Let them eat cake!

This past Saturday Aboyne Complementary Health Studios had a stand at the Aboyne Highland Games

and I made cakes, lots and lots of cakes!

But they weren't just any old cakes they were the amazingly almost surprisingly delicious gluten & dairy free cakes from Harry Eastwood's book "Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache"

They are made with Rice Flour, almonds and vegetables such as butternut squash and courgettes and I swear you cannot taste the difference and they are still yummy today - 3 days later :)

Anyway I now supply them to 2 cafes in Aberdeenshire - The Brown Sugar Cafe in Ballater and Cairn Gourmet in Banchory. I think that it must be so hard for someone with a gluten and dairy intolerance or celiac disease to go out for a coffee and cake with their friends that I am on a mission to make sure that there are plenty of places that supply good quality gluten and dairy free products; not the things that they pass off as cakes and biscuits that taste like rubber and that are quite obviously free from everything! It also gives me places to recommend to my clients.

I have decided also to try and sell them on-line to people having birthday parties, weddings and WI meetings.  On Games day I put them in these beautiful boxes:

They make a great gift for someone. I used soya butter in the icing so they can be frozen and still be dairy free. They freeze beautifully and the joy is because they are a cupcake they defrost in no time at all so perfect for those unexpected visitors and one is just the right amount. 

I cannot recommend Harry's book enough but if you don't have the time to make themselves why not order them from me? tara@achstudios.co.uk

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Although, here in Aboyne, it is the most beautiful of days with the bluest of skies and an incredible amount of snow I am very excited, at the prospect of being hot, having had what seems like an eternity of Winter.

On Saturday I am embarking on an incredibly long journey (18^1/2 hours of flight time to be precise) to Thailand, ‘the land of smiles’ to learn how to do this:

Well not exactly! I am heading to the Institute of Thai Massage in Chiang Mai to do another two levels up in Traditional Thai Massage.  I have been practicing Thai Massage for almost two years now and the most common complaint I am faced with is tension between the shoulders and in the neck. Although what I practice thus far will help relieve some of this tension it does not focus on particular problems, it is designed as a method of prevention rather than a cure.  

On Monday morning I will be learning:

“the therapeutic aspects of Thai Massage focusing on acupressure points to relieve ailments such as headache, back pain, knee pain, shoulder/neck pain caused by various conditions of physical and mental stress”

sounds good doesn’t it!  I will keep you posted on my progress, until then I will bathe in the glorious Aberdeenshire sunlight and await my departure on Saturday. 

Superchocolate goji lemon bar

• 2 cups of goji berries
• 2 cups of cacao nibs
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel
• 2 cups grated raw cacao butter

Add everything to a Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. Pour into any mould and put in the fridge to set.

Chocolate is AMAZING!

By chocolate I mean the proper stuff, the 100% cocoa, the kind that you only need a tiny amount because any more will blow your taste buds clean away.

I am in the Italians camp who have been in great debate as of late with the EU over the definition of chocolate. The Italians believe that chocolate can only be named so if it is 100% cacao. As long as they are not genetically modified, natural flavourings and soya lecithin can be added. Non-milk fats are not allowed though nuts and berries are okay.  In the chocolate shops of Barcelona they would look at you in horror if you asked for a bar of ‘dairy milk.’ Whereas here in the UK we are conditioned to think that chocolate is a confectionary. 

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Its scientific name Theobroma means “food of the gods” It was discovered over 2,000 years ago in the American rainforest and became very much a part of the Aztec and Mayan culture where they drank it as a bitter drink believing it to have healing and nourishing powers.  It is believed that due to its aphrodisiac qualities the Aztec ruler Montezuma II is said to have drunk an extra cup of chocolate before consorting with favored ladies!  It was not until the 16^th century, when, during the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish realising its value, began to ship it to Europe and sweeten it with sugar. So treasured it was they managed to keep it as secret from the rest of Europe for almost 100 years.

Science has discovered that the Aztecs and the Mayans were right to have believed that their precious chocolate had healing and nourishing powers. It is packed full of antioxidants needed to help fight against free radical damage thought to lead to cancer. The higher the cacao content the higher the antioxidants for example more than 10 percent of the dry raw cacoa bean consists of antioxidants. These Antioxidants called flavenols found in chocolate are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease as they work to slow down the bad cholesterol in your blood preventing damage to your arteries, they also reduce platelet clumping similar to but much less than aspirin, and help to relax and widen the arteries.  Flavonals may also help restore more normal functions in the cells therefore better controlling blood sugar. The higher the cacao content the lower the sugar content making dark and raw chocolate a Low Glycemic food therefore reducing spikes in blood sugar. Chocolate also contains some vital minerals such as Potassium, Magnesium  and Iron. Magnesium is essential for many of our bodies functions such as energy production, bone structure and hormone function. Potassium helps to maintain a normal water balance and Iron’s main function is to enable red blood cells to carry oxygen for use throughout the entire body.

