Hi everyone and welcome to my December newsletter.
Even though I have been in Australia for over 18 years I still find it strange that it’s hot and sunny for Christmas – I’m more used to cold and rainy at this time of year with the odd snowy year for good measure. But, what ever the weather Christmas rolls around each year, and I need to get myself into the Christmas spirit – which I do rather enjoy.
Sadly, Lexi won’t be able to make it back up again this year – the goats require year-round attention – I wonder if any of them will star in as local nativity this year? But I was lucky enough to see her recently and as you know Mike is living with me so I will see him on Christmas day. Though I’m sure that I will see the rest of my family too – just via Zoom. However, I am super excited that I will get to see my youngest sister, Chrisy, and her husband in January of this year. Sadly, only for a few days as they do the trip round Oz visiting all the rellies. But it will be amazing to see them as I haven’t seen her in the flesh since I last went back to the UK in 2015. Since January is my super busy time, I’m sure that they will be coming along to some of my markets, especially as I’m so lucky to live in such a beautiful area and all my markets are in wonderful locations – well worth a visit - so if you are very lucky you could get to see her as well.
My recipe this month is for a prawn salad, which I thought was a rather festive recipe. Though it’s something that you could enjoy all year round.
Plus, my article is on the importance of hydration. Given the hot sticky weather that we are having at the moment, it’s easy to forget that it’s just as important for us to drink plenty of fluids on a day like that as it is on a hot sunny day. Given that we all perspire more when the humidity is high, we need to be able to replace the water that we lose. I know that I was working in the garden today and boy did I work up a thirst!! Mind you it was just in time. Here in Wauchope, we are having a tremendous storm, so all those bushes that I planted up are getting a good watering – which saves me a job. Â
WHY HYDRATION IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BODY
We all know that water is vital for our bodies and that without water we will die. But it’s not just a black-and-white situation, without adequate hydration our bodies will continue to operate but they won’t be operating at an optimal level. It’s just like if you run your car on low levels of oil, it will continue to work, but it won’t cool the engine properly or remove all the rubbish fragments causing rough running.
Your body is no different. Without adequate levels of hydration, the cells of your body won’t be able to absorb nutrition correctly – and that includes your Health2all Turmeric – you will be more prone to heart problems, and digestive issues especially constipation. Your muscles and joints need plenty of water for them to operate properly or the facia of the muscle becomes stiff and inflexible, and your joints won’t be able to move smoothly, leading to aches and pains.
If you don’t have enough water, the vital job of the interstitial fluid – your toxin removal system won’t work properly, causing a build-up of toxic waste in your body – which can cause major diseases such as IBS, eczema, depression, and chronic fatigue.
Sufficient water is critical for all the systems of the body – Circulatory system, Nervous System, Muscular System, Respiratory System, and Digestive System.
So how much water do we need? Well, depending on your size, the amount of exercise you do, and how much you perspire, it’s recommended that you drink between 1.5 – 3 litres of water a day, plus whatever else you consume in the way of tea and coffee. However, don’t drink lots of soda, sports drinks, or alcohol. Even fruit juice can have hidden calories if you drink just the juice without eating the whole fruit, though things like watermelon straight from the fridge on a hot day are wonderful.
The other problem that we encounter is our water quality. Now I can hear you saying but our water quality is great, well yes and no. It won’t kill you or make you sick, but sadly by the time it comes to you it’s been highly processed. The water in Port Macquarie for example is so highly chlorinated that even my dog wouldn’t drink it and I had to give him filtered water. This is not the type of water that our bodies have evolved to absorb. The best type of water is the sort of thing that most of us have forgotten how it tastes. It has natural minerals in it and when we drink that type of water it bypasses our digestive system and is absorbed directly into our bloodstream.
Now I’m not suggesting that you buy expensive bottled water like Evian. There is a simple way that we can replicate the way that water used to be. Firstly, it is important that you filter your water, though a simple Brita filter or similar is fine. The important step is to add the minerals back into the water. To do this for every litre add a small pinch of a good salt such as a quality Himalayan, Celtic, or Maldon salt, plus 8 – 10 drops of lemon or lime juice per litre of water. That’s it! Nothing radical, but it will make all the difference as to how your body responds.
Once all your cells are plump and absorbing all the nutrients and micronutrients you need, they will also absorb your Health2all Turmeric better and that’s got to be good news.
GOLDEN PRAWN SALAD
*Serves 4
Ingredients:
12 large tiger prawns, shelled
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion chopped
1 cucumber, seeds removed and diced
½ bunch Vietnamese mint
150g Danish feta
2 tsp Health2All Turmeric
Dressing:
2½ tbsp warm water
lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1½ tsp tamarind paste
Salt
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp Health2All Turmeric
Method:
For the dressing:
In a small bowl place, the tamarind, honey, lime juice, salt & Turmeric4you, mix to form a paste.
Stirring slowly add the water little by little until combined.
Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and add the oil.
Replace the lid and shake vigorously until emulsified.
For the salad:
In a medium sized bowl add the tomatoes, red onion & cucumber, season with salt and cracked black pepper.
Dress with the dressing, toss, and transfer to serving platter.
Meanwhile heat a pan or griddle to medium heat
Sprinkle the prawns with Turmeric4you and salt.
Grill or fry prawns for 2 minutes on each side
Transfer to the serving plate on top of the salad
Garnish with crumbled feta & Vietnamese mint leaves
THIS MONTH’S EVENTS AND MARKETS
So, with Christmas and the school holidays on the horizon 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.
Saturday 2nd Dec - Kempsey Market – 3pm - 8pm. Held down by the river. Note: this is a Twilight market.
Sunday 3rd Dec – 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. Â
Saturday 9th Dec - Gloucester Farmers Market - 9am – 1pm. Held at Billabong Park. Lots of great local produce and wines so, something for everyone.
Sunday 10th Dec – Forster Town Market - 8 am – 1pm. Near the campsite on Head Street.
Friday 15th Dec – Gloucester Christmas Market – 5pm – 8pm – Held in Billabong Park as the Farmer’s Market is. Still, time to get your Christmas gifts. Another twilight market for me.
Saturday 16th Dec - Tuncurry Market – 8 am – 1pm See you over the bridge at the John Whiley Park.
Sunday 17th Dec – Laurieton Market - 8am – 1pm down by the river on Short and Tunis Streets.
Saturday 23rd Dec – South West Rocks Market – 8am – 1pm – Held down by Horseshoe Beach
Saturday 24th Dec - ??? Looks like I might be getting a day off.
Wednesday 27th Dec – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Thursday 28th Dec – Hat head Market – 3pm – 8pm – Held down by the Bowling Club – lots of great stalls, music and food.
Saturday 30th Dec – South West Rocks Market - 8am - 1pm - Held down by Horseshoe Beach
Sunday 31st Dec – 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.
Sunday 31st Dec – Gloucester New Years Eve Market 3pm to midnight. Great Stalls, Music and food. Fireworks at midnight. Come on down and see in the New Year in Style. My final twilight market for the year.
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