Hi everyone and welcome to my January 2024 newsletter.
Happy New Year. I hope that you had a lovely Christmas and are all ready to step into the New Year. January is a very busy time for me with all the extra holiday markets. But I do love the buzz and meeting new faces, so I hope that the weather plays nice and that I get to meet a lot of you as well. If you are out and about travelling, please do take care and safe travels. Don’t forget if you can’t get to a market, I can always post out your supplies even if you are in far flung places. I have sent turmeric out to some of the most remote places in the past, so as long as Australia Post delivers, so do I!
The other thing that I’m looking forward to is a visit from my sister, Chrissy, and her husband Richard, all the way from the UK. I haven’t seen Chrissy in person since 2015, so it will be wonderful to give her a real hug and to spend time with her. They will be at the markets on the 6th and 7th January, so you may get a chance to meet her as well. As an added bonus my daughter, Lexi, will be coming up at the end of the month. She couldn’t come up over Christmas as looking after the goats is a 24/7 job and it was her turn to be in charge this Christmas. Having said that, Mike was also at work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. So, we will make up for it later.
As we are at the start of another year, I have focused on thinking about getting into better health. I know that my diet needs something of an overhaul, so I will be walking the walk as well as talking the talk. So, with that in mind, the article and recipes this month are all about improving the alkalinity of your body and thus improving your overall health. And, yes of course your turmeric will help. Enjoy.
GOOD HEALTH WITH AN ALKALINE DIET
When it comes to improving health, very little you do matters more than improving your acid-alkaline balance with an alkaline eating plan. Your body is essentially millions of chemical reactions that work best in an alkaline environment. Using your Health2all turmeric will really help but you can go further by adopting a more alkaline diet.
Is your diet acid-forming or alkaline-forming?
Eating “alkaline” means that you’re trying to keep your body’s acid base (pH) between 6.5 (slightly acidic) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline). Most of the food we eat has the potential to alter our pH. When digested, some foods leave acidic by-products in the body (acid-forming foods); others leave alkaline by-products (alkaline-forming foods).
Acid-forming foods include most high-protein foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, and most legumes (beans and peas, except lentils, which are alkaline-forming). Sugar, coffee, alcohol, diary and most grains are also acid-forming.
Alkaline-forming foods include nearly all vegetables and fruits, many nuts and seeds, and spices, especially turmeric.
Our Stone Age ancestors ate hundreds of different types of natural whole foods. Seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and roots were supplemented with game animals and fish, providing on average a pH-balanced diet. Our organs and body systems evolved in adaptation to this diet. It’s as if Nature said, “You can eat acid-forming meat, beans, and other high-protein foods, but you must balance these with an abundance of the alkaline-forming vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices.” And for thousands of years, that’s exactly what we did.
What are problems with an acid-forming diet?
Unfortunately, we’ve strayed from the acid-alkaline balanced diet that our ancestors achieved. We favour meat, sugars, grains, low-mineral processed foods, and other acid-forming foods and get far too few alkaline-forming vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
The net result is that our eating patterns create a condition known as “chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis.” While our bodies can easily handle an occasional acid load, long-term acid build-up can exhaust our available alkalizing reserves. Unless we take steps to neutralize these acids, they can damage our health in many ways — and this is the underlying cause of many of our modern health problems.
How to start an alkaline diet plan
If you have symptoms of acid imbalance, eat 80% of your foods from the alkaline-forming group. The other 20% can be high protein items and other acid-forming foods.
Later, when your pH balance has improved (which you can tell by urine testing or by the fact that your symptoms have resolved), you can lower the alkaline-forming part of your diet to around 65%. Don’t forget to add your Health2all turmeric to the mix.
Here are some general guidelines for eating alkaline:
Focus on eating whole foods, like vegetables, root crops, fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, whole grains and beans (especially lentils).
