The Organic Challenge

Please continue to follow me at http://myorganicchallenge.blogspot.com/

Time has showcased a fantastic series of photographs which captures ‘what the world eats’. I found it really interesting to see how it differs from country to country! I was also quite sad to see the amount of processed foods in the Western diet – it’s no wonder these countries are rife with obesity and disease. I think all those middle aisles in the supermarket need to go, and making things from scratch needs to become cool again.

What’s on family dinner tables around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book “Hungry Planet”

Mexico

Britain

North Carolina, USA

Australia

Germany

California, USA

Italy

Canada

France

Japan

Texas, USA

China

Luxembourg

Poland

Kuwait

Mongolia

Turkey

Mali

India

Bhutan

Chad

Ecuador

Guatemala

After a long stint in hospital, major surgery, two weeks in intensive care and days of holding on to every last breath, my grandmother, Rena Boutros, died at 10pm on Sunday 5th June. I was then immediately thrust into the traditional Lebanese mourning period, which is a way of life I’ve been removed from for some time. It’s been a challenging couple of weeks to say the least. Family tensions, missing my grandmother, having little sleep and losing complete control over my diet has meant my physical and emotional health has taken a leap backwards. But that’s ok. Life isn’t always going to be smooth sailing and we’re going to get these stressful patches. It’s what you take from these experiences that count.

Death is so final, there’s no going back. And I have so many regrets around my grandmother that is now too late to change. A few nights before she passed, I wrote the following poem:

My Tayta

Built of fire, strength and drive

You always had a stance.

A voice that needed to be heard,

No one else had a chance.

But now you lay there fighting,

For every last breath you have.

I wish I could take that pain away Tayta.

I wish you could come back.

The root of so many of our problems.

You knew how to stir the pot.

But during times of need or sadness,

You’d be right by our side on the dot.

You never remembered birthdays.

You got our names mixed up.

But you’d always be there to take care of us,

And if we popped by your face would light up.

Although you were tough and strong.

And I never thought it was with you I belonged.

I realise now that I would never swap you Tayta,

I guess I knew it all along.

It didn’t take me long to remember the good times I had with you.

The funny things you did, there’s more than just a few.

The way you’d drive to us in your nightie, with ahwa haleb in the boot.

At every party you’d be up there dancing and having an absolute hoot.

You had so much life in you Tayta.

You never liked to sit still.

So it’s hard to see you suffering now,

And giving up your will.

I want you to know I’m sorry.

For keeping away the last few years.

I thought you were ashamed of me.

I’m so surprised by my tears.

But these last two weeks I’ve spent with you.

I realise one thing is true….

I love you Tayta Rena.

And I know you love me too.

She’s gone now and it’s too late to try and make good on the last few years of tension. It’s too late to get lessons on how to cook all my favourite Lebanese dishes that she made. But I don’t want to forget them. I know through cooking these dishes, the link with my grandmother will be there forever. So over the next few weeks I’m going to bug her sisters to teach me some of her signature dishes. These amazing women who grew up in a village, who were illiterate, who have never read a recipe in their lives – but can feed an army of people healthy, hearty and delicious meals.

I may have been embarrassed by her brash and bold ways growing up, but now I appreciate she was a unique woman who left her mark on the world. Go and rest in peace now Tayta. You will be missed!

My grandmother is gravely ill in the hospital. While it’s been a challenging week supporting family, juggling work, hospital visits and all the stresses in between – I have made some observations that made my ‘organic challenge’ even more important to me now. Spending time in an Intensive Care Unit can really get you thinking about life…how short it is, how precious it is, and how in the end your health really is the most prized possession of all. In the hours I’ve spent at the hospital this week I’ve seen sick person after sick person pace the corridors. Some in wheelchairs, others with a walking stick, some wheeling their drip around after them, and all of them seriously ill. I can only hope the efforts I am making to change my lifestyle and adopt the purest, healthiest way of life possible will keep me well away from these walled up prisons of sickness. My grandmother’s light is out at the moment, but we can only pray it returns quickly. When/ if she comes back to us, I will do my best to pass on my findings and help her return to health. The most I can do now is be there for her and let her know I love her and share my positive energy and love.

Despite the challenging week that has been, I have had a few lovely moments come my way too. In the form of beef, guinness, nail polish and the Oxfam Op shop – just as the title of this post clearly states! Here’s a snapshot of the moments that kept me focused on my goal.

