Reductionism vs wholism in medical research
Reading medical journals is generally a frustrating experience for me, as most articles emanate from the reductionist paradigm, defined by T. Colin Campbell in his masterwork, Whole, as the belief “that everything in the world can be understood if you understand all its component parts” (p. 47). Campbell contrasts this with wholism, the belief “that…
Byron moves to the plant-based Beet
When my client Heather Myers, who moved to Byron Bay from Sydney a couple of years ago to launch The Beet Vegan Restaurant with her husband Aaron, invited me to run an event at her restaurant, I jumped at the chance. Byron holds a special place in my heart – my husband and I got…
Pumpkin Pie
I adapted this recipe from this one for Butternut Squash Pie. I used a jap pumpkin instead of butternut, for its sweeter and richer flesh. Ingredients: 1/2 jap pumpkin, cut into small cubes Crust 1 cup rolled oats ½ cup walnuts 1/4 cup chopped pitted dates 1 tbsp carob powder 2 tbsp pumpkin purée (see…
Rhubarb, Strawberry and Orange Compote
Rhubarb recipes generally involve loads of sugar to offset the tartness of this stem vegetable, but date paste makes a healthy sugar substitute. Ingredients: 3/4 cup chopped pitted dates 1 1/4 cups boiling water 1 bunch rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces Juice and pared rind of 2 oranges 1 cup water, additional…
‘Cheezy’ Asparagus Soup
The mild flavour of asparagus is beautifully complemented by the pungency of garlic and the umami note of ‘nooch’. Ingredients: 1 onion, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 4-5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (I make my own by simmering vegetable scraps such as kale stems, fennel fronds, onion skins, carrot and zucchini…
Dietary advice from doctors
One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients about the various medical professionals they have dealings with is “My doctor doesn’t seem to know anything about nutrition.” Over the 20+ years that I’ve been in clinical practice, countless clients with conditions that are definitely diet-responsive, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis,…
Beetroot Hazelnut Dip
I decided to make hazelnut milk out of some of the delicious fresh hazelnuts that arrived in my organic fruit & veg box, and the handy nut milk bag that Kris Goetz of The Mylk Revolution kindly gifted me. But what to do with the meal left after I’d squeezed every last drop of delicious…
Thyroid myths and misunderstandings
One of the most frustrating elements of my work as a health practitioner is having to dispel misinformation. Every day, a client or EmpowerEd member tells me that they read on the Internet that soy causes breast cancer (it doesn’t), that fruit makes you fat (it doesn’t), that women need to eat more fat for…
My fasting adventure
I’ve been cognisant of the remarkable power of water-only fasting to facilitate healing and recovery from illness since my early 20s, when I worked for osteopath and naturopath Greg Fitzgerald, while I was at naturopathic college. Along with my first nutrition lecturer at college, Brian Pettiford, Greg introduced me to the comprehensive system of healing…
Notella
A new season’s crop of hazelnuts in my organic produce box this week inspired me to create a healthy version of Nutella. Here it is – a dairy-free, refined sugar-free, hydrogenated oil-free version of the classic chocolate hazelnut spread. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates 1/2 cup plant milk – I used oat milk…