Did you guess the health food rights from the ingredients answers revealed-min

Did you guess the health foods right?

Last week I showed you the ingredients from five “health” foods – did you guess them right? Well, none of them are what I would class as a health food. Wouldn't you agree?

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Product one – this will help you lose weight

Atkins: Endulge Caramel Nut Chew Bar

Another reason why Atkins just isn't paleo. Just because it's low carb, doesn't make it healthy as the chemicals in this ingredients list demonstrate. What ever happened to eating real food?

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Product two – it's never too young to start being healthy

S-26: Gold Soy Baby Formula

I assume for babies who are intolerant to dairy or for vegan parents? Introducing Soy baby formula….
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Product three – start your day the right way

Sanitarium: Up & Go Chocolate Flavoured Milk

This is marketed as a good nutritious way to start your day. Right. I think I'll just have a normal paleo breakfast instead, thanks…
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Product four – the best bet for children everywhere

Cottee's: Coola No Added Sugar Cordial

No added sugar – so it must be good for you, right? Surely no one needs any of these chemicals. Is it so hard to drink water?
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Product five – watch your cholesterol

Flora: Salt Reduced Sunflower Margarine Tub

And the biggest scam of them all. Avoid butter and have margarine instead….
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How many did you guess the health food from the ingredients right? Any “health” foods with ingredients that shock you? Share in the comments below!

Happy 3rd birthday blog anniversary 3 years paleo network

Happy Blog Anniversary to Me!

Wow – I wrote my first post on this blog three years ago today! Doesn't time fly? By that time I’d been eating paleo for the best part of a year, had lost loads of weight and was feeling amazing. I’d set this blog up ages before I plucked up the courage to start writing. I just attended my first Ancestral Health Symposium in California in August 2011 and came back full of enthusiasm ready to start the Paleo Network!

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Since then we've now got Paleo Meetup Groups in every state in the country, I've written 5 recipe ebooks and the Paleo Network Facebook page now has over 79,000 followers! Who’d have thought!

I can’t wait to see what the next three years brings. I wonder, perhaps paleo will be mainstream by then?!

Happy anniversary!

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FREE Health Events This Week

Ever given much thought to the Psychology of Eating?

It’s time for a whole new understanding of our relationship with food, with this weeks free online Psychology of Eating event.

Obesity, overeating, body image concerns, emotional challenges with food, and diet-related health issues are with us more than ever. People have abundant access to nutrition facts and information, but need to search long and hard for true healing wisdom.

It’s time for an approach that honors all of who we are as eaters – body, mind, heart and soul. Get inspired by speakers from a variety of disciplines who have something unique and innovative to share.

2nd Annual Online Eating Psychology Conference

Some topics include:

  • A Deeper Dive into Body Image
  • Neuroscience and Personal Change
  • A Holistic Approach to Eating Disorders
  • The Healing Power of Embodiment
  • Mindfulness based approaches to overeating
  • Sexuality and the Psychology of Eating
  • New insights into Weight
  • Culture, emotional health and metabolism
  • Hormones, Eating and Inner Health
  • The Gut-Psychology Connection
  • Spirituality and Nutrition
  • The Hidden Politics of Food
  • New Approaches to Nutritional Health
  • And much more…

Dates: July 21 – 26
Price: FREE
Where: Online!
Find Out More Here: http://paleo.com.au/Eating-Psychology

Also…

Functional Health Summit Free Online Event

The Functional Health Summit is another free online event that has been running for the last few days – but there are still two days left.

In this event 39 leading experts in functional medicine, nutrition, exercise physiology, dentistry, immunology/allergy, psychiatry, mind-body medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and much, much more share their knowledge  in a way that you can understand and implement.

