Salad leaves of choice
140g of tinned tuna, drained of brine or oil
Red bell pepper
1/2 avocado
3 slices of pineapple, fresh or tinned without added sugar
Optional: fresh coriander
For the dressing:
1 table spoon of mayonnaise
1 table spoon of water
Squeeze of lime or lemon juice
1/2 clove of garlic, minced
Arrange ingredients on a plate in a preferred order, dress and enjoy.
500ml peach juice without added sugar (it is naturally very sweet)
1 ripe mango, peeled and roughly chopped (frozen is also fine, most supermarkets have it)
Optionally, juice of 1/2 lime - it will help to balance the flavour
Process the juice and mango using a high speed blender.
Place in ice cream moulds (i.e. Ikea or Amazon) and freeze for 3 hours before serving.
3 small or 2 big bananas, very ripe (brown skin)
2 heaped table spoons of peanut butter
2 egg yolks (egg yolks, next to cream, is the key ingredient in classic ice cream. They make it creamy due to the presence of lecithin which is a fat emulsifier) but you can skip them if you´re not convinced
Splash of full fat coconut milk - enough to make the ingredients combine well without getting stuck, using a high speed blender
pinch of salt
maple syrup, to your liking (ice cream taste less sweet after freezing it so keep that in mind) but it is optional, especially if you are watching your waist line
optional: 2 servings of collagen protein powder - for more satiety and nutritional value
for the chocolate variety, add 2 table spoons of cacao or cocoa powder. Once blended, you can stir in cacao nibs for for some crunch
Combine all ingredients using a high speed blender.
Pour into ice cream moulds (e.g. Ikea, Amazon) or a container like a Pyrex dish or an old ice cream box.
Freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.
If you used a container, wait for a couple of minutes until the ice cream softens before serving. Scoop out and sprinkle with chopped toasted peanuts.
1 tin of thick coconut milk, min. 90% coconut (e.g. Lidl’s)
2 table spoons of green or red curry paste
Fish sauce or soy sauce, amount to your preference (try 2 tea spoons)
1 flat table spoon of coconut or peanut oil
1 tea spoon of sugar, preferably coconut or palm but any unrefined will do. If you are on a low carb diet, you can try xylitol or erythritol
Protein of choice, e.g. chicken, prawns or tofu
Vegetables of choice, e.g. diced courgette, mushrooms, pan fried aubergine, green beans, red bell pepper (only one veg of choice is also fine - pick what works for you)
Optional: chopped peanuts, fresh chilli, 5 basil leaves, wedge of lime, coriander
Heat up the oil and add curry paste. Heating it up will liberate the aroma.
Add coconut milk, fish or soy sauce and sugar.
Add protein, vegetables of choice and optionally basil leaves and cook just until the protein has set (chicken will turn white and prawns will be pink)
Plate the curry and optionally squeeze a wedge of lime and garnish with chopped peanuts, fresh chilli and basil leaves.
Serve with jasmine rice or ‘caulliflower rice’ or have it on its own.
1 mug of any meat stock or bone broth, home made or shop bought
100g of protein of choice (sliced chicken breast, thinly sliced steak, prawns, tofu), can be precooked - leftover roast or steak
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 table spoons of soy sauce (tamari is my preference as it’s wheat free)
1 table spoon of tahini (optional but it lifts the flavour)
A big handful of vegetables of choice: bok choi / green beans / menge tout / carrot / bell pepper / mushrooms (shiitake are a great fit) / spring onions / fresh chilli, you can also use a ready made stir fry veggie mix from a supermarket
Optional spices: 2 cloves, 1 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 coriander seeds (throw in whichever of these you’ve got)
Optional garnish: a wedge of lime, fresh coriander, sesame seeds
Bring the meat stock to a slow boil. Add soy sauce, garlic and tahini. Stir and add the protein of choice and vegetables. Cook until the protein has set. Veggies should still be crunchy. If you are using protein that has already been cooked, add it last to just warm it up.
Garnish with a squeeze of lime and fresh coriander.