Delicious Beef & Guinness Pie for my Irishman

Now that the cold weather has kicked in, there’s nothing like a hearty slow cooked pie to keep you warm. As my fiance is from Ireland I like to occasionally dust off some traditional Irish recipes to make him feel like he’s popped back home again. He’s been a huge support to me this week and we’ve had no choice but to grab some convenient take away a few nights in a row – so I thought a nice home cooked meal was well deserved. I think the Beef & Guinness pie worked a treat. I actually used Jamie Oliver’s trusty Ministry of Food cookbook for this recipe – it was easy to put together and I only used the finest organic produce.

Butter London – a new way of wearing nail polish!

I can’t remember a time where I didn’t have my toes and finger nails painted a red, purple, brown or pink. My love affair with nail polish began as a little girl. Mum would patiently paint mine and my sister’s nails on the school holidays and weekend and I learned very early the ritual that is required for the perfectly manicured nail. What I didn’t know is that my poor nails have been heavily loaded with some toxic ingredients and are screaming for a break!

So with a bit of investigating I’ve discovered some hidden nasties in my little bottles of colour!

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and a common indoor air pollutant because its resins are used in many construction materials. Formaldehyde has caused cancer in the nose and throats of lab animals.

Toluene

Toluene is a human reproductive and developmental toxin. It may affect the nervous system with symptoms like tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, and memory loss. Toluene has been linked to birth defects in laboratory animals.

Dibutyl Phthalate

Phthalates are used to soften plastic, and are known to affect hormone function. Studies have linked phthalates to early puberty in girls and low sperm counts in men. It could also be one of the contributing factors to a rise in infertility in both sexes.
Hmmm who would have thought an innocent manicure could be introducing this cocktail of chemicals into your body? I’m sure the odd week of wearing nail polish isn’t going to be super harmful. But if you’re like me and never seen without a splash of colour on your nails, than it is seriously worth considering these facts and adopting a healthier option. So a little trip to About Life in Rozelle (one of my favourite places in Sydney!) sorted me out. I discovered the Butter range and immediately came home to test these new bottles of joy – its a lovely product. Check out the website if you want to learn more: http://www.butterlondon.com/

A touch of Africa, thanks to Oxfam

Don’t click the close button yet – I have one last thing to share! I know, I know this blog entry has morphed into a long and scattered rambling…but stick it out – you just might get inspired? In my haste ducking down to Broadway shopping centre for some last minute ingredients for a ham hock soup I’m making today (that’s a whole different entry I’m thinking…) I made a quick stop at the Oxfam Op Shop. I like to stop by occasionally and support the fair trade products they have for sale in this store. I think its a really wonderful initiative to boost the economy in impoverished countries abroad, and on top of that you’re getting beautifully crafted products! Oh no, I just discovered they have an online shop too – better hide the credit card http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/. So I spotted this little timber fruit bowl in the bargain bin and decided my lemons needed to be cradled by some African craftiness. It makes me happy when I look at it, so why not.

That’s it for now…but there’ll be more soon – there always is!

Hello little coffee bean. We’ve been friends for some time. But unfortunately I have bad news…we need to part. Oh yes it’s true my friend. I’ve just learned that you’re not good for me. I know I know, you stood by me through some tough times. I turned to you for comfort and I loved your energetic boost and sweet flavour – but it’s over now coffee bean.

It’s over.

It’s been 6 days since my last coffee. And I feel WONDERFUL!

I saw my naturopath on the weekend and she announced that I have a case of adrenal fatigue. We’re all stressed and trying to juggle so many different things in life, and often we don’t listen to our bodies warning signs. But this time I’m going to, because I don’t want to turn this reversible issue into something more sinister. So, the biggest culprit – stress. And according to my naturopath, coffee doesn’t help the situation for a number of reasons:

1. The adrenal glands are pr ompted by caffeine to pump out more of the stress hormones norepinephrine, adrenaline, and cortisol.
2. It can exaggerate our reaction to everyday stressful events, elevating our blood pressure and raising levels of hormones linked to feelings of anxiety.
3. Most coffee in little cafes out there is not organic, which means the pesticides and chemicals used to grow coffee will cause havoc on the endocrine system
4. Random point – did you know that the caffeine from a cup of coffee will begin to reach your tissues within five minutes!

