I’m so excited to let you know about the launch of my brand new Four Week Heal Your Gut program.  

If you’ve been feeling bloated, gassy, foggy or tired lately or  getting sick more often than usual, then this program can help. Or if you’re suffering from a condition that can be aggravated by diet and a poorly functioning digestive system, food allergies or intolerances, rashes, acne or IBD, IBS, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, leaky gut, inflammatory issues, thyroid problems, neurological disorders, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia or other auto immune conditions my Heal Your Gut program will appeal to you and put you on the right path to better health.

As many of you already know, six years ago I was diagnosed with a non-specific autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia. I spent the first two years going from doctor to doctor, taking immuno-suppressants, antibiotics, steroids, anti-cancer drugs, anti-inflammatories and the list goes on, in fact I was taking up to twenty pills a day, whilst not feeling any better. I felt nauseous, exhausted and foggy almost every day and was crippled by food intolerances and arthritis. Sick of being constantly sick I looked inside and found that the health of my gut was responsible for many of my symptoms.

Once I started healing my gut, I was better able to absorb the nutrients from the food I was eating, and getting a lot more nourishment, which in turn supported my healing process.  I began by including lots of easily digestible foods in my diet to give my digestive system a chance to heal and recover. I stayed on this elemental diet for four weeks and the results were nothing short of incredible.  After I started repairing and replenishing my gut, I was able to reintroduce more foods and by then I was actually absorbing more nutrients and my health started to greatly improve.

The gut protocol that I followed has changed my life for the better and I now live an energetic, full and healthy life.

Many of you already have my eBook Heal Your Gut, and have been enjoying great results from the program and now even more people have come to me asking for help with their digestive issues. There’s so much conflicting information out there, I know how confusing and frustrating trying to be healthy can be.

That’s why I’ve decided to bring the program online so that you have all of the information in one place and 24/7 access to help from myself and my dream team of experts including integrative medical practitioners, nutritionists, naturopaths, kinesiologists, meditation and mindfulness experts and scientists.  The program is also suitable for vegetarians.

You desperately want to heal yourself and feel vibrant again but you don’t know where to start. I have been there!

That’s why I’ve created a program where I share all the knowledge and information I’ve gathered during those years spent investigating and overcoming my own health issues.

Your gut is the gateway to a healthy brain and immune system. Approximately seventy to eighty percent of your immune tissue is located within your digestive system, which is why it needs to be thriving and healthy in order to avoid illness.  The health of your digestive system directly impacts the functioning of your brain.  Which is why a dysregulated gut is linked to the development of a range of illnesses from autism and depression, to autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s, inflammatory bowel disease and type 1diabetes.

As you can see, having a healthy gut has a great impact on your overall health.

This program is for you if you have been suffering from any of the following:

• digestive disturbances such as bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea, new sensitivities to foods eaten regularly
• stress
• chronic fatigue, lethargy, brain fog
• depression
• muscle and joint pain and fibromyalgia
• autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, psoriasis, scleroderma or multiple sclerosis
• low immune system
• acne
• skin and allergy problems
• oral and vaginal thrush, urinary tract infections

You'll also benefit from the program if you are:

• eating a diet high in sugar, carbohydrates, preservatives and additives (the typical modern diet)
• taking antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS), steroids, antidepressants, statins, laxatives and antacids
• taking the birth-control pill
• drinking tap water, which contains chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine
• exposed to and absorbing toxins (conventional beauty and household products)

The Heal Your Gut program will provide you with information and a healing gut protocol along with easy to make, anti-inflammatory and easy to digest delicious recipes.  By following the protocol you’ll feel more vibrant and alive and have energy to burn.

Although changing the way you nourish your body and following the Heal Your Gut diet will have a major role in healing your gut, this program is not only about telling you what to eat and what not to eat. Food can nourish or harm your body but other factors can have the same effect too.

If you are sleep-deprived, hate your job, constantly argue with your partner and overload your body with toxins and chemicals, your health will suffer as well.

This is why I will share with you a holistic approach to healing your gut where I will encourage you to look at all areas of your life and reconsider what being healthy means.

I will teach you self-care, stress-relieving practices and ways to avoid toxins in your body, house and emotional life.

To see long-lasting results, you need a holistic approach that goes beyond eating a good diet only. The simple changes I will show you during the program will impact your health in such a positive way, your body and mind will thank you for it.

The program starts on Monday 8th August 2016 and runs for four weeks where you will be supported every step of the way. 

