OLD SCHOOL SUPERFOODS – ARE YOU EATING THEM?

Let’s welcome back some “Old School Superfoods”?

I was unpacking my groceries today and they stopped me in my tracks! In my head I said, “My gosh that’s a good looking bunch of superfoods – nutrients gallore”. Literally that’s what I said.

The truth is even these “Old School Superfoods” can get a little pricey, as they come back into fashion. Still not as expensive as the new wave of powdered superfoods. The good news is that they are so dam cheap and simple to make yourself! I am going to link to some recipes under each superfood so you can all take the cheaper option if you choose.

Today convenience won out for me. But in perspective, still A LOT cheaper than living with a disease. #foodismedicine #preventioncheaperthantreatment

Are you ready for a little Nutritional Pornography?

Ok, here they are:

Chicken Liver Pate (from Harvest Deli)

• Gram for gram liver contains more nutrients than any other food! Hands down winner. I hear you, I didn’t like it either. But I learnt too!!!! It’s too nutritionally good not to!!! Power of mindset people.
• Think natural Vit A (moderate doses of synthetic Vit A were associated with birth defects in studies NOT with natural Vit A at normal doses), abundance of B vitamins, including B12, folate, bioavaible iron, copper, zinc, chromium, CoQ10 – not a complete list.
• In case your concerned, no, the liver doesn’t store toxins. Toxins are stored in fatty tissues.
• However, it does detoxify and store important nutrients for these processes (hence the array of nutrients in liver). So best to buy organic and from well raised animals that don’t have dodgey livers from metabolising drugs/hormones etc.
• How much? Small amount twice a week, that’s all I ask.
• How to http://realeverything.com/chicken-liver-mousse/

Raw milk (from Cleopatra’s Bath Milk)

• Oh my the creamy goodness.
• Comes from cows that graze off grass. Cows are herbivores and thrive on grass not grain.
• Grass fed cows milk has higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a healthy trans fat, yes you read that right and higher levels of fat soluble vitamins.
• Pasteurised milk does retain some level of nutritional value but it seems that unpasteurised milk is superior in vitamin and mineral content overall.
• How much? Enough to leave a creamy moustache whilst your bathing in it (it’s illegal remember).
• How to make ? Milk a cow.

Beet kvass (from Loving Living foods)

• A traditional Ukrainian fermented tonic. Great source of probiotics, it is usually fermented with lactobacillus strains. Also regarded as a blood tonic and liver cleanser. Not bad to have in the fridge pre or post-xmas !!!
• How much ? 30ml once or twice daily
• To make your own http://wellnessmama.com/9087/beet-kvass-recipe/

Sauerkraut (from Alive Foods)

• Also a traditional fermented cabbage condiment that is a rich source of diverse probiotics
• Pro = “For” & Biotic= “life” ie. Probiotics = For Life. They are microorganism that are beneficial to humans. Who doesn’t want some of that!!!
• Studies suggest consuming a diversity of probiotic microorganisms has a wide range of postive effects.
• Ready for them: reducing inflammation, treating diarrhoea and constipation, improving the immune systems, minimising or reversing lactose intolerant, and reducing anxiety and improving cognitive function.
• The fermentation even creates new nutrients that weren’t present in the food before. Our little friends produce B vitamins, including folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and biotin. Lactobacilli also produce omega 3 fatty acids. Science is so cool!!!!
• There are so many different “cabbage/veggie combinations” available. Check out my beetroot kraut. A rotate them with different flavours to mix things up.
• How much? 1-3 tablespoon daily.
• To make your own http://wellnessmama.com/663/homemade-sauerkraut/

Extra Virgin Cod Liver oil (brand Rosita)

• A daily dose of Vit A (important for cell growth and reproduction) , Vit D (referred to as a vitamin-like hormone, and is essential for calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, immune function and much more)  and omega 3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory
• Taking A with D is best as it reduces the toxicity threshold of Vit A and all fat soluble vitamins work better together
• This brand taste very smooth to go down.
• How much? 1 teaspoon daily
• Available online here

Broth Concentrate (from Bountiful Broth)

• Bone broth in a jar. Great to take travelling or when you can’t get to make your own
• Broth contains gelatin which is great for keeping hair, skin nails, joints and the intestinal lining healthy
• How much? A cup a day or add as stock to meals.
• How to make http://chantelgough.com/bone-broth-benefits-how-and-why-to-consume-it-regularly/ or where to buy http://chantelgough.com/bone-broth-on-the-go/

Not your typical list however these nutrient dense, whole foods that have been around for generations and generations before us are some of the cheapest and best ways to ensure your body is thriving. And when the inside is happy, it takes care of the outside.

