Coconut & bean love

Those of you who know me know I am a BIG fan of coconut. I make my own body products from it, I use the oil internally and externally and use it in cooking. If there's something I can use coconut in, I will. 
 
Most recently I have discovered the amazingness of coconut palm sugar and coconut nectar. I seriously can't think of enough superlatives to describe how good this stuff is! It is the sap of the cut flower buds of the coconut palm.

A lot of people flip out, or take a step back when they hear the word sugar or carb. I don't. If it is still in its whole form (like the sap from a cut flower) the body knows how to digest and absorb it as a food. It contains the full spectrum of minerals (Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron and B Vitamins) required to to process it, and therefore has a low glycemic index (G.I) and is safe for people with blood glucose irregularities to use instead of refined white sugar. 

Remember here- moderation is the key. If you have blood glucose issues, there are many other steps required to re-balance your system, and it's to do with making long-term changes to your lifestyle as opposed to simply swapping white sugar for coconut sugar. But by all means, make the swap!

I'd like to share a recipe I have recently had success with using coconut palm sugar in. The recipe is adapted from a typical Japanese dessert, is wheat, dairy, and refined sugar free. I have used all organic ingredients also :)

Adzuki Bean Cake

1.5 Cups cooked Adzuki Beans
2 Cups Wholemeal Spelt Flour
1 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 & 1/3 Cups Coconut Palm Sugar
2 tsp Bicarb soda 
1/2 tsp Fine Himalayan Salt
3 Free range Eggs
1/3 Cup coconut oil (liquified so it is easy to mix in)
200ml Coconut cream
200ml Filtered Water

Method:

1. Prior to cooking adzuki beans, they first need to be soaked in 4 cups of filtered water for about 1-3 hours to slightly sprout them. this makes them easier to digest.
2. Rinse them, and add them to a saucepan with 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or a bit more if you like them sweeter) and about 4 cups of water.
3. Bring to the boil, then turn the temp down to a simmer for about 40 minutes. you can tell they are cooked when they start to split and are easily mashable with a fork.
4.  Heat a fan forced oven to 160 degrees.
5. Next, in a big bowl, add flours, baking soda, the other cup of coconut sugar and salt. Stir until well combined. 
6.  Break eggs into a cup and give them a quick whisk before adding them to the flour, then add oil, then coconut cream, then water. Beat with hand mixers for about 3-4 minutes (mixture should be smooth and look like a batter).
7. Grease a 25cm round cake tin (mine is silicone) with a little coconut oil and pour half the cake mixture in.
8. Mash the adzuki beans with a fork until they are nice and pasty. Add a layer of beans into the cake tin.
9. Add the last half of the cake mixture on top.
10. Cook in a 160 degree pre-heated oven for about 35 minutes. (You'll know the cake is cooked if you put a skewer into the middle and it comes out clean)
11. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

         Makes about 12 big slices 




This is a very nutrient dense cake. It is not too sweet (which is how I like it) and provides lots of fibre and protein. It's an unconventional way sneak in some legumes into the diet too! 
Our family (2 adults and a toddler) was eating it as a snack for about a week. yummo!
Give it a try this week!


 
 
  

Conscious Eating. It's more than choosing 'Organic' or saving the animals!

When you go to buy your food for the week, what is it that makes you choose to shop there? 

Convenience? Possibly. 

Affordability? Yes, for some. 

What about freshness, whether it is in season, Organic, unblemished, locally sourced?

I think it's great that there is a big shift in what people want, and therefore, where they choose to buy it, but there is certainly a long way to go when it comes to the small business farmers selling at the local markets competing with huge companies such as Wesfarmers (AKA Coles, Liquorland & Bunnings) and Woolworths. 

To put it in perspective, Wesfarmers had a net profit of $57,685 MILLION dollars for 2012 alone. I need not talk about how much they have managed to monopolize the grocery sector, and therefore made the potential for farmers to sell their produce at a profitable and fair price seem out of reach for some.

What does this mean? 'We don't have a choice but to shop there', some people would say. 

Actually, you do. It might mean getting out of bed early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but you can find almost everything you need at a local farmer's market. There is nearly one in every suburb here on the coast. When you buy from the local farmers, they have often picked their produce the day before you have it in your basket, ready to eat. 