The Functional Health Summit Will Teach You–

  • Why weight loss is never a one size fits all approach
  • Why your gut status is the key to restoring health
  • How to prevent disease before it happens
  • How medications can cause Leaky Gut
  • The common myths the food industry helps perpetuate
  • Why using an environmental dentist is crucial to oral health
  • Why everything you thought you knew about exercise is wrong

The schedule for the last two days:

Tuesday July 22 – Foods and Eating

• Kathy Smart – Change What You Eat, Change Your Life
• Dr. Jonathan Tait – How Eating the Wrong Food Can Cause Arthritis and Chronic Pain
• Ymis Barroeta – The Future of Food: Clean Eating Without Toxins
• Dr. Russell Jaffe – Food and Chemicals: A Hidden Cause of Disease

Wednesday July 23 – Aging Well

• John Rowley – Power of positive fitness
• Dan Ritchie, PhD – Exercises to Improve Your Balance, Mobility and Agility at Any Age
• Dr. Jeffrey Moss – Sarcopenia: How Age-Related Muscle Loss Contributes to Chronic Health Issues
• Dr. John Brimhall – 6 Steps to Maintaining Wellness At Any Age

Dates: July 14 – 23
Price: FREE
Where: Online!
Find Out More Here: http://paleo.com.au/Functional-Health

So even if you can only spare half an hour this week, check out these two free events – you never know, it could change your life!

The thyroid summit online paleo diet primal event-min

The Thyroid Summit

The more I've been looking into my own health (which all started with my inability to lose weight), the more thyroid issues seem to be involved. The standard tests show everything is “normal”, which clearly isn't the case. Which is why it’s great timing that the Thyroid Summit is about to start.





The Thyroid Summit is going to be more educational and more informative than any health event in the past decade. It’s fun, it’s life-changing and better yet, it’s ONLINE and FREE from 2nd to 9th June 2014*.
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America’s Pharmacist Suzy Cohen and Dr. David Brownstein created The Thyroid Summit because they both had personal experiences with undiagnosed thyroid illness. The frustration of chronic illness and the lack of proper testing and treatment leaves people sick and tired for many years. They want to stop the madness and help people, so they’re on this mission to spread the word of good health! It’s a great feeling to pay it forward, and you can help!

 WHY ATTEND?

The Thyroid Summit brings together more than 30 of the world’s leading authorities on thyroid wellness. You don’t have to fly anywhere. You don’t have to wait in long lines. You don’t have to watch from the back of a room. You don’t have to spend another dime to hear what the experts have to say. It’s all free!

  • Why conventional medicine has failed most thyroid patients
  • What are the best lab tests to order
  • Which blood test you don’t need
  • Why you’re always the coldest one in the room
  • What are the best ranges for certain blood tests (because your lab “normals” are not ideal)

It doesn't stop there! You’ll get the most up-to-date information about:

  • Which natural remedies work for Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s, hypothyroidism, and cancer
  • The connection between thyroid hormones and pregnancy, PMS and post-partum depression
  • How to finally lose those last few pounds or more!
  • What supplements can make your hair and nails grow faster
  • How to relieve anxiety, depression and other emotional problems related to low thyroid
  • And much more!

Sounds amazing, right?

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Here are a few of the incredible presenters:

David Brownstein, MD
Holistic Options for Thyroid Disease and Cancer

Suzy Cohen, RPh
Thyroid Healthy: Lose Weight, Look Beautiful and Live the Life You Imagine

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
Shine Program: 5 Simple Steps to Overcome Fatigue and Thyroid Disorders

Kent Holtorf, MD
Don’t Fall Through the Cracks: Safely and Effectively Treat Your Thyroid Condition

Hyla Cass, MD
A Holistic Psychiatrist’s Approach to Thyroid Disorders

Jean Dodds, DVM
Our Pets: Could Your Dog or Cat Have Thyroid Disease?

Greg Emerson, MD
Stress, Anxiety, Anger and the Relationship to Thyroid Hormone

Jonathan Wright, MD
How to Optimize Thyroid Function

Ben Lynch, ND
Folic Acid, Methylation and the Connection to Low Thyroid

Aristo Vojdani, PhD, MSc, MT
The Most Important Lab Tests You Should Take and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

With over 30 additional presenters sharing their wealth of knowledge. This invaluable (and FREE) resource is intended for men and women everywhere!

Better yet, if you register today, you’ll have access to the following FREE GIFT as soon as you register!
Mike Adams, Health Ranger from NaturalNews.com, is bold enough to tell the world the truth about “Everyday Pollutants that Poison Your Thyroid,” and what you can do to protect yourself.