Once you sign up, you’ll be able to log onto the private Heal Your Gut portal where you’ll have access to: 

• Heal Your Gut treatment protocol
• 100 delicious, healing recipes
• Printable meal planners
• Shopping list
• Information on gut-healing herbs and natural antibiotics and anti-microbials
• Yoga poses for digestion
• Latest research and scientific findings
• Reading list
• Information on how to safely reintroduce food after completion of the program
• The Heal Your Gut eBook
• Resident experts in their fields who will share their knowledge on specific gut-healing topics
• Information on dealing with cravings, managing detox reactions, avoiding chemicals in your house and beauty cabinet, how to eat get organised

As a Heal Your Gut participant, you will also:

• receive regular emails and videos where I will share additional tips to support and enhance your gut healing process
• be invited to the Heal Your Gut private facebook group where you’ll be able to share your experience and ask questions
• have access to 24/7 support for any questions, concerns or needs you may have
• be able to participate in weekly giveaways 

If this sounds like it would benefit you, click here to find more information about the program. 

Or watch my video here.

If you’re sick of being sick and ready to heal your gut once and for all and get your health and vitality back, I would love to have you on the program.

Join me here for four weeks of deep healing and self-care!

Let’s Do This…

Together.

Pancakes stack up to be one of the most versatile breakfast foods, sweet or savoury, thick or thin, plain or filled and topped with all sorts of deliciousness.

Since they’re straightforward and speedy to make, they end up as a firm favourite upon my breakfast table on lazy weekend mornings. But the flipside of pancakes is their unhealthy reputation, think refined white flour, white sugar, additives and homogenised milk.

But not all pancakes need to be filled with questionable ingredients. Enter coconut flour, blueberries and pistachios, a combination of ingredients that collide effortlessly; the sweetness and freshness of blueberries complemented beautifully by the crunchy, earthy, nuttiness of the pistachios all resting delicately upon a fluffy, finely balanced base.

Both blueberries and pistachios are nutritional livewires and including them both in your recipes will enhance your health.

Blueberries….

• Are rich in antioxidants: anthocyanidin, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, zinc.
• Contain phytonutrients, which decrease harmful free radicals levels in the body, protecting it against aging, degenerative diseases and infections.
• Are good for lowering blood sugar levels because they contain chlorogenic acid.
• Can help prevent bladder infections by preventing bacteria from attaching to the walls of the bladder, according to the National Institutes of Health.
• Catechins found in blueberries have fat-burning properties to assist with abdominal fat loss. According to research at Tufts University, regularly ingesting catechins increases abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double total weight loss!
• Have a high fibre content.

Remember that berries are heavily sprayed with pesticides so choose organic when possible. Organic frozen blueberries are a very good option as the berries are picked at the peak of their season and quickly packed after they are harvested, preserving their vitamins and mineral content.

Pistachios are one of my favourite tasting nuts and one of the few nuts that contain most of the nutrients that are required by humans for complete health.

Anti- inflammatory pistachios contain nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, dietary fibre, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, vitamin B-6, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin E, vitamin A, and vitamin K.  They’re also protein rich and have been shown to reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase the good HDL cholesterol after only a short period of regular consumption.

A healthy immune system requires adequate intake of vitamin B6, which pistachios abound in. Vitamin B6 found in pistachios also helps the body make healthy red blood cells, and maintain the health of lymphoid glands, ensuring the production of white blood cells that defend the body from infections.

My latest pancake batter is very adaptable and stays fresh in the fridge for at least three days. The blueberries and pistachios can be replaced with strawberries and pecans or walnuts or whatever you have in your nut stash.

If nuts aren’t on the agenda for you, omit them altogether and replace with shredded coconut.

Just remember to have fun with it!  I often serve mine with a respectable dollop of chai spiced coconut whipped cream and I’ve included the recipe for this below.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• stevia to taste
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2/3 cup pistachios, finely chopped
• coconut oil for frying

Chai coconut cream

• 1 can of coconut milk
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• stevia to taste

Pancakes, method

• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy.
• Add the milk and vanilla until and mix well.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and stevia into the wet mixture and stir until combined.
• Fold in blueberries and pistachios.
• Grease the pan with coconut oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot ladle ¼ cup of the pancake mixture and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Chai coconut cream

• Place the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight (or even up to 24 hours).
• When you open the can, scoop out the thick layer of cream on top. Take only the cream and leave the coconut water (use in your next smoothie!)
• Place the coconut cream in your blender or hand mixer and whip on high for 1 minute.
• Add in cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and stevia and whip for another couple of minutes or until you get a whipped cream consistency.

