California here I come – again!
By the time you read this post, I’ll be leaving the first conference of my US trip, and heading for TrueNorth Health Center. My 10-day ‘conference bender’ is taking in Dr John McDougall’s Advanced Study Weekend (see the amazing speaker line-up and purchase online access); a study visit to TrueNorth, an amazing facility founded by…
Why do women hate their bodies so much?
Note to men trying to decide whether to bother reading this post: please do! Not only will it help you understand your partner/daughter/female friends and colleagues (and maybe even save you from putting your foot in your mouth when they’re criticising the way they look :)); many of the same issues around body image are…
Quinoa and Pinto Bean Burgers
It’s simply not possible to ever have too many burger recipes!!!! This one resulted, as so many of my recipes do, from a fridge survey which located leftover cooked quinoa and pinto beans that needed to be used up. A short while later – voilà, burgers! Ingredients: 1 onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 2…
Why improving your body image must come before you lose weight
Most people assume that their body image – their perception of the attractiveness of their own body – will automatically improve after they lose weight. That seems fairly logical, right? If you don’t like the way you look now, surely you’ll be happier with your appearance once you’ve slimmed down? I beg to differ. I…
FOMO and how it drives cravings
Human beings have a built-in self-evaluating mechanism that causes us to compare ourselves to others, in ways that non-human animals don’t appear to do. We compare our physical attractiveness; our intelligence; our level of skill at sporting and work activities; our income; the value of our possessions such as houses and cars; our children’s abilities;…
Sweet Potato Fries
A healthy twist on an old favourite, these fries are perfect for when you’re craving a little ‘junk food’ but want to stay on track! Ingredients: 2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon sumac (optional) 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (sold as savoury…
Pumpkin Hommous
Adding baked vegetables to hommous offers so many advantages: more variety; an enhanced nutrient profile; and lower caloric density… which means it’s OK to eat an extra-big helping :). This pumpkin hommous is always a hit at my Empowered Eating seminars. Can’t make it to the live seminar? That’s OK – Empowered Eating Virtual gives…
Perfectionism, body image and overeating
Is this a familiar scenario to you? You’ve been sticking to your diet and exercise regime for weeks, resisting the temptation to eat ‘bad’ foods. Then at the office morning tea, someone offers you a slice of gooey chocolate cake, and you succumb. You think to yourself, “Damn it! Now I’ve completely blown it! Oh…
Vegieful Pasta-Free Lasagna
Love lasagna, but not the ‘heavy’ feeling you get after eating it? This vegetable-rich lasagna is a dream come true. It’s completely gluten-free, and will provide a good chunk of your daily quota of vegetables in just one serve. It’s a little more time-consuming than most of my recipes due to the multiple components, but…
The magic weapon in food that fights fat
I know, you’ve seen it all before: spam emails trying to sell you expensive supplements that ‘melt fat off your body’; or machines that dissolve your spare tyre while you watch TV; or meal replacement shakes with a ‘secret fat-destroying ingredient’. Ho hum. But what if there really were compounds that selectively starve your fat cells…