Serving suggestion: with rice noodles / 100% buckwheat soba noodles / courgette ‘noodles’
If you´ve just had a meal and feel like something sweet, wait for 15 minutes and see how you feel then. By this time, glucose from food should reach your cells and the craving often goes away. If still craving a dessert (perhaps because of insulin resistance), try the options below. The fat in peanut butter will make you want less sugar. Do not have these as a replacement for a snack or meal. This can be used as dessert replacement only.
Max. 2 dates stuffed with a flat tea spoon of peanut butter, can be topped with an additional nut. Alternatively, you can stuff the date with ghee and top with a nut.
Max. 2 pieces of dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa) topped with a flat tea spoon of peanut butter.
The options below make wonderful snacks if you get peckish between meals. It´s better to eat rather than letting glucose drop too low as this stimulates inflammation.
Apple quarters with 1/2 tea spoon of peanut butter on each.
Celery stick cut into three and filled with peanut butter. You can also top it up with hard cheese like cheddar.
2 ripe avocados, the hass variety
2 egg yolks
5 table spoons of cacao or cocoa
6-8 table spoons of maple syrup
1/8 tea spoon of unrefined salt
optional toppings: pomegranate seeds, fresh berries, cacao nibs, toasted nuts, salted peanut butter cream (2 table spoons of peanut butter, 4 table spoons of freshly boiled water, pinch of salt - blend until smooth. Keeps well in the fridge)
Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Makes 4 small portions but you can make it visually bigger by adding toppings. I don’t recommend more because after all, it’s fat mixed with sugar. 1/2 avocado per serving is sufficient.
1- 1,5 litres of meat or vegetable stock
200 ml of coconut milk
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1/2 cups of green lentils, preferably soaked overnight or from a jar, rinsed
1 small bag of baby spinach or a couple of cubes of frozen spinach cubes
3 table spoons of tomato puree
1 tea spoon of each: turmeric, cumin powder, garam masala, fenugreek
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of ghee or coconut oil
Salt, to taste
Optional: 1 red chilli, finely sliced
Melt ghee or coconut oil and saute onion until brown
Add all spices and garlic, saute for 3 minutes
Stir in carrots, saute for 1 minute
Add stock, potatoes, lentils and tomato puree; cook for 20 minutes
Add coconut milk and spinach (cook until wilted or defrosted); season to taste
I know that you can buy tea bags of masala chai but fresh spices are more warming. You will feel a big difference!
750 ml of water
1 tea bag of black tea or 2 tea bags of rooibos tea
4-5 (or all) of of the below spices, as per liking:
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tea spoon of ground cinnamon
3 cardamom pods or 1/4 tea spoon of ground cardamom
2-3 cloves
1-2 star anise
1/2 tea spoon of fennel seeds (bonus: digestive support)
3 black peppercorns
a large pinch of nutmeg
3 slices of fresh ginger
optional: plant based milk of choice, natural sweetener
Place spices in water and boil for 15 minutes. The heat will release the aroma and warming properties of the spices.
Take off the heat and add tea of choice, steep for 3 minutes.
Strain and pour into a large thermal flask so that you can keep drinking the hot tea all day long. You can also reheat any leftovers.
Pour into a cup and you can add milk of choice and sweeten with honey, maple syrup, molasses or coconut sugar.
3 eggs, whisked well
100g coconut oil
300g dark chocolate, min. 70% cocoa
200g ground almonds
2 mashed ripe hass avocados (should feel lightly soft to touch - not mushy)
200g coconut sugar / panela / rapadura
1 heaped tea spoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Optional: 1 tea spoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 170 C degrees
Put saucepan over low heat; pop in coconut oil and chocolate
Once melted, add the sugar. It may not dissolve completely but that’s ok.
Turn off the heat, let it cool and add the remaining ingredients.
Pour the mixture into a tin lined with parchment paper and pop in the oven for 30 mins.
Let it cool for 20 mins and enjoy.
1 tin of full fat coconut milk
3 egg yolks (to make vegan ice cream, simply don’t add them)
120 grams of cashew nuts or cashew butter
150 g of dates
Generous pinch of sea salt
Blender or food processor
Add cashews to coconut milk. Set aside overnight and blend well in the morning. Skip this step if using cashew butter.
Soak dates in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Drain. You can let them sit overnight, too.
Beat egg yolks.
Blend in the remaining ingredients.
