Paleo Challenge

Hey there healthy bloggers,

So its been awhile since my last blog- and I'm sorry for anyone that was waiting, been a very Crazy 12 months for us.…

I have some bad and exciting news, I have just started Pete Evans 10 week paleo Challenge. What is Paleo you ask, some of you may have heard of it around ATM, it's getting all sorts of wraps, good bad and ugly. As for the bad wraps, i don't understand how eating REAL FOOD packed with vitamins and minerals is BAD for you...

Paleo is eating real food, cutting out all sugar, fruit (except berries), grains and all process foods.

You are only aloud a couple of glasses of red wine, BUT not in the 10 week challenge.

I didn't think it would be much of a change to how we normally eat when we are home except the fruit. We have been eating primal/Paleo for around 3 years on and off already and before that we were very clean eaters. 

The best thing about choosing a healthy way of living is you can cater to your lifestyle, now we live in Borneo and we can't get a lot of stuff you can in most western countries, and the stuff we can get is expensive. BUT I have catered it to my families needs.

So my children can have milk, they do not have any intolerances so they remain drinking milk. Myself and my youngest son have problems with grains and pasta's-bloating and bowel problems, so eating this way really helps us in the respect.

Now my loving husband agreed to come on this journey with me. Stay tuned for the progress on that. :)

So here we go: 

Iv been on holidays for about 4 weeks and put on a whopping 3-5 kilo's, I don't normally weight myself but my clothes were not fitting and if I could get them up they were not comfortable. 

I know exactly why, I wasn't moving like I normally would in my everyday to day life and staying at someone else house (although I love staying with my mum) you have to eat mostly how they eat.

Now we all know while on holidays you drink not a lot but a few drinks most nights, to be sociable, catching up with friends and family.

So to say the least I was not a happy girl by the end. 

I felt sluggish, my bowel movements were terrible and I was Bloated and I just felt YUK!

While I was at home sitting around I watch That sugar film WOW, every child and parent needs to watch this film. 

Here is the Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uaWekLrilY

Now I don't consider myself someone that is ninaiveeve at all, I know that there are hidden sugars in most processed foods, Especially skinny/low fat foods.… I am a health professional after all.  

This movie was an eye opener for me, not for the information I was hearing but from the idea that people don't know this stuff.  I was like wow "Are people really this silly to not know these things?' As I kept watching the movie, I thought to myself wow the lower income/poverty people really are not educated on these matters or do they just not care? It was crazy to me that people just didn't know that is was a bad thing to drink 16 cans of mountain due everyday...HMMM So is our health system around the world failing people? 

My twin boys who just turned 9 years old, watched some of the film with me and they understood it and it was an eye opener for them as well, although it hasn't stopped them wanting to eat weetbix and chocolate and drinking a milo or sprite occasionally. But children move all the time, they are using all their energy, unless you over do it and give them surgery crap all the time. 

I consider myself, and my family a "in moderation family". 

We try and do everything in moderation, screen time, computer games, eating bad food, soft drink, etc , etc. I find it very hard when I see parents not being parents, I mean we have rules in our house, our children cannot just go to the fridge and pull out what ever junk they want and eat it... it is the same with screen time, they have to ask and if they can there is a limit to how long. The only thing we don't have a limit on is how much they run around and be kids... :)

We are all really healthy and I contribute this mostly to the way we live, our movement and what we eat. When I had babies I was anal when they started on solids I would only buy organic farm fresh produce, did it for all my children. I limited the bad foods, too much some people say. But the way I look at it is they have these "treat" as we call them, but when they grow up and move out of home healthy then they can treat their body how they want, while I have them they will be healthy. 

We try and cure things with food, like colds, and virus we dose the kids up on oranges, and vegetable and load of good vitamins and minerals. Our kids very rarely take any medication for anything, their little bodies are so great at fighting and working for itself if you treat it right. 

One thing I never did was keep them from peanuts, fruits, meat or vegetables, when they started eating solid at 3-4 months old it was what every healthy fresh produce I could feed them. 

