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Broccoli Salad Recipe
I have to be honest here.
I didn’t come up with this completely on my own. I got the idea from one of my friends, when I went to her house for a big dinner. (Thanks Jen!) But I’ve developed it a bit further!
Some of you have asked for this recipe on different social media channels, and now, here it is!
Raw Broccoli Salad
You’ll need:
1 broccoli (depending on how hungry, or how many you are this varies)
6 slices of bacon
1 pomegranate (seeds) (you can also buy these ready, a lot less hassle!)
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Do this:
1.Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry it until crisp
2. Grate the broccoli (or you can use a blender, just don’t blend it too much)
3. Mix the soaked off bacon with the broccoli and the pomegranate seeds
4. Mix olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour it over the salad.
5. Enjoy it as a side dish or on its own!
If you have digestive issues with raw broccoli, I suggest you blanch it first (drop it in boiling water for just a minute) and let it dry slightly before making this yummy salad. Doing this makes it a lot softer on the stomach. The taste becomes a little less “fresh” and if you don’t let it dry enough, it can become a little watery.
You can also substitute the pomegranate for raisins or other dried fruits. The carbohydrate count does increase then, so keep that in mind. And pomegranates are super healthy, they are packed with good things that make your body run smoothly.
I’ve also made something extra for you: CLICK HERE: Broccoli_salad to get the recipe as a printable file! I’ve also added the nutritional information on the PDF.
Please let me know in the comments below what you think! Is it a good salad? Will you be making it again?
Going off wheat (or grains)? 5 points to consider.
- First off, as you’re cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates from grains/wheat you’re currently eating, it might leave you feeling a little worse for the first few days. Some call this the “carb-flu”, because that’s what it can feel like, the beginning of a flu. This is because your body is detoxing from the highly addictive grains/wheat you’ve been eating. It’s nothing to worry about, please don’t give up, you’re doing yourself an awesome favour. You’ll get to your improved, chirpier self in no time, I promise.
- Because you’ll be eating less of one particular thing, it’s important to fill the space with other things. I’d recommend to seriously up the amount of vegetables and fruits you eat daily.
- Instead of those carbs you’re cutting out, choose great sources of fat (avocado, salmon, nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, coconut…), as they will keep you satisfied for longer and still make up your calorie count. And nope, fat doesn’t make you fat, as long as it’s good fat.
- Your body also needs protein. This is what your body builds and repairs itself off of (well the amino acids). If you eat meat, keep doing so with a good conscience. If not, you need to add some source of protein, perhaps a protein shake as part of a meal or a snack? (I’d recommend a raw protein powder made from hemp, for example)
- So, what is left for you to eat, then? Here are some simple ideas:
- Instead of bread, you can use bell peppers as a sandwich. Cut one in half, remove the core, fill up with your favourite sandwich fillings and enjoy. Or just eat the sandwich toppings with a side of vegetables. You can also try your baking skills with my awesome non-wheat non-grain bread recipe, found HERE.
- Instead of pasta, use “zoodles” or zucchini noodles. Takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and is easier with a julienne cutter. Fry them lightly in some olive oil. The texture is almost the same, the taste is a lot fresher. Or spaghetti squash (how to cook it). It can be made well in advance and just heated up when needed. Use with your favourite pasta sauce (mine is hands-down green pesto. YUM!)And don’t forget about things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and plantains. Gluten and grain free for sure, but just quite high in carbs, so if you’re watching your carb intake, be a little careful.
- If you’re going wheat/gluten free but don’t see the point in going fully grain free, you have tons of alternatives left: quinoa, rice, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, sorghum and oats, if they’re declared gluten free.
- One word: SALADS! Not the puny little green side salad, but a proper one filled with cheese, egg, ham, chicken, avocado… It will keep you full for long. And steer clear of pasta salads. There’s nothing healthy there.
- You may need to find new places to buy lunch, for example. Depending on where you live, and your determination, there are always places that are happy to help you get onto a healthier journey. You just have to find them.Ask restaurants to replace any wheat/grain/carby side order with vegetables. I haven’t found a restaurant yet that doesn’t do this. And order those hamburgers without the bun!
- Another idea is to sign up below this post to get my 11 healthy and healing recipes for free – guaranteed both gluten and grain free!
8 Foods to Seriously Avoid
One of the questions I get a lot is “what foods should I avoid?”
The concept of avoiding food is technically nothing I’m a fan of, as that would make it a diet (shrug) and not a way of eating.
But this list makes a comprehensive summary of foods I rather leave alone, and would rather see you leave alone, too.
1. Sugar
(Surprise, surprise!)
