Free food - Nettles are here again!

There is nothing more appealing than food that is free as well as healthy - but what if it comes with a sting?

Although they may seem a little unfriendly nettles are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential to good health including calcium, iron, vitamin A and D.  They are particularly well known for their ability to help the body detoxify as they are a diuretic and help the kidneys release waste.  This is a reason to avoid drinking nettle tea too close to bedtime - but a great reason to incorporate it into a morning routine as you prepare for the day with a detoxifying drink.  They are also anti-inflammatory so may help with allergic reactions such as hayfever.

It is best to harvest them when they are shooting out new leaves which is now (April/May).  Of course it is important to wear rubber gloves or gardening gloves to make sure you don't get stung.  It is also a good idea to avoid nettles on roadsides (to avoid polluted plants) or along the edge of the path (to avoid dog mess).

Here are a few ideas for using your precious shoots!

1. Nettle Tea - Simply add a few sprigs to freshly boiled water and leave to steep for 2-3 minutes.  If you cover with a plate while it cools you will retain all the healing benefits.

2. Green Smoothie - You can add nettles as a green in any green smoothie recipe.  A nice combination is to simply put kiwi, mint, nettle and pear in the blender.

3. Nettle Soup - This is a lovely recipe to keep you strong in the lead up to summer.  

Ingredients

½ carrier bag full of nettles, tops or young leaves
55g butter
1 large or 2 medium onions, finely sliced
1 large carrot, chopped (optional)
2 celery sticks, chopped (optional)
1 large garlic clove, crushed (optional)
1 litre good chicken, fish or vegetable stock
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
3 tablespoons cooked rice or 3 rice cakes
2 tablespoons thick organic cream or crème fraiche
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Pick over the nettles and wash them thoroughly. Discard only the tougher stalks, as the soup will be liquidised. Melt the butter in a large pan and sweat the onion, plus the carrot, celery and garlic if using, until soft but not brown. Add the stock and pile in the nettles. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the nettles are tender. Season with salt and pepper, and with nutmeg if you wish. Puree the soup in a liquidiser with the cooked rice or rice cakes (you will probably have to do this in 2 batches). Return to a clean pan, stir in the cream and reheat, but do not let it boil. Check the seasoning, then serve, garnishing each bowl with a swirl of cream and a generous sprinkling of chopped herbs.
Enjoy!

Josie.x


References:

Nettle Soup is featured in Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's 'River Cottage Cookbook', published by Harper Collins, ISBN: 0002202042, price: 19.99

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19140159

The Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D has been getting lots of press attention recently and new research is being conducted all the time with very positive findings that suggest this may not simply the latest nutritional hype.  Several medics and researchers believe that deficiency is a key factor in today's most prevalent chronic diseases.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which is available in 5 different forms but you are most likely to hear about D2 and D3.  Vitamin D2 is derived from plants and is thought to be the most bioavailable form.  Vitamin D3 is derived from animal products and is present in foods such as oily fish, liver, eggs, butter and fortified products.  

Because we can synthesise vitamin D3 in our skin from contact with sunlight, it is especially important that we get outside.  A prescription of lovely foreign holiday springs to most peoples minds - but if that is not feasible then even a bright day in the UK is worth getting out in. Aim for 15 minutes without sun protection factor each day when the sun does decide to show its rays (although spring and summer sun in colder climates is only likely to be warm enough to be sufficient so a holiday is still a fab idea - and what a perfect excuse!).

So,  what are the top 5 reasons to keep on top of your vitamin D intake...?

1. Bone Health

2. Mood Enhancer (particularly with SAD)

3. Reducing the Risk of Cancer

4. Immune Health

5. Cardiovascular Disease


So, if you think you may be deficient after a long winter then consider a supplement to give you a boost and consider taking one at the onset of winter to get you through the darkest days.

Happy Sun Hunting!

Josie

1 in 5 suffering from Anxiety and Depression? My five top tips for improving mood - with food!

When I read recently that one in five people in the UK suffer from some form of anxiety or depression I realised how little support there is for people nutritionally when it comes to controlling moods and feelings.  Although emotions often stem from incidents or events in our lives, our reactions to events may sometimes be caused by the foods we eat or the ways in which we eat them.

Almost everyone who comes to the clinic I work in is unaware of what they should be eating to stabilise energy levels and mood.  This simple advice can make all the difference to someone who is feeling low emotionally.  Sometimes this empowering information and knowledge alone can give an emotional boost.

So here are my five top tips for improving mood with food! 