I also believe that this is why us in the western world have so many allergies, we cotton wool our children. Did you know in asian countries they do not limit foods like we are suppose too, the result??? They do not have allergies to foods in these countries, if they do its a tiny tiny percentage. Peanuts is a staple food in most of these countries for everyone, including pregnant woman, children and babies.

Thanks for your time stay tuned for a update soon. 

Here are a few websites I love: 

http://paleoleap.com/paleo-101/nompaleo.comhttp://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/paleo-diet-food-list/

My Paleo Pizza base recipe.

Hey Everyone, 

I have been in my kitchen ALL morning creating a recipe for Paleo pizza base, And YES i came up with one that my children LOVE, "Even better than Pizza hut mum" was the remark i got. 

B.E'S Paleo Pizza Base

Ingredients:

1 cup of Tapioca flour/starch

1 cup almond meal

1 cup coconut flour

2 eggs whisked

½ cup olive oil

½ cup warm water

Pre heat your over on 180 degrees.

Put all ingredients into a mixer with the bread/dough hook or mix by hand.

Get a shallow tray ready lined with wax paper.

I found that this dough doesn’t roll out very well so I just put it all on my tray and spread it with a spatula until an even layer is achieved.

We like our pizza base thin, but it is up to you how thick or thin you want it.

Then once the right shape and thickness is achieved, place it in the oven for approx. 15 minutes, then remove and put on the toppings you want and place back in the oven until chees is melted and the desired crisp is achieved.

Remove and enjoy

This one is great for the kids.

Let me know how you find it! 

Tash xx

A LIFESTYLE CHANGES- PALEO

I like to eat as "CLEAN" as I can, as often as I can.  I like to buy from the farmer’s markets when I am home and prefer my produce to be as organic as possible. My diet is usually full of healthy, lean choices but don't get me wrong, I like "treats" just as much as anyone else.  I also want my body to be as healthy and feel as happy as I can be.  I truly believe that what you put in defiantly shows on the outside and we all want to look and feel our best.  I have found in my many years of working with clients that your weight is 80% what you put in your mouth and 20% exercise, unless of course you are an athlete or a full on gym junkie.

I convinced my friend to read up on paleo and she and I decided to DO IT! This was nearly three weeks ago and we are going strong.  Let me explain paleo a little more.  Paleo is not only a way of eating, it is a lifestyle change.  Some people call it the Caveman diet, but I don't like that term because it is a change in eating and lifestyle and definitely NOT a diet.

When you’re eating paleo you don't eat grains, artificial ingredients, soda, junk food, hydrogenated oils, fast food, dairy, processed foods, legumes, potatoes and psuedograins. Oh and did I mention coffee, there is NO COFFEE.  I was a one coffee a day girl, and my friend was having a few cups a day, mainly for the energy and wake up benefits. There is no alcohol either. What I thought was going to be the hardest thing to give up was pasta.  I LOVE pasta always have, I often say I should have been born an Italian. As expat wives and mothers we quiet often have a wine or two so I thought that would also be hard to go without, but in reality it has been really easy.   I must admit it is much harder when my husband is home because we like to sit around after the kids are in bed and have a drink and chat about what has been going on. I have had a wine here or there but only two over the past three weeks so I would call that a success.

So what can I eat now I am paleo? I eat plenty of whole real foods, lean meat, animal proteins, fish, chicken, fermented foods, vegetables, fruit and healthy cooking fats and spices.  When I am talking real food I mean food that grew from the ground, walked over the earth or swam in the ocean once upon a time.

So you are probably asking why would we put myself through this.  Read on for the reasons we chose to undertake Paleo ...

Number one, I have always had problems going to do number 2's.   My mum still says to this day "I always knew when you had done a poo, you would come out with a red face and all teary".   Over the past five years it has gotten worse, especially when I eat bread. I never really eat a lot of bread and as a kid I never liked sandwiches so to cut out bread is not any great deal to me.

Diverticulitis is a digestive condition where pouches from the wall of the intestine get inflamed or infected; it can be very painful eating certain foods as they can irritate this condition especially things such as rice and small seeds from fruit. This condition is hereditary in our family. My mother was diagnosed in her 40’s and she is in and out of day surgery for colonoscopy’s every year. My grandfather was also around the same age when diagnosed. From what I can tell it is a condition that worsens as you get older so maybe if I make a change now I can prevent myself from getting it as bad as my mother and grandfather.

