Perfect Pork Prep - Are you doing it right?

Happy post-Easter all! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and indulged in a little healthy chocolate!

Just a quick post on pork today - yes, delicious pork! Are you preparing it properly for perfect health and tastiness? Or are you just wacking it on the barbie willy-nilly? By the way, sorry to those of you who either do not like pork or do not eat it for religious reasons - you can probably stop reading now unless you simply like to read my waffle. 

Tasty pork ribs, marinated in the same way I did the pork shoulder (recipe below)

What is the preparation I speak of and is it really necessary? Well what I learned recently, both from my friend Soulla and from my own readings of some research done by the Weston A Price Foundation, is that if improperly prepared, pork can actually do some pretty gnarly things to your body! Like what? Like lead to a shorter blood coagulation time. A what now? This basically means it makes your blood more sticky, less fluid - making it harder to flow smoothly around your body delivering oxygen to where it is needed. So what? Summarised dot points will ease your reading and learning on why this coagulation is gnarly (haven't used that word since about 1996 so I thought I should make the most of it in the one paragraph):

• It can increase systemic inflammation, which is widely acknowledged to be at the root of all disease
• Increases likelihood of blood clot formation (hello stroke and heart attack)
• Increases risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease and cancer

Takeaway message: sticky blood is no good! 

A little history

Back in the day, before refrigeration and modern processing methods were available, peeps had to figure out a way to preserve their meats in order to extend their "shelf-life" ("cave-life"???). You see, meat for them might only come about once in a while, and it wasn't delivered in individual portion sizes wrapped in cling wrap. For them it would be the whole animal - and that is what they would eat - nose to tail! The muscle meat was often an afterthought as all of the other parts (liver, kidneys, skin etc) were the more nutritious, bang-for-your-buck bits. Don't look so surprised - I talk about this in almost every post and at least 3 times a week on my Instagram (shameless plug: follow me on Instagram - kate_callaghan). 

A story from yesteryear on food preservation (may or may not be an accurate depiction of how things went down):

One day Heman and Shera (remember them) were hanging out around the campfire with their friends feasting on the pig that they had caught that day. 

Heman & Shera. Image via comicvine.com

After they got through all of the nutrient-dense organ meats, Heman said to Shera "I'm pretty stuffed! What are we going to do with all of this muscle meat?" to which Shera (the brains of the two) replied "we'll preserve it, silly!". And the conversation went on and basically they came to the conclusion that in order to preserve said meat, they would marinade it in an acidic medium for at least 24hrs. And lo and behold - a bottle of Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar happened to be sitting in their cave-cupboard. Perfect!

OK but seriously now, you should marinate your pork for 12-24 hours before you cook it to avoid some of these adverse health effects. And if you think this is all a load of bollocks (what, you don't think my story was an accurate depiction??!!), at least acknowledge that marinating the meat tenderises it, making for a much more delightful culinary experience. 

So I guess you'd like a recipe, huh? 

Slow-roasted pork shoulder with sautéed apples

I made this recipe for Az for his birthday dinner. 

What:

1 pork shoulder (bone in)

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)

2 tsp sea salt

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Drizzle maple syrup 

1 red onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

Extra sea salt

2 red apples, cored and chopped

2 T coconut oil

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

How:

• Place pork in a stainless steel bowl and cover with all other ingredients. Allow to marinade in the fridge for 12-24hrs, turning the pork once. 
• Line the base of your slow-cooker with the onion and carrot. Throw pork and other marinading ingredients into slow cooker. Cook on low for 10-12hrs. 
• Once the pork is about an hour away from being done, slide the fat layer off the meat (this should come off quite easily). Lay it on a baking tray and cover it with sea salt. Blast it in the oven at high heat until nice and crispy. Enjoy as an appetiser.
• For the apples: add everything to a pan over medium heat and stir until apples slightly soft. 

P.S: bacon is all good! No need for marinating - just make sure it's soy, sugar and gluten-free and preferably from pastured and humanely raised animals

For more on the study done by Weston A Price, go HERE. 

Easter fun for everyone!

Hey friends! Long time! Apologies but 2013 has turned out to be quite a busy, yet stupidly exciting year thus far! I feel incredibly blessed to have been offered so many great opportunities. 

Image by Joelle Fleurimont via pinterest

Like what, you say? 

