milks contain various additives. In 2010, a popular soy milk Bonsoy was recalled in Australia when 10 people fell ill with thyroid problems after the product was found to contain 7500 micrograms of iodine per serve, which is more than seven times the suggested daily dose for adults. Read more

Dairy cow’s milk is produced by the mammary glands of cows to provide nutrition for baby cows before they can digest other kinds of food. Humans have been consuming cow’s milk for many centuries, and we are the only animal that consumes milk past infancy! Studies have shown that many adults show a degree of lactose intolerance (especially those of African and Asian descent) - More information The benefits of cow’s milk are that it contains calcium, phosphorous, zinc, vitamins A and B, and iodine and riboflavin. Side effects are it’s high saturated fat (increase risk of cancers and raise cholesterol levels), it can trigger eczema, can increase phlegm production (bad news for those with respiratory conditions like asthma). Some people can’t break down the lactose (the sugar in milk) which makes them lactose intolerant, and calcium slows the absorption of iron.

Is coffee bad for you?

2010-03-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Australia’s coffee culture is booming. Recent research from Datamonitor predicts Australians will spend $800 million on coffee per year by 2013! With mixed messages about the health benefits and side effects of coffee flooding the media, I tried to get to the bottom of the “is coffee good or bad for you?” question.

First of all, let’s look at what’s actually in coffee, other than caffeine of course.

Chlorogenic acid – an antioxidant, slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal
Magnesium – helps regulate blood sugar level, keeps heart rhythm and keeps bones strong
Potassium - important to cellular and electrical function in the body
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - helps convert carbohydrates into sugar or glucose for energy and helps break down protein and fat
Trigonelline - may help to prevent dental cavities by preventing bacteria from sticking to teeth
Lignans - may be helpful for cancer prevention and reduction of cholesterol.

After reading lots of articles, the message seems to be that moderate consumption (3-5 cups or shots of coffee per day) is OK, and may have some health benefits such as those above as well as the possibility of a reduced risk of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes (further research still needs to be done).

The negative side effects of coffee mainly relate to the caffeine in coffee. Caffeine can cause dehydration as it’s not stored in the body therefore needs to be excreted via the urine. Too much caffeine can also lead to increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, restlessness, anxiety, depression, tremors, and sleep problems.

The message is moderate consumption is OK, don’t add sugar, and make sure you drink plenty of water to combat the dehydrating effects.

However, if you’re drinking 3-5 cappuccinos, flat whites or lattes a day, the milk content changes things completely. In my next post, I will talk about the benefits and side effects of dairy and soy.

Top five autumn foods

2010-03-22T02:15:00.000-07:00

For those of us who live in the southern hemisphere, Autumn is upon us.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Autumn is a time for storing vital energy so we can make it through the winter in a healthy state. The Chinese believe autumn is a time for nourishing foods that warm the body. Here are ten great seasonal foods to eat during autumn.

1. Parsnips. Great source of fibre, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Lovely boiled with carrot and mashed.

2. Sweet potatoes. Contain 23 times the amount of vitamin A and are low GI as you would find in the same serving of brocolli. Amazing roasted, or use like pumpkin in a soup.

3. Mandarins. Eat as a fruit alone, or add to salads. Great source of vitamin C.

4. Pears. High in fibre, low GI and easy to digest. Pears are lovely on their own, or cooked with puddings or cakes. Great with cheese.

5. Figs. Great source of fibre and calcium. Try this Baked Figs with Honey and Yogurt recipe.

High vs low intensity exercise - what burns more fat?

2010-03-16T01:48:00.000-07:00

What do you think burns more fat?

A light jog for a long time, say one hour. Or spending 2o minutes going as fast as you can?

When you exercise, you get energy from glycogen (stored in muscles) or from fat stores. Low intensity exercise burns more fat as a percentage of total energy. For this reason, many gym machines recommend we use this 'fat burning zone' to get results.

Things are not as they seem however. Because high intensity exercise requires more energy as fuel, it actually burns more fat per minute, and a lot more total calories. For fat burning purposes, it is this kind of exercise that will get the results. Added to this is the bonus that the harder you exercise, the more calories you will burn in the recovery period.

The no pain no gain mantra rings true afterall!

For more information visit ABC or the great information provided by Joshua Humphrey at FitStyler.

Cartoon from Gwen Stebuerg

Automatic insect sprays - are they worth it?

2010-03-16T01:26:00.000-07:00

You may have seen an ad on TV recently advertising automatic battery powered insect sprays for the home.

When I saw one of these ads for the first time, I was quite put off by the thought. The machines automatically pump out vapour containing pesticides .

What's wrong with the good old fly swat?

Welcome to the healthy life blog

2010-03-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

This blog is owned by a student of nutritional medicine, and will be a place to find tips and information about all aspects of healthy living. Please send me comments and let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see me post about. Check in often for recipes, nutritional tips, natural heath information, exercise tips and much more.
I hope you enjoy reading.