This is of stark contrast to some of the produce you'll find in a major supermarket that may have been gas ripened, or freshly come out of hibernation after being in cold storage for months on end.

Foods that have been artificially ripened (supermarket bananas) have a different taste, texture and lack nutrients compared the organic version you might buy some where else. 
Tomatoes are grown/bred a certain way for supermarkets, so they're about as hard as an apple (no risk of blemishes), and are nearly tasteless. 
Have you ever grown your own tomatoes or tried an organic one? They should be soft, red, smell and taste as sweet as lollies. It is normal to have a few blemishes on your food too. 

Snow white was poisoned when she ate an apple that was ruby red, blemish free and shiny. Pretty sure it was a supermarket apple, with it's fertilisers, sprays, pesticides and waxes to make it look irresistible. 

Ok, a little far-fetched, however, chemical residues are very difficult for our body to excrete. They are often stored in fat cells, as the body knows they are toxic, but does not know what to do with them. Chemicals are toxic for every organ and cell in your body. They can wreak havoc on your immune system, hormones, and brain. Just to name a few. If you're a person who finds it impossible to lose weight, you might find you have a lot of these chemicals stored in the various fat cells in your body.

What is the result of eating a lifetime of chemicals and pesticides? Morbidity. Slowly. Declining. Health. So yes, it's not likely that one bite of an apple that has been treated with pesticides will mean instant death, but it means that by the time you're past your parents age, you won't be feeling so healthy or 'quite right' anymore. People blame it on their genetic make-up, or 'old age', but there are so many small changes you can make now, so you can still be a healthy you in the future. Being older in age, does not mean you have to accept being crippled with pain, or have horrible menopause. It's merely a number if you ask me.

For those who are vegetarian or vegan, the need to eat organic is super important too, as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes are what make up your daily diet. You may be on a constant detox diet, but that doesn't mean your body can deal with chemicals hidden in and on our food.

At a risk of sounding contradictory, I need to stress the importance of freshness and vitality of fruit and vegetables. It is better to eat fruit and veggies that are fresh and non-organic than old, rotten, wilted organic ones. The main point I am trying to make here, is if you can find fresh, organic produce, then perfect. Second choice is to keep eating fruit and vegetables (non-organic), but make sure they are super fresh. Give them a good rinse with filtered water and apple cider vinegar when you get home, to try and neutralise some of the residue on the skin before you eat it.

My beliefs on meat...

Whether it is a health choice, or a 'save the animals' choice, I really don't mind if you eat meat or not. I eat meat because I need the protein for energy. Without it, I feel deficient. I have found what works for my constitution (with years of trial and error) so I urge you to do the same. 

What I also urge you to do is to find a local butcher who sells only free-range, pasture fed animals in their store. 

Supermarket/commercial meat is almost all grain-fed. Animals are not able to live normal lives i.e. walk on grass, eat grass, socialize with the herd etc. They are confined to feed lots/cages and fed unnatural foods such as soy and grains to fatten them up. They become fat for similar reasons that humans become fat. They can't digest grains effectively, the soy messes with their hormones, they over eat & store the extra toxins in their fat cells. Not only is the meat of poor eating quality, but it is of poor nutritional quality. 

A story comes to mind here that my future father-in-law told me. He is a worm farmer. When he was beginning to source some manure for his worms to feed on, he went to a local cattle farm thinking it would be an easy choice.

The cattle farmer informed him, if he were to feed his worms the manure from their farm, the worms would almost certainly die. He was puzzled as to why! The farmer said for the cattle to digest the grain, they are soaked in acid-based chemicals before they feed it to the cattle. The manure was therefore too toxic & acidic to feed to the worms. And what about the poor cows?? Apparently it makes the meat more tender. No wonder! The cattle are rotting from the inside out before they make it to the abattoir. 

Ultimately, the health of the food and the health of the animal has a direct effect upon you and your health. Unhealthy meat = unhealthy you.

Ask questions at your butcher before you buy it and feed it to your family.
Eat Organic, free range where & whenever you can.
When choosing where to shop, think fresh, local, in season.

The choice is yours. You can make a difference. Start making conscious choices today.

Yoga time. Balance, flow, breath.

