News — #healthy

Bringing home a new baby can be overwhelming and without a doubt, exhausting. If it’s a couple’s first child or even fourth, the first few months following a new arrival are always hectic and tiring, yet somehow magical.

It can be difficult for new parents to think about food prep or recipes, let alone to prioritise healthy eating at all. While trying to recover from the most physically and emotionally exhausting event that is childbirth, they have their hands full (literally), they are tired and they are hungry. That’s why healthy, wholesome and delicious prepared meals can be an absolute lifesaver during that precious and all-consuming time.

We are absolutely certain that new parents will appreciate our lovingly prepared meals delivered to their doorstep, with no prep of any kind required – no chopping, no mixing, simply heat and eat. The perfect gift to cut out the stress of shopping, cooking and washing up.

Our hand-prepared frozen meals are packed full of nutritious fresh ingredients (locally sourced where possible) to support the postpartum healing period and allow more time for care and rest for the new parents. Each Wholesomeness meal comes labelled with nutritional information and microwave and oven heating instructions.

A Wholesomeness gift voucher would make the perfect gift for new parents. Alternatively, if you would prefer to just purchase and send the new parents a box once the little one has arrived, you can do that as well.

For a couple who have only just become parents, we would recommend our pack of 14 x one-portion meals. This would provide the new parents with 7 nights of dinners. For an extra treat, add on a pack of our yummy guilt-free vegan cakes (a huge customer favourite) for the couple to enjoy together once the baby is (finally!) asleep.

For families who already have children, our family meal pack would be perfect. Our family meal pack includes 5 x 1.2kg kid-friendly meals (each meal is designed to feed two adults + two children).

Purchase a gift voucher here.

Order and send meals to the new parents here. Delivery is every Tuesday.

“A new baby is like the beginning of all things…hope, a dream of possibilities.”

- Eda LaShan

Did you know that we make delicious breakfast packs that you can add onto any order for only $20?

Our breakfast packs are made in house by our clinical Nutritionist and are gluten free, dairy free, preservative free, cane sugar free and additive free. We can also make them low FODMAP!

Our breakfast packs include a mix of smoothie packs and our homemade cereal packs (some weeks we mix it up a bit and make our yummy breakfast frittata too).

Our delicious superfood smoothie packs are the perfect blend-and-go brekkie for those busy mornings – simply blend with your choice of milk or water. No prepping, no waste and no mess!! For an added boost, you can also add a serving of our homemade protein powder blend, which can be added onto any order. 

We make our own cereal blend from scratch, using premium ingredients (and no added refined sugars in sight!). We keep our dried fruit content low, occasionally we might add xylitol, honey or maple syrup, but it's rare and it's minimal. We like to use wholesome, nourishing ingredients in our cereal…think puffed quinoa, pepitas, sunflower seeds, shaved coconut and freeze dried fruit, just to name a few! We are constantly creating new cereal blends with different and exciting ingredients to add variation so that you’re never bored…which we believe is essential for an enjoyable, yummy breakfast!

Perhaps you have a super busy schedule, or you have some food sensitivities, or you simply just want more time for a sleep in! Add a breakfast pack to your next order here. Breakfast is one of the most important nourishing opportunities of the day. Make it count. 

Author:
Lisa Cutforth
B.Sc Nutrition with Psychology (Dual Degree)
Consulting Clinical Nutritionist to The Banyans Wellness Retreat
Owner and Managing Director of Wholesomeness

Instead of a list of foods to avoid, we’ve put together a list of amazing nutritionally-dense foods that you should be eating (unless you have specific intolerances/allergies or are on a low FODMAP diet). Eat from this list daily, and your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to create as many of your meals with these foods in them as you can.

