Thought Id Post this again

I have already told you that I am not going to get preachy, mainly because of the fact that when I find myself building up to a  Rant, I start swearing and end up insulting as many people around me as possible. Just because I want them to feel as miserable as I can.

Some of you may find this unreasonable and unnecessary, however I find it immensely satisfying and edifying,

I feel that if you are reading this Blog, then you are already  well aware of the reasons behind wanting to ingest pure and fresh ingredients and therefore, don't need preaching to.

When I started thinking about changing my eating habits, I was blissfully unaware of the amounts of toxins and additives that were making their way into my system. I thought that there was no way that the government would allow food producers to put harmful substances in our food chain.

I KNOW!

My ignorance was literally and actually killing me.

It is said that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, but in my case, a little knowledge (or zero knowledge) could have been a fatal thing.

In the weeks leading up to me starting this blog, I would get home from work, make my cup of tea, and start surfing for information. Almost immediately, my reaction was 

HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAP

Why? .......How?......What?......Who?.....

I actually felt betrayed by the people who made my food... It's like The stuff I had loved my whole life was engaged in a sneaky conspiracy with my body to find the best way to end me.

In the past, I have worked in the catering trade, and I must admit that I have not always been fully supportive of vegans and vegetarians.

Among many catering jobs that I have had, I was a chef in a Gourmet Fish Restaurant in Poole, Dorset. 

I will let you imagine my reaction when a group of very vocal vegans came into the restaurant demanding that I cook a meal that suited them.

I was called from the Kitchen on a Saturday night, and the group loudly asked me why I did not cater to their need.

I calmly explained that, as we were a fish and seafood restaurant, we didn't usually get many patrons who required vegan dishes, and that every pot and pan in my kitchen had once had a dead sea creature in it at some time.

It was some five minutes of friendly chat later that they may have intimated that I was discriminating against them, and I very politely pointed out that there was plenty of seaweed growing in Poole Harbour and that while they were under the surface harvesting the seaweed, they shouldn't forget to breathe.

It's not my place to say if I was right or wrong, but this was nearly 20 years ago, and my attitude at the time was probably less informed than it is today.

However, I would like to think that if this happened to me today, I would react differently. But the reality is, given the fact that I am becoming way more argumentative as I barrel towards middle-age,  I probably wouldn't be as polite now as I was then.  I still don't like people telling me what I should or shouldn't do.

I feel that I have strayed off topic. You will see a link here similar to the ones that I found myself reading.

http://saveourbones.com/12-dangerous-ingredients/

Now, this link is a bit bookish, but I found it very scary to think that these additives are found in everyday foodstuff that we find on the supermarket shelves. EVEN the stuff that we are told is good for us.

Many people get enraged about this sort of stuff, but I was looking at evidence like this and saying to myself, "Well, Ian, it cant hurt to explore a more healthy diet."

I did exactly the same thing when I gave up cigarettes and replaced smoking with Vaping.

It might not be good for you, and it may not improve your health, but it is still not even close to being as bad for you than smoking.

The difference is that with the food thing, I am confident that this WILL improve my health.

TTFN

IJxxx

Today's recipe.

This combo goes together like peas in a pod!

Two root vegetables known for their immune system benefits, they’re often juiced together to add sweetness and tangy zest to any drink. Try them in this Blast – along with protein-packed Greek yogurt – for a surprisingly creamy and tasty mix that will make your smoothie extra special.

1 Cup Spinach

1 Cup Carrots

½ Inch Ginger

¼ Cup Greek Yogurt

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 ½ Cups Coconut (or almond) Milk

Sit-Rep .... Am I as thin as a rake?

I am over 6 months into my adventure now!

You may ask me, has it been a success?

My answer is....... "that depends on your perspective"

You might expect me to say that I am as thin as a rake and I have lost so much weight and I have needed to buy an entire new wardrobe of smaller clothes. I HAVE lost a little bit of weight, I've yo-yo'd between 10 and 14 lbs, so I HAVE lost a little bit, so from this perspective, you could say that it hasn't been a roaring success.

However, the feeling of well-being is a less tangible concept..... you can't physically see well being in someone without the comparison to how they were in the past.

I'd like to tell you that in the last half a year, I feel like a new person. All of my friends and family have commented that I seem to be more vibrant and happy than I was before I started drinking two smoothies a day.

I wasn't aware that I was miserable before........... but there you are!