Love

Chantel xx

BONE BROTH ON THE GO

Ok this is a quick message to share a new product that I am currently LOVING that I picked up at the Australia Health & Wellness Summit where my talented hubby was speaking cutting edge training methodologies from the Institute of Motion for optimal health and longevity. I’m a lucky duck I know.

So what is this awesome new discovery you ask?

Well I am afraid it doesn’t involve any baked goods, or fancy superfood BUT it is very much a superfood (just not a fancy one) and of course a nutritious one (that’s what a “super” food should be after all).

It does come in a container so technically it is processed BUT hold your horses not the type of processed food…..

It is BEST OF THE BONE, Bone Broth Concentrate!!!! And no it’s not a powder but a liquidy, paste like substance that is slow cooked (& pressure cook), pasture raised, ground up bone and cartilage with the the marrow and all the goodness in a concentrate.

So all you do is add 1 Tablespoon to boiling water and you have a delicious, mineral, collagen rich bone broth. You could also add it to any cooking to infuse it with the boney goodness.

It is really great for those:

• Who don’t have a slow cooker to make your own bone broth (me at the moment, sad I know)
• For travel. Having broth whilst travelling is so handy to keep our immune system fighting well and aid recovery
• For peeps who want to try out the taste of bone broth before committing to the task of making it
• Time poor folks who still want to incorporate broth into their day but can’t be bothered with all that straining

*** Please note I am not endorsing laziness: making your own broth is way more cost effective and really not that time consuming; chuck it all in, let it simmer for 20 hours then do the messy straining job and your done!!!!

In case you need a brief recap of the benefits of bone broth and a recipe to make your own, check out this blog here.

But in short, the benefits of bone broth date way back to our grandma’s, grandma’s day and well before that, where they insisted on a cup of chicken broth to heal a variety of ailments, like tummy flu. Beyond assisting in digestion, and promoting a healthy tummy lining bone broth has many other reasons to drink this liquid gold daily.

Benefits include:

• Improving joint health and arthritis
• Reducing inflammation
• Helping bone repair
• A rich source of collagen (great for health skin/wrinkles/cellulite and soft tissue repair)
• Supporting the immune system

So if you are looking to improve the health of your skin, the health of your digestive tract, joint health, muscle, bone and soft tissue health and reduce inflammation, incorporating a cup of bone broth is a great starting place.

Using the whole animal (bones, cartilage, organ meats) and not just consuming the muscle meat of animals are key points missing in most peoples diet. These parts offer so many unique benefits and have soooooo much nutrition that it is embarrassing that we toss them out or never eat them. Have you watched, The Revenant, with Leonardo DiCaprio ??? You should, it’s a goodie. But there is a reason why when he is starving and needs food he cuts open the beast and chews on the liver — he knows its’s the most nutrient dense food on the planet and will give him most bang for buck nutritionally for him to survive.

So if you have been toying with the idea of bone broth and haven’t been able to stay committed to incorporating into your life regularly, these guys have done the work for you, and provide it is an easy to use form.

All you need to do is heat the kettle, add a dollop, stir and sip away at the goodness. I was extremely impressed by the taste as I am a bit of a flavour nazi when it comes to bone broth.

Check out the little info video and purchase here: https://theherbaldoctors.com/collections/polypill/products/bestofthebone

Love

Chantel x

BONE BROTH BENEFITS

For most of us the the thought of throwing in a heap of bones into a slow cooker, leaving it simmer for 24 hours, and then drinking it, sounds a little gross. Well at least it did for me. But then I opened my mind and experienced the benefits and never looked back!
What is bone broth? It’s a traditional process that places on emphasis on preparing and eating from nose to tail, the whole animal. Broths, stocks and bone broths have been used around the globe throughout history for babies and young children, in Asian households using fish bones and broth and in Europe broth is used in soups, stews and preparing sauces.

“Bone” is alive, it is a living tissue. We often think of bone as a hard, strong, calcium filled structure and somewhat dead! But this is not the case! Bone is in fact rigid but at the same time slightly elastic due to collagen and it is an organ making it very much alive and up there with the other organ super foods like liver, heart, brain, kidney and sweetbreads. “Broth” is the liquid or in this case gel-like liquid that occurs as a result of simmering bones in water.

Bone broths are typically simmered on low for a long period (greater than 20 hours) which encourages extraction of minerals, nutrients and other important components of the bone and joint structure. The end product should be a nutrient dense gel-like liquid and bones that crumble when pressed lightly between your fingers.

Why should you consume it regularly?

“Modern nutritional research continues to prove what traditional cultures learned through observation over time, when we eat a specific part of an animal, it nourishes that same part of our body”. For example the highest source of Vitamin A is not broccoli or carrot but rather the tissue in the back of an eyeball. Vitamin A is specifically known to be crucial to support eyesight, amongst many other roles. Keep this concept in mind when considering the below points.

