The Endless Debate About the Right Nutrition

And the power of listening to your own body

 

 

Vegan, Paleo, acid-alkaline balance diets; salt, sugar, gluten, or dairy as the culprit of all evil – we have all been confronted with these theories a lot lately and different parties seem to be fighting a hard war against each other in order to defend their own.

Who is right? How do we eat right? Is there even such thing as THE right diet? These are very likely questions a lot of us have had in our minds lately.

The several studies that have been done are contradictory and a lot of us are left alone in the dark trying to find the right path to nutrition.

I wanted to make this blog post, because I have just watched a debate on television on this topic exactly. The debate was a big mess that lead nowhere since every party insisted upon their way of living as the right way of living and their studies as the right studies.

And I just asked myself: Is it possible that modern living and too much information about nutrition has made us oblivious to our own bodies' signals and our intuition?

Of course I believe that knowledge about food is important. It is important to know that our bodies need certain nutrients, minerals and vitamins. It's important to know that you get these from whole foods much rather than from highly processed foods.

But to just put my finger on one of the above options and say 'this is the right way' is not the decision I want to make.

Because I believe that nobody is created equally. Yes, we all have the human DNA and thus a great deal of similarity, but then everybody has a certain unique set of genes, a certain set of bacteria in their gut, on their skin, different forms of metabolisms and so on. It would be foolish to believe that there is one diet that suits us all.

We are so busy to find our path in this jungle of healthy lifestyle theories, that we forgot about one important thing. Our own best doctor. Our own body!

You yourself know best how a food makes you feel. I think that over the years many of us have lost the power to listen to our bodies and interpret the signals that it sends us.

Like I said earlier, it is important to know about some nutritional core factors, so you are able to pick the right foods. This is the basis. This is what we're all equal in, what our human DNA is programmed to work with. And this is also what all diets agree on.

We should eat whole, natural foods. Foods that you can find in nature and that are as little processed as possible. 

We should eat a lot of plants, is also something everyone agrees on: Vegans, Paleos, acid-alkaline dieters.

We should eat balanced. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

But everything that goes further than the basis, should be something everybody figures out for themselves by listening to their body. 

For some people it may be right to live a vegan lifestyle, other people will feel great by living a paleo lifestyle and others again will feel best with a mixture of their own.

What helped me was to ask myself the following questions:

1. How do you feel when you eat a food?

• Do you like the taste? 

If you absolutely don't like a food, don't eat it just because people tell you you should and that it's healthy. I personally hate raw kale. I've tried it several times and I just don't like it. For all the health benefits it may provide me with, it simply ruins my meal.

2. How do you feel right after your meal? (directly – 4 hours after your meal)

• Do you experience, bloating?
• Are you tired?
• Are you energetic?
• Do you experience stomach pains?
• Do you feel an uncomfortable feeling of fullness or heaviness?

For me this is dairy and gluten. Dairy makes my skin break out only a couple of hours after consumption and gluten (when consumed in high amounts) gives me a bloated belly, so do raw apples by the way. These are things I found out over a long period of time in which I payed attention to my food intake and my body's reaction to it. If you don't have any reactions to these foods whatsoever and you like to eat them (question number one) keep eating them. Just because other people praise these foods as the evil of all, doesn't mean that they actually are!

3. How do you feel a longer while after your meal? (5 hours – 24 hours)

• Do you experience bloating?
• Do you have energy slumps around a certain time of the day?
• Is your digestion working correctly?
• Are you energetic, or are you experiencing fatigue?

I know this one is a little tricky. By then you have already consumed other foods or will definitely do so anytime soon. In case you do experience one of the negative feelings, the only thing that worked for me was to eliminate one of the potential causes, test that for a while.

If I felt better I knew what the source was. If nothing changed I tried the next potential source.

Three more things to consider, when listening to your body:

 

Eat when you're hungry

• Don't starve yourself because it's not time to eat yet, but also don't eat when you're not hungry, just because it's a habit or you feel like you have to do so.

Stop when you're satiated  

• overeating is a big problem, we've all been raised to finish our plates. I hate wasting food myself, but try to start with smaller portions and see if they already fill you up, if they don't take a refill.

Enjoy your meals  

• sit down, take your time, taste and enjoy your meal. This also counts for treats! There are two factors that jeopardise this guideline nowadays. 
• Number one is our fast living society. Everybody's in a hurry always. There is hardly time to breathe, how on earth shall we have time to eat? We have to take it. Sitting down and consciously, mindfully eating our meals, saves us the time we take to walk to the vending machine at our usual afternoon slump.
• Number two is our constantly nagging bad conscience that creeps up on us, whenever we eat something. And that's the worst thing we can do to our bodies. Psychology plays a big role in healthy living and eating. And worrying about the food we eat, causes stress in our bodies, which then leads to a slowing down of our digestive track and storage of extra weight. Plus eating should be something positive, a time where you connect with yourself, your time out, your time to socialise, catch up on family, friends or colleagues. How can you enjoy that time, if you are constantly worrying about your food intake?  
• So take you time, enjoy your foods and treats (which I believe should definitely be part of our diet but eaten in moderation) and let go of the negativity!