I discovered yoga when I was 19, working in a bar, and had chronic back pain. I had an expectation about what it was all about- stretching and relaxing right? As it turned out, it was that and so much more. Yoga ignited a new passion inside of me. I wondered how I had actually lived 19 years of my life without it.

From the moment I performed my first sun salute, I was hooked. I discovered yoga wasn't just a physical stretch, I learnt to breathe! I learnt to expand and push the limits of my mind and body. Boy, was that first class a struggle! Actually, I was sore and shaky after every class for about 3 months. Then, all of a sudden, I could move through a class in a fluent fashion, and it'd leave me wanting more. I'd use it as a moving meditation and close my eyes, feeling every movement and breath.

I began to practise at home, every morning, nearly being late for work or uni because I wanted to do just one more pose (again, and again!).
 
And so my yoga journey ebbed and flowed with my life. Sometimes I'd go to one class a  week, other times, particularly while I was stressed, I would practise everyday. 
What can I say? Life is easier when I practise yoga. It makes me feel balanced and grounded more than anything else I've tried.

Even now, when I am running around after a toddler for most of my days, I manage to fit in a few yoga poses here and there. I'm probably not as mindful as when I do yoga solo, but I say 'better to do one or two poses a day than no poses'. It is important to be flexible with life, especially in regards to busy kiddos. It nearly brought a tear to my eye when Max did his first downward dog a little while ago. He laughed as he looked at me upside down through his legs. Such an unforgettable moment!

I have the want/need/desire to be a prenatal yoga teacher, working with women as they nurture new life from within. Pregnancy is such a journey and it is so lovely to be able to expand your body to encourage it to do what it innately knows what to do. 

Yoga also helps us face our fears. You need only see one segment on mainstream television of a pregnant woman in labour on her back in a hospital bed to feel fearful of birth. 

Going into a deep back bend can cause fears of any type to arise. I feel it is important to allow certain feelings to come up, feel them, and let them go with the next breath. It allows you be calm, in control and it also frees up space for new energy to flow.

Yoga has a list of health benefits longer than my arm. If you have never tried it, I strongly urge you to give it a go. Especially if you're someone who finds it hard to wind down after a big day, or thinks that exercise means pounding the punching bag or running as fast as you can. 

True healing occurs when your body is in a relaxed state. So if you have had a stressful day, and you're heading to the gym, try the yoga class instead of the weights or treadmill.

Yoga teaches our body to be flexible, our mind to be calm, and our ego to be patient.

Check out your local yoga studio this week and give your first downward dog a try. You might enjoy it as much as Max does!

Namaste.

Attachment Parenting AKA Instinctive & Natural Parenting

Ever been asked what your parenting style is?
I haven't directly, but I am pleased to say we have parented from our hearts since before Max was born. It's what felt right, natural, and has worked for us since the moment he was born.

So what is Attachment Parenting all about?  

To me, it is about being close and connected to your baby. It's about establishing strong connections with your child even whilst they're still in the womb, and continuing this relationship throughout your (and their) life. It's getting to know each other on a deeper level, and knowing you have someone who you love and trust.

It includes, but certainly isn't limited to:

• Co-sleeping - we bed-share with Max, but having your child in a sleeping space either on a mattress next to your bed or in a cot in your bedroom is still considered co-sleeping. There are many people who will tell you it is dangerous to co-sleep. The only time there has been recorded deaths is when people are co-sleeping outside of the safe sleeping guidelines (e.g. on soft couches where babies have slipped down the edge of the armrest & the seat, 3 people squished together in a small single bed, or sleeping with babies whilst on sleeping medication (drugs), intoxicated (alcohol) or smoking).  

While I was pregnant, I read some interesting studies by Professor James McKenna about mother & baby interactions whilst co-sleeping. Read more here.
 

• Extended Breastfeeding on demand & Baby-Led Weaning - This one was a no-brainer for me. It is nature's way of boosting love hormones (oxytocin and prolactin) and ensuring secure attachment from the moment your baby is born. It provides nutrition, love and comfort any time of the day. It is sterile, convenient, and portable. The baby's saliva contributes to formation and maturation of immune cells made for them by their mother. Nothing amazes me more than the beauty and ease of breastfeeding. 