Pour into a container or ice cream moulds, and freeze for 2-3 hours before serving.
If you want to make scoops, wait until the ice cream thaws a little.
Serving suggestion: with toasted cashews or pecan nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
1 litre of meat stock / bone broth / vegetable stock or water with quality stock cubes like Marigold
2 table spoons of ghee or olive oil
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
350g of broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
200 grams of spinach (fresh or frozen)
130g of frozen peas
1 onion
handful of mint leaves or fresh dill or both
My favourite toppings: chopped hard boiled eggs + chopped avocado + crumbled feta cheese + pumpkin seeds (you can use all of them together or either, depending on your preferences)
You can increase your protein intake by adding 1 serving of collagen protein powder
Melt ghee or oil in a pot
Add all vegetables and sauté until soft
Add stock and and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Optionally, add mint or dill or both
Blend
Garnish with toppings or preference and enjoy
This delicious ‘eat your greens soup’ focuses on both phases of liver detoxification and healthy bile flow, which require the following nutrients:
protein
fat
fibre
sulphur
B vitamins, especially folate
magnesium
The soup has it all. It is specifically good to support methylation (e.g. lowering homocysteine or clearing out excess oestrogens) and the skin. Great for children who don’t like green vegetables.
Any fish, with or without the skin
Any assorted vegetables, cut / sliced into desirable pieces
Olive oil
Salt
Optional: pesto (can be vegan)
Heat up the pan, add a splash of oil.
Add all vegetables and a small splash of water to create steam.
Season with salt and stir through.
Place fish on top of vegetable skin side up and close the pan with a lid.
Cook until fish has set - steam created in the pan will take care of that.
When cooked, you can spread some pesto over the fish.
Serving suggestion: on its own or 2-3 boiled baby potatoes dressed in butter and lemon juice.
In the era of questionable quality of dairy, coconut yoghurt comes to the rescue. Making your own is easy, cheaper than shop-bought and yealds more probiotic strength than probiotics on their own.
400ml of full fat coconut milk
2 capsules of quality multi-strain probiotic or a double serving of probiotic powder, or 2 BioGaia Gastrus tablets
Optional: 2 tea spoons of gelatin powder - if you prefer a thicker consistency
Pour the cream or milk into a saucepan and heat it up (not boil).
Take off the heat, add gelatin and stir well. Wait until it cools down to room temparature.
Add probiotics (crush Gastrus tablets first if you are using these) and stir again.
Transfer into a jar, close the lid and keep in room temperature for 48 hours - do not refrigerate during this time
Transfer to the fridge and enjoy
Coconuts are rich in fibre which acts as a PREbiotic. What it means is that the fibre feeds the PRObiotic bacteria, making them multiply. In other words, making yoghurt using a probiotic makes more probiotic. It may also colonise the digestive tract better than just probiotics. If you add extra inulin (which is also a prebiotic), it may produce even more probiotic bacteria.
The stomach, although acidic, requires microbial protection just as much as the rest of the digestive tract. Since most probiotics are designed to work in the intestines, yoghurt supports the entire digestive tract, including the mouth.
There are various brands of coconut yoghurt on the market but the quality isn’t always good. They may be free of common allergens but contain unnecessary additives, synthetic vitamins and sometimes soy milk. If you decide to go for a shop-bought coconut yoghurt, make sure it only contains coconut milk, live bacteria and a thickener like tapioca.
According to the cardiologist and bestselling author dr William Davis, the two probiotic strains used in the product (Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938) not only naturally colonise the human gut but have been researched in terms of:
suppressing appetite and supporting weight loss
increasing collagen, skin thickness and accelerating skin healing
improving hormonal balance in both males and females which has a multitude of benefits
The full article and dr Davis’ his recipe can be found here.
A source of fat (coconut coconut oil) and piperine from cayenne pepper help with the absorption of the key active ingredient in turmeric called curcumin, which supports the first phase of detoxification by the liver. Collagen contains amino acid glycine which is key for the second phase of detoxification. Coconut oil and beetroot will help with bile flow.
Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cooked beetroot, e.g. vacuum packed (raw is very high in oxalates)
1 table spoon of coconut oil
1 serving of collagen
1 egg yolk (read here why I recommend raw egg yolks)
Small piece of fresh turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Water, to achieve a desired consistency
Optional: 3 drops of rose water
Blend and enjoy.