I know this sounds like a lot of work to do. But if you practise it for a while your body will begin to regain it's ability to share it's intuition with you and you will become more capable of interpreting your bodies' messages and cravings until it rolls automatically. You will connect with your body and you will feel if you're on the right path.

There are so many rules out there about diet, when really it should be something as simple as knowing the basics and listening to your body. It tells you what it needs, how much it needs and when it needs it.

Give it a try, see how it feels and let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Love, Jen xx

Pumpkin Carrot Curry

This recipe serves 3-4 people 
 

You need:

1 small hokaido 
3 carrots 
1/2 can of coconut milk 
1/2 packet of sieved tomatoes 
Salt and curry pouder to taste 



Instructions:

Cut the pumpkin and carrots into cubes. 

Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add the carrots then the pumpkin and fry for a while. Then add coconut milk and sieved tomatoes and let it simmer until the pumpkin is tender. 

Then season until it suits your taste. 

I served it with bulgur, but you can also serve it with rice (if you fancy a glutenfree version) or just eat it plain. 


Enjoy!! 

Love, Jen xx

Ginger Bread Mug Cake

You need:

30 g of oat flour
1 egg
1 tsp of baking pouder
1 carrot (shredded)
Ginger Bread Spice
Cinnamon and Vanilla to taste



Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.



Place the bowl in your microwave for 5-6 minutes, take it out and carefully seperate the mug cake from the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn it upside down on a plate and top up with anything you like.



It makes a wonderfully wholesome, quick and delicious breakfast.






Enjoy!!



Love, Jen xx





P.S.: This recipe was inspired by the wonderful @coconutzone . Check out her account on Instagram. It is packed with lovely recipe inspirations.

Carrot and Fig Mug Cake

You need:

30 g of oat flour
1 egg
1 tsp of baking pouder
1 carrot (shredded)
1 1/2 figs (mashed)
Cinnamon and Vanilla to taste



Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.

Place the bowl in your microwave for 5-6 minutes, take it out and carefully seperate the mug cake from the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn it upside down on a plate and top up with anything you like.
I had it with soy yoghurt, a mandarin and a banana with homemade hazelnut butter and cacao nibs at the side.

It makes a wonderfully wholesome, quick and delicious breakfast.



Enjoy!!

Love, Jen xx


P.S.: This recipe was inspired by the wonderful @coconutzone . Check out her account on Instagram. It is packed with lovely recipe inspirations

Creamy Ginger Vegetables with Fish and Brown Rice

You need:

1 fish filet 
5 cm piece of fresh ginger 
2 carrots 
1 spring onion 
1 handful of brussel sprouts 
Dried lemon grass 
Vegetable broth 
1 tsp peanut butter 
1 tsp creamed coconut 



Instructions:

Cut up ginger and carrot. Heat up a frying pan and add a little coconut oil. Put carrots and ginger in it. Fry for a while. 

Add the brussel sprouts and spring onion, fry for another short while, then add a little bit of vegetable broth, so that the bottom of the pan is nicely covered with fluids. 

Then add the fish filet, season with some lemon grass, stirr, put a lid on it and let it simmer for a while. When the fish is about to be done, remove the lid and let it simmer without the lid to let some of the water escape. 

Lastly, take out the fish, add peanut butter and creamed coconut and stirr. Your dinner is ready to serve. :) 


Enjoy! 

Love, Jen xx

Oven Roasted Carrots

You need:

2 carrots 
1 generous tsp coconutoil 



Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 200°C. 
Wash carrots and cut them length whise into strips. 
Put them on a lined baking tray and roast them in the oven until they are golden brown. 

I served my with cod filet and topped my carrots with: 


Homemade Ajvar-Almond Sauce 

You need:

3 tsp of ajvar 
3 tsp of almond butter 
4-5 tsp of soy yoghurt 
1 tsp sumak 
Salt to taste (optional) 

Mix up all the ingredients and you're done :) 

Enjoy!

Love, Jen xx

Spicy Pear Crisps

You need:

2 pears 
Ginger powder 
Ground Vanilla 



Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 110°C, don't use the fan of your oven! 

Cut up 2 pears into round crips. Peel out the seeds and put the pear slices on a lined baking tray. Sprincle them with ginger powder and vanilla and pop them in the oven for 3 hours. 


Enjoy! 

Love, Jen xx

Pumpkin Sesame Balls

You need:

Pumpkin puree 
Sesame seeds 



Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 170°C. 

Scoop out about a tbsp of your pumpkin puree for one ball, roll it up into a nice little ball. Spread out some sesame seeds on a plate and roll your pumpkin balls in them.

Place them on a lined baking sheet and put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. 

That's it :) easy, quick and delicious! 

I left mine plain but you could add tahini to the pumpkin puree to make it taste even more of sesame or some honey or other sweetener to make them a sweet treat. You're free to experiment with this. 


Enjoy!