1. Blood Sugar Balance.  If your blood sugar levels are fluctuating throughout the day then your mood will join them on the roller coaster.  Avoid caffeine, sweet snacks, simple carbohydrates (especially refined ones), fruit smoothies (always add protein and fat e.g flax seed and coconut oil). Try to balance your plate with 1/3 protein with each meal.

2. Vitamin D.  Research shows there may be a link between depression and vitamin D deficiency, no wonder the UK are suffering.  The good news is summer is on the way so get out in that sunshine for 15 minutes a day without sun cream - then whack some on to protect your skin for the rest of the day. 

3. Magnesium.  This is also referred to as our relaxing mineral, it may contribute to feelings of calm in the muscles and help to keep our mood more stable too.  Apparently 6/10 women are depleted in this mineral!  No wonder the day feels stressful!

4. Essential Fatty Acids.  Our brain is made up of about 70% fat.  If you are depleting your body of essential fats in the hope that it will help you lose weight?  Think again.  If your brain is not supported and your hormones cannot transport effectively around the body then your mood may suffer.  Choose oily fish 2-3 times a week, flax seeds and supplementation of high grade fish oils to get your quota if you think you may not be getting enough.

5. Hydration.  If you are not getting enough water, it is unlikely your body is getting what it needs to function and release toxins.  Adults are recommended to drink 1.5-2 litres of hydrating fluids a day (water, herbal tea, juice diluted (1-juice to 4- water), so get measuring! 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jun/19/anxiety-depression-office-national-statistics

How to start juicing?

Fresh, homemade juices are something I thought sounded like hard work.  When I lived in the UK I started to think about making them. The first thing that came to mind was that I would have to choose and pay for a juicer.  The thoughts usually stopped there; I did not get very far. 

However, when I came to Thailand to work in a detox centre where there was a juicer at my disposal, that first pathetic excuse was abashed with no defence. 

The best thing about juicing is the nutrient density. Imagine trying to eat two carrots, two handfuls of spinach and a stick of celery before you leave the house in the morning?!  With juicing you can fit the abundant goodness of all of these things into one juice as well as having room for an energy boosting breakfast.  A brilliant start to the day!

I have to admit (and no-one can deny) that a juicer is not the easiest piece of equipment to clean first thing in the morning. However, if you rinse it immediately, it really only takes a couple of minutes and is well worth the time.  

All fresh juices are packed with goodness, green veggies are packed with chlorophyll which helps to build our bodies in so many ways - it is the life inside all greens.  Think about energy being taken from the sunlight and creating luscious green life, this energy will give us an extra surge of life too.  Green juice is a delicious way to get a chrolophyll injection.  

Green veggies also supply our bodies with almost all the trace minerals we need as well as live enzymes needed to cleanse and detoxify. 

At a cellular level, your body will thank you!

So, how do you get started? 

Buying a Juicer

When it comes to juicers, you get what you pay for.  I recommend identifying your budget then going online and doing some research.  We are lucky enough now that there are endless reviews and choices at our fingertips.  A slow speed juicer is recommended as it is more gentle and does not heat the produce with a high speed blade.  I think it is best to pick something within your budget and if in the future you want to invest in something better, then you can.  I should add: the more you pay = the less parts there are = the easier the washing up! 

What to Juice?

As with the smoothies, I really think it is good advice to experiment with fruit and veg that you like.  It is good to start with a base of something sweet such as apples, carrots or beetroot and add dark green leafy veg such as kale, spinach or watercress.  Choose a balance you like.  

It is worth paying extra for organic when juicing as you are taking in such a large volume that you don't want an instant hit of concentrated pesticides along with all the goodness.  Again, it comes down to affordability, but do the best you can.  Always scrub veg well and peel any non-organic veg.  

Finally remember to chop all veg according to your juicers preference.  There should be directions which tell you how much your juicer can handle. A juice explosion could be a messy moment.

Below are some ideas to get started with.  You could start really simply with blends like carrot and ginger/apple and celery/cucumber and lime and try some more adventurous blends as you get used to it.

Beetroot Ginger Zinger

2 Beetroots

1/2 cup of Kale

Piece of root ginger to taste

If you decide to do a beetroot juice then do not wear a new white shirt.  I learnt this the hard way!

Pineapple n' Basil

2 Cucumbers

2 sprigs of Thai Basil

1 cups Pineapple

If you cannot access these ingredients experiment with local produce; swap pineapple for apple and thai basil for normal basil. 

All the best for now...Happy juicing.

Josie

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