photo by Karolina Grabowska
Happy New Year. 2020 – the start of a new decade, the perfect time to set good intentions in order to cruise through the next chapter of your life in good health. Healthy intentions may involve becoming more plant-based, upping your exercise, taking more time out to socialise or treating yourself to a holiday of rejuvenation.
I can assist with the majority of the above. This month sees our next Sussex based Longevity Kitchen Pop up event which is based on Okinawan cuisine. I’m looking forward to the menu creation of a plant-based three course meal rich in the type of anti-oxidants which have led to Okinawa boasting the greatest quantity of centenarians in the world. As I talk through these foods, myself and colleague, Tanya, will be serving up a deliciously tasty menu which can be replicated at home. These evenings are not purely about nutrition. They are intended to bring like-minded people together and to encourage social connection in a fun and relaxed setting.
In June I’ll be taking a group of clients over to the wonderfully rustic island of Gozo to cleanse at Amchara juice retreat. This trip ticks many of the researched longevity boxes – carefully designed plant-based nutrition throughout, gentle exercise, and time to unwind from the stresses of 21st century Western living. All in a supported environment. The dates and more details are on my events page.
Some of our Gozo 2019 cleansing group
Perhaps you have set an intention to reduce your alcohol intake. Around three million people in the UK make plans to complete ‘Dry January’ and considering that alcohol is the biggest cause of death, ill-health and disability for people aged 15-49 in the UK, this is a worthy intention.
However, how many people complete the challenge is a totally different figure. Abstinence for such a stretch just does not suit some people. Though if you make it through the month the results are well worth the effort. If you have fallen at the first hurdle (that being the first weekend of the year) then you are not alone. It’s how you deal with that feeling of failure which is important. Be reflective before giving up entirely. Re-evaluate the
word failure and look for a kinder way to work with your situation. Question why Dry January has not worked for you.
The usual problems are quite workable so identify your obstacles, tackle them then get back on board – perhaps with a different approach. Is avoiding alcohol for the entirety of the month realistic? If you have had a
festive drink every day for the last 30 days (let’s face it, festivities start early and bleed into the New Year) then challenging yourself so dramatically may not be for you at this point. Start off with dry weekdays or even a dry
Monday then note how much better you feel the next day. If you start enjoying dry whole weeks, then progress to drinking on just one day per week (moderately).
Another common problem is that you have booze left over from Christmas which is seductively beckoning to you whenever you walk past the particular corner of your home which houses alcohol. Easily sorted. Remove it. Place it in a garage or give to a neighbour for the month. Or get creative and use it somehow. The remnants of brandy or liqueur can be deliciously incorporated into cooking.
Spotting that a few shots of Grand Marnier lingered in the bottle in ‘a redundant until next Christmas’ kind of way, next to a jar of dried figs and apricots led to the construction of this gorgeous Boozy Crumble. Being brought up in a family of waste not want not, it is not in my DNA to ever throw away food or alcohol. There is always a way.
Boozy Crumble – How to:
Soak a cup of dried apricots and figs (sliced in half before soaking), along with a handful of whole almonds and hazelnuts in a few shots of Grand Marnier. Leave for at least two days. Stir a few times over the soaking
period.
Place this mixture in a crumble dish along with 2 peeled and chopped eating apples (tart ones are a perfect juxtaposition to the sweetness of the dried fruit and liqueur) and half a cup of fresh or frozen raspberries.
For the crumble mixture combine ½ cup of ground almonds, ½ cup gluten free flour, ½ cup of linseed, ½ cup rolled oats, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/3 cup of softened coconut oil.
Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.
Serve with cream or custard. A superb way to rid yourself of those traces of festivity.
The most important thing about a health kick is to enjoy it! Life is short to focus on abstinence. Health kicks are not about loss but all about gain. Reducing alcohol undeniably provides more energy, clarity of
thought, weight loss and reduced chronic disease.
Dry January is a win win situation but do it in your own way. Long term reduction over short term abstinence.