Number two, after reading the information available out there I was intrigued by  the benefits that people had seen since turning to paleo.  Paleo has been attributed to having more energy than ever before, better clearer skin, a leaner body and a better night’s sleep. These are only a few of the benefits suggested by the paleo gurus.

Number three, I have always been a health freak so why not step it up a level.

So what happened; the first few days were the worst.  No coffee, that was the easy part ...... but for the first few days you feel very tired and sluggish.   If you can survive this, after the first week you begin to feel awesome.  You feel like you have so much more energy which is always good.

Week two was the best week I have had so far, it was the easy week.  My husband was away so I had no food or alcohol temptations. I had heaps of energy, my skin was looking awesome and I was just feeling better in general. Oh and no bloating tummy, both my friend and I had FLAT bellies again, my friend said she has “found her waist again” and I have found my system is working much better.

 

I am now on week three and I haven't been well. Monday and Tuesday I spent with vomiting and diarrhoea from a bug I picked up so I kind of dropped the ball.  Before that I was doing great and had only two alcoholic beverages when we went to a BBQ and a couple of M&Ms but that was all for my transgressions from paleo.

To be honest it is really hard when you eat out, especially living in Asia. Rice comes with everything and the oil that is commonly used here is not paleo. I don't eat out a lot. BBQ's are easy, lean meat and salad equals a paleo WIN!

I've found the way to have success with paleo is through preparation.  If you have meals in the fridge and freezer ready to go you are less likely to drop the ball. There are a lot of great books out there that show you how to prep and get ready such as Nom Nom Paleo by Michelle Tam and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  Also get rid of all the temptation, clean out your pantry and fridge throw away all the crap filled processed food, then you and your family you won’t be tempted to cheat just a little.

I will keep you all posted on the paleo change my friend and I have made J

Your Child Won’t Starve Themselves. - You’re not a diner.

Hello and Welcome to my first blog: I'm going to get straight into it. Kids and eating habits. 


We have all stressed at the dinner table.  As parents I'm sure we have all had children cry and have even yelled "eat your dinner", I know I have. Most of us have probably bribed kids with dessert or treats. 

Sometimes it just seems easier to give in and say "it’s OK" rather than make them eat what you think they need. 

When do kids know they are full? 
This is something that children have to learn. As parents we need to assess the situation: Are they just wanting to go off and play? How much did they really eat, is your child losing weight, are they growing, do they have plenty of energy? By asking these questions you can see if your child is eating enough.

We teach our kids, "Is your belly full?" if they say yes, and they have eaten a decent amount then OK.


If a child asks for food after dinner, but didn't eat their dinner.
What we do in our house is that there is never any more food unless dinner was eaten.  for the older boys if the good food wasn't eaten then there are NO treats the following day, including Milo, juice, cookies, flavoured milk or anything that is considered a treat.

I have other friends that keep the dinner and put it in the fridge. If the child is hungry later the dinner is reheated and offered BUT nothing else. This worked well for them.


What is serving size for children?

The plate below is what portions should be of everything (as long as there are no allergies)



What is serving size for children. 

The plate below is what portions should be of everything (as long as there are no allergies)

How much movement outside of school is recommended for children? 
The recommended activity time for children 5-12 is at least 60 mins, up to several hours. Ask yourself does your child move fortwo hours running around a day? 
How much time should my child  sit in front of the TV or play computer games?
Children learn through play, so anytime a child is in front of a screen is not exactly good. Children can become obese, and this can lead to learning difficulties such as anxiety and  attention problems. TV commercials can teach children that bad food is a good choice and the time they are sitting they aren't playing and running around children also tend to eat more while they are watching TV.
Current screen advice:

Children under two years should have NO screen time
and children over two years should be limited to 1-2 hours a day OF ANY SCREEN time, including games, TV and iPads. 


Children need to be taught what a healthy lifestyle is, and as parents we should be leading by example.