Saturday 30 May 2015

Lentils & Potato Chicken Burger



Ingredients:

1. Potato/lentils cutlet (click HERE for recipe)
2. 500gm of minced chicken (seasoned and mixed thoroughly with sunflower oil, sea-salt, 2 eggs and potato flour)

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1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Preheat oven at 220C.

3. Take about 2 tablespoons sizes of minced chicken and shape them into burger patties. Place them on the baking tray and flatten with the back of the spoon.

4. Repeat until all minced chicken mixture is used up.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Allow to slightly cool.

7. Place the chicken patties in between the lentil/potato cutlet and voila, you have a gluten-free version burger!

Bon appétit!



Wednesday 27 May 2015

The Gut (Part 5) - SIBO

Our gut is filled with bacteria. It needs bacteria to function its normal duties. Without them, we would be in deep trouble! But yet if you have an OVER abundance of them, it will lead to trouble too.

SIBO

SIBO stands for Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth. This happens when the bacteria in the small intestines over populate.

It is a known fact that our colon is rich with bacteria. *The large bowel or colon has at least 1,000,000,000 organisms per milliliter. However the small intestines only have fewer than  ten to the power of four organisms per milliliter. Once the bacteria grows to ten to the power of five per milliliter, it would be an overgrowth.

*taken from HERE

Signs & Symptoms

It is very challenging to properly diagnose SIBO as the symptoms are also found in other conditions. Some of the symptoms of SIBO are nausea, excessive gas, bloating, abdominal pain or discomfort, constipation OR diarrhoea (constipation less common), food intolerances, vitamins and mineral deficiency, fatigue and weakness.

*Causes of SIBO

1. Damage to nerves/muscles in the gut can cause a leftover of bacteria in the small intestines. This is seen in people with diabetes and scleroderma.

2. Scarring from surgeries or Crohn's disease.

3. Disorders of the immune system such as chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

4. Medication such as antibiotics, steroids, oral contraceptive pills and proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs).

5. A diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol.

*taken from HERE and HERE.

** SIBO can cause the leaky gut syndrome as the damaged cell linings of the small bowel allow large protein molecules to escape into the bloodstream. This can cause immune reactions which lead to food allergies or sensitivities, generalized inflammation and autoimmune diseases. (**taken from HERE)

How to Diagnose SIBO

1. Breath Test

Individuals need to fast for 12 hours. They will then breathe into a small balloon and then consume an exact amount of sugar and repeat the breath test every 15 minutes for 3 or more hours.

2. Organix Dysbiosis Test

This tests the urine for the by-products of yeast or bacteria which are in the small intestine.

3. Comprehensive Stool Test

This tests your stool of the flora that inhibits your intestines. If the levels are elevated, SIBO is suspected.

Treatment for SIBO

Usually rifaximin (Xifaxan) an antibiotic is used as a standard treatment to treat SIBO. Xifafan is a perfect treatment for SIBO because it stays in the gut and is not absorbed throughout the whole body. Thus, it would not work for a throat infection.

Another treatment would be probiotics. The lactobacillus casei strain has been found to be effective in dealing with SIBO. Other strains such as lactobacillus plantarum and lactobacillus acidophilus have also been found to treat SIBO.

A restrictive diet (low or complete void of trigger foods) would also be a good way in alleviating the symptoms of SIBO.

Click on SIBO - what causes it and why its so hard to treat to understand more on SIBO.




Sunday 24 May 2015

Did You Know....

... That you burn more calories sleeping than watching the TV???

When the body is in deep sleep, you will burn more calories. REM is the important part of sleep. The sleeping-time-calorie-burning is highly dependent on the REM sleep.

During the REM sleep, the brain is highly active. Food is fuel for the brain. And the fuel that is used by the brain is body fuel or more famously known as glucose.

Having the right body temperature (not too hot), following the natural circadian rhythm and practicing healthy eating habits will help promote a healthy and deep sleep!

Click on LINK to read on how to lose weight while sleeping.
Click on LINK to read on eight hours of sleep.
Insufficient Sleep Study
Fuel for the Human Brain




Wednesday 20 May 2015

Baked Potato & Lentils Cutlet


Ingredients:

1. 6 large old potatoes (washed, skin removed and boiled until very soft)
2. 1 cup of yellow lentils (washed, soaked for 24 hours and rinsed)
3. 1 cup of rice flour
4. Sunflower oil
5. Sea-salt
6. 2 stalks of chives (washed and chopped)
7. 2 large eggs

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1. In a large mixing bowl, mash the potatoes.

2. Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Preheat oven at 210C.

4. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

5. Scoop about 2 tablespoons size of potato mixture onto the tray and flatten with the back of spoon. Repeat until tray is filled up.

6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Allow to cool.

8. Serve as snack.

Bon appétit!


Tuesday 12 May 2015

Braised Chicken Wings with Tamari

Ingredients:

1. 6 chicken wings (seasoned overnight in the refrigerator with tamari sauce and sea-salt)
2. Sunflower oil
3. 1/4 cup of filtered water

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1. Heat a wok on high heat.

2. Drizzle some sunflower oil.

3. Add the chicken wings and water and turn the heat to low.

4. Cover the wok with a lid.

5. Allow to simmer until the wings are thoroughly cooked.

6. Scoop up onto serving dish.

7. Serve with hot rice.

Bon appétit!


Friday 8 May 2015

Cashew Milk


Ingredients:

1. 1+ cup of soaked cashews (soak them overnight to get rid of the phytic acid)
I soaked 1kg of cashew nuts. I baked the rest of the nuts.

2. 800ml of filtered water

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1. My soya maker was used to blend this milk. It grounded the cashew nuts and boiled it for about 1/2 hour.

2. You can either choose to sieve the milk or leave it with the fine grounded cashews.

3. Serve it hot.