I am quite sad that people who know me expect me to be really unhappy that I haven't lost much weight. No matter how many times I tell them that this isn't about weight loss for me. It's about happiness, wellness and ultimately extending my life.

I quite enjoy not being dead.

So that is one reason that I am a little sad. The fact that people don't fully understand.

I also find it a little irritating when people ask me "Don't you find that it is a lot of hard work making fresh smoothies every day?"

To Which I say, "What? Putting a few raw ingredients into a blender, which I then switch on and let run for 2 minutes?"

"Then pouring the smoothie into a glass?"

"No, I don't find it hard work, at all"

This sort of attitude tells me that we live in a world where people thing that its unusual to not eat pre-prepared, vacuum-packed, highly processed microwave meals and I have an increased feeling that people such as us need to lead the way, like founding fathers (and mothers) and we need to change the world, one smoothie at a time.

I am now firmly placed in my middle age, as I have told you many times.

When I was younger, I didn't get angry about anything........I think I was having too much fun, and you often hear that people get calmer as they get more mature. This has NOT happened to me.

I am seething at food producers for filling our foods with sugars that make us obese, sweeteners that give us cancer, salt that makes our blood so thin that we cant get  oxygen to our organs, and saturated fat that makes our arteries more furry than a muppet.

These people cannot be stopped by affirmative action, so we need to just stop buying their poison, we need to get their attention when they start seeing their profits being affected and I am happy to say that people like us are VERY SLOWLY getting their attention.

We need to be the soldiers of a very gentle, organic revolutionary war.

Try This

Peanut Butter-Spinach Smoothie serves 1 large

4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt or Almond yogurt
1 banana, frozen
3/4-1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (yes, that's really all you need)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                                                              1 tablespoon chia seeds

Blend on high until combined. If you are using a very powerful blender, like the Vita-Mix, you'll only need 3/4 cup of the almond milk to combine. Otherwise, you'll probably need the whole cup.

Oh it's yummy. I'm so sad my smoothie is gone. I am so looking forward to tomorrow! And, since I know someone will ask, yes you can use almond butter for peanut butter (but the peanut butter is so good!), and you can sub a different kind of milk if you'd like. Just try and stick with unsweetened. The drink is sweet enough on it's own.

Go Have A Bath, Hippie. (updated Version)

I am aware that by writing a blog about blending vegetables and fruit into delicious and nutritious mush, I am leaving myself open to hoots of derision from meat eaters everywhere, all wondering if I have gone all new-age and joining the unwashed masses, living in a tree and pooping in a farmer's field, then communing in an old school bus that has been painted every colour of the rainbow. I can tell you now that I will never go "full moonchild"

GROOOVY BABY!

I write this in response to a comment left on my last blog asking me whether bacon will ever appear in any of my recipes.

"Can I Get some Ketchup with that?"

That's a tough one to answer, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I doubt it.

Let me explain to you the concept and theory behind this whole thing.

THIS IS NOT A DIET

I am not doing this purely to lose weight, more to decrease the amount of toxins that I take into my body. My body is a temple (that's why I leave my boots on the outside)

If you think about our bodies, they are made of millions upon millions of cells. All of these cells are doing a different job and because they are constantly working at doing their specific job, they are continually wearing out and need renewing.
We renew our cells by eating, which fuels the production of shiny new cells, like this.

If we eat food that is full of toxins, and fat, it stands to reason that this food will produce cells that are less than perfect, it can also be said that bad food will even produce cancer cells.

I hope that this gives you a reason why I am doing this, and that its not ALL about getting thin.

I hope that the weight loss will come as a result of this life-style choice of mine so that I can at sometime rejoice!

I have already promised you that I am not going to get preachy with you, but there is a very good reason why I started this, so it will involve me posting the occasional link to websites that have already done all the research for me.

I am essentially a very lazy person, so I like to stand on the shoulders of people who work hard and take all the credit.
(its only fair so that all the hours they have spent researching will be for nought)

There is very strong evidence that the food that we are sold is full of chemicals, drugs and hormones. These things have to be added BY LAW, by the meat farmers and producers. These additives have been found to be carcinogens and can do other damage to your cardiac system  and can even effect longevity.

These things are only really cool when they blow up or make spooky smoke stuff

I really want to not become worm food or have my ashes used to de-ice a frozen drive-way any time soon. In fact, I want to avoid that for as long as I can...... There are far too many people in the world who I am yet to insult.... so I have taken the decision to reduce the amount of these additives that we all consume on a daily basis, without even being aware of it.