Here are our top 20 healthiest foods to add to your day:

1. Berries especially blueberries and blackberries. High in antioxidants like polyphenols and despite being a fruit they aren’t going to spike your blood sugar terribly.
2. Lemon: squeeze it into water, over meat, over salads, over avocado
3. Coconut: eat the flesh, drink the water, use the oil (cold pressed)
4. Sardines (in a can): high in omega 3, without the mercury, and because they contain the bones they are also high in calcium.
5. Fresh herbs like basil, mint, coriander, rosemary and thyme don’t just add flavour to meals, they have great health qualities too.
6. Sugar snap peas… yummy crunchy, green and full of B vitamins, fibre, protein and yumminess.
7. Broccoli and cauliflower (preferably organic): there is so much goodness in cruciferous veg!  Wonderful cancer fighters.
8. Tahini (sesame seed paste) high in calcium…and yummy in dips or dressings
9. Apples (organic and washed!) – full of gut-friendly prebiotics
10. Chilli or Harissa
11. Cinnamon (this is a spice, not a food, but it can actually help you manage your blood sugar levels so eat it with foods like pumpkin, oats, apple)
12. Olives
13. Pistachios (one of the best nuts to eat for a number of reasons!)
14. Walnuts: bursting with ALA, the omega 3 fatty acid and super-antioxidant that works to scavenge free-radicals and repair and protect cell membranes in the brain.
15. Sauerkraut or Kimchi (fermented foods are great for gut health)
16. Ancient grains: quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat (all wheat free and naturally gluten free, so these grains are not going to irritate your gut like other gliadin grains tend to, they are also high in essential amino acids)
17. Leafy greens especially watercress, Chinese cabbage, beet greens, dandelion greens, spinach and kale (which are great “liver cleansers”)
18. Ginger and Turmeric (cook with them, add them to stir fries, rice, casseroles…so good! Read all about the healing properties of turmeric in our blog post here.
19. Sprouted legumes or beans – bursting with B vitamins!
20. Great quality cocoa – full of antioxidants!

Some other tips: garlic is amazing, any veg especially mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus, spaghetti squash, tomatoes.  If you are going to eat potatoes opt for purple or red skin new (small) potatoes or sweet potatoes.

If you are going to eat meat, go for organic where possible and always grass fed, same applies for chicken. Game meats and bone broth are great and full of goodness too.

Organic soya beans or tofu have amazing health benefits, are rich in B vitamins and have actually been found to be protective against cancer.

Of course, this list of healthy foods can go on for ages, but these are some of our favourites that we love using in the Wholesomeness kitchen 🖤

References:

Harvard Health

Aha Journals

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that there are certain things we can do to prevent contracting the virus, for example social distancing, wearing our mask and washing our hands frequently. But keeping our immune system strong and robust is also a crucial element to ensuring that we stay healthy during this time.

The role of the immune system is to protect us against pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Defence against these pathogens requires a well-functioning immune system. As you can see in Figure 1 below, there are many factors that can influence the health of our immune system, including unmodifiable factors (e.g. genetics and age) and modifiable factors (e.g. nutrition, gut health, stress).  

Nutrition is one factor that helps to determine the immune response. Poor nutrition may not provide the immune system with the adequate nutrients it needs to function properly, leading to poor defence against pathogens and increased susceptibility to infection. That’s why a balanced, healthy diet is an important aspect of a strong immune system, which helps to reduce the risk of contracting viruses (including COVID-19) and helps to protect us if we do contract them with usually milder symptoms and a faster recovery time.

We’ve listed below some important nutrients and vitamins that play key roles in supporting the immune system:

VITAMIN D: important for moderating the immune system and the best part is, you can get this vitamin for free from daily sunshine! Cod liver oil is another great source of vitamin D, and also contains vitamin A, which is an excellent antioxidant immune-boosting vitamin. Recent studies have reported an association between low vitamin D levels and increased risk and severity of COVID-19. See our previous interesting post: Can Mushrooms Create Vitamin D from Sunlight?

VITAMIN A: great sources of vitamin A come from apricots, carrots, green leafy vegetables and egg yolks.

VITAMIN C: a good water soluble vitamin that helps the immune system function effectively and protects against oxidative and inflammatory stress. Citrus fruits are famous for their high vitamin C content, but there are actually lots more foods that are bursting with this vitamin, including broccoli, raw cabbage, pineapple, strawberries and even parsley.

PROBIOTICS: our gut is our first line of defence with our immune system. It is lined with different types of immune and defence cells that will pick up different viruses and bacteria that come through the gut. Having a healthy gut requires having healthy microbiome (read our previous post on tips for restoring & strengthening your gut microbiome). Probiotics support both the immune system and the gut so that they can both do their job effectively.

