spring cleanse

Happy first day of Spring!

I feel very lucky to have escaped the bleak Victorian winter this year.

I'm celebrating the arrival of Spring with a cleanse - body, mind and spirit - and I invite you to join me.

I did a quiet cleanse last year from the 1st of September to the 13th (my birthday, turning 40 this year! But that's another story), the main change I made was switching my daily cup of coffee to a vegetable juice. Radical I know.

This year I am stepping things up a little and decided on Friday to ask The Wholefood Mama facebook page readers to join me and am very happy with the keen response.

If you'd like to take part read on, (sorry for the short notice! but it isn't too late to start and you don't have to be on facebook, I will be posting updates and tips here on the blog)

The Wholefood Mama Spring cleanse guidelines:

Spring is a traditional time of cleansing and renewal in nature and in many cultural practices as we say farewell to the darkness and inner nature of winter and welcome the lightness of the new season.

For me a cleanse is not about an extreme detoxification, rather it is about bringing my awareness to what I am eating and drinking, how I am spending my time, the things I have in my space and making changes in a direction that is nourishing and makes me feel lighter.

I don't have qualifications as a health practitioner so please bear this in mind if you are joining me, my suggestions will be gentle and doable wherever you are at on your health and wellness path, but do check things out if you are in doubt.

The cleanse will look like this:

- caffeine free
- refined sugar free
- grain free
- dairy free
- vegetarian
- alcohol free
- 2 litres of water per day
- daily yoga and meditation or walking
- reading and writing affirmations
- setting new intentions
- practicing gratitude

If I were at home I would cleanse my surroundings too, sending anything I no longer use off to the op shop.Here is a little shopping list to get you started:

- in season fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably organic): best bought every few days, enough for breakfast smoothies, salads and soups
- lemons, so you can start your day with the juice of 1/2 a lemon in warm water
- miso so you can have miso soup for breakfast or as a 'snack' between meals
- dandelion and/or herbal teas to replace caffeinated drinks
- macadamias, brazil nuts and almonds
- pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and linseeds
- coconut water
- fresh ginger, garlic, herbs and spices

Breakfast ideas: fresh vegetable juice, fresh fruit, green smoothie, miso and vegetable soup

Lunch ideas: soup, salad, stir-fry, veggie curry, green smoothie

Dinner: see lunch

Snacks: 6-8 nuts (chewed very well!), a piece of fruit, veggie sticks

As I have already mentioned I am not a medical practitioner, I am sharing the cleanse that I am doing and invite you to join me making adjustments that are right for your energy and activity levels. If this outline feels too drastic to you, ease it back a little and include chicken soup, or some dahl or similar.

One of the main reasons for doing a cleanse is to rest our often overworked digestion, so simple light meals are best.I will be doing the cleanse for 12 days, completing it on the 13th in time for wholefood cake and champagne with my family and friends for my birthday! 

I'd love you to join me for the 12 days but as little as two days will renew your energy and focus.

If there are other things you would add to the shopping list or other meal ideas please share them in the comments. Are you in?

(the beautiful photo was taken by my husband Peter McConchie)

pasta is not a dirty word

Poor old pasta. In these gluten-free, carbohydrate phobic times, eating a bowl of pasta has become problematic. I've never been an all or nothing kind of person so have never cut carbs completely out of my diet or my family's but I do think that our modern diets are too heavy on carbs and too light on vegetables. And there's one thing for certain, many kids love carbs and loathe vegetables!

What to do?

Well, when River was about 3 years old I talked to my Chinese doctor about this very situation and her response was to vary the grains that the pasta is made of.

The majority of pasta you see on the supermarket shelf is made from wheat which more and more people are finding that they have a sensitivity to or realise that their diets are too heavily based on wheat like for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wheat is a whole topic in itself but for starters go here .

We eat pasta about once a week or every ten days and avoid eating wheat, I buy gluten-free rice or corn pasta, spelt, amaranth or kamut pasta. The health food aisle in your supermarket stocks pasta that is made from grains other than wheat and your local health food store will most likely have an even wider range.

Now for the vegetables. Well, the good news is pasta sauce is a wonderland for concealing vegetables. If it isn't already, the grater should be your best friend. Grated carrot and zucchini are two of my favorites to include. That said, I don't really believe in hiding vegetables at every meal to get children to eat them.

Raising happy, healthy eaters begins with us the parents. Our attitude to good food, the example we set and having clear, consistent expectations are the foundations in my book. Speaking of books, for more tips on curing fussy eaters read 'French Kids Eat Everything' by Karen Le Billon.

There's no force feeding at our table but what we serve for dinner is dinner, there are no other options. When it comes to veggies most children go in and out of liking carrots, pumpkin, broccoli - insert vegetable name - one day and screwing their face up at the sight of them the next. The key is not to make a big deal out of it and not to give up putting vegetables on their plate. Yes it gets a bit boring having the same old 'eat your veggies' talk but it is our work, laying solid nutritional foundations for our children is an important job. Don't give up!

Back to the pasta. The dish pictured above is corn spaghetti (500g) tossed with roasted veggies, a whole jar of Meredith Dairy goat cheese (including the olive oil and herbs from the jar thrown in), semi dried tomatoes, fresh peas and roasted pine nuts. Roasted veggie pasta is one of my favorites, quick and easy.

Now, tell me your favorites? Or have you given up grains? Tell me why and how that's going.