  • The impact of radiation from Fukushima on your thyroid
  • Strange fibers and fragments in your food that make you sick
  • The dangers of vaccinating your child and the flu vaccine
  • How fluoride is hidden in your medicine, food, water and thyroid gland

Come listen to The Thyroid Summit ONLINE for FREE and be inspired from 2nd to 9th June, 2014

I’ll see you at the Summit!

*Note a different 4/ 5 presentations are shown each day, each available for 24 hours only – so I highly recommend you work out which ones you're most interested in (see the schedule here) to make sure you don't miss them!

Paleo giveaway competition prize draw enter

GIVEAWAY! Win a free copy of IQS Kids Book!

It's giveaway time!

I'm going to be giving one reader a free copy of the new I Quit Sugar Kids Cookbook!

This book is exactly what you need if you're trying to get your children eating healthily but are struggling for ideas and inspiration. In the beautiful book you'll find:

  • 85+ fructose-free party recipes, breakfast ideas, lunchbox snacks and afternoon treats.
  • Handy conversion widgets, substitution charts plus a shopping list generator.
  • Safe sweeteners and how to use them.
  • Tips and tricks from experts and health-conscious parents.
  • Ideas to get the kids involved in cooking and growing their own food.

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How To Win?

 

To win a free copy of this ebook* all you have to do is leave a comment below or on the facebook post with your top paleo kids idea or tip. It could be a healthy snack idea, a school lunch tip, a paleo baby weaning idea, or perhaps a fun way you've found to get your children to eat more veggies.

So what's your top idea for paleo friendly children's ideas? Leave your comment below.

The winner will be selected at random from all comments left (both on this page and on the facebook page) by midnight 27th April and I'll announce the winner on the 28th April! Good luck – and keep the tips and ideas coming!

You can find out more about the I Quit Sugar Kids Cookbook here

*Please note that this is a digital book – I'll send the winner the file which can be read on any computer or ereader device
Paleo diet recipe Christmas Lemon and Thyme Guinea Fowl dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Christmas Lemon and Thyme Guinea Fowl

If you fancy a change from all the turkey you will inevitably consume over this festive period, I have two words for you. Guinea Fowl. When cooked and seasoned correctly, the delightfully rich and gamey taste of this bird seriously rivals the more ‘traditional’ poultry we know and love. The classic combination of lemon and thyme freshen this up somewhat, and it provides a great centre piece to all your favourite Christmas vegetables.

Guinea Fowl Ingredients:

  • 1 Guinea Fowl (roughly 1kg)
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Guinea Fowl How To:

Preheat an oven to 180C / 350F / Gas mark 4. Collect the zest from the lemon.

Cut the lemon in half and stuff it inside the guinea fowl, along with the garlic cloves and 4 of the thyme sprigs. Squeeze the juice from the leftover lemon half all over the bird, and rub in the remaining thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Place the bird in a roasting dish and cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.

Remove the foil, and roast for a further 20 minutes. Check the bird is cooked through by piercing the thigh with a skewer – the juices should run clear when cooked.

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Christmas Menu Plan

What are you cooking this Christmas? Are you going with a traditional menu, or perhaps you're serving up something completely alternative?

It can be hard to stick to your good Paleo intentions over Christmas – particularly if you’re having to cater for lots of relatives, who perhaps don’t follow a healthy lifestyle like you do.

Traditional Christmas recipes are often full of the dangerous white stuff – sugar. How can you take the sugar out of the equation, without taking the fun away too?

I Quit Sugar Christmas Meal Plan

Sarah Wilson has got a great festive ebook, to go along with her “I Quit Sugar” series. The “I Quit Sugar Christmas Meal Plan” contains three entire, step by step, Christmas meal plans that you can follow, or mix and match. There is a big buffet menu, a sugar free version of the traditional Christmas menu – as well as a summer barbeque menu for those of us celebrating from the Southern Hemisphere. The meal plans are organised to be made in advance, leaving the big day itself a lot less stressful!

The book also features a leftovers menu (we know we all end up with enough food to last the rest of the year!), homemade sugar free gifts (much better than buying gifts), cheat dishes, fermented recipes (great for your gut health) and bonus recipes from other bloggers (including Gwyneth Paltrow).

If you want to check out the Christmas Meal Plan ebook, you can find it here.

What are your menu plans this Christmas? I’d love to hear what you’re organising, so please share in the comments below!