To serve:

• Stack the pancakes on a plate and top with chai coconut cream, fresh berries and a few pistachios. Drizzle some rice malt syrup over the stack.
• Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

PS: Have you heard about my new four week Heal Your Gut program yet? It starts on Monday 8th August 2016.  Find out more here.

When I fall in love with a dish, I always want to reach for my thinking cap and create a healthy version of it.  This may sound to you like culinary madness but this week my mission in the kitchen has been to create a simple Japanese Chicken Teriyaki recipe, filled with nutritious ingredients yet still full of flavour and one that genuinely looks the part. Mr Miyagi? Yes Daniel son!

Stir-fries are great options for mid-week fuss-free meals especially if you’re time-poor yet want something nourishing and filling. My latest recipe can easily be converted to a slow cooked version by skipping the marinade and placing chicken and your choice of vegetables in your slow cooker, pouring the sauce on top and slowly cooking it for about 6-8 hours on low.

Eating healthily doesn’t mean depriving yourself or eating less, it just means eating better and smarter.  The main ingredients to step away from when crafting a healthy home-made Teriyaki marinade are modified corn starch, sunflower oil, breadcrumbs and supermarket processed Asian sauces which are usually full of preservatives and sugar.  You can still enjoy a robust salty taste with a hint of sweetness from a low sugar, low sodium version, just by including ingredients like wheat free tamari, rice malt syrup and coconut oil.

The benefit of stir-fries is that you can veg them up and showcase seasonal ingredients by including anything you have lying about in your fridge. I used broccoli and red and green capsicum which are high in vitamin A and C, as well as potassium, which is important for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in the human body. When in doubt just let your healthy ingredients crowd out other ingredients and add lots of greens or colours of the rainbow.

This recipe is a corker for the whole family and the richly infused Teriyaki sauce is a nutrient boosting box and dice sauce which can be used to take dishes up a notch.  Slap it on top of grilled chicken wings or legs for game day snacks or pan fry salmon with it and position on top of a sky high crunchy slaw.

Try my Chicken Teriyaki Bowl, bursting with goodness and vitality and let me know what you think?

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients to make the chicken marinade

• 4 chicken breast fillets cut into bite-size pieces or strips
• 2 TBS wheat free tamari

Ingredients for stir fry

• 11/2 TBS coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 small red capsicum sliced thin
• 1 small green capsicum sliced thin
• 1 small head broccoli chopped
• 1/2 small red chili deseeded and diced fine
• 3 spring onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
• 1 TBS toasted sesame seeds

 Yummy Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/4 cup wheat free tamari
• 3 TBS rice malt syrup or sweetener of choice
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 heaped tsp arrowroot flour
• 1 TBS coconut oil (melted)

 Method

• Place chicken in a medium bowl and pour the tamari over the top to cover. Stir if needed.  Set aside for 1 hour to marinade
• Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium heat
• Add 3/4 TBS coconut oil and swirl the pan to coat
• Add garlic, ginger and chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked through
• Transfer to a bowl and set aside
• Add remaining coconut oil to the pan and then add capsicum, broccoli, chili and spring onions, (reserving some spring onions for garnish) stirring until cooked about 5 minutes
• Meanwhile whisk all sauce ingredients together in a medium jug
• Return the chicken to the frying pan and pour sauce over the top stirring until sauce thickens, about a minute
• Spoon into waiting bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds
• Serve alongside brown rice

Find my recipe books here.

I’m back. Apologies for my lack of recipe posts lately. I’ve been working on bringing my Heal Your Gut eBook to life in the form of an online program which starts next month (October) and a print book published mid next year.

This self imposed exhile has been a great excuse to sip on soupy creations, served warm in tea mugs whilst beavering away.  Today I want to share with you one of my particular favourites.

Although it may not be the ultimate eye candy, consider this soup as a bowl of anti-inflammatory goodness. You don’t need potatoes to herald a comfort factor. The combination of celery and leek brings with it a mellow flavour and creaminess without the use of heavy cream.

Celery is best known for its ability to lower blood pressure, but it also helps protect against inflammation within the digestive tract, and aids in digestion. Combined with leeks, which are high in vitamins and minerals, this recipe is a great option to include when you feel like having a belly good holiday.

Leeks contain kaempferol, a natural flavonol that's also found in broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that kaempferol have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporotic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, anxiolytic, analgesic and antiallergic activities. That’s a lot of big words which basically mean it’s eat it, cause it's good for you!

