Clean eating is everywhere. Reminding us all how dirty we are.
Of course it makes sense to sack off processed food and eat what nature intended. And I’m full of good intentions… but my willpower wobbles. I swing from banana to five-minute fries in the blink of an eye – the same mouthful, even.
But it has got me reflecting on my mucky-eating past. And the top five offenders my guts will still be cursing me for. Continue reading
I am my own worst enemy. After 37 years of living with food allergies, I still can’t seem to say no when dining out.
Why is it when I eat out, I seem to give myself permission to treat myself to a piece of crusty wheat bread or gooey dairy goat’s cheese?
My inner devil says, “It’s only a little bit, a one off. It won’t hurt you.”
But it always does.
Tea. Have it with biscuits. Have it with sympathy. Have it with talking chimps. And, generally, have it with milk. Which is a bit of a problem when you’re cutting out dairy.
I was on a five-a-day habit before I sacked off the semi-skimmed. I also mainline coffee but the move from lattes to Americanos was easy enough. But tea without milk? Unthinkable. Continue reading
Hi, my name is Jemma and I’m a colour junkie. My wardrobe may consist of about 90% black attire, but when it comes to food, I just love creating naturally coloured rainbow-infused dishes.
My day starts with adding some colour to my breakfast smoothie bowl. I top my morning bowl of oats with a dash of pink raspberries, a splash of purple blackberries and a slather of mashed yellow banana.
My head’s in a spin – I’ve taken the plunge and bought a spiralizer. And it’s transformed my tea times.
I was never a big fan of pasta to start with, so when I converted my diet and became a full-time veggie and wheat and dairy-free clean eater, I didn’t feel the need to find a suitable pasta replacement for spaghetti.
However, my interest was piqued as my taste buds changed and I started trying to make each meal as colourful as possible. And I was curious as to what all the fuss was about with these contraptions – and whether they lived up to the hype. Continue reading
We had a real fright on Friday with our youngest daughter, Amalie, who has just turned one.
My husband brought her upstairs first thing in the morning, saying in an anxious voice, “Kare, can you look at this?”
Amalie was covered in gigantic hives (sometimes referred to as wheels or a nettle sting rash – raised, white, itchy bumps on the skin). They were all over her back, stomach and arms. They were all joining together and some were as big as my palm so it looked really frightening. Continue reading
I come from a proud family of bargain hunters. My mother still can’t resist telling me exactly how much my birthday present cost and what was knocked off, even before I’ve unwrapped it.
My dad can often be found roaming around Asda at 10pm in search of yellow stickered whole chickens and crusty cheese bread they neither need nor have space for.
And my dear sisters, who are champions of eBay, run around car boot sales, flea markets and charity shops like wide-eyed crack addicts.
Since changing my diet – going veggie, gluten and dairy free – my taste buds and cravings have dramatically changed. I no longer reach for bread and ice cream but hunger after more fresh, robust and spicy flavours. My kitchen cupboards have had a total overhaul and these are my new favourite (not so secret) ingredients that make it daily into my recipes. Continue reading
Anyone who knows me knows I like the odd drink. And I am not talking soft drinks, here. I mean hard drinks. Drinks like cider, vodka, wine and gin. Hic.
My parents were wine merchants so I reckon it’s a genetic thing. I once bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for a long time when I was in a cider tent at a festival. He said, “I should have known I would find a Fletcher (my maiden name) in here.”
I don’t think alcohol has ever made me feel well – and I don’t mean your bog-standard hangover. If only! I am slowly coming to the painful realisation that there is nothing I can drink that doesn’t cause some kind of strange reaction.
I’ve got the jitters. The cheese jitters. I’ve come out in a cold sweat of crème fraiche and custard. My name is Kay and I’ve been dairy free for 37 hours.
I’m generally hopeless at giving up things. Dry January was cut short at the first sniff of a party. Well, you can’t expect me to go without a Sauvignon at my niece’s second birthday. Continue reading
I recently got talking to somebody who was diagnosed with coeliac disease two years ago. He told me he does not get any symptoms when he eats gluten – no bloating, wind, toilet trouble, fatigue… nothing. So, initially, he ignored the advice and continued to include it in his diet.
Then he went to see his consultant who reinforced that he was indeed damaging his insides, even if it did not feel like it. So he started to follow the gluten-free diet properly. He had another endoscopy and, lo and behold, his villi were improving (when you have coeliac disease, if you have gluten it damages the villi in your intestines). Continue reading
I was gutted when my doctor told me I had to go gluten free 3½ years ago. I imagined a lifetime of miserable meals ahead of me. But I’ve wised up since – and so have more shops, takeaways and restaurants. So these days there is very little I need to miss out on… Continue reading