GalleryLee Holmes from Supercharged Food has a fantastic goal – to alter the perception that cooking fresh, wholesome, nutrient rich meals are difficult, complicated and time consuming. She has personal experience of a crippling autoimmune condition that was healed through using food as medicine and then went on to become a certified Health Coach. She now helps other people on their health journey with her amazing blog and recipe books. Her latest book, “Supercharged Food Kids Recipe Book” is out now and Sophia & I have already fallen in love with many of the yummy recipes!
Tell us what originally inspired you to create your blog, Supercharged food and how did you come up with the name?
I started my blog because friends were asking me to share my recipes and I thought it would be fun to have one centralised place where people could visit anytime they needed a new recipe and become inspired. The blog has tons of delicious recipes as well as articles about how to dehydrate foods, soak nuts and seeds and how to live a wholefoods lifestyle. The blog also contains in-depth information about a recipe’s ingredients and their nutritional values, cooking videos and you can enter competitions to win nurturing products and read news and reviews too. I chose the name because I wanted to call it something positive which would inspire people to take action and heal themselves naturally. I didn’t want it to be about giving things up but more an empowering experience.
Blogging is incredibly popular in the field of health and wellbeing with thousands upon thousands of blogs dedicated to healthy food. You recently won an award for “best healthy eating” in the BUPA health influencer blog […]
Supercharge Your Life – Interview with Lee Holmes
GalleryWeek of Tastes – A Breakthrough for Children’s Health
The Week of Tastes is a program that culminates in an annual event, designed to change children’s relationship with food and address eating habits relating to the obesity epidemic. The Week of Tastes is the first national program that seeks to positively impact food choices and behaviors by teaching children experientially about taste and the food they eat, and placing them in direct contact with food and those who produce it.
Founder, Helen Campbell, has developed a taste/sensory education program that is conducted in primary schools throughout Australia.
The objectives of the program include eliminating a child’s fear of trying new food as well as expanding a child’s food vocabulary. Some of the outcomes are a better understanding of using the 5 senses to appreciate food, an understanding of the link between food choices and health and a hands on experience with a food professional. This year some of Sydney’s’ best chefs are involved (Darren Simpson, Peter Kurivita and Colin Fassnidge) as well as many outstanding food professionals.
I had the opportunity to meet Helen and ask her a few questions
Q. Your background is a very interesting one – both as a researcher and private chef. What influences you in the field of food? So many of my life experiences have led me to this point, living in many foreign countries, my interest in health and wellness and that food is to be enjoyed and shared.
Q. The Australian Week of Tastes was originally inspired by the French program that has been running since 1990. How did you come across it? I was visiting France just before one of their “La Semaine du Gout” was about to start and thought “that is what is lacking in Australia’s children […]
Weight! Get the most out of your cardio session when training for fat loss!
Shedding the kilos is much more complex than the old expression “calories in VS calories out”. There are many elements that influence your ability to lose weight. One is the timing of your meal around exercise, so let’s ensure you are gaining the maximum results!
When your cardio session is in the morning:
For me this is my favourite time to punch out a quick 20minute high intensity cardio session, or on a weekend a brisk 60minute walk. So why is this?
When you wake from slumber your body’s number one energy store is low (glycogen). During a training session, your energy demands increase. Usually the first port of call for immediate energy is from the food you have recently consumed which is available in your stomach; second is to pull energy from your stored glycogen; and third is to pull triglycerides from your fat stores (hips, butt, thighs), convert them into free fatty acids and then back into glycogen. So as you can see, when training first thing morning, energy systems 1 and 2 aren’t an option, which means your body must turn to its FAT stores! YAY!
When your cardio is later in the day:
To maximise the benefits of cardio later in the day, plan when you will eat you pre-workout meal and be sure it is not a large meal, high in simple carbohydrates (sugars). I recommend you eat your last meal at least 2-3 hours before commencing a cardio session. Try to make this more of a snack as opposed to a full-blown meal. Choose low GI carbohydrates to minimise blood sugar spikes and to maximise your fat burn. I’d choose something like a small apple with a scraping of ABC nut spread, 2rice […]
GalleryMeet Tim from The Urban Food Market
This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tim Elwin from Urban Food Market. If you haven’t heard of UFM you have been missing out! They are Sydney’s best suppliers of ethical and sustainable foods including meat, poultry, pork, goat, dairy and cured meats. They promise their food is farmed with no growth promotants, no added hormones, no feedlots, no cages, no pens, no concrete floors and no GM feed – that ticks all of my boxes in every way.