 A simple google search will bring up thousands of pages with information on the pros and cons of coffee consumption. But the fact is, it’s not right for my body in its current state of health, so I had to stop. The last time I tried to detox from coffee it was absolute torture. I would walk past a barista and pierce him with my eyes. I would send emails pleading to my naturopath to find a cheat way to continue my daily consumption of the sweet brown liquid. I even cried! But no. Soy, decaf, instant…none of it was going to change the fact that it was bad news for my body. I’ve had to be grown up about it this time and face it head on.

Strangely enough, I have had no signs of withdrawal symptoms yet. None whatsoever, how can this be? If anything I’ve been feeling great. I’m thinking clearer, I feel more hydrated… sure I’m a little tired, but that’s an issue beyond my daily latte really. My naturopath has given me some lovely new vitamins and herbs to help me along and they’re working a treat. Apparently magnesium helps with the cravings? I can vouch for that.

 I’m finding the process rather empowering. This is something I’ve struggled with in the past but now I finally feel in control. So I hope this is the first step of many dietary changes that is going to help me reach that goal of optimal health…naturally.

Ok in the hype of starting my new blog I couldn’t resist posting two entries in one day – keen eh?

I’m facing quite a busy week at work and I don’t want to run the risk of being too exhausted in the evening to prepare my lunch for the next day. It just becomes too tempting to eat the wrong foods. So I thought I’d make a pot of majadra – a Lebanese favourite. Now I warn you…visually the dish looks like a heap of mush. But in this case you really are best to judge with your mouth, not your eyes. I hated this dish as a kid, but in the last couple of years my taste buds have done a flip and its now one of my faves.

It’s really simple to make…

2 cups of lentils – boil them, make sure there’s plenty of water as the lentils will soak it all up.

Put some olive oil in a pan, dice up 2 onions very fine, caramelise.

Put it into the pot of lentils and let it boil together.
When the lentils are semi boiled, put 1 cup of brown rice, add another cup of water.
Add water if needs be, add salt and pepper and even some chilli powder.
Pop the lid on when there’s only a tiny bit of water left.

So yeah – I’m not denying the dish looks hideous, but its tastes delicious and has so many health benefits.

Health Benefits of Lentils

• great source of energy and have a low glycemic index, meaning they release their plentiful sugars slowly and steadily over a relatively long period
• great source of protein
• They’re also high in iron and thiamin, and they are a significant source of folate and magnesium.
• The green variety is also particularly high in fibre

Health Benefits of Brown Rice

• excellent source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6
• good source of dietary fiber, protein, and gamma-oryzanol

Interesting fact:

White rice is brown rice that has had essential nutrients removed when processed in order to make it easier and faster to cook, and to give it a longer shelf life. This is accomplished by removing the bran, and with it, minerals and vitamins that are necessary in our diet.

Bob Dylan was onto something afterall. Times are changing and we as individuals on this chaotic planet of ours are driving that change.  It dawned on me recently that by taking care of my body and nurturing it with organic and non-toxic foods and products, I will also be taking care of the planet. So why wouldn’t I change my ways? It’s a win win situation….but it’s bloody hard work.

Since my decision to ‘go natural’ a couple of years ago, I’ve faced many challenges and am still striving to achieve optimal health naturally. It requires a lot of research, it’s expensive and sometimes you feel you’re chasing your tail because there’s so much information out there – but how do you know if it’s correct?

I plan to use this blog to share my findings, my failures and triumphs. I’ve also decided to put a time frame on my  ‘conversion’ to an organic way of life. By the 15th May 2012 (in one years time) I will:

• Have reached a healthy weight range
• Have a range of ‘whole’ recipes to draw on for a balanced diet using organic produce
• Have a flourishing organic herb garden (and some veggies if possible on our apartment balcony)
• Only use non-toxic and environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Create an effective detox program that can be used regularly to ‘recharge the batteries’
• Have an effective stress management plan in place which includes regular yoga and meditation

This list may expand as the weeks roll by, but for now I think this is a solid start. Let the games begin!

This week I got my first organic veggie and fruit box delivered. I trialled Doorstep Organics and was really impressed with the produce. Each week I will share recipes I’ve tried, utilising these nutrient rich goodies.

Before I sign this post off, I also wanted to share my excitement that Swisspers has an organic range now – organic cotton is something I will be exploring in posts to come…so stay tuned!

I look forward to sharing my journey to health with you. If you have any tips or ideas I encourage you to leave a comment, and I’m open to guests posts if you have a discovery you want to share too.

Happy reading