Like working with Sarah Wilson on her I Quit Sugar program! This has kind of been an Oprah 360 moment (or is it an "aha moment"?) for me - back in 2009 when my health literally went to s#*t, one of my good friends (also named Sarah) put me on to Sarah Wilson's blog. Long story short her blog was the impetus for me going back to uni to study nutrition and dietetics. And now I work with her! Funny how things work out, ain't it?

So yes, you will notice that I am tweeting/facebooking/instagramming more #iquitsugar food porn, but I can honestly say I would not promote something that I do not whole-heartedly believe in, especially when it comes to nutrition. To get my tick of approval:

a) the information should be based on good science AND anecdotal evidence (yes, unlike some sticklers out there I believe peoples' experiences in the real world actually count for something)
b) the food should be nutrient dense
c) the meals should be delicious. Brownie points for easy preparation meals. 
d) there should be ample use of pretty pictures. Just kidding, but it definitely helps.

As a side note - this post will potentially be quite short (relative to my other essays) as I have recently acquired a gorgeous little kitten named Charlie who is keeping a close eye on my fingers and every now and then jumping on the keyboard to take a swipe. It's a little annoying, but he's super cute and I can't get mad! Check him out:

Yes, I like cats. Deal with it. 

Anywho, let's get on with the post, hey? It's Easter, baby!! And you know what that means....chocolate!!! Yes, you can have chocolate and still be healthy. In fact, I believe it improves health - physical, mental and emotional! I'm not talking Cadbury, though. I'm talking the real deal. The gorgeous Renee of Renee Naturally recently did a fantastic post on the benefits of raw cacao HERE. 

(P.S. This post is going to be full of link love, Mark Sisson style)

Yes, it's all good and well that raw cacao is good for you but, to be honest, it has quite an intense bitter taste which can take a bit of getting used to. So how do you make it delicious??

A. Outsource the goods

If you are in Sydney, there are a few sources of chocolate goodies:

1. Soulla of My Star Anise Organic Wholefoods makes incredible dark chocolate balls
2. Kate Johnston of Kore Welbeing makes a delicious chocolate and nut super berry slice, which she stocks at Bayside Health Store in Double Bay
3. Spring Wellness make amazing organic raw chocolate love truffles that you can order online and they stock at a multitude of stores (including Maitland!)

B. Make your own

Sarah Wilson's Raspberry Ripple deliciousness

This is the cheaper and often easier way to do it:

1. Try my delectable chocolate mousse recipe
2. Try one (or all) of Sarah Wilson's sugar-free Easter treats. I can highly recommend the Raspberry Ripple. It is in my freezer right now and it is taking all of my willpower not to go and gobble it up before my husband gets home. 

So there you go peeps. Lots of ideas. Very few of them mine. Lazy, I know, but there is no point in trying to improve on perfection. And when it comes to chocolate, these guys have already nailed it and I'm more than happy to let them have the glory. 

Have a fantastic Easter all! Stay safe! xx

Grain-free, Sugar-free, Dairy-free Banana Muffins

I hate wasting food. Do you know how much food we waste? Do you?!?! Let me tell you! Australians waste around 136 kilos of food per person each year! We toss away up to 20% of the food we purchase! It has been estimated that 20-40% of fruit and vegetables are rejected before they even get to the store, mostly due to aesthetic reasons e.g. bruising. Want more facts on how shamefully wasteful we are? Check out OzHarvest. 

Seriously people, this is a disgrace. I know everyone always says "think of the starving children in Africa", and you definitely should, but do you ever think about the starving people in Australia? Or do you consider the hard work that the farmers have put in to produce that food for you, just for you to say "that's not pretty enough for me to eat"? Do looks even really matter? What doesn't get used to refuel, repair and regenerate your body will just end up as poop anyway, and last time I checked, it's not too pretty! To be honest, I actually prefer buying produce that looks slightly tarnished - at least then you know it's normal and not covered with toxic waxes and chemicals (no, your apple probably should not be shiny). 

OK that's enough of a rant. This topic gets me a little worked up and considering I am trying to keep my stress levels in check, I'll get to the yummier and happier part of the post. 