UFM wholesale as well as retail their goods from Marrickville and on Friday and Saturdays you can find a buzzing atmosphere as people pick up the best sustainably farmed food on offer. There is also a catering department that can transform the warehouse space into a unique private dining area or cater for a cocktail party or sit down dinner at your venue.
Weekly cooking classes provide hands on opportunity to experience how to put all that amazing food on the table. If you just want to sit back and relax, head in to Café Guilia, where UFM take over the kitchen every Friday and Saturday night. The menu is designed around excess cuts that are left over from the wholesale, retail and catering divisions.
I interviewed Tim and find out a little more about what has influenced his path to sustainability
Q. What was the very first thought behind starting the Urban Food Market?
I was literally buying meat of the back of a truck once a month and the guy doing it had to stop as he no longer had the time. My wife and I then spend the next 6 months trying to find the same quality meat that we use to get without […]
So they say Fish oils = Prostate Cancer? Fact or Fiction?
By now I’m sure you have all read the headlines throughout various media outlets over the past week. If not, let me re-cap for you…
Fish oil supplements increase prostate cancer risk, says study – SMH
Hold The Salmon: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked to Higher Risk of Cancer – Time (Health and Lifestyle)
Fish oils may raise prostate cancer risks, study confirms – NBC News
Omega-3 raises prostate cancer risk – ABC
What these sweeping headlines are referring to is a study that was published online in July 2013 regarding Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate cancer risk.
This study measured levels of omega-3 in the blood of participating men, however it did not include vital information regarding the men’s eating habits, or current use of medications/supplements. This lack of information meant the researchers could not differentiate between the effects of fatty acids from fish, plants or those of supplements.
What the study actually concluded…
“This study confirms previous reports of increased prostate cancer risk among men with high blood concentrations of LCω-3PUFA”.
Put simply, they found a link between high levels of omega 3 fatty acids in the blood of men with prostate cancer. They DID NOT conclude that fish oil supplementation was the causative agent to their findings or the reason for an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Before heading to the fridge to grab your bottle of fish oil supplements and toss them in the bin, do your own research. Look up some studies that are specific to fish oil (not just omega 3 fatty acids in blood) and prostate cancer. Weigh up the information to see if it is relevant to you. What I mean is, if you’re a woman you need not concern yourself with the possibility of developing […]
GallerySatisfy Your Sweet Tooth With These Sugar Alternatives
The world seems to have a love/hate relationship with sugar. Whether in the form of spoonfuls added to your tea or coffee, or the industrial amounts included in soft drinks and processed foods, sugar dominates our diet. Australians consume, on average, 16 teaspoon a day! It’s the crack of the culinary world, and its consumption has been linked to a plethora of health complaints, including obesity and raised triglycerides.
As we gain a greater understanding of just how bad sugar can be, the hunt is on for alternatives. But how do you know which one to buy when there is a new “healthy” alternative coming out each week?
Let me help explain what a sugar is, where to find it, and give you the pros and cons of all the sugar substitutes.
What Is Sugar
The term sugar can be used to refer to all types carbohydrates, including: glucose (found in grains and vegetables), fructose (fruit and honey), lactose (dairy products), and sucrose (cane or table sugar). Basically any carbohydrate or sugar, whether it’s a good or bad, will end in ‘ose’.
White sugar is the final result of processing and is 99.9% pure sucrose, which is a manmade chemical. Brown and raw sugar, often called “natural” sugar, are commonly just white sugar cut slightly short in the refinement process, or have beet pulp or molasses added for colour and flavour. Other nasties that masquerade as sugar include high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), beet sugar, dextrose, and corn syrup solids. HFCS in particular has been linked to numerous health complaints, including gout and high blood pressure.
Sugar Alternatives – Their Pros and Cons
Artificial Sweeteners
The Pros – Heavily marketed as healthy alternatives that will help you lose weight or […]
How Eating Gluten Free Changed My Life
I grew up in the 1980’s in a household where two members were diagnosed with coeliac disease. This was in the days when no one knew what “gluten free” meant so eating out was virtually impossible, there was only one bread mix to choose from (forget pre made GF breads!) and people thought we were… well… a bit weird. I wasn’t coeliac however. I could eat anything I wanted (or so I thought…). So imagine my shock and dismay when, in my 20’s, I realized that my chronic asthma, hayfever, eczema, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and general poor immunity were all symptoms of food intolerances! Yep, I was feeling ripped off.
When I thought about it, things started to all make sense. The foods which we are intolerant to are often the ones we crave the most, and I can recall on several occasions sitting down with a loaf of white bread, and eating it all, slice by glutinous slice, with butter and honey (actually it was the 80’s so it was probably some hideous margarine!). I would do the same with packets of processed cheese slices. It turns out I’m mildly dairy intolerant too.
