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Buying Coconut Oil in Australia & New Zealand

78 Comments/in Blog Posts, Cooking, Fat, Food, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

Coconut Oil is a huge staple in my house. I generally order a large tin in from my local health food shop, but having realised I’m getting through 700ml in under three weeks, I've started researching and comparing costs of coconut oil. I've been spending $36 on a 700ml tin of Melrose Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil every three weeks – which is about $900 a year – If I could make savings on this it would make a big difference! I've got no intentions of using less to save money, as Coconut Oil is such a great source of fat. I've never seen Coconut Oil sold in any of the major supermarket chains in Australia, like Coles or Woolworths, but perhaps this will change as it gains popularity.

Having looked at various online sources, buying from health food stores isn't as expensive as I expected. It’s convenient in that I can buy some the same day I realise I've run out – but it is a lot to carry home from work. I think I'm going to try ordering online next time.

I often visit Healthy Life which has stores across Australia. They mainly stock Aclara Health Coconut Oil which is all Organic. The Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Oil is between $10 and $24.95 for 250 to 700ml. Their other variety is refined, which I used to buy as I didn't like the coconut taste. Now however, I don’t used refined, as I’ve got used to, and quite enjoy the Coconut taste. Mainly though, I think refined is too processed and many of the benefits of the oil are lost in the processing. Aclara Health Refined Coconut Oil is $17.95 for 700ml, or $65.52 for 4 Litres, which is actually one of the lowest prices I've found, at under two cents per ml. The other brand Healthy Life stock is Fijian Gold, who make an organic Coconut Oil at $12.50 for 500ml. I’ve still got a bottle of this at home, which I like taste wise, but to be honest it comes in a bottle and I find it really hard to get the solid oil out! I realise I can warm it to make it liquid, but I’d much rather just buy a better packaged oil that I can spoon out!

I've recently found the “Pure Health” store in Sydney, which stocks Melrose, Spiral & Wild Harvest Coconut Oils. This is where I order the Melrose Oil from. Their smaller sizes work out really expensive on a cost per ml basis, but perhaps this is good for the very occasional user as 300ml starts at $7.95

You need to make sure you do your research before buying online. I found one store, Chemist Direct charging between 6 and 16 cents a ml for Nui Wild Harvest Virgin Coconut Oil, including $7.95 shipping to Australia (shipping to New Zealand is an extra $19.91!)

I was expecting the online store Kokonut Pacific to be really expensive, but it actually works out at under two cents a ml, including shipping to Australia. The draw-back however, is that to get the better deals you need to buy their large packs – up to 20 litres at a time! Perhaps if you have a large family and an enormous amount of kitchen storage this might be an option for you? Their shipping costs to Australia are reasonable (up to about $20), but for New Zealand the shipping is about double.

I'm going to order my next supply of Coconut Oil through iherb, as they seem reasonable, including shipping and have the best range I've seen. Most of their Coconut Oil is shipped to both Australia and New Zealand for $4 or $6, which seems fairly reasonable (it’s calculated on weight). They carry a lot of brands I’ve never seen in the shops in Australia, such as Artisana, Garden of Life, Harvest Bay, Jarrow Formulas, Jungle Products, Natures Way, Now Foods, Nutiva, Organic Fuji, Quantum Nutrition, Source Naturals & Spectrum Essentials. When I finish the Melrose, I'm going to try the 858ml Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, which should work out at about $23 shipped to Australia. I’ll let you know what it’s like! Iherb also offer $5 off your first order using the code DUV741 , which just about equates to free shipping.

I would love to hear which brand you use and where you get it from? I'm sure there must be lots of other sources of Coconut Oil that can be shipped to Australia or New Zealand for under two cents per ml – let me know if you've found one! Or perhaps you've found such a good brand that it is worth the extra cost? Let me know your thoughts and I’ll update this post.

Coconut Aminos

60 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

When adopting a Paleo diet, soy sauce is most definitely not on the menu, but perhaps you’re looking for an occasional substitution?

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Coconut Aminos, the perfect substitute for Soy Sauce?

Coconut Aminos might be just the substitute you’re looking for. Is less salty than Tamari, but can be used exactly as you would use Soy Sauce, for marinades, dressings sauces and stir-fries – almost anywhere in fact.

Coconut Aminos has got a great amino acid content, considerably higher than that of soy sauces. The aminos is made from the raw sap of the coconut tree, naturally aged and is blended with sun-dried sea salt. For occasional use in a recipe calling for soy sauce, this seems like a great alternative.