The fantastic organic produce shop I go to (BU organics in Bondi Junction) nearly always has a box of food out the front that is a little older than the rest and so they give it away for free in order to encourage less waste. Brilliant - everyone wins! This past Sunday they had a whole lot of manky bananas - I'm talking mushy and brown - really manky. Quick pop quiz - what is the benefit of overripe bananas????? They are incredibly SWEET and fantastic to use in a recipe in place of sweeteners. Woo hoo! Straight away my brain (or tummy) screamed "BANANA MUFFINS!!!" and who was I to say no? So I bundled up the goods and was on my way to carry out another kitchen experiment (never mind the displeased husband who hates bananas). 

Banana Muffins pre-baking

The result? Moist, delicious, sugar-free, grain-free, dairy free morsels of goodness! I even received the tick of approval from my mother-of-4 client who usually pooh-poohs my healthy food (yes, these muffins are healthy). NEWSFLASH - healthy AND delicious can be used in the same sentence without the word "not".  These little babies were gobbled up by the clients at Primal Fitness in no time!

So I guess you want the recipe then, huh? OK, I give you permission to use, adapt, share, whatever you want to do with it if you promise to make a conscious effort to waste less food. Deal? OK good one.

Sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free moist banana muffins/cupcakes (makes about 12 muffins)

Ingredients

• 4 pastured eggs (my fave is Egganic )
• 1 tbsp organic raw honey or maple syrup (you could leave this out as the bananas are quite sweet)
• 2 tbspn coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (Braggs Organic is best)
• 3-4 overripe bananas 
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/3 tsp vanilla powder (different to vanilla extract - buy it online professionalwhey.com.au)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking soda/powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 pecans
• nutmeg

How to

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius
• Beat together the honey/maple and coconut oil then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add in apple cider vinegar and beat well. 
• In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and then slowly mix into coconut oil and honey/maple
• Mash the bananas with the coconut milk in a bowl then add to the batter, mixing well
• Line a cupcake tray with some patty cases (you could also just grease the tray with butter or coconut oil, but I'm lazy and don't like washing up)
• Pour around 1/4 cup of batter into each patty case, topping each up if you have extra mixture
• Place a single pecan and a sprinkle of nutmeg on top of each raw muffin
• Bake for around 15-20mins until slightly browned and a skewer comes out clean

There you go! Now go and scrounge up some old, unloved, manky bananas that no one wants and turn them into something that everyone will love! 

Is your detox doing more harm than good?

Right now, it seems like every second person I run into is on some sort of "detox" program. On the one hand, this is great as it is an indication that people are actually investing some time and care into improving their health and wellness. On the other hand, the programs out there can vary from downright dodgy (I'm looking at you Lemon Detox) to potentially beneficial but often not as effective as they could be. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a post to discourage you from detoxing. This is simply to show you how to get the most out your detox so you become one of those annoyingly bubbly and energetic people who bounce through their day singing to the birds. Or like Peter Griffin from Family Guy after he has had a RedBull: 

I think in the world we live in today, some sort of regular deep "cleanse" is necessary. Not only are we consuming crappy foods and drinks, but we are surrounded by harmful toxins which can build up in our body and wreak havoc on our overall health and wellness. The problem with most detox programs is that they only focus on the food and drink aspect:

- no sugar

- no caffeine (currently doing this one at the moment and STRUGGLING! Thank god for nana naps and liquorice tea)

- no alcohol

- no meat

- no dairy

- lots of juices

There are a lot of "no's" in there! What about the "yes's"? While these approaches (with a few exceptions) may be helpful in lessening the future burden on our system, they do not fully address the toxic load that is already present, nor do they take into account the myriad of other ways our body is being flooded with harmful chemicals. Are you lost? Should I back up a few metres? 

OK, let's start with the liver…

Why would we start with the liver? Well it is our primary detox organ! It is the role of the liver to filter our blood before it enters the systemic circulation and gets carried to the rest of our organs and muscles etc. Not only does it process all of the food and drinks we consume, but it also deals with hormones, medications, alcohol, drugs and metabolic by-products, to name a few. If the liver is not functioning optimally, if it has too much work to do (I'll expand on this later) or if we are not providing it with adequate support during a detox then we may either not be reaping the full benefits of our cleanse or, we could be causing more damage than good!

WHAT? More damage with a detox? How??

Okey dokey, I apologise if this gets a bit nerdy but hey, that's who I am. I also want to point out that this is a very brief overview of how the liver detoxification system works. If you want to geek out further, feel free to get in touch! Also, feel free to skip this part and go straight to the tips on how you can make your detox more effective. 