I’ve never been one to do things by halves, so when I’d finally had a gutful (no pun intended!) of being sick, I embarked on an 8 week anti-candida diet. No gluten, dairy, sugar, processed food of any kind, alcohol or caffeine for 8 weeks. The results were phenomenal. It wasn’t just my immune system that got better. My permanently runny nose dried up. My stomach wasn’t bloated anymore. I lost weight. Cellulite disappeared. My mood improved. I could concentrate. It was a miracle… except it wasn’t really. It was simple nutrition. I […]
Emily’s Holistic Detox Plan – Halfway Through Her Nutritional Cleanse
End of June and, due to my belated kick off date, halfway through my holistic detox plan. Check out my original post to read up on my goals and aspirations for the 30 days of June/July.
Nutritional Cleanse – Officially started this baby midway through June and still have a few weeks to go until it’s officially deemed ‘complete’. One thing that has most DEFINITELY changed is my awareness of my daily intake and snacking habits and emotionally driven eating behaviours. I never really considered myself an ‘emotional’ eater but getting back to the essence of eating and nourishing my body has been an absolute blessing because I’m far more aware of the physiological signs of hunger, satiety and fullness. Out went all processed and nasties and I do feel better for it. Will save the real review for the very end of the 30 days so stay tuned my lovelies.
Emotional Detox
This was a bit of a doozey to be honest. I find myself bombarded with negative and self deprecating thoughts on a daily basis. The challenge was to ‘boing flip’ these emotional triggers and stop them dead in their tracks. Only catch was, I wasn’t really prepared for how ‘present’ I needed to be and how ‘aware’ I had to become to witness my fears and thoughts. I urge you all to trial this little exercise and apply it in your own lives. I have emerged from the month with a greater sense of appreciation for who I am, the strengths I possess and self acceptance. Take home notes? Affirm your strengths, dismiss the ‘smack talk’, banish the comparisons and love yourself sick. You are totally worth it and such a special unique soul.
Technology […]
From Sickly Child To Vital Woman – How Cleaning Eating Saved My Immune System
In an earlier blog post I described how I embarked on an 8 week anti-candida diet a to sort out some health issues. Since then, I have continued to clean up my diet, and one of the most welcome effects of this change was that my immune system improved out of sight. So I would like to share these “immune boosting” secrets with you.
Having always been a “sickly child,” I had a past history of recurrent conditions – bronchitis and chest infections every winter, tonsillitis that kept coming back to haunt me, and I was one of those kids that caught every virus that came along, leading to huge amounts of time off school. I thought this was just how things were for me – the doctor said, “some kids just catch more bugs than others.” Apparently I was one of those kids. No amount of Echinacea or vitamin C seemed to help, and I ended up on antibiotics more often than not. I had no idea at the time that it was all being driven by the foods I was eating. Not knowing any better, I continued to live like this for years to come.
After cleaning up my diet in my late 20’s, winter came along, and the changes were obvious. Sure, I still got one or two head colds, but each one went for only 3-4 days. They didn’t go to my chest. They didn’t stick around in my sinuses and fester away. I didn’t need antibiotics. And I didn’t get the usual fatigue for days afterward that I was so used to living with, year after year.
The concept of “clean eating” has gained a lot of momentum recently (just type #eatclean […]
GalleryTop 5 “SCARE” Tatics To Control Cortisol Levels In Our Body
To control cortisol levels in our body sometimes we need a little SCARE!
“I just can’t lose weight! I exercise everyday, make healthy choices but the kilos will not shift!”
Does this sound familiar? Have you caught yourself saying this exact same thing to someone? With over 7 years experience as a personal trainer in the weight loss industry, I have learnt that it takes more than a good sweat session and “healthy” food to get your body moving in the right direction.
Cortisol doesn’t have to be dirty word!
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, and is released as part of your daily hormonal cycle, and also in reaction to perceived stress.
Cortisol helps your body become even more effective at producing glucose from proteins (breaking down our muscles), and is designed to help quickly increase the body’s energy in times of stress.
It is believed that if we live our lives in a constant state of stress (whether it be emotion, physical or mental), we will have a constant state of elevated cortisol. With excess cortisol comes the production of glucose. With an excess of glucose floating around our bloodstream our body goes into storage mode and converts this glucose to fat and tucks it into our adipose tissue. YUK!
In response to my clients who are ticking the exercise and healthy eating box I ask them, “Have you had a SCARE today?”
SCARE is 5 principles for you to try and live by that will have a beneficial effect on the production of cortisol in your body.
Sleep: Cortisol levels are highest in the early morning and they drop significantly throughout the day, reaching their lowest levels at around 10 p.m. This shows that the body is […]
