What we eat influences our health both negatively and positively. We can nourish our body and soul with fresh, whole food. Conversely we can literally make ourselves sick by eating an unhealthy unbalanced diet. The good news is that by changing to a wholefoods diet - combined with daily exercise - we can heal our bodies and take control of our health.

Also...CHEW CHEW CHEW your food really well! It is paramount for good digestion, and also helps to stop you from overeating.

As a general guide, the following foods should be included into your daily diet:

  • Whole grains cooked well provide a great source of energy from complex carbohydrates and protein as well as lots of fibre for intestinal health. Go for brown rice, barley, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, rye, oats.

    Cooked grain is very versatile and flavoursome. It is great with stir-fried vegetables, as a side dish, with casseroles or stews. Rather than eating prepared breakfast cereal or muesli in the morning, try eating wholegrain rice or oat porridge with some Gomashio and/or roasted sunflower seeds. For a sweet tooth, cook porridge with organic raisins, chopped dates, apricots or figs.

  • Unrefined sea salt (grey colour) - cook all food with a pinch of sea salt. Sea salt allows the food to cook properly and your body to absorb all the necessary trace elements. DO NOT add salt after food has finished cooking.

  • Fermented foods - provide necessary gut flora for intestinal health and good digestion and should be eaten DAILY. These foods are organic unpasteurised miso (Muso brand), Spiral Foods Shoyu, Spiral Foods Tamari. Other fermented foods to include in your weekly diet are sauerkraut pickled in salt, olives pickled in salt, tempeh. Umeboshi plums are a strong medicine, so always keep a packet in the pantry. Umeboshi vinegar is a strong, salty and very tasty condiment which is yummy sprinkled on warm vegies or salads in summer. Healthy and delicious!

  • Vegetables - include a variety of shapes and colours in your diet. Try green vegetables like broccoli, kale, chinese greens, zucchini; round, sweet vegetables like pumpkin, onion, cauliflower, cabbage; root vegetables like carrot, turnip, parsnip, ginger; fresh organic corn on the cob.

  • Sea vegetables - high in minerals which is essential for women. Try Kombu, Wakame, Arame to add to soups, stews, casseroles. Nori sheets are made into sushi with brown rice and any vegies or fillings you like!

  • Pulses - cook well with a piece of Kombu to provide a source of protein and fibre. Try adzuki beans, lentils, chickpeas, cannelini beans, kidney beans. Must be soaked overnight before cooking.

  • Seeds - dry roasted seeds are a good source of minerals including calcium and protein. Try dry roasted sesame, sunflower seeds (women) and pumpkin seeds (men)

  • Organic, cold pressed oils. Olive oil is used cold, Sesame oil for frying or baking, Corn oil for making sweets

  • Bancha (kukicha) tea - mild, alkalising tea to drink every day. Genmai Cha is also great, with a lovely roasted flavour.