Alright, are you ready? There are 3 phases of detox (however the third takes place in the kidneys). For effective detox, we need all phases working properly. In the liver, if one of the two phases is not working adequately, highly reactive by-products (i.e. toxins) can build up and cause cellular damage which may lead to further health issues throughout the body. Phase I reactions are essentially responsible for removing the garbage from your blood and processing chemicals to undergo phase II reactions. Let's stop here for a moment. The cleanse that you may be doing right now - all that juicing and healthy eating - that's in the realm of phase I detox. Good job - you are off to a great start! Most detoxes stop at this point. Why is this a problem? Because as I mentioned above, the metabolites from this phase, if not removed, can be incredibly harmful to the liver. SO….we need to look after phase II….

Phase II is very complex and involves a number of pathways that we do not need to go into here. In essence, phase II is responsible for "wrapping up" the harmful by-products from phase I into water-soluble "packages" so they can be excreted in the urine via the kidneys (or in bile via bowel movements). 

Let's cut to the chase - how do we get this "phase II" detox hip and happening? There are a number of things you should take into account when trying to get this baby working optimally:

1. Is your toxin load still too heavy for your liver to handle? I know what you're thinking - "No I'm juicing all organic vegetables, I'm not smoking, I'm not drinking, I've given up coffee. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!??". Firstly, calm down - stress will only make matters worse. I want you to think about if you are still exposed to any of the following:

- The birth control pill - this nasty little monster will not only prevent your detox from being effective but may be doing long-term damage to your liver and entire hormonal system. I stopped taking the pill 2 years ago and things still have not returned to normal. GET OFF IT NOW! Ladies, if you really want to be healthy, get to know your cycle - take matters into your own hands. For more on this, read "The Garden of Fertility" by Katie Singer.

- Other medications - these all need to be processed by the liver and hence, add an additional burden. Please, ALWAYS consult your medical practitioner before stopping any medication. Not so fun fact - if you are taking a statin drug (for cholesterol) and you are dosing up on your grapefruit as part of your detox, STOP NOW!! Grapefruit juice inhibits the enzymes needed for the breakdown and clearance of statins and can lead to a toxic build-up in your body. 

- Skin care products, perfumes and cleaning products. Most are filled with incredibly harmful chemicals which not only increase the burden on your liver, but are potential "endocrine disruptors" which muck up your hormonal system leading to other complications. Go natural! I use olive oil of almond oil as a moisturiser now and my skin has never been softer (and that says a lot, considering I used to work for the #1 skincare brand in Australia). For more on this, check out The Environmental Working Group.

- are you eating or juicing too much fruit? While a little fresh fruit is absolutely beneficial, too much can be detrimental as fructose (the sugar found in fruit) has to be processed by the liver and is therefore adding yet another thing for the poor little over-worked organ to do. Fruit juice is much worse as it does not contain the fibre that whole fruit has and is therefore a greater hit to the liver. Try to stick with whole foods. If you must juice, stick with veggies and ALWAYS use filtered water. 

2. Are you supporting both phases of liver detox through nutritional or supplemental avenues? 

- A good phase I supplement is milk thistle extract. 

- In phase II, we really want to encourage the production of glutathione, our body's main anti-oxidant. How? Don't take a glutathione supplement - these are useless as they do not survive the digestive process. Instead, if you want a supplement, consider something with N-acetyl cysteine, which is the precursor to glutathione. Alpha-lipoic acid has also been shown to help. Speak to your healthcare practitioner about these. 

Foods to aid detox

- beetroot, carrots, capsicum, eggplant - "eat the rainbow" - brightly coloured veggies contain flavanoids and beta-carotene which are excellent anti-oxidants. Beetroot also helps with liver drainage.

- garlic - assists in removal of heavy metals from the liver

- brazil nuts - provide selenium which acts as an anti-oxidant and co-factor for glutathione action. Two brazil nuts per day are enough to provide you with your requirements

- eggs, broccoli and spinach - provide B-complex vitamins which are necessary in phase I to improve liver function and promote decongestion

- liver - eating liver helps your liver. SImple as that. Actually, it's more complex, but I have waffled enough today.

- cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage help the liver produce the enzymes necessary for detoxification. Note: minimise these if you have any thyroid issues

- dandelion greens (or tea), mustard greens, chicory - bitter vegetables increase the production and flow of bile and therefore aid excretion of waste products

- vitamin C-rich foods such as fresh orange (whole), berries, spinach, kiwi fruit. 

- radishes and watercress - rich in sulfur, necessary for glutathione production

- plenty of filtered water (not tap)

Some other ways to get the tox out of your body

- dry body brushing - this helps stimulate lymphatic drainage, thereby aiding the elimination of toxins from the body. I like to do this before my shower each morning with a dry bristle brush, using long strokes towards the heart with a fair bit of pressure
- sleep - vital for recovery and optimal wellness. If you are not getting good quality sleep in a dark room each night, then you are hindering your progress towards health and vitality. I really should have put this at the start. Put this as a priority, people!
- stress management - I know I always blab on about this but that's because I have experienced first-hand what stress can do, even when you have all of your other ducks in a row, and I don't want you to have to go through the same thing. Meditate if you can, just for 5 minutes a day. Or even just 5-10 mins of deep belly breathing will help to reduce stress and cleanse our system
- self-love - don't beat yourself up! Love yourself and be grateful for what you have. Each night, write down at least one thing you are grateful for. It doesn't have to be big, it could simply be "I'm grateful that the cat didn't pee on the carpet today". Easy as that. Be kind to yourself - treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. 

Are you overwhelmed? Don't be discouraged! A lot of these things can (and should) easily be incorporated into your daily menu. If you're having any troubles, or if you are confused, please feel free to get in touch with me - I would be more than happy to help you out - kate.theholisticnutritionist@gmail.com. 

Please also do not underestimate the benefits of simply cleaning up your food and drinks - every little bit counts! 

Bone broth - best and cheapest super-food on the planet?

Hey friends! Just a quick post to tell you how to make nourishing, mineral-rich bone broth and why you should be incorporating it into your daily diet. Seriously folks, bone broth is the cheapest super-food on the planet! Not only is it an excellent source of calcium, which most people I know are concerned about, and other minerals, it is rich in gelatin, which helps to heal the gut and treat intestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. 

Other benefits of bone broth include:

• Improving joint health – reducing inflammation and symptoms of arthritis
• Minimise cellulite – the collagen in the broth helps to reinforce the collagen layers in our body, thus preventing the occurrence of Mr Orange Peel. 
• Like fermented foods, broth can improve immunity and help to prevent or shorten colds and flus. 
• Glycine, an amino acid in broth, helps to aid in muscle recovery, and improve digestion by increasing stomach acid secretion, which is required for the proper breakdown and hence absorption of foods (side story - Az (husband) came home incredibly sore from rugby last night so I told him to dose up on some broth. He did and woke up with no pain! Unfortunately he played rugby again today, broke his ribs and tore his AC joint. I'm now making double quantities of broth to help speed the recovery along. Bloody rugby!)
• Gelatin can also improve skin and nails, aid sleep, and help reduce sugar cravings
• It is so so very cheap, even when using the best quality bones. I think each batch I make costs me around $5, and that makes about 4L. What?!!?

This kind of sums up how I feel about bone broth….just substitute “bird” for “broth”…( know it doesn’t rhyme, but whatever – just enjoy it already!)

Oh how I love Family Guy.

Anywho - we have bone broth daily and absolutely love it! I have it first thing in the morning or in the afternoon if I am feeling a little peckish before dinner. If you don’t want to drink it straight-up, use it to add to soups and stews instead of crappy store-bought stocks which have lots of added nasties and are devoid of all benefits. 

Recently I have been preaching a fair bit about the health benefits of bone broth and (excitedly) as a result people have been asking for me to share the recipe. So here it is!

**Recipe – Nourishing-oh-so-good-superfood-your-grandma-was-right-bone broth

First of all, you need yourself a slow-cooker. Seriously, how many times do I need to say this? It will revolutionise your life! OK – got it? Good. Now in your slow cooker (the bigger the better – ours is 6.5L and digital), add the following:

• ½-1kg bones from organic, grass fed animals (I think beef tastes best, but all are good)
• 2 organic celery stalks, chopped
• 2 organic carrots, chopped
• 6 small cloves organic garlic, smashed (this is important to do BEFORE chopping to release the beneficial phytochemicals (P.S: “Phyto” = “plant”. You’re welcome)
• 1 organic onion, chopped
• Sprigs of fresh herbs – rosemary, thyme and sage work well but I’m sure you could add in whatever you like
• Kelp or other sea vegetable for trace minerals that are hard to otherwise find, such as iodine (very important for thyroid health and foetal development) - optional
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup organic apple cider vinegar (this is essential for drawing the minerals out of the bones)
• Filtered water – enough to cover everything.