This soup is adaptable and can be used as a base for whatever veggies you have hanging about in the fridge.  You can omit the cashews and add one cup of coconut milk instead if you prefer.

Here’s how to create my magically gut healing Celery, Leek and Thyme Soup.

GF, WF, DF, SF, VEG

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 leek chopped
• 1 1/2 heads celery, sliced into 1/2 cm chunks (Throw in a few leaves too if you’re keen)
• 2 cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 2/3 cup cashew nuts
• ½ cup coconut milk

Method

• In a heavy based pan heat oil and add garlic and leek
• Add celery and cardamom and thyme and cook for a further 5 mins
• Add stock and bring to the boil then lower heat and cook until celery is tender
• Remove and place in a blender with cashew nuts and blend until smooth
• Return to pan add coconut milk and warm through
• Ladle into bowls

I’m akin to the withered bone structure of winter and how the simplicity gives you longer quiet stretches to savour belonging to yourself whilst becoming an observer of the human condition.

During the seasonal cold weather in Sydney, Sunday has now become my favourite day of the week.  That’s because it’s my batch cooking day, a day I look forward to as I start to become the architect, anticipating and planning my menus for the upcoming week. It’s a cost effective way to cook and eat and by sweeping prodigality under the carpet you can whip up a few recipes in unison using bulk ingredients.

Another highlight of batch cooking day is the need to clean the kitchen only once and alleviate the necessity of constantly preparing meals throughout the week.  I adore the wonderful aromas that waft out of my kitchen as my cast iron pot is simmering on the stove top.

This is a beautiful big-on-flavour chicken casserole I chanced upon last Sunday that I will happily enjoy with my family and friends over the coming week.  The casserole can be added to with spontaneity with any ingredients you may pick up along the way to bulk it out.

I played with a few flavours and spices in this recipe and used sumac which pairs wonderfully with chicken, then added to the spice mix paprika, cumin and turmeric for its powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. It really is a simple and effortless dish to make and one that is enhanced flavour-wise with time.

If you are doing my Heal Your Gut program this casserole can be blended at the final stage for easy digestibility.

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Crumbs, I know you’ll enjoy these make-ahead Supercharged Breakfast Bars if you’re stuck in a breakfast time-warp.   Or if you’re a little bit partial to the not-so-healthy big-brand energy bars with their bold health claims, well maybe then you’ll welcome them with large pincer grips.

It turns out that sadly, commercially produced health bars are home to inflammatory ingredients such as sugar, partially-hydrogenated oils, soy protein isolate and artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. And even ones touted as healthy are cereal offenders.  With that in mind, if you do partake, you may as well be eating a Tim Tam!

You don't need to buy your fuel from a petrol station.  These easy-to-make-at-home wholesome energy bars are one of most popular recipes from my recipe book Eat Yourself Beautiful.  So high in the popularity stakes, it would appear that these little tinkers have also been involved in highly competitive bake offs and come up trumps!

Not to sound too over-confident but I'm quite sure that they would pass bake-off scrutinization well ahead of any crumbling croquembouche or Victoria Sponge oozing with Raspberry Jam.

They glow in the nutrition stakes too, with respectable levels of good fats, zinc, dietary fibre and B vitamins.  Easily transported in your bag for a quick-snatch snack, eaten as a portable breakfast or popped into a lunchbox, there’s no reason to not have them on hand when you need a little somethin’ somethin’.

Nut free? Swap out nuts with seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower and add flaxseed meal in place of almond meal.

If you’re lacking in energy, my healthy breakfast bars will pep you up in no time minus the immune system overload.

Give them a go and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

PS: Have you heard about my new Heal Your Gut eBook yet? Find out more here.

Supercharged Breakfast Bars

Ingredients (makes 8)

• Unsalted butter, or coconut oil for greasing
• 125g almond meal
• Pinch of Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 60ml coconut oil
• 60ml rice malt syrup, or sweetener of your choice
• 1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 40g cashews, crushed
• 160g combined flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds
• 40g dried cranberries (optional) no additives

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C.
• Grease a 20 x 20 x 5 cm square ovenproof tin.
• Mix the almond meal, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, rice malt syrup and vanilla. Add the almond meal mixture, and mix in the nuts, seeds and cranberries, if using.
• Wet your hands and then transfer the mixture to the tin, using your hands to press down firmly on the mixture.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool before dividing into eight bars and serving.

Storage Instructions

• These will keep in an airtight container for seven to 10 days.