Cranberry Pistachio Flourless Biscotti

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp almond milk

1/4 cup pistachios, shell removed

¼ cup dried cranberries

Grated rind of ½ orange

Method:

1.         Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.

2.         In a large mixing bowl whisk together the almond flour, egg, baking soda and salt.

3.         Add the maple syrup and almond milk. Mix together with a wooden spoon until ingredients are well combined.

4.         Fold in the pistachios, cranberries and orange rind.

5.         Line a baking tray with baking paper.

6.         Using your hands pour the dough out of the bowl and onto the baking paper. Use your hands to form the dough into a sort of flat log. It should be about 1 inch high, 8 inches long and 2 inches wide.

7.         Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 1 hour.

8.         Once the dough is cool use a knife to cut the log into about 15 strips. I prefer to make diagonal cuts because this gives you longer biscotti.

9.         Place the biscotti on their side.

10.      Bake in a 130 degree oven for 10 minutes to dry the biscotti out. Flip the biscotti over and bake for an additional 10 minutes on the other side. If they are still very moist you may need to flip again and put back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Breast Cancer Prevention

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnosed in women in New Zealand and around the world.  In New Zealand, 1 in 9 women have a breast cancer diagnosis.
We have been told that mammograms are your best detection method.  I would argue that mammogram is a passive surveillance method to detect if you have breast cancer.  What are you doing to prevent or reduce your risk of breast cancer?

We need to commit to proactive prevention.  It is very important for us to take a look at our food.  Sugar is a potent toxin.  Sugar increases our blood sugar hence increasing the production of insulin, which is a growth hormone.  The Harvard Medical School conducted a six year study of over 32,000 nurses found that increased levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) contributed to the increased growth of tumours, including breast cancers. 

It is well known that fibre is important to maintain good health.  The excessive intake of antibiotics or increased infection in the gut will weaken the immune system and increase your susceptibility to cancer.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver meridian travels through the breasts and the growth of cancer tumours show stagnation in liver energy.  A poor liver detoxification profile combined with poor dietary intake with increased sugar and processed food will increase the risk of breast cancer.  The presence of bad estrogens is commonly implicated in breast cancer.  It is therefore important to reduce intake of xenoestrogens, which are endocrine disruptors and behave like estrogen in the body.  Xenoestrogens are present in plastics, flame retardants, cosmetics, pesticides and food colouring.

To engage in active surveillance, you should avoid increasing your intake of xenoestrogens:

1. Do not heat food up in any plastic containers in the microwave, in fact, do not use the microwave.  Heat it up on the stove or the oven. 
2. Do not refill plastic drinking bottles, leave them in the sun or freeze water in plastic bottles.  Avoid plastic bottles, use stainless steel or glass bottles.
3. Avoid using plastic wrap when storing or heating food.
4. Avoid non-stick Teflon cookware.  When overheated, Teflon will leach into the food and disrupt the estrogen balance in the body.
5. Avoid pesticides.  Eat organic where possible.
6. Consume hormone free meats.
7. Choose cosmetics and skin care products that are as natural as possible without names too long to pronounce and numbers you cannot decipher.  A common estrogenic ingredient found in cosmetics is paraben.

Increasing physical activity, increase intake of detoxifying foods and antioxidants with adequate protein can help reduce the risk of breast cancer.  Cruciferous vegetables, tumeric, rosemary and garlic are great to help detoxify estrogen.  Tumeric is synergistically absorbed with black pepper, so if you are marinating your food with tumeric, add some black pepper too!  If you are overweight, your risk of breast cancer increases.  Lose excess weight.  Being overweight by 7kgs increases your cancer risk as much as smoking!

Get enough Vitamin D, in the summer, do activities in the sun without sunscreen before 11 a.m. until the skin turns pink.  Do not burn.  In the winter, supplement!  Vitamin D acts as a vitamin and a hormone and is a very important vitamin for healthy breasts.

Reducing intake of alcohol to less than 3 glasses a week will help reduce the risk of breast cancer.  Keeping the bowels regular with adequate fibre, prebiotics, probiotics and greens is important to prevent breast cancer.  Your liver and bowels are really important to help reduce your risk of breast cancer, hence keeping liver toxins low and keeping your bowels healthy will help prevent breast cancer.  