ZINC: zinc is a powerful worker bee in the body. It’s important for so many different functions in the immune system, activates over 200 different enzymes in the body and helps to control oxidative stress and inflammation. Food sources of zinc include beef, beans, cashews, egg yolks, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, oysters and nutritional yeast. Recent studies have reported an association between low zinc status and increased risk and severity of COVID-19.

IRON: iron transports oxygen around the body to all of our cells. Without oxygen our cells cannot function effectively, so making sure that we have proper iron stores is important.

HERBS: for example, anti-viral herbs (which help to stop viruses in their track and improve response to infection – elderberry is a good example - helps to mitigate inflammation, swelling, soreness and mucus production). Anti-bacterial herbs (e.g. garlic, oregano, thyme, green tea). Adaptogens (herbs that help our body adapt to stress) and immune stimulants (e.g. Echinacea).

Other lifestyle factors to consider:

STRESS: Stress dampens and weakens our immune system, affects our mood and our mental health. Find ways that work for you to alleviate stress. Get good sleep to allow your body to heal and regenerate (7-9 hours per night), laughter, connection, do things that you love (this helps our adrenals which strengthens our immune system).

EXERCISE: Daily exercise helps our cardiovascular system and our lymphatic system (which is also part of our immune system). When we move our body our skeletal muscles help to pump lymphatic fluid, which helps to flush out viruses and bacteria from our system. Exercise is also amazing for our mood, endorphins and our mental health!

Some of our previous posts on the immune system that you may find interesting:

• Immune Boosters You Need Now: Going Back to Basics
• 3 Surprising Signs of a Weakened Immune System
• Home Remedies for Clearing or Preventing Phlegm and Mucus Caused by Respiratory Viruses

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021

References:

The FEBS Journal

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Redox Biology

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

It’s nearly June, which means winter is nearly upon us here in Queensland. Characterized by frosty mornings, early sunsets and chilly nights, the cooler months call for hearty dishes to keep you warm and nourished all winter long. 

You may think that the range of winter fruits and vegetables is limited, but with a bit of creativity and preparation, you can enjoy fresh, local produce all season long. With a Wholesomeness meal delivery, we have done all the hard prep for you – we source fresh, local seasonal produce to create tasty winter dishes that are packed with nutrition and maximum flavour. Winter is all about comforting foods that are warming, cozy and satisfying. Think flu-fighting soups, winter one-pots, hearty stews and roast root vegetables.  

Fruits and vegetables flourish at certain times of the year, however grocery stores stock just about everything all year round, which makes it easy to forget what’s in season and what’s not. A good tip is to take a walk around your local farmer’s market and see what kinds of produce are available – these will usually be the ones that are in season at that time.

There are many benefits to eating seasonally.  The food is at its freshest, tastes the best, is best for you, is more sustainable, and is usually cheaper. It also allows us to get back to the roots of local and sustainable eating, by supporting local businesses and our local community as a whole.  

Seasonal fruits and veggies that have been allowed to fully ripen on the plant and picked at the peak of freshness are better quality and higher in nutrition compared to produce that is picked unripe and then transported to different areas or countries. Therefore, eating local sustainable produce allows for maximum nutrition that is tailored to your local environment.

In winter, many people often lack vitamin D due to the increased time spent indoors. Mushrooms are often at their peak during winter, and they contain excellent sources of vitamin D (see our previous blog post on mushrooms and vitamin D here). Mushrooms are such a versatile ingredient, with the potential to add a delicious savoury and warm umami flavour to so many dishes. We love using them in our Mushroom Bourguignon with Mash and Green Beans, and our Mushroom, Spinach and Truffle Risotto with Broccoli and Pepitas.

During winter, we also need extra vitamin C to keep our immune system strong and to help fight off colds and flu quicker. Winter citrus fruits like navel oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons and limes all contain amazing sources of vitamin C and antioxidants. Winter fruits also often last a lot longer than the soft summer fruits, which means less food wastage and more value for your money.

Eating foods that are in season gives you the opportunity to appreciate the foods that are available, and allows for more variety in your diet as seasonal foods are constantly shifting – a wonderful cycle that allows you to experience each food.

What veggies are in season this winter? Print out our handy list of winter seasonal veggies and hang it on your fridge!