Examples: Juice, soda, cookies, candy – all the stuff you know is bad for you but sometimes eat anyway.
Why: I’m not sure this needs a longer explanation anymore… Overconsumption of sugar is linked to obesity, inflammation and even cancer. And it’s seriously addictive. Is this really something you want your body to have available when it comes to running the machine?
2. Grains, especially Gluten
Examples: Bread, pasta, crackers. Anything with flour actually. Beer. But also unexpected sources of it, like some chocolates and ice cream.
Why: Gluten is the protein, the “glue” that holds the bread etc together. It can cause huge allergic reactions in people who have celiac disease, or are sensitive to gluten. But also people who aren’t clinically allergic to it should watch out, it’s been linked to things like Alzheimer’s, ADD/ADHD and inflammation. If you have a auto-immune disease, it can many times be improved by taking away gluten from your diet.
3. Dairy from cow’s milk
Examples: yoghurt, cheese, milk, creme fraiche, cottage cheese…
Why: Cow’s milk is the most tampered with food source there is – it’s heated up, cooled down, things added, vitamins removed, then re-added… Bleugh. What is left is nothing like raw cow’s milk that the calf gets from its mother.
Which brings me to another point; even in raw cow’s milk, there are a lot of growth hormones. The calf has to grow into a big cow one day as well. But this growth hormone can also make us and our cells grow (especially cancerous ones). Not to mention all the health problems the cow may have had while giving the milk, that would have been treated with antibiotics, steroids and other medications.
If you can’t live without cheese, like me, for example, goat’s cheese and sheep’s cheese are much better alternatives. They haven’t been as modified, because the production isn’t on the same scale as cows (yet, at least!).
4. Trans Fats
Examples: Anything labelled “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”.
Why: It’s chemically processed fats! They wreak havoc in your body and can seriously mess with your cholesterol levels. Although cholesterol levels are reducing in importance at the moment, trans fats are still not anything you want in your system.
5. Seed- and vegetable oils
Examples: canola, sunflower, soybean… oils.
Why: Are mega 3 fatty acids important to a healthy body? Heck yes. Well, these lovelies ( ? ) contain so much Omega 6 fatty acids that the ever-so-important ratio between the two is completely thrown off-balance. In a simplified version, you could say that Omega 6 increases inflammation responses in your body, while Omega 3 lowers them.
Please choose other forms of oil, like avocado, walnut or olive oil. And top up those Omega 3’s to be sure, by eating more (wild caught) salmon, or by supplementing with krill oil, for example.
6. “Low fat” foods
Examples: yoghurt, cheese, cereals, candy, sodas.
Why: sometimes pictures say more than food, so this one will have to be described by a picture:
7. Processed foods
Examples: (microwaveable) ready meals, “if it looks like it comes from a factory rather than a farm”
Why: It does go hand in hand with the previous point – it’s a load of chemicals mixed together for your pleasure. Or not. too many calories, too little nutrition. Wouldn’t it be better to just eat some real food that will leave you satisfied and well fed instead of eating a meal that leaves you hungry again within the hour?
8. Artificial Sweeteners
Examples: sucralose, aspartame, saccharin…
Why: You may think they’re good for your blood glucose levels, because it doesn’t raise them, right? Well, while that may be true, the fact is that they mess up the rest of your metabolism instead.
If you absolutely have to, have to use a sweetener, use stevia. Or honey, real, raw honey in small dosages won’t kill you.
BONUS TIP:
Even on “health foods”, you have to carefully read the label to see that it doesn’t contain any of your undesired ingredients. There are always difference in opinion on what should go into a food or not, so you’re always better off just to check what is actually in it.
Have you heard of any other foods you “should” avoid? Let me know in the comments below and I can help you confirm or debunk that myth!
(Idea from Kris Gunnars, an excellent writer on all things healthy food.)4 Tips for Healthifying Your Food
What’s you absolute favourite food?
Does it happen to be something you “shouldn’t” be eating? Something you’re sensitive against or even allergic to? Or something that isn’t good for your condition, but it’s not causing you enough trouble to let it go?
Oh boy. The amount of times I’ve had to battle this for myself.
Since forever, my favourite food was pasta with a green pesto sauce. I LOVED that stuff and could have eaten it at any given point of time.
It’s something about the slight chewiness of the al dente cooked pasta in combination with the fresh, green and actually quite healthy taste of the pesto that has always been AHMAZING. Also given the carb and fat combo that the pasta and the oil makes, it starts off a whole array of reward reactions in the brain.
And before you ask, yes, I definitely used to eat this while being diabetic. But it was before the start of my earth-shattering New Life that I started at the time of my education to become a nutrition coach. With that came all the information and knowledge of what starches get up to in your body, and although I didn’t see it coming, it changed everything.