Unfortunately none of the Health food shops I regularly visit in Sydney stock Coconut Aminos. I’ll be checking out the Brisbane stores at the weekend, perhaps I’ll have more luck in Queensland. I've found a couple of online retailers who deliver Coconut Aminos to Australia and New Zealand: – Iherb sell Coconut Aminos for $6 USD, with approx $4 USD shipping to Australia. Use the code DUV741 for $5 off your first order, making the Aminos very reasonable indeed! The other supplier, Reflections Health, sells their Aminos at $25, with $13 shipping.

Make sure you’re buying “Coconut Aminos”; remember “Liquid Aminos” will be derived from soy beans.

Have you tried Coconut Aminos? Did you enjoy it? Have you found any additional sources in Australia? I’d love to hear your comments!

Redundant Supermarket Aisles

8 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Shopping, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

One of the best things about following a Paleo lifestyle, is the serious reduction of the time-sap that is the supermarket. There is absolutely no need to go up and down every aisle – unless of course you like to look at the ingredients of Frankenfoods “just for fun” like I do.

My Supermarket Route

I generally get all of my meat from my local organic butcher. This means one less thing to get from Coles or Woolworths, and a far superior product. I get some veg from markets, but I've still not found a great reliable, local source – so at the moment I am still buying a lot of my veg from the supermarket.

My first stop is therefore the fruit and veg section, usually in the front corner of the store. Here I generally try to buy local Australian produce and avoid the imports. This is not only cheaper, but I believe a much more sustainable, healthy option. I regularly buy sweet potatoes and pumpkins as good carbohydrate sources. I buy lots of onions, garlic and tomatoes as they tend to form the basis of many meals. I’ll often buy vegetables such as zucchini and cauliflower to create zucchini pasta and cauliflower rice. I often pick up avocado as this is such a good, quick and easy fat source which goes with many meals. Depending on which meals I have planned for the week ahead, I’ll get carrots, parsnips, Asian greens, spinach, capsicum (bell peppers), mushrooms, leeks and broccoli. I vary my purchase significantly depending on what is in season and what looks good on that particular day. Depending on the type of vegetables I'm buying, I’ll decide whether or not to go organic. Unfortunately price is a big consideration in this for me. I use the dirty dozen rule when deciding what I should buy organic – and what I'm more likely to get away with non organic for.

I'm buying less and less fruit as I'm trying to minimise my sugar intake. I also believe I can get the same beneficial nutrients the fruit provides in vegetables and meat – without the sugar hit. However, I always buy limes and lemons as I often have a slice in hot water as a refreshing hot drink. I occasionally purchase kiwi fruits and will buy berries more and more as the season gets further underway. I can’t remember the last time I had an apple – balancing off the sugar and nutritional content, there are so many things I’d choose to eat first.

redundant-supermarket-aisle-redundant-min

One of many non-Paleo supermarket aisle I don't need to enter

Next door is usually the egg section. I buy a lot of eggs. This is an area I won't compromise on. The minimum I'd consider buying would be free range, but I generally get organic. I don't see them often, but where I do I'll also buy Omega-3 enriched eggs.

Close to the Fruit and Veg section is usually the “healthy” range (i.e. “Macro” in Woolies or “Health Solutions” in Coles. From here I’ll buy nuts, nut butters and ground almond and coconut flour. I don’t buy these items regularly, but to go into a specific meal I have planned, such as noatmeal, or into a curry .

Back on the outside perimeter of the store I’ll occasionally then get some meat (if I haven’t managed to get this from my butcher). On the rare occasions I get meat from the supermarket I'm always very careful to get organic – I consider meat to be the key area where quality really is everything.

I dip into the centre of the store to visit the Asian section, as it is here I can stock up on coconut milk which is a great source of fat. As I'm currently avoiding dairy, this is another section I get to skip. Finally, occasionally I’ll visit the frozen section, where I’ll pick up frozen Australian berries. This is typically an option I only use when fresh berries are not in season.

The only staple I can’t find in supermarkets is coconut oil, which I make a special trip to my local health food store for.

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The confectionery aisle – also not required

It’s incredible to think how many aisles in the supermarket become completely redundant, when leading a healthy primal lifestyle.

Have you noticed a big reduction in your grocery miles since you reconsidered your diet? How much of your diet do you get from supermarkets?

