Supplements- Yes or No

A Wellbeing Tip to start your morning, too much of a good thing is not a good thing….

I see so many clients consume copious amounts of multivitamin and mineral supplements.

Unless you have a blood test result that confirms a deficit in certain nutrients, it is not necessary.
Excess water soluble nutrients are filtered out via the kidneys into urine and excess fat soluble nutrients such as Vitamins A, D, E and K tax the liver.

 An excess of nutrients may increase your risk of conditions such as Hypervitaminosis A, too much Vitamin A often leading to hair loss, weakened bones and joints, dizziness, nausea, vision changes and liver damage.

For almost all individuals it is possible to acquire sufficient nutrients from REAL food.

With Love and Kindness, Sharon xx

Banana Bread

I’d like to warn you that i’m about to bust a common myth.

Okay, here it goes… banana bread is more cake than bread and should be called banana cake. I hope you can handle that controversy. I just like to keep it real when it comes to food names and classification.

Banana bread tends to be a staple on café brunch menus. However, it isn’t something I would commonly order. (The one exception is the Dharma banana at Monk Bodhi Dharma). You see i’m not overly fond of breads and cakes that disintegrate as soon as you eat them. I’m a texture kind girl, something dense or crunchy is my preference.

Café banana breads also tend to be overly sweet but not the delightful ripe banana sweet, rather the “this has far too much sugar” kind of sweet. This level of sweetness tends to propagate sugar highs and lows, fatigue and grumpiness.

Move over commercial banana bread, or cake. My banana bread recipe is packed with beneficial fats for heart, brain and eye functioning. The addition of sparkling mineral water adds a little lightness to the dense bread. It is also a good source of protein and carbohydrates to kick start the day.

I like it with kiwi fruit and kefir. The addition of kefir is like a loving hug for my gut.

Warning: Caution your portions 🙂

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup almond meal/flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup sparkling mineral water

1/2 cup raw almonds

2 eggs

1/4 cup Macadamia nut oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 170C

Mash 2 whole bananas and half of third. Set aside.

Sift flours into mixing bowl.

Add mashed bananas to flours and mix.

Add eggs, macadamia nut oil, milk and mineral water. Mix.

Stir through almonds, keeping a few to garnish top.

With the remaining half banana, chop into slices. Then stir through mixture so you have a few whole banana pieces.

Line Medium size bread tin with baking paper.

Pour banana bread mixture into tin

Top with a few almonds.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted centre comes out clean.

Cacao Quinoa Porridge with Walnuts, Blueberries and Caramelized Banana

I can’t lie, I have a soft spot for blueberries. Truth is i’m quite partial to all berries but I love the burst of blueberry freshness you get when biting on the fruit. During winter I buy frozen organic berries so i don’t miss out. They are a perfect match with poached apples and cinnamon or sprinkled over spelt pikelets. However, my favourite blueberry eats are combined with caramelized banana in this warming nourishing porridge recipe.

I have used quinoa flakes as the porridge grain. They cook super fast and turn a smooth gooey like which is the perfect consistency for comfort food during winter. Don’t think they aren’t perfect for summer, this breakfast is a top choice for summer too.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Quinoa Flakes (not quinoa grain)
1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1 Medium Size Ripe Banana
1/2 Cup Walnuts
2 Tablespoons Macadamia Nut Oil
1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar

Method:
Prepare quinoa flakes (not quinoa grain) on medium heat stove with 3/4 cup almond milk. Reserve 1/4 cup Almond milk to top up during cooking or add at the end.

Once quinoa flakes are cooked and porridge like, remove from heat. Stir through blueberries. Set aside.

On medium heat pan, add macadamia nut oil. Then add slices of ripe banana to pan. Banana will become aromatic. Once browned, top quinoa porridge with banana. Then sprinkle with walnuts and coconut sugar.