250 g of ground almonds
50 g of odourless coconut oil / ghee / butter / lard / goose fat / duck fat (you can also mix different fats and see what flavour you like the most)
3 eggs
1/4 flat tea spoon of salt
Optionally: 75 g of assorted seeds (my favourite mix is pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds)
Optionally: 1 flat table spoon of maple syrup or honey (I like sweetening mine a bit as it results in a more balanced flavour)
Mix all ingredients well, it should have a thick, porridge-like consistency. You may add more or less almonds.
Place in a greased tin and bake in 150 Celcius degrees for about 1 hour (you want to keep the temperature relatively low, not to damage the precious fats).
This bread doesn’t raise much and is rather dense; best to make it in a smaller tin. Otherwise, it can be flat
A little goes a long way which compensates for the price of almonds - no need to cut it thick as it’s very filling
Keeps very well in the fridge. I always toast it
Note: If seeds make you gassy, give you cramps or you have colon inflammation, mill the seeds or leave them out until the digestive tract gets better. The same goes to sweeteners - some people get digestive symptoms from honey or maple syrup so it is best to substitute with a sweetener that you can tolerate or not use any until digestion improves.
Fish and fish liver complement each other in terms of the nutrient profile. Protein from the flesh requires vitamin A for a proper utilisation of amino-acids, and liver is the richest source of vitamin A.
Perfect for breakfast, lunch or as a filling snack.
3 tins of sardines in brine, drained
1 tin of cod livers, drained
1/2 finely chopped onion, can be red
1 tea spoon of lemon zest
2 tea spoons of lemon juice
1 table spoon of chopped capers (they are salty so no extra salt needed)
1-2 table spoons of olive oil or homemade mayonnaise
Chilli flakes
Mash up all ingredients with a fork and enjoy.
wrapped in lettuce leaves, topped with fresh vegetables like pepper, cucumber, radish, carrot
in a salad
with poached eggs
as a topping on a baked potato, with other garnish of choice
with linseed crackers
with oat cakes
with toasted sour dough bread
1 cup butternut squash or pumpkin puree; can be tinned
1/2 cup unsweetened nut butter
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 flat teaspoon of cinnamon
Fat of choice for cooking (ghee, coconut oil, lard, goose fat, duck fat)
Warm a pan on low heat. Once hot, melt a generous amount of fat and make sure that the pan gets hot again. Note: too much heat can burn these pancakes
Blend all ingredients except for fat until smooth
When the pan and fat are warm, place 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the pan
Cook for about 2 minutes on each side
Serve with toppings of choice; I recommend adding extra fat on top which will keep you fuller for longer
200g ground almonds (it can also be a mix of almonds and walnuts oror all three pecans)
good pinch of sea salt
1 egg
2-3 table spoons of melted coconut oil
2 table spoons of maple syrup
1/2 large roasted butternut squash (feel free to use any pumpkin; that's what I had at hand) or ready-made pumpkin puree but make sure there’s only pumpkin on the list of ingredients as they often come mixed with unwanted additions :)
2 eggs
3 heaped table spoons of the thick part of coconut milk that separated in the tin or coconut cream
maple syrup to your liking, it will depend on the sweetness of the pumpkin, I added around 4 table spoons
mixed spices: I used 1 heaped tea spoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tea spoon of ginger, 1/3 tea spoon of nutmeg and 1/3 tea spoon of cardamom. Ready-made gingerbread or pumpkin pie mix will be just as good, or even just cinnamon
2 tea spoons of vanilla extract
How to roast butternut squash: deseed, cut into crescents and roast for 30 minutes in 180 degrees. It can be peeled afterwards but there is no need to peel it at all
Place all base ingredients in a bowl and mix together
Grease a tart dish with a little coconut oil. Press the crust mix tightly into the dish and up the sides. Bake at 160’C for about 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Don’t worry if it puffs up a little as it will fall once away from heat
Mix all pumpkin filling ingredients in a food processor / blender or with a hand blender until smooth
Pour the filling into the base
Bake at 160 degrees for 40 minutes or until the filling has set
Enjoy x