Drink alkalizing beverages such as spring water and ginger root or green tea, water with the juice of a whole lemon or lime. Beware of tap water, often high in chlorine and fluorine, so filter it and don’t forget to add a small pinch of Himalayan or Celtic salt.
Eat smaller amounts of essential fats, meat, fish, pasta and other grains.
Eliminate processed and artificial foods, caffeine, white sugar, and white flour.
Don’t be afraid to use real butter, ghee, and full-fat milk (if you use dairy).
Dress salads or cook with high-quality fats such as cold-pressed virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Reference: July 20, 2015//in Alkaline Balance /by Dr. Susan E. Brown
TURMERIC SMOOTHIES
Green and Yellow Turmeric Smoothie
By adding leafy greens to this recipe. It will add another anti-inflammatory substance to your body, chlorophyll. The avocado in this recipe helps the body absorb the turmeric with its healthy fats.
Ingredients:
1 cup of coconut milk or coconut water
1 cup of packed leafy greens (your choice such as kale, spinach, or lettuce)
½ of an avocado
1 pear, kiwi, or apple
½ teaspoon of Health2all Turmeric Powder or 2cm of fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon of coconut oil (optional)
Honey or stevia to taste
Add to your blender and mix well.
Super Anti-Inflammatory Morning Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup of freshly brewed green tea
1 cup of blueberries, cranberries, or raspberries (your choice)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of flax seeds or chia seeds
½ teaspoon of Health2all Turmeric Powder or 2cm of fresh turmeric
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
Honey or stevia to taste
Put everything into your blender and mix well. Enjoy!
THIS MONTH’S EVENTS AND MARKETS
So, with the school holidays now in full swing there are lots of extra markets for you to come along to. This is the lead up to my being extra busy, so I hope to see you at one of the markets.
Monday 1st Jan – Harrington Market – 8am – 1pm Held down by the river. Great way to blow away the New Year’s Eve cobwebs.
Wednesday 3rd Jan – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Thursday 4th Jan – Hat head Market – 3pm – 8pm – Held down by the Bowling Club – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Saturday 6th Jan – South West Rock Beachside Market – 8am – 1pm. Back again, I can’t stay away. Held down by Horseshoe Beach.
Sunday 7th Jan – Blackhead Bazaar - 8am – 1pm. Great market for all the family, I will be along the top row as before, and I shouldn’t be too hard to find with my bright orange gazebo.
Wednesday 10th Jan – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Thursday 11th Jan – Hat head Market – 3pm – 8pm – Held down by the Bowling Club – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Saturday 13th Jan - Gloucester Farmers Market - 9am – 1pm. Held at Billabong Park. Lots of great local produce and wines so, something for everyone.
Sunday 14th Jan – Forster Town Market - 8 am – 1pm. Near the campsite on Head Street.
Wednesday 17th Jan – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Thursday 18th Jan – Hat head Market – 3pm – 8pm – Held down by the Bowling Club – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Saturday 20th Jan - Forster Farmers Market – 7am – 12pm By the Visitors Centre.
Sunday 21st Jan – Laurieton Market - 8am – 1pm down by the river on Short and Tunis Streets.
Wednesday 24th Jan – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Thursday 25th Jan – Hat head Market – 3pm – 8pm – Held down by the Bowling Club – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Saturday 27th Jan – Tuncurry Market – 8 am – 1pm See you over the bridge at the John Whiley Park.
Sunday 28th Jan – Pacific Palms Market - 8am – 1pm. At Elizabeth Beach, another great market for all the family and dog friendly, so come along for a fun day out.
For those of you who can’t get to those markets all you need to do is ring me on 0406 036 845 or you can now go to my website – https://www.achealthysolutions.com/shop and order from there, and I will arrange for it to be posted or delivered to you. The cost is the same as at the market and postage/delivery is free on all orders over $100 with a flat rate of $8 below that.
Yours in Health and Happiness
Alison Carroll
aka The Turmeric Lady
AC Healthy Solutions