Metabolic syndrome may be the cause of your fatigue, diabetes or weight gain

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of signs that can drive many serious diseases in our society.  Some of the indicators of metabolic syndrome include:

• Waist circumference over 80cm for women and over 94cm for men
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes or prediabetes or poor control of blood sugar
• Carrying extra weight around the waist – beer belly
• Increase triglycerides in your blood lipids test
  
  

Metabolic syndrome increases your risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer’s.  We live in an age of plenty, where our genomics are designed to cater for survival against scarcity.  Average calories per day have increased from 2100 to 2800 over the past 60 years, and energy expenditure from physical activity has reduced by 46% over the same period.  Excess adipose (fat) tissues lead to systemic inflammation.

Every cell is equipped with its own energy sensing mechanism.  Like a fuel gauge, cells can sense states of high or low energy (ATP) and activate the adaptive mechanism accordingly.  When ATP is low, our cells activate an adaptive response to boost cellular energy which stimulates glucose and fat burning and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.  This also activates the mitochondria (energy production powerhouse in the cell). This is called the AMPK response.  However, if there are large fluctuations with insulin induced from the diet, AMPK levels will be low and there will be less down regulation of inflammation, hence more pain, increase in fatigue and subsequent development of insulin resistance.

The more carbohydrate rich food we eat, the more insulin needs to be secreted. The more processed a carbohydrate food is, e.g. pastries compared to kumara (sweet potatoes), the more insulin is secreted to deal with larger blood sugar fluctuations. Insulin promotes glucose, protein and fat storage, inhibits fat burning and promotes growth of tissues.  Some insulin is essential, some growth of tissues are crucial for cell functioning, repair, growth and muscle building.  With excess carbohydrate intake in modern societies, insulin levels are higher, which by nature of the anabolic function of insulin, is associated with common health problems like acne, polycystic ovarian syndrome, atherosclerosis, hypertension and cancer.

So if you are having issues of weight gain, increasing waist circumference, fatigue, sweet cravings, imbalance in blood sugar levels, diabetes or prediabetes, I highly recommend that you address these problems before it turns into more serious diseases.  Consume foods that increase your satiety, with good fats and protein, rather than carbohydrates.  I can help you with dietary, nutritional and physical activity strategies to reverse your problems and run appropriate tests to monitor your progress over time.

Managing Cold & Flu Symptoms

This winter has been unusually cold.  Despite your best efforts at preventing infection through diet, exercise and supplementation, you may succumb to a cold or flu at some stage this winter. This can occur particularly if stress or life events get in the way of maintaining the healthy habits that help keep your immune system strong.  Should you find yourself ‘under the weather’, the good news is that there are natural remedies you can take to help you get back on your feet.

Both the common cold and influenza (flu) are caused by viruses, most commonly the rhinovirus. What many people may not realise is that antibiotics only target bacteria and are not able to kill the viruses responsible for colds and flu. Fortunately, there are herbs and nutrients that can help manage these viral infections and keep your immune defences strong.

A number of traditional herbs have been clinically shown to improve immune function and reduce symptoms of the common cold and flu, for example:

-         andrographis can reduce both the severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms;

-         picorrhiza can help maintain a healthy immune system, and it is now understood that this herb has both anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulating actions;

-         elderberry, a mainstay of traditional Western herbalism for its anti-catarrhal and fever-reducing activity can help relieve acute cold symptoms as well as recurrent coughs.

If you are unwell with a respiratory virus, a herbal formula that contains the above immune-supporting herbs can help you cope with your symptoms.

Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in Asian cultures and are now known to have potent antiviral activity. In particular, the immune-boosting potential of reishi, shiitake, cordyceps and coriolus mushrooms has been extensively studied.  Not only can they help reduce the length and severity of an acute cold, they can also help prevent future recurrences.  A concentrated extract of these mushrooms can help reduce the symptoms and severity of your cold.

Mucus and phlegm are signs that your immune system is hard at work, but the resulting congestion can lead to blocked sinuses and breathing difficulty. The decongestant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial essential oils of eucalyptus, thyme, lavender and peppermint may help to reduce the nasal and sinus congestion that accompanies upper respiratory tract infections. Mucus congestion can also cause irritating or chesty coughs.  Liquorice is recognised in Western herbal medicine for its soothing, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties. An extract of liquorice root can reduce irritation of the respiratory mucous membranes, helping to soothe dry coughs and relieve mild bronchitis. The Ayurvedic herb adhatoda is a helpful bronchodilator also with expectorant properties. By encouraging the clearing of congestion-causing phlegm, your airway becomes more open and that irritating wheeze reduces. If you are coughing or your sinuses are blocked, an appropriate formula containing these mucus-busting herbs and essential oils may help.