In many cases, it’s too easy to get stuck on the foods you used to eat. What’s even harder is to get used to the “new food” that you’re most probably feeling a little “meh” about.
Why should I eat this healthy crap instead of my favourite dish in the whole wide world? I don’t feel THAT bad when I eat the good stuff? How much would it REALLY change if I went for the healthy version of it?
The answer is: quite a lot, actually.
Do you honestly feel better when you eat the stuff you know you shouldn’t? Not necessarily mentally, but physically? After which food do you have more energy? Does it have any consequences on you, your body and your health when you gulp down that burger? Transfats, pure sugar and artificial flavours is just the beginning of your problems.
Add to that the inflammation response in your body that an elevated blood glucose causes, for example. Can you see the spike of insulin your body needs in order to fix that?
I think both of us knows what happens when your blood glucose is elevated for too long (days, months, years) and the body has to produce more and more insulin to compensate… After a while it’s pretty easy for the insulin receptors in your cells to not recognise the insulin anymore, causing something called insulin resistance and, eventually, Type 2 Diabetes. Not fun. And nothing you will want to handle.
When it comes to healthifying your food, the biggest issue is that you’re definitely looking to find foods that “replace” the old yummies. But what if you could find something else entirely that makes your mind and body sing? And that this food also “happens” to be healthy?
These are my top 4 tips for when you’re changing your food:
1. Do an elimination trial
Try to eliminate the food you think might be causing you problems (most commonly gluten, grains, milk or soy) for 1 month and see if you notice any changes.
2. Focus on how your food makes you feel.
Really feel how your body reacts to certain foods. Do you feel tired, sluggish and out of sync? Perhaps try something else next time. On the other hand, do you get happy, feel full and energised after a meal? BINGO, you’ve found something great!
3. See the “new food” as a welcomed addition
If you only think of the foods you miss and aren’t “allowed” to have anymore, instead of seeing it as adding a plethora of new tastes and culinary experiences, you’re starting off on the wrong foot. Sure, you’ll be putting aside a few good old go-to recipes for a while, but what about the things you’re about to taste, feel, see and enjoy? Give it a chance! You might just experience something wonderful.
4. Remember, it’s probably not forever
When you start out trying to figure out what’s good and not-so-good for you, it’s a bit like an obstacle course of trial and error. While you say good bye to milk products for a while, doesn’t mean you’ll never have it again. If your body can handle it, and you feel good eating it after your break from it, then by all means, go ahead and keep it in your cooking repertoire.
The important point is to try how you do without the food in question. Do you feel better without? Then you should probably leave it for a longer period of time. Do you feel fine (or even better!) with it? Add it back in!
What about you? Have you discovered a particular food that wasn’t that good for you anyway? Have you tried to eliminate a type of food for a while? Please comment below and help others who might just be like you!
Are you ready for it?!
Here it finally is.
You’ve been asking me several times, and all I’ve answered is that it’s coming “soon”.
Well, “soon” is here!
What if you could still eat bread without having any trouble? And not even realise it wasn’t traditional bread you were eating, but an awesome healthy version of it? This “bread” recipe is a collection of the most awesome bread recipes I’ve found out there. So I picked the raisins out of the cake and took the best features of each bread to make my own.
It’s suitable for allergies such as gluten, sugar, lactose, milk and yeast, but if you’re allergic to nuts (almonds) or eggs, I’d suggest you try to find alternative ingredients. I can help you with that, just comment below!
GrainBrain’s Awesomest “Bread”
You’ll need
• 5 dl almond flour
• a little less than 1 dl ground flaxseed (you can find this at a health food store. Or DIY!)
• 1 teaspoon whole flaxseeds
• 3/4 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 + a little dl psyllium seed husk (you’ll find this at a health food store, too)
• 6 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 dl coconut milk (I’ve also used goats milk yoghurt, which was good too. Experiment depending on your boundaries!)
Do like this:
1. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl
2. Melt the butter/ghee/coconut oil in a saucepan. Let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl.
4. Mix the dry and wet mixes together until it forms a batter but not longer than that.
5. Put your awesome batter into a greased loaf pan. Put some seeds on top of the loaf (flax seed, hemp seed, sunflower seed…)
6. Bake your yumminess of a bread at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. Check with the good old toothpick trick to see if it’s done.
7. Try it in a big slice with your favourite sandwich toppings. Enjoy!
(8. Don’t blame me if you get addicted. 🙂 Yes. It’s that good.)
Please let me know what you think once you’ve tried it out!