Research has also shown that chocolate enhances the action of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphin and encourages them to stay in the bloodstream for longer. Chocolate also contains a naturally occurring amino acid phenylethylamine (PEA) which is produced naturally by the brain when we are in love. 

The Wonders of Buckwheat

I was reminded this morning of the wonders of Buckwheat flour. Sometimes known as sarrasin this flour is naturally gluten and wheat free and can be used to make pancakes, noodles and pastas. This is the recipe I used this morning to make Blini's for our breakfast. They are brilliant because you can either have them with something savory like smoked salmon or something sweet like raspberry jam, yummy!


Ingredients 

• 2 Eggs
• 175g/7oz Buckwheat Flour
• ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 300ml Milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil 

Method 

1. Whisk the eggs until frothy.

2. Beat in the flour and bicarbonate of soda

3. Add the milk beating well to keep a smooth batter

4. Heat a little of the oil in a pan and drop in a tablespoon of the batter

5. Cook until the underside is golden then turn over and cook the other side 

6. Continue until the batter is used

Latest Newsletter

Check out our October newsletter, we've got loads happening and most excitedly I've finally done my diploma exam yippeeee! I am so happy that it is over except now I am anxious as to whether I passed!

Could Codex Alimentarius be the end of vitamin supplements?

"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."
- Thomas Jefferson (1762-1821), Third President of the USA, author of the Declaration of Independence.

What is Codex Alimentarius?
An organisation with over 170 member countries created in 1963 by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop food standards and set the international standards for the food trade. Work is conducted through nearly 30 committees, task forces and expert groups which deal with nearly every facet of food production. Codex's remit covers almost all areas of the food supply, ranging from cereals, cocoa, dairy, meat, meat hygiene, sugars and fresh fruit and vegetables to more controversial issues such as food labelling, food additives, contaminants in food, pesticide residues and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Why the controversy?
There are many rumors circulating and a number of Codex's proposals have been exagerated as many believe that it often uses criteria that are manipulated to support the interests of the world's largest corporations. For example by removing our right to buy vitamins and minerals pharmaceutical industries can make millions by selling them via prescription. Although this rumour is not true like a majority of these rumors in circulation it does have an element of truth. Codex is trying to ban some supplements because of their dosage or contents so that every country follows the same guidelines. For example in Germany the highest dose of Vitamin C you can buy is 225mg and in the UK it is 1000mg

Under specific headings, some of the most important issues which Codex affects that impact our ability to manage our health naturally are:

GENETICALLY-MODIFIED FOOD:

• they argue that world food requirements cannot be met without global implementation of GM foods.
• GM food plants are being given the green light on safety.
• 'Terminator' seeds could be approved
• GM food animals are on their way

ORGANIC FOOD:

• 'Dumbing-down' of organic standards
  
• the promotion of large-scale, high input agriculture and international freight
• use of various chemical additives and 'processing aids' in organic foods
• No outright ban on use of irradiation post production
• Labelling that allows use of hidden ingredients

FOOD/DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

• Setting very low maximum daily doses for supplements as foods using flawed risk assessment methods
• Effectively establishing international borderline for nutrients between foods and drugs, forcing therapeutic nutrients into drug category
• Requirement for clinical trials to substantiate health claims, too expensive for small companies. Therefore provides passport system for big corporations and acts as obstacle to freedom of speech for smaller ones.
• Setting of unnecessarily low Nutirnet Reference Values which seriously understate requirements for long-term optimum health for given sub-populations, age groups and genders.

FOOD ADDITIVES

• Approval as safe around 300 different food additives (mainly synthetic) including aspartame, BHA, BHT, potassium bromate, tartrazine, etc
• No consideration given to the potential risks associated with long-term exposure to mixtures of additives

PESTICIDE RESIDUES

• Allows significant residues of over 3275 different pesticides, including those that are suspected carcinogens or endocrine disruptors, e.g. 2, 4-D, atrazine, methyl bromide
• No account taken of long-term effects of exposure to mixtures of residues in food

The above information was taken from the alliance for natural health website for more information read on

What can you do about it?

• Make your views known - lobby your local MP and local MEP click here to find out more about your local MEP.
  
• Try not to buy or eat processed, GM foods or foods containing food additives wherever possible. Try to buy or cultivate organic foods or foods to which pesticides have not been applied.
• Make others aware.  Stress the importance of chemical-free, locally or regionally produced, whole foods in the diet to your friends and family.