Paleo primal tea hot drink recipe more-min

More Paleo Tea

2 Comments/in Blog Posts, Paleo, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

As I mentioned in my previous post, I love tea! I used to take my tea with skim milk and two sugars, then I “progressed” onto sweeteners with whole milk. Now, I have it on it's own – I don't think I could go back to how I drank it before, my tastes have changed so much. Tea is surely the perfect Paleo drink, naturally low carb and nothing artificial (if you're careful with the type you select).

I try to drink a lot of water, but there are times when it's great to have a hot drink. One favourite is hot water with a slice of lemon or lime, but I've recently got I've finally ventured away from the mass produced tea bags, to a fantastic specialist tea shop near my office in Sydney.

I'd rather not have caffeine, but I have my tea fairly weak so I'm not too worried about it. It's probably a worthwhile exchange for the antioxidants anyway.

I started off with Gunpowder tea and today I added a few more to my desk collection. I thought I'd try “Glogg”, which is black tea, cinnamon, orange, almond, ginger (I seem to have ginger in everything at the moment), cloves & cardamon. I got an organic Sri Lankan Ceylon tea, for my morning cup of tea. Then, as I was paying I spotted “Japanese Lime” which is the most amazing combination of green tea, lemon, lime & lemon-grass. I'll be trying that one as an iced tea too.

What is your Paleo drink of choice?

Raw dairy milk cheese australia legal health paleo primal diet-min

Is Raw Milk Coming to Australia and New Zealand?

1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

What is Raw Milk?

Most milk readily available for sale is pasteurised. Pasturisation is the process where the milk is heated to high temperatures, to destroy harmful bacteria that may be present. However, as well as bacteria, the process of pasteurisation changes the nutritional profile of the milk and the insulin response. Raw milk is increasingly popular and where it comes from properly cared for animals on a good farm, the risk of harmful bacteria is reported to be low. Pasteurising milk has been the norm in Australia since the 1950’s.

Is Dairy Paleo?

I’ll come back to this issue in the near future, as it is definitely not a quick answer and there are many different views in the Paleo community.

I used to consume a moderate amount of dairy (mainly cheese, butter and milk), but I stopped for my Whole30 in August, and just haven’t started again. I'm not saying I won’t ever eat dairy again, but I feel so good without it; I'm not missing it – and I'm certainly not lacking any dairy specific nutrients in my diet.

I'm often asked how I can possibly get enough calcium from my Paleo diet, but from my research I get plenty of Calcium from green leafy vegetables, for example. Because I have a good diet, I don't lose much calcium – I have a better calcium balance. It appears when eating a poor diet, calcium is released from the body; for example, to balance the Phosphoric acid found in soft drinks, as well as the balance the acidity. This leaves those with poor diets with a far higher calcium requirement than those on a caveman diet.

We’ll see. If I do have dairy again, I’ll certainly be looking for raw dairy, which I've found quite hard (and slightly secretive) to locate here.

The Food Standards Agency for Australia & New Zealand has currently got a proposal out to consider allowing raw dairy to be sold in Australia and New Zealand. This appears to be on the back of consumer demand. The agency is clearly viewing this from a public safety perspective, which is surely a good thing. Legalising the sale of raw milk would give confidence that the raw dairy available, is produced to high, regulated standards. With legislation currently forbidding the sale of raw milk, the raw milk that is available is unknown and unregulated (unless of course, you own a dairy cow). Can you really be certain where it is from and how the animal was cared for?

Unfortunately, it looks like they have recently decided raw (drinking) milk will not be permitted. They consider the potential health risks too high. This is a shame, as people will continue to find and drink raw milk – which would be far safer were it regulated. They do however, appear to be relaxing the rules on certain hard cheeses.

Where to Get Raw Milk in Australia & New Zealand

You'll have to ask around locally, and perhaps befriend a farmer or two…

In the meantime, if you eat dairy make sure it comes from a good source. It should be organic – or better still from the farmer direct at a farmers market. I’ve read a lot of reports about cheap milk being watered down with “permeate”, which is created by removing the fat from dairy waste and concentrating the result. Cheap milk may also come from animals which have been given antibiotics. Just this week we’ve had reports of a (cheap) Australian milk brand being contaminated with a cleaning solution. Whilst it costs more, dairy is an area where it really is worth making sure you have got the best possible quality.