Instructions: throw everything in the pot. Cover. Cook on low for around 20hrs. Allow to cool and then strain off the liquid (including the fat) into glass storage containers. Refrigerate. A really good broth will go like jelly, however I have thus far only managed to do this with beef bones, so if you find the secret to the others, then let me know. PS: you can also use a big stock pot if you prefer. 

Let me know how you go! If you live in Sydney and want to try some broth but not quite ready to make your own big batch, let me know - I'm happy to share a little of mine. The way I see it, bone broth makes people healthy, and healthy people are happy people. Therefore, bone broth makes the world go round. Wouldn't you agree?

Alternatively, my friend Soulla runs fantastic bone broth-making workshops in Sydney (among other great workshops while also creating delicious and nutritious read-to-eat products). Check out her blog - mystaranise.wordpress.com

Geez - will I ever be able to write a short post??

If you want to contact me, shoot me an email at kate.theholisticnutritionist@gmail.com. I'm currently also taking nutrition consultations for 2013, so if you are interested in optimising your health in any way, shape or form, please feel free to give me a shout!

Health & Wellness in South America - Guest post

Hey all! We are back from South America and as you can see, my attempt to keep the blog updated failed miserably. We were too busy....living! Sorry to rub it in, but sometimes you just need to completely disconnect (not that I did - I became quite Instagram happy during our travels. You can follow me at kate_callaghan). So, while I am working on a new blog at the moment, I am also trying to get my new website for my nutrition business up and running, which means I am a little busy. Fortunately for me, my dear husband has offered to do a guest post for me! Woo hoo! Minimal input from me this time - just one little side note which you will see in purple. Enjoy!

Lessons learnt in South America

14 flights , 7 bus trips and 3 days on a boat in the jungle. What did I learn from a health and wellness point of view?

"Caldo de cordero" from La Paz, Bolivia.
Also known as bone broth - cheapest superfood on earth!

1. There is always a good, better and best food choice. Take responsibility; there is no-one else to blame. (see above for an example of "best food choice")
2. What I found from an exercise point of few: when conditions were less than perfect (e.g. equipment that you want isn’t available, limited time, energy levels are low), something is better than nothing. Often the biggest hurdle is mindset. Take in the attitude that you’re just going to do 5min -10min. Once you’re moving things usually fall into place.
3. The power of marketing is huge. The further societies get away from their traditional diets the decrease in health seems exponential.
4. Even at 40 years old it’s possible to increase flexibility with consistent work.  As a side note, 5mins of stretching before bed made me feel significantly better in the morning.
5. Always remember the attitude of gratitude. Not having access to hot water, electricity, toilets that flushed and safe drinking water was a great reminder to be thankful for what I have.
6. Yes it seems at some level calories in vs calories and not just hormone regulation seems to influence body composition. Unfortunately I’m just not sure which is more important when trying to get change. Overall my total calories would have been down but my insulin spiking (through traditional weight gaining food) was up. Yet I lost weight?? (as a side note, he did have diarrhoea for about 3 weeks, which may have contributed just a little to the weight loss. Sorry for sharing, Az!)
7. Movement and sunlight are key components for me to have a happy mindset. After periods of long travel and lack of movement, my ability to handle stress definitely decreased and levels of irritability increased.
8. We are victims of our environment.  Age should not be a limiting factor for staying supple and mobile. Being able to deep squat is a fantastic way to maintain ankle, hip and thoracic spine mobility. Unfortunately in the west we have chairs and toilets so we lose the necessity and ability to deep squat and think it is normal….
9. My body feels horrible when I have vegetable oil
10. For fat loss, maybe 4-10 mins of bodyweight exercise 3-4 x a week might be enough for great results.