In this modern world, we seem to have lost the “art of convalescence”. We always feel obliged to ‘soldier on’ despite coughing, sneezing and operating at less than optimal capacity.   Taking the time to rest and recuperate can help you to recover sooner.  So, the lifestyle prescription when you are unwell is sleep, sleep and more sleep! Resist the temptation to check your work emails. Instead, focus your efforts on restoring your energy levels with warm, nourishing foods such as soups; drink plenty of fluids to replace those lost from blowing your nose repeatedly; and avoid mucus-promoting, inflammatory foods such as dairy and processed foods.

If a cold or flu finds its way to you this winter and is stopping you from performing at your best, don’t despair.  There are herbal or nutritional formula with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, decongestant and immune-boosting power to support your convalescence and help get you back in the game again.

Hot and sour fish soup

     

4 kaffir lime leaves (middle vein removed, sliced)

1 stalk lemon grass, crushed

4 cloves garlic, bruised

½ large onion, chopped

3-5 birds eye chilli, optional

1 bunch coriander, chopped

300g white fish (this can be gurnard, dory or tarakihi), cut into pieces

1 medium carrot, sliced

4 large broccoli florets

4 large cauliflower florets

6 button mushrooms, quartered

8 okra, cut into 2-3 pieces per okra

1L prepared chicken or vegetable broth

½ lime, squeezed for juice

¼ tsp salt

Method:

1. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil and put herbs in (except coriander) to fry till fragrant.  Add chicken broth and let it simmer for 10 minutes to get the fragrance of the essential oils of the herbs into the broth.
2. Add the fish and vegetables and cook.  Let boil for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are just cooked.
3. Switch off fire, add salt and lime juice.
4. Serve and garnish with chopped coriander.

This is a great way of making hot and sour soup without using artificially flavoured soup sachets, which almost always contain a large quantity of MSG.

Serves 2

Undiagnosed Subclinical Hypothyroidism may be making you Sick, Tired, Fat, Inflamed and Anxious

Subclinical hypothyroidism is not only commonly ignored, it is also grossly under diagnosed.  It is easy to dismiss tiredness, feeling sick and fat to our modern lifestyle of having too much to do and too little time.  In turn, this affects sleep, mood and can cause anxiety.

There are many reasons why subclinical hypothyroidism is under diagnosed.  The symptoms are common with many other causes – tiredness, weight gain, anxiety, dry skin and hair, cold hands and feet, poor memory, low sex drive, infertility, hoarse voice, etc. 

The measure of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is very commonly used by doctors to measure the “normality” of thyroid function.  Unfortunately, through running functional testing for thyroid profile for many of our clients in clinic has revealed that very often, a patient’s TSH is normal but the free T3 is not normal or low.  The free T3 is the active thyroid hormone and if that is low, any or a combination of the above symptoms can show.

What can you do to make sure you have the correct diagnosis?

If your symptoms have been persistent, you need to order the right tests. 

1. You need to know your TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, Thyroid Peroxidase, Antithyroglobulin, TSH receptor antibodies.
2. Vitamin D status

It is also important to make sure that you have adequate amount of trace minerals iodine, selenium and zinc to allow conversion of thyroid hormones to function adequately.

If you have high exposure to heavy metals, which can show up in mercury dental amalgams, pesticides, exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke (both active and passive smokers) you will “crowd out” your important thyroid nutrients.  Removing these sources of heavy metals and having adequate minerals is the first step to help chaperone your thyroid nutrients into your cells.

At NutriActionz Natural Health Clinic, we use appropriate testing and work through your individual biochemistry to ensure that the root causes of your problems are identified and addressed.  If you have been suffering from the above symptoms for a while and want some light at the end of the tunnel, contact us for a consultation so we can lead you on the right path.

Simple Healthy Cooking - Warm Nutty Lettuce and Eggplant Salad

Ingredients:

½ head of lettuce, soaked, washed and broken into small pieces

1 long eggplant, cut lengthwise into 2 inch strips

1 kumara, cut lengthwise into 2 inch strips

1 small carrot, grated

100g shelled pistachio

50g pine nuts

Dressing:

3 tablespoons hempseed/ flaxseed oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1-2 teaspoon maple syrup, optional

1. Drizzle olive oil onto eggplant pieces and kumara pieces and roast in the oven for 20 minutes (eggplant) to 30 minutes (kumara).
2. Mix dressing ingredients together.
3. Combine warm vegetables once cooked into the raw vegetables and mix in dressing. 
4. Add in the nuts just before serving.