April 2010 Newsletter
Hi everyone, welcome to the April monthly newsletter from OrganicFood.com.au. Thank you to those who have sent in such positive feedback about our new website and newsletter. This month, for your reading pleasure, we've compiled handy and insightful nutrition, well being and foodie articles from our expert guest contributors We hope you enjoy!
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Your Wellbeing: Fermented Foods
This month's article comes from Helen Padarin, a naturopath and nutritionist at Nourish-ed in Pymble.
Cultured, or fermented, foods have been part of most ancient cultures for many centuries. In times gone by, foods were fermented as a way to preserve them, so that one would have supplies during the sparse cold months. Fermented foods were revered as having healing properties. The word “kefir”, Turkish in origin, actually translates to “feel good”. We now understand why these foods are so beneficial to us. They are packed full of vitamins and minerals, enzymes to aid digestion (particularly of proteins), beneficial bacteria (your homemade probiotic) and they have an alkalising effect on the body.
Because the friendly bacteria – the lactobacilli – actually partially digest the food, the nutrients in it are easier for our body to absorb. As a result we gain much more vitamins and minerals from fermented foods than we do from raw or cooked foods. For example, you will absorb from 100 to 300 times more vitamin C from fermented cabbage than you will from raw or cooked cabbage! This increased absorption occurs with all the nutrients in the food.
More than 80% of our immune system is located in the lining of the gut wall. A large proportion of how our immune system reacts is dependant on the kind of microbes – bacteria, fungi, viruses etc – that are in our digestive tracts. Having the right kind of beneficial microbes there is essential for both healthy immune function, and healthy gut function. They protect us from allergies, asthma, eczema, autoimmune disorders, stomach, duodenal and mouth ulcers, digestive disorders and cancer to name but a few.
Unfortunately with the advent of refrigeration came the end of an era for regularly consumed fermented foods in most western cultures. Our bodies no longer get this daily intake of protective nutrients, enzymes and beneficial bacteria. This is one contributing factor to the massive rise in chronic digestive and immune disorders in the last few decades. One of the most beneficial food groups to include as part of your daily diet to regain and maintain optimal health is fermented food. They are also particularly beneficial for pregnant and breastfeeding women and, due to their anti-aging effect, anyone interested in longevity!
For more info visit the Nourish-ed website.
Your Body: Improve Your Strength
Strength and the ghost called sarcopenia - written by Rod Cotty, from Evolution to WellBeing who provide an outdoor group fitness, lifestyle and wellbeing program in both Sydney and Brisbane.
Do you feel like you aren’t as fast and strong as you used to be? Do you struggle to lift the heavy boxes on moving day or place your luggage in the overhead locker?
There is a very simple explanation for this. After the age of 30 we gradually begin to lose our muscle mass, and this is called sarcopenia. Year by year, decade by decade, we waste away until we are the frail octogenarian you had to give up your seat on the bus for this morning. This is an absolute inevitability unless we take definite and consistent steps to reverse this process. In the news we read about heart disease and diabetes on a regular basis, but something that is glossed over are the deleterious effects of loss of strength and the importance of strength training for wellbeing.
Your day to day functioning requires very little cardiovascular fitness and almost always a component of strength. Carrying shopping, standing up out of a chair, picking something up off the ground, opening a door; all require muscle and the ability to use that muscle (strength). I don’t know where walking or running for exercise ever aids you in modern day living. So why do most people always think about running, walking or some other kind of typical cardio exercise when they want to get ‘fit’? Don’t worry about getting ‘fit’, aim to get ‘STRONG!!”
The good news is that it doesn’t matter what your current fitness level is, or how old you are, you can still increase your strength by up to 50% in 6 weeks with a properly designed strength program. And in the process I can guarantee you that you will get cardiovascular fitness as an added bonus with not a treadmill in sight. Simply cut down your rest intervals, focus on big movements like squats, lunges, deadlifts, pressups and pull-ups, and lift weights that challenge you in a slow and controlled manner.
Lifting weights will also increase, or prevent the decrease of your bone mass. Just like a muscle your skeleton operates on a use it or lose it basis. We need to stimulate the skeleton with forces of a great magnitude and the most effective way to do this is through lifting weights.
Like anything, lifting weights is a skill that requires dedication and practise to get it right. The best way to start is to employ a specialist like a PT to show you the ropes and teach you the basics of lifting safely with the correct technique. You need very little equipment and what you do need you can easily get for home for less than the cost of a gym contract.
Make it a priority in your fitness regime and you’ll never mind not needing to sit on the bus, you’ll be able to hang from the hand rails!!
You can read more about Evolution to Wellbeing and register for their FREE WEEK TRIAL.
Your Mind: Bikram Yoga
Written by Lisa Johnston, Bikram Yoga Teacher - Bikram Yoga Prahran and Richmond, Melbourne.
Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (the original hot yoga) is a twenty-six asana series scientifically designed to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched. Bikram Yoga systematically moves fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fibre, restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as nature intended. Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being will automatically follow.
Bikram Yoga is as much about the mind, as it is about the body. To quote Bikram Choudhury, the creator of the Series, “To discipline the mind becomes one of the most important tasks in life, as it is the mind that will dictate what kind of life we will lead.”
There is no doubt Bikram Yoga is a physically challenging practice which allows you to become fully aware of your present condition every time you walk into the hot room. Physically, mentally and emotionally we come face to face with who we are and what we’re made of. How we react to the conditions of our body, mind and the room, is a true reflection of who we really are, which of course, is ever changing.
It is through consistent yoga practice we feel ourselves improve in everyway, and the profound impact it has on the mind is what really propels us to reach our true potential.
Anyone who has heard Bikram speak will have heard him talk about your mind being either your most powerful enemy or your most powerful tool. Through the physical practice of Bikram Yoga, we improve and strengthen the “five aspects of the mind” – faith, self-control, concentration, determination, and patience. Just like working the muscles in our body, we work to improve these aspects of our mind – the more we use them, the stronger they become.
By maintaining a regular yoga practice we learn how to harness our full potential. The benefits flow like the sweat - we calm our mind, improve mental clarity and focus, and cleanse our body, making you a healthier and happier person.
Yoga and a healthy diet go hand in hand. Combine a healthy diet with a regular Bikram Yoga practice and you start to look and feel amazing in no time!
Find out more information about Bikram Yoga go to the Bikram Yoga Richmond and Prahran website.
Your Tastebuds: Recipe of the Month
Brought to you by Georgina from her great cooking school Simply Sumptuous Foods.
Eggplant Gratin
Serves 4
- 2 Large eggplants
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- Additional parmesan for serving
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup ricotta
- 300ml pasatta
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Cut the eggplant into thin rounds. Heat some oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the eggplants and fry on both sides for 8-10 minutes until soft. In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, ricotta & parmesan together, season well and add set aside.
Brush a large baking dish with oil. Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce onto the base of the dish then layer the eggplant across the base, sprinkle with parmesan and pour over a layer of tomato sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the steps until all the eggplant is in the dish. Finish by layering the ricotta mix on top.
Cook in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden, serve warm.
Grocery Product of the Month: Dried Cranberries
From Eden Organic, these are delicious Dried Cranberries. Organically grown, infused with organic apple juice concentrate, slowly dried and lightly misted with organic sunflower oil to prevent clumping. No refined sugar or sulfates added. A tangy, sweet flavour delivering healthy antioxidants .Find out more, or order them in our range of newly added products on the shopping site..