Is dairy a part of your diet? Do you think farmers should be allowed to sell raw dairy? Let me know what you think, in the comments, below!

How to Get Cheap Vibrams

9 Comments/in Barefoot, Blog Posts, Fitness, Running, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

As I explained in my previous post, I love running barefoot, in VFFs.

My Vibrams – I've got a pair of pink Treksports and black Classics. So far.

When I was in America for PrimalCon & the AHS this year, I was so shocked to see how cheap Vibrams were, compared to here in Australia. I bought two pairs, the Treksport in pink from a big outdoors store in Texas and a pair of Classics in black from another store in San Francisco. Each pair worked out at well under $100 AUD, including taxes. Not only were they cheaper, but the stores stocked so many different models, colours and sizes. I should have bought more. It takes going overseas to realise how expensive things are in this part of the world.

The bigger sports shops in Sydney seem to carry just a few models, and you can forget about getting them in exciting colours. The bigger Rebel Performance stores sell a small selection, for upwards of $169.99 AUD, which is a lot of extra money to pay, especially for a small selection.

Vibrams can be expensive in Australia

I bought my first pair of Vibrams on Ebay last year. I carefully researched the model and tried an equivalent pair on in the city, to make sure I ordered exactly the right size. I still paid about $100, so not that much of a bargain. They arrived and I was instantly disappointed with Vibrams in general. The toes were all the same length – meaning only my big toe would fit properly. The top of my other toes didn’t even reach the bottom of toe section! I initially assumed this was just how they made them, perhaps I had freaky toes, as they weren’t all the same length? On close inspection it became apparent that the box and literature in the box was quite odd too. It was upside down and back to front. I think I probably spent my hard earned cash on a pair of fake Vibrams. So my word of warning is be really careful where you buy them from. If you buy them online, be sure they are genuine!

Luckily I wasn’t put off and after meeting so many VFF owners at PrimalCon I soon realised how they were supposed to fit and behave. I bought my next two pairs earlier this year. The difference is incredible! They are an amazing fit. Wearing them feels as close to barefoot as I’m realistically likely to get in the city centre.

Prices generally do seem to be coming down in Australia. I found a sale today at the Adventure Mega Store in Sydney CBD selling VFF’s starting at $99, which seems to be a great deal (but I'd love to find a better price in this country). They had by far the largest range I’ve seen in Sydney. I also saw an indoor yoga style for the first time (with 40% discount) which looked perfect for dancing, though I’d need to see how they would compare to my existing dance footwear. I don’t have the “Sprint” model, and think this might be a good choice for my next pair, I’m very tempted.

I found a good sale on Vibrams in Sydney today…

If your toes do happen to all be exactly the same length, I could do you a great deal on a second hand pair of VFF’s. Unworn…

Have you found any good deals on Vibrams in Australia and New Zealand? Have you found a great stockist with lots of choice? Have you managed to get any “real” ones shipped here at a good price? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below.

Paleo Sausages

16 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

I've found an amazing organic butcher, really close to where I live. I've used them for almost all of my meat for a while. I was there earlier this week buying some bacon (the best bacon I've had in Australia, actually) and pork, when I mentioned what a shame it is that all of their sausages contain flour (though they only use rice flour, which is obviously a lot better than many alternatives out there). He asked me if I wanted some special grain free Paleo Sausages made up for me! I had no idea they would do this.

I could choose whatever I wanted to go with the organic beef, but he suggested capsicum (bell pepper), shallots and salt – I thought that would be a great combination for my first batch. Even more exciting the castings for all of their sausages are made the proper way – from intestines, instead of synthetic castings, which can be made of all sorts of materials like collagen, cellulose, or even plastic. I certainly don't fancy eating any of those!

I picked up my order today, which worked out at about 30 sausages for the 2kg batch.

I've just had my first taste – and they were fantastic!

This is the ingredients for one of the better ranges of supermarket sausages: –

Ingredients: Beef (76%), Water, Potato Starch, Sea Salt, Dehydrated Vegatables (Onion & Garlic), Dextrose (Tapioca or Maize), Mineral Salt (451), Sugar (Cane Sugar), Preservative (223), Spices, Herbs, Natural Colour (160c), Natural Flavour, Yeast Extract, Herb Extract

And this is the ingredients for my Paleo sausages: –

Ingredients: Organic Beef, Capsicum, Shallots, Salt

There's no comparison is there?

