Meatonomics, Australian-style
On Thursday 4 May, I had the great privilege of attending a lecture by David Robinson Simon, author of the book Meatonomics, as part of a lecture tour sponsored by Voiceless, the animal protection institute. I read Meatonomics several years ago. Although I was deeply disturbed by the book – which details the multiple…
Broccoli and Leek Quiche
The magic ingredient in this quiche is aquafaba – the cooking liquid from chick peas (not the soaking liquid which should be discarded). If you don’t cook your own chick peas, you can use the liquid from a can of chick peas, but definitely buy a no added salt brand. I found this recipe on…
What’s wrong with dairy – beyond the health issues
A month or so ago, freelance journalist Alison Waters approached me to contribute to a Mother’s Day feature she was writing for the online alt-media magazine The Scavenger on why vegan mothers oppose the dairy industry. Although it was somewhat out of my normal ambit as a health professional, I jumped at the chance…
Chilli Chutney
My family loves Indian food with all the accompaniments, like chutney and cucumber raita, but finding a chutney that isn’t laden with salt, sugar and oil is a challenge! Our chilli plant is bearing a magnificent crop at the moment, so I was inspired to create my own chutney. If you have a Thermomix, this…
Lessons from climbing a wall
What does indoor rock climbing have to do with overcoming health problems? Read on – or watch the video – all will become clear! When it comes to sports, my family is split 3-1. My husband is a bat-and-ball-sport kind of a guy. Tennis, squash, golf, cricket – anything that involves hitting a ball,…
Mexe-Beans with ‘Cheezy’ Polenta
Before I bought a Thermomix, I had never cooked polenta. The instruction to ‘stir continuously for 20 minutes’ kind of put me off. My Thermomix makes cooking polenta a breeze, as it does the stirring for me. However, my beloved Thermi is in Thermomix Hospital right now, and since I had a hankering for polenta,…
Exercise is useless for weight loss… but you should do it anyway
Every week, I see clients who have been struggling with their weight for years, sometimes decades. In fact, some have been battling to attain or maintain a healthy body weight for virtually their entire lives. All of them have been told variations of the standard weight loss advice trope: “Eat less and move more.” The…
Are you majoring in minor things?
In last week’s Ask Robyn session, which I conduct monthly for members of my EmpowerEd program, several members’ questions related to the nutritional benefits of specific foods such as particular herbs and spices, and which type of microalgae supplement – spirulina or chlorella – was better. While being perfectly valid questions that I enjoyed…
Food cravings and your gut microbiome – the surprising connection
The emerging field of microbiome research offers fascinating, at times disturbing, but ultimately empowering insights into the connection between our gut microbiome, our food choices (which may not be ‘our’ choices, after all) and our moods. More ‘bug’ than human The gut microbiome comprises the teeming hordes of bacteria, along with smaller numbers of…
Spicy Pinto Bean Dip
I love pinto beans, and I love bean dips. What could be more natural than making a pinto bean dip? Don’t just restrict yourself to hommous when it comes to dips; there’s a world of other legumes out there that make for delicious dipping. Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic peeled 1 small mild chilli (I used…