'On demand' means you follow your baby's cues, not the clock/schedule when the baby needs a breastfeed. This ensures you have a steady production of milk and baby is satisfied- Food AND comfort wise.
Baby-Led approach allows you to learn your baby's subtle, yet articulate language. It is often frowned upon by child health nurses, as they say things like "your baby doesn't need to feed at night after 6 months, don't let them manipulate you". This is complete bollocks. Let your baby decide when they want to night wean. FYI- prolactin is highest at night, meaning, if you struggle with milk supply, you're best to offer more feeds at night, to produce milk more efficiently. The more feeds your baby has, the more milk you produce. The amount of milk your baby needs will change almost daily, so when it feels like they are feeding every hour for a couple of days, they might be trying to boost your supply, ready for a growth spurt, or, if they go off the breastfeeding for a few days, they might not need as much milk at that stage. Just trust your instincts. If you feel there is a real supply issue, you might consider visiting a lactation consultant, or join the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and gain support from other mums about breastfeeding.

There is no defined age to wean your child from breastfeeding. In fact, the average age, worldwide is 4.2 years. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends for children to be breastfed until 2 years of age and beyond. Unfortunately, in Australia, our breastfeeding rates are a dismal 14% by 6 months of age. I believe if breastfeeding women were supported to continue breastfeeding through longer paid maternity leave, and formula (artificial milk) was prescription only, our rates would be much higher, lasting through the toddler years.

About solid foods- If your baby won't eat solids at 6 months of age (recommended age), no big deal! Just keep offering healthy bits off your plate, and they'll eventually start eating when they are ready. A great resource for beginning solids is baby led weaning.
 

• Baby wearing- one of my favourite parts of the day is popping Max into the Manduca (see pics below) and going for a walk. It's so practical to wind through the people in the shopping centre. It's so comfy and warm to have him snuggled in during winter, and he can discreetly breastfeed whenever he wants to. Oh and did I mention he weighs over 10kg now? It's great exercise!! 

Studies have linked baby wearing with less colic, fussiness and digestive issues, less infant crying and increased state of relaxed alertness where babies actually take in and learn about their environment from a very young age. Dr. Sears explains more here
 

• Gentle Guidance- as opposed to discipline, uses open communication and connection. It teaches children (and parents) to use words calmly and effectively to express their emotions. Of course it is a work in progress for all involved, as we all need help to express how we feel at times. I like this approach, because it shows your child you are a human who shows human emotions (empathy, love, happiness, sadness, anger, frustration) and encourages, as opposed to shaming children to express themselves as best as they can, knowing they have a loving adult as support. I've found aha parenting a fantastic resource for information on gentle guidance.

 

• Cloth Nappies- we use Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN's) for Max day and night. There are so many great reasons to use cloth. Great for baby (easy to change, easy to wash, no nasty chemicals/synthetics), great for the environment, AND for the money in your wallet. Disposable nappies inevitably end up as land fill. Think of how many your household uses in a day (for those without kiddos, you might use anywhere between 6-12 per day). Multiply by the huge population worldwide, and that's a whole lot of waste and synthetic materials going into the earth. Sadface. If money is a problem, ask people to give you a few cloth nappies instead of newborn clothes at your baby shower. Start using them from the moment you feel ready (or once bub is big enough) and watch the amount of waste decrease in your house! I thought it'd be good to mention here- wipes are mainly made from synthetic material and harsh chemicals which can lead to some pretty nasty nappy rash. Use an old face washer dipped in water to wipe baby, and smear on a little coconut or olive oil onto baby's bottom to save on more waste, and most importantly, prevent nappy rash. Happy days.

• Child being left with at least one loving parent or loving carer (most of the time) for the first 3 years of life- Humans, by far, take the longest out of all mammals to become independent of their parents. If you're like me, I certainly want to see and experience my baby's milestones and learning as it occurs. Kids need love, guidance and nurturing. We, as parents, need to be their 'safe place' and when our babies grow up, they need to know they can have the freedom to venture out, even if it is just to the other side of the playground, knowing they can return to their 'safe place' whenever they need to.  By being close to your baby for these first, tender years, separation anxiety is lessened, and strong, empathic connections are established. Children trust us as their parents, and learn to create strong connections with other people as they encounter them in life.

 



There are an infinite amount of ways to parent and connect with your child. Attachment parenting works for us and our baby. Just trust your instincts, listen to your baby and enjoy each moment and experience.