Have you made your own Paleo sausages, or had them made? I'd love to hear your suggestions of ingredients for my second batch!

Finding a Paleo Lunch in the City

12 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

I always have good intentions of bringing a Paleo Lunch in to work with me. When I do, lunch is great. I take in leftovers from the previous evening, and reheat them at work. Or I take in slices of meat that I roasted at home and eat it with vegetables. But, there are often times when I don’t get round to making my lunch – or even more annoying, leave my lunch at home! I often catch up with friends over lunch – another occasion when I venture away from home cooking and towards the food courts.

I work in Sydney CBD, so there are literally hundreds of food outlets within minutes of my office. The choices however, often leave a lot to be desired, sadly they're are many that are not what I would class a Paleo Lunch! There are the usual fast food joints like McDonalds , Hungry Jacks (Burger King to the rest of the world), Oportos (Australia fast food chain specialising in chicken burgers) & KFC. Then there are Mexican chains like Mad Mex and Guzman y Gomez. There are pancake outlets, salad outlets, fruit juice outlets, Thai, Chinese, Japanese… the list goes on. There is a wholefoods chain, Iku, in Sydney, which should be amazing, but sadly they seem to have a vegan agenda – most of their foods contain grains and legumes – and soy seems to be commonly used.

Most of these options are strictly off limits for me, as they just aren't Paleo! Whilst the Mexican chains seem to use wonderful fresh ingredients, most options also include tortilla, beans, cheese and rice (grains, legumes and dairy!). Most lunch options in the city seem to serve grains, legumes and dairy. I'm also very mindful of the fact that these outlets don’t care about our health – they just want maximum profits, so are likely to use ingredients that I won’t – to improve the taste of their products to keep us going back. I can’t imagine a single outlet uses coconut oil or grass fed, organic meat! Whilst salads are a safe option, I find they tend to bulk them out with lettuce and meat is often in very small quantities; not good value for money and certainly not satiating.

The best option I've found so far, is from one of the many outlets offering roast dinner. I often have roast beef (or pork or chicken) with a serving of seasonal roasted vegetables.

I've also found a few good places that will let me get creative and go “off menu”. For example, last week I met a friend for lunch and found an organic burger joint, who were able to arrange a burger with no bun, sauces or fries. Instead they served the burger with bacon and an egg – result!

Recently I've been trying to have brunch instead of lunch. This means I can get bacon, eggs and avocado; a much better option!

Until there’s a Paleo food outlet in every major city, I’d love to hear what your Paleo choices are for a city lunch?

Grass fed beef in Australia and New Zealand-min

Grass Fed Beef In Australia & New Zealand?

40 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Paleo, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

I was talking to an Australian Doctor at the Ancestral Health Symposium about finding grass fed meat in Australia. He was explaining to me that Australian meat is almost all grass fed, unlike America where grass fed meat is a lot harder to come by.

Grass fed beef has a far better omega 6:omega 3 ratio and far more vitamins & minerals than grain fed beef.

Since I got back I've been trying to find out if more about beef quality and availability. Until I make friends with a farmer, if I could be certain I was buying grass fed meat, I’d be very happy!

It seems that grass fed beef is dependent on the season; meaning springtime meat is more grain than grass fed.

On their website Coles state: –

Coles source both grass and grain fed cattle depending on seasonal quality. When rains are good, cattle are fed on grass. Being high in beta carotene, this is transferred to the meat and is why the fat is cream in colour. During drier times, grass is substituted with grain feed, and the fat has a whiter appearance. We offer both grass and grain fed cattle depending on the seasonal conditions to source the best quality available.

Woolworths doesn't go into much detail on their site, so I wrote to them, and have just received this reply: –

Woolworths has a number of different types of beef on offer. Our Riverine and standard Woolworths beef range are from grain fed animals, our market value and Macro branded beef come from grass fed animals. We are currently in the process of working on new labels and stickers which will help customers to be able to identify the difference between our beef range. You will notice these changes over the coming months.

So, whilst I’ll always strive to source my meat from a farmers market, or a good local butcher, it’s nice to know at a pinch there are some reasonable options in the supermarkets. If their new labelling enables me to see exactly what type of meat I'm eating, then that will be even better.

Where do you get your meat from? If you've found a good source of grass fed meat in Australia or New Zealand, share it in the comments.

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Coconut Milk in Australia & NZ

55 Comments/in Blog Posts, Food, Where to Find/by PaleoGirl

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