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The Paleo Guide To Christmas Dinner

So on the face of it you might be thinking Paleo and Christmas don’t go together. Perhaps you need to have a week or two “off” your Paleo diet until the festivities are over? Not so fast! Your Christmas Dinner might just be a lot more Paleo than you realised!

Turkey

Turkey is a fantastic Paleo meat! Make sure your turkey is from a good source and fully pastured (you might need to order this in advance to ensure you get a good one!) and you’ll have a great high protein, low carb meat to base your lunch around.

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Gravy

Use the meat juices to make a beautifully Paleo gravy. Once you’ve made a proper gravy, you’ll wonder how you used to eat instant gravy mixes!

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce and turkey is an amazing combination – and of course cranberries are Paleo – just make your own sauce instead of buying a sugar laden version, perfect for Christmas dinner

Paleo Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 750ml (3 cups) of cranberries
  • Juice of two oranges
  • 1 tsp orange zest, finely grated
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Paleo Cranberry Sauce How To:

Boil the orange juice and add the cranberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the berries have all burst and released their flavour. Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon and zest. Stir and allow to cool before refrigerating. Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Potatoes

Potatoes are off the menu – but all is not lost! Just replace them with sweet potatoes which are perhaps even more delicious.

Brussels Sprouts

Sprouts are a perfect green, so pile them up high! If you’re not so keen on the taste try cooking them up with a bit of ginger for a great taste.

Christmas Pudding

Traditional Christmas puddings are often very wheat and sugar based – but who says you have to be traditional? How about chocolate avocado mousse for afters?

What is on your Christmas dinner menu , I’d love to hear in the comments below? Are you making some changes and keeping it Paleo?

Roasted festive spiced nuts christmas paleo diet recipes-min

Recipe: Roasted Festive Spiced Nuts

Hot, roasted spiced nuts, gently seasoned with fragrant, festive spices. Wonderful as a gift to friends this Christmas – if they make it out of the house, that is! Portion control went out of the window for me as soon as I removed these from the oven, and anything that was left was immediately demolished by the rest of my hungry family!

Spiced Nuts Ingredients:

  • 400 grams mixed raw nuts (I used a mix of Almonds, Brazils and Pecans, but Cashews, Walnuts and Macadamia would work great too!)
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unrefined molasses
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Spiced Nuts How To:

Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F / Gas mark 2. Line a large ovenproof tray with some baking parchment.

In a bowl, whisk the egg white until it becomes foamy. Stir in all the remaining ingredients, bar the nuts at this stage.

Now add the nuts to the spice mixture, using your hands to really coat them well. Lay them out on the baking tray, and place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown. Stir once halfway through the cooking time.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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9 ways to keep it paleo at Christmas holiday diet health-min

9 Ways to Keep it Paleo This Christmas

With all of the festivities at this time of year, you might be worried about keeping it Paleo? Well, with a bit of planning and organisation, there’s no need to worry about foregoing your health this Christmas.

  • Remember how you feel after you eat gluten/ drink alcohol/ eat something that doesn't agree with you.
  • Organise to host your own party/ dinner, early, to ensure you have control over the menu. You’ll be surprised how many friends will ask you for the recipes!
  • If you’re going out of Christmas events try eating before you leave, as when hunger strikes it’s harder to avoid the bad options
  • Call the venue ahead to check on the menu options, and see how they can accommodate you. You’ll find many places happy to tweak their Christmas menu to accommodate.
  • If you’re going to a friend's event, bring your own dishes to ensure there will be some good options you can have
  • Don’t let anyone pressure you into eating badly – often people seem keen to sabotage the good efforts of others (perhaps because it makes them feel better about their own bad choices) – so be prepared!
  • Don’t be afraid to lie – sometimes it’s just easier to say you have an allergy or intolerance instead of explaining why you eat this way (have you ever done this?)
  • If you have the chance to organise a Christmas event yourself, choose a venue with more paleo options – or better still arrange an event that isn't based around food.

And finally:

  • If you do fall off the wagon, tomorrow is another day. Don’t beat yourself up over it – but don’t let the slip justify more bad eating! Move on and eat well again.

How do you find sticking to a Paleo diet at this time of year? What are your top tips for success?

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