Love, Jen xx

Homemade Granola

You need:

4 tbsp of cooked steel cut oats (I had some leftovers of yesterdays breakfast, ill try uncooked oats next time to see if they'll be even crunchier) 
About 1 small cup of your favourite nuts 
1 tsp of coconutoil 



Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Put the nuts in your food processor and pulse once or twice. Make sure not to pulse for too long or you end up with nut meal ;) Then combine the nuts and oats in a bowl, pour coconut oil over the mix (you may have to warm your cocout oil if it's too hard) and stirr until everything's evenly combined. 

If you want to add some sweetener, you should do so now. I left mine plain as I don't like too much sweetness. I had some shredded coconut in it, which added a subtle sweetness. 

Put your mixture on a lined baking tray and spread it out well. Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Check on it every now and then, to see whether it has the right level of crunchiness and more importantly, to make sure you don't burn the nuts! 

Enjoy!!

Love, Jen xx

Homemade Almond Butter

 

You need:

350 g of almonds 

Salt to taste 

Instructions:

 

Preheat your oven to 170°C. 

Line a baking tray and spread the almonds on it. Make sure to use the whole space of your baking tray. Once the oven is heated up pop in your almonds and let them bake for 7-8 minutes. 

Take them out of the oven and let them cool out slightly before you tranfer them into your food processor. 

Depending on the type and strength of your food processor, this is where your trial of patience begins. BUT be patient and hang in there... it's worth it! Now all you need to do is blend until your almonds transform into almond meal and finally into almond butter. 

It is important to keep going and don't stop before it is all nice and smooth. You may have to stop every now and then, stirr and give your blender a moment to breathe. Lastly you add salt to your taste and blend it in. (I always use himalayan sea salt, because it's a lot healthier than regular salt) 

You can use this recipe for any other nut butters, although you may have to vary the times in the oven a little. But mostly 7-8 minutes is the best. 

Enjoy!! 

Love, Jen xx

Quick Cold Soup

You need:

3 medium tomatoes 
About 10 cm piece of cucumber 
4 dried tomatoes 
1/2 zucchini 


Instructions: 
 
Throw all ingredients into your blender (either leaving them raw as they are or steaming them if you like, i threw my cucumber in the microwave for a couple of seconds) Then blend until smooth. It's a very light soup for late night dinners or small hungers. 


Enjoy!!

Love, Jen xx

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and vegan

You need: 

1/3 of a hokaido pumpkin 
1/2 a small sweet potato 
1 carrot 
1 big onion 
2-3 cm piece of ginger 
1/2 can of coconut milk 
1 tsp of coconut oil 
Water (to dilute the sauce in case it gets too thick) 
1 1/2 tsp of curry (or more) 
1 tsp of garam masala (or more) 
Salt and pepper to taste 

 
Instructions:

Cut onion and ginger finely. Cut pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot into medium sized cubes. 
Heat up a frying pan and put the coconut oil in it. 

Add the onions and fry by themselves for 2-3 minutes. Then add the ginger and carrot and fry for another minute. Add the pumpkin and sweet potato and fry for another 1-2 minutes (you can add a little more oil if it feels like there isn't enough left) before you add the coconut milk. 

Turn the heat of your stove top on low, add seasoning, put a lid on it and let it simmer. Stirr every once in a while and check if you need to add some water. Once the pumpkin and sweet potatoes are tender your curry is done. 

 Enjoy! xx

Raw Tomato Sauce

This recipe is glutenfree, dairyfree and vegan

You need:

1 bellpepper (I chose yellow)

5 small tomatoes (or 2 big ones)

About 5 sundried tomatoes (depends on the size of them and how much you like the taste of them)

4 tablespoons of kidney beans (to add a little protein)

You may have to add some more dried tomatoes or kidney beans if the consistency is too runny.

 

Instructions:

Throw all the ingredients in your blender and blend away until smooth. (depending on the power of your blender I would recommend you start with the tomatoes, it always works a lot better if there is some sort of liquid at the bottom) 

I served the sauce with polenta, but it goes well with rice, pasta, potatoes, meat, really anything you like to eat tomato with tomato sauce.

Enjoy! xx

Polenta Pudding

Polenta Pudding with Salted Tahini Caramel Sauce

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free!

Polenta Pudding 

The pudding is best prepared the night before or a couple of hours before serving as it needs to solidify. 

You need:

1 cup of polenta (not the instant version) 
2 1/2 cups of water 
A pinch of himalayan sea salt 

(This amount will serve 2 or will save you some for lunch or dinner, use about 1/2 cup if you just fancy one serving) 


Instructions: 

Combine polenta, water and sea salt in your rice cooker or pan and heat up until it starts to cook. Let it simmer until it gets a thick consistency. 
Take off the cooktop and let it sit for another 5 minutes. 
Transfer the mixture into a little bowl or anything that will give it a nice shape. 
Put in the fridge and let it cool. 
To serve turn the bowl with polenta upside down and carefully transfer onto a nice plate. Decorate away ;) 

Salted Tahini Caramel 

You need:

2 tsp of tahini 2 tsp of honey 
Dash of soya milk (or any other milk of your choice)
Salt to taste 


Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients, put in a pan and heat up on low heat until it gets a creamy consistency. 

Enjoy!

Love, Jen xx