Bone Marrow:

Bone marrow is where the body manufactures red and white blood cells. It’s the fatty, slimy part that contains protein and loads of minerals. Bone marrow plays a crucial role in the immune system and in bone health.

Collagen and gelatin:

Collagen is the protein matrix in bones, tendons, ligaments, skin, arteries, hair and just about everywhere and is broken down by cooking into another protein called gelatin. Gelatin as the name suggests gives the jelly like appearance. These proteins provide your body with the raw material to help support and rebuild your connective tissue. The health of your joints depends on the health of the collagen in your ligaments, tendons and on the ends of your bones. It pays to start looking after your joints early as the number of people who undergo preventable knee, hip replacements is astonishing. Skin, hair and nails, just like gelatin, is made of collagen. Gelatin-rich broths help build connective tissue, which makes skin smoother (less cellulite, fewer wrinkles) and healthier. Gelatin may also have benefits for healing and supporting the gut lining.

Glycine (non-essential amino acids):

Stimulates the production on stomach acid which is very important as the stomach works optimally at an acidic PH. It also aids fat digestion in the small intestine. It plays an important role in liver detoxification and is important at balancing out the effects of excess methionine (present in muscle meats and eggs). Glycine is also precursor to the bodies own natural antioxidant, glutathione (we want plenty of this guy)!

Glycosaminoglycans:

Think Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Hyaluronic acid. Very special molecules found in bone and cartilage that help keep our joints healthy. Great for post injury, osteoarthritis or other causes on joint pain. And important for growing and supporting healthy joints. Broth is superior at delivering these components over supplemental tablets mainly because broth gives you the entire complex of cartilage components which affects absorption and utilisation in the body. Also the methods of extraction are far gentler than the destructive heat and pressure involved in the production of glucosamine tablets.

Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Sulphur, Potassium, Sodium, Iodine (fish bones)

Overall, the proteins found in bone broth exhibit overall anti-inflammatory action. This is why it has benefits in improving and treating osteoarthritis, leaky gut, joint pain and fatty liver. The strong anti-inflammatory effects of the proteins in broth is another reason why it can be used to aid recovery from injury and illness.

Personally I have seen the following improvements:

• stronger hair and nails
• reduced cellulite
• improvement in the appearance of my skin
• increased immunity
• improved digestion
• quicker recovery from training

It is my go to food when:

• I feel I am getting a virus
• One time when I got diarrhoea from something I had eaten
• When I am stressed and my digestion plays havoc
• To aid healing (cuts, grazes, when I slammed my finger in the door)
• When Jan feels a cold sore starting
• To reduce sunburn (although interesting fact is that since eating a anti-inflammatory diet I don’t get sunburnt very much and if I do my recovery is so much quicker)

And its a staple in our diet to balance out the effects of eating lean muscle meats along with eating more nose to tail.
– I have read and know stories of people who have healed broken bones remarkable quickly through consuming broth daily. 

Recipe

Based on using a 6.5L slow cooker

Ingredients

2kg Bones (Marrow, chicken backs, beef knuckles, chicken feet, lamb necks, hooves)
Note: It will come back to quality! Use only bones that come from well-raised, well-fed animals. We use marrow bones from grass fed cows from Master butchers.
1/2 cup of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (aids in the extraction of minerals)
1/4 cup of sea powder (source of sea minerals, namely iodine)
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp tumeric, or 2cm of fresh, minced
3cm ginger, minced
fresh herbs of choice
salt and pepper

Method

1. Add bones to slow cooker.
2. Add apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for 20 mins with the lid on.
3. Through all other ingredients in.
4. Add filtered water, enough to cover the bones but about 1-2 cm below the top of the slow cooker to avoid spillage.
5. Allow to simmer for 20 hours.

Once you have switched the broth off. You will need to remove the bones from the broth with a pair of tongs and place into the bin.
Then use a ladle and strainer to strain the liquid from the vegetables and other parts into a glass container. You can eat the vegetables or use them for making something else however in my experience they are tasteless as they have leached most of there nutrients into the broth so I don’t enjoy them. ( I am happy to hear suggestions).

Place lid on glass container and place into the fridge for 8 hours.

A solid layer of tallow will form on the top. This can be removed and thrown out or used like butter for cooking.

You should be left with a gelatinous broth to consume as stock, to add to cooking dishes, to add to smoothies, or to heat up on the stove top (NOT microwave) and enjoy as a hot drink.

How to strain bone broth below!

I like to drink my broth straight as a snack or as a add on to my meal. I particularly like it for breakfast with an egg and veggie scramble mix.
I hope this article will encourage you to drink bone broth regularly.

Love Chantel