The trip was absolutely amazing. I love my wife very much for being so patient with someone who I’m sure was not always easy to travel with…(he wasn't so bad)

Hope this helps. Aaron

Contact Aaron - www.primal-fitness.com.au 

Dubai day one: husband loses wife

Hola amigos!! I'm writing this post as I lay by the pool in buenos aires - yes, life is tough. I should also note that I'm blogging from my iPhone, so apologies in advance for grammatical errors caused by fat-thumb and laziness syndrome.

Where to start....well it has been one week since I left sydney, so lets start at the beginning:

First stop was Dubai to meet up with Az. The plane trip was painful but at least I didn't have to eat crappy plane food as I pre-packed my meals for the 14 hr trip. I know, it sounds like I'm being a little neurotic but I can highly recommend it if you want to feel half-decent on the other end. The envious stares you receive from other passengers and hosties just add to the fun. What did I have?

1. Chicken curry with roast veg - ha to make sure not to add too much liquid due to restrictions!
2. Marvellous mince with roast veg
3. A raw chocolate and coconut ball.
4. Sachets of artisana coconut oil and butter just in case.

Take that emirates!!!

So - Dubai day one (the day after I arrived):

Az and I decided to go on a hop on hop off tour of the city. Dubai is quite an amazing place but not somewhere I could spend a lot of time. It is quite materialistic and over the top - beyond the designer shops and extravagant buildings, there is not much more to see and do. On our way back through we will go dune bashing.

At the end of the day we visited the souks (markets) - gold, old and spice. I loved the spice market - the shop owners were keen to teach me about (and sell me) all they had on offer. I could have stayed longer but Az was getting frustrated (he hates markets!) and it was starting to rain. Heading to the fish and produce markets, the death stares that were flying my way from my dear husband were increasingly scary, so we decided to head home....

Unfortunately we missed the last bus back to where we needed to be. Instead, the bus dropped us off at the Deira centre mall to catch the metro back. Easy enough, right? Wrong! Az had been in Dubai for 2 weeks so I trusted that he knew where he was going - especially considering you can only go in 2 directions! We bought our tix and raced down to the platform (why we were racing, I do not know). As luck would have it, Az made it onto the train and I was left on the platform as he waved at me from behind closed doors with a smirk on his face. Admittedly it was kind of funny. But a little unnerving. Being a blonde woman in Dubai by yourself is not so fun. All good - I would just get on the next train and meet him at our station which I thankfully knew the name of! However....upon getting on the train I realised I was heading in the wrong direction! Amusement turned to anger. 2 directions to choose from and he got it wrong! Okay deep breaths. I would hop off at the next stop and head back the other way. Trains come every 5mins. But at what point would Az realise he was on the wrong train? (It turns out it took him one more station- hee hee)

Finally - in the right direction. I arrived at our station and then realised how big it was - was I to meet him on the platform, where the tix are bought, or outside??? Anger turned to panic. I decided to wait where the tix are bought.

No sign of Az. After 30mins panic turned to desperation. I was freaking out, to say the least. I had no phone and didn't want to try and get home in case Az eventually turned up and I had left. Not to mention there was a very dodgy looking guy staring at me. This was turning into a disaster. I was on the verge of tears, busting to use the bathroom and about to venture out when I heard my name being called - there he was! He was on the platform right below me the whole time! Words cannot express how relieved we were! All anger forgotten. Moral to the story - don't rush when you are on holiday!

Now you are probably thinking this isn't very nutrition-oriented. Well, you are correct. For the next couple of months this blog will also be serving as a travel blog through South America. However, I plan to eat my way through the continent, experiencing the local fare and sharing it all here. I may even con Az into doing a few posts on exercising abroad.

Just quickly to finish off this post - my first delicious food experience was in Dubai. Now, there are a lot of sweet shops in Dubai - candy, cakes and chocolates. It's probably not just a coincidence that they also have a large market for special "diabetic foods". Apparently diabetes is a huge problem in the UAE. Hmmm.

Anywho my amazing food experience was at a restaurant called Tribes in the mall of the Emirates. This is an African-inspired restaurant with great atmosphere, superb service and insane food. I enjoyed the oxtail stew which came with extra broth. As I sat there chewing on the bones I was as happy as a pig in s... ! If you go to Dubai, don't miss this place!

Well my thumbs are sore and I'm getting burnt so I'll end things here. Hopefully I can post some pics at the end of this. Right now I'm going to go for a stroll around Palermo, Buenos Aires in the hope of finding some organic produce....