Here is a link that you might find informative

http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/cooking/meat_recipes/harmful_chemicals_in_the_meat_you_eat.html

I am not saying that I am going to stop eating meat, I like it far too much to completely cut it out of my life. Although I intend to buy into the whole "organic" meat thing and then simply eat less of it.

I am NOT anti-vegetarian either.

I would like to strike a happy medium, as there is so much evidence that a diet that is high in plant-based food is better for you.

My blog for this day is now drawing to a close, but I would like to tell you that I have been forced to take the day off work today due to a bad back. I wonder if I could make a smoothie that would mend it.

I really cannot be bothered to make a complicated smoothie today so here is what I am having

2x bananas
baby spinach About 70%
Fill with coconut milk
1/2 cup Porridge oats
A bit of honey
2 tsp each of wheatgrass powder and chia seeds

Speak to you soon....Ix
l

I don't have much time today. I am on a late shift at work.

By the way, I work in a call centre dealing with customer service calls for a large British Supermarket company. That is as much as I am allowed to contractually tell you, but suffice it to say that I have to deal with a lot of middle class problems, like "Oh Hello! I went into your store in Snootyville today and I was incensed that they had run out of my favourite type of venison..........." that sort of stuff...

Anyway, I am working until 10 pm tonight so I thought that I am going to need a good helping of yummy green  goo................err, I mean yummy green smoothie.

My family looked at my 2 smoothies (recipe to follow) and they said "That looks a bit odd like a cross between baby food and Baby poop"

I, of course, laughed like I'd never laughed before in my life and after a few poorly disguised epithets, pointed out that baby food is, in essence, blended food and that my family should probably blow their comments out of their behinds.

Anyway My smoothie consists of.

2x bananas
1 cup blueberries
1 cup black grapes
baby spinach (about a handful)
2 tsp wheatgrass powder
2 tsp pure cacao powder
1 tblsp  0% natural yoghurt
coconut water
cinnamon
ginger (about the size of your thumb with skin on)
cayenne (just a pinch)
Turmeric (just a pinch)
Have fun

Let It Go- Is "frozen" the best?

You may think it's common sense that frozen fruits and vegetables are not as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, but I am happy to report that I don't need a singing snowman to tell me that this is not true!

Think about it, fresh produce is often picked, boxed, transported over long distances, and then left to sit on store shelves for up to several weeks.

The time lapse between picking fresh produce and purchasing it at a store can often cause a loss of some nutritional value as it's exposed to light and air. Both taste and texture may also be diminished.

https://youtu.be/S12zZhdOckc

Meanwhile, before getting to the freezer, frozen fruits and vegetables are picked, quickly blanched (cooked for a short time in boiling water or steamed), and immediately frozen and packaged, generally when nutrient levels are at their highest. So frozen fruits and vegetables are processed at their peak, in terms of freshness and nutrition. This means that the vitamins and nutrients are preserved until the next time the package is open.

The U.S. FDA and the International Food Information Council (IFIC) both report that nutrients in produce are generally NOT lost during freezing (and canning), and they provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh.

Another bonus of going frozen: it’s often less expensive. Though fresh fruits and veggies may be more visually appealing and taste better, they don’t last as long in your fridge and may not be the most nutritious. I have personally used frozen spinach from a well known British supermarket and it has already been chopped and shaped into ready made portions that are easy to add to a smoothie. AND YOU DONT GET ANY OF THE STRINGY BITS

At the end of the day, any fruits and vegetables are better than none at all. Just remember:

• Buy fresh produce in season and buy local when possible
• Buy non-seasonal produce frozen (if possible)
• Even using canned fruits and veggies without added salt or sugar is also a good choice

Here are some great ways to include fruits and veggies in your daily routine:

• Keep a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and in the office
• Have some cut-up vegetables in the refrigerator at all times for easy snacking
• Add fresh or frozen fruit to your breakfast in cereal, oatmeal or yogurt
• Choose fruit for dessert (frozen grapes anyone?!)
• Add a mix of frozen vegetables when you prepare soups, sauces and casseroles

My current "GO-TO" smoothie

http://www.living-traditionally.com/anti-aging-turmeric-smoothie-recipe/

A few great posts from my Vidda friends

Try this smoothie

It's full of good things.....and is very red

Eat it with

And for dessert

I haven't forgotten.

I will be back later this week. I have been working very hard lately.