The Mayan’s called it ‘the Food of Gods’. The Aztec’s believed it would bring them power and wisdom. The French declared it a ‘dangerous drug’ and today we call it… dark chocolate. So this Valentine’s don’t worry about the silly roses just give me some 85% dark chocolate. *Please note: Other gifts of love or food still welcome.

Luckily for us the historical reputation of dark chocolate (raw cacoa) is more than just wishful thinking. Today researchers have found that chocolate contains more antioxidant properties, weight for weight, than acai berries, blueberries and green tea. It is 21 times more potent and 14 times stronger than the antioxidants in red wine and may contribute to improved cardiovascular health, healthy cholesterol levels and reduced blood pressure.

Aside from the long-term health benefits, dark chocolate is also said to create those feel-good endorphins. According to Yale University Associate Professor Dr Katz (who has conducted more than 20 studies in the past decade on the healthy value of cacoa and chocolate), dark chocolate (or raw cacao) contains the naturally occurring chemical Phenylethylamine (PEA), an adrenal-related chemical that is created within the brain and released when we are in love. It also plays a role in alertness and focus. So next time you’re looking for a thoughtful present or craving some chocolate remember the words of Dr Katz “dark chocolate is good for you” …in moderation of course.

Always look for chocolate that is 70% to 85% dark. The darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of cocoa powder (and the more bitter the flavor). Try Green and Black’s 85% dark chocolate or buy loose cacao powder available at Huckleberries Wholefood stores.

Raw Coconut Cacoa Balls

1 1/2 cup Raw cacao powder
1/2 cup Cashew nuts
1/4 cup Chia seeds
1/2 cup Coconut Oil (Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Oil)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp Raw Honey
2 pinches Celtic Sea Salt
Shredded dried coconut

• Place Cashew nuts in food processor and grind until crumbly powder. Add all other ingredients and blend until well mixed into a doughy consistency.
• Roll batter into balls and then cover with shredded coconut
• Place balls on a plate and put in freezer for an hour and then place in refrigerator.

Salt is a topic close to my heart (and tongue). Simply open my kitchen cupboard and you’ll find a large collection of sea salts: Maldon, Hawaiian, Celtic, Kelp, Himalayan, Black Lava sea salt and the list goes on. However, the one salt you will never find in my house is nasty old-fashioned iodized salt. If you’re now thinking salt’s salt right? …it’s all sodium. And hang on, isn’t it bad for you? - you’d be very wrong.

Human beings need salt to stay alive. The human body is 75% water, all of which is maintained as a salt-water solution. Salt helps maintain the fluid in our blood cells and is used to transmit information in our nerves and muscles. It is also used in the uptake of certain nutrients from our small intestines. The body cannot make salt and so we are reliant on food to ensure that we get the required intake. The recommended daily intake of salt (sodium) is around 250 mg/day. Individual needs, however, vary enormously based on a person’s genetic make-up and their lifestyle.

Table salt (iodized salt) is potentially health damaging. It is mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is heavily processed to remove all minerals but sodium chloride and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Some table salts are even bleached. Sea salt (Hawaiian, Celtic, Kelp) on the other hand is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind over 80 trace minerals and elements depending on its water source. These minerals add flavor and color to the sea salt.

Health benefits of sea salt:

Alkalizing – Sea salt is alkalizing to the body, as it has not been exposed to high heat and stripped of its minerals, nor does it have any harmful man-made ingredients added to it. Thus it can help you to prevent and reverse high levels of acids in the body, which in turn eliminates the risks for serious and life-threatening diseases.

Weight Loss – Believe it or not, but sea salt can also help you in weight loss. It helps the body to create digestive juices so that the foods you eat are digested faster, and it helps to prevent buildup in the digestive tract, which eventually can lead to constipation and weight gain.

Skin Conditions – A sea salt bath can help to relieve dry and itchy skin as well as serious conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. The bath naturally opens up the pores, improves circulation in the skin and hydrates the tissues so that your skin can heal.

Rehydration – Doctors often recommend replacing water and salt lost in exercise and when working outside. Wilderness hikers know the importance of salt tablets to combat hyperthermia. Oral rehydration involves replacing both water and salt. A pinch of sea salt in water will do the same.

Muscle Spasms – Potassium is essential for helping the muscles to function properly. Sea salt not only contains small amounts of potassium, but it also helps the body to absorb it better from other foods. Thus it is effective in helping to prevent muscle pains, spasms and cramps.

*When buying sea salt always check that it is unrefined (refined sea salt lack any essential minerals). I recommend Maldon Sea Salt and Celtic Sea Salt available at most leading supermarkets and wholefood stores.

Happily finding myself kicking back in Maui (miles away from Auckland’s spectacular weather) I have discovered that there’s nowhere better to detox than Hawaii…. infact, there’s nowhere better to do anything than Hawaii. So here I sit in the sunshine armed with my laptop and a cleansing coconut and spinach smoothie working away.

Hawaii is known for its rich history of traditional natural therapies. Detox being one of my main interests (along with sunbathing) this month I was particularly drawn to Bentonite: volcanic clay popular in Hawaii. Bentonite clay (a sedimentary clay made from volcanic ash) has been used by many civilizations and cultures over the years due to its believed healing and calming properties and is particularly useful for cleansing the body’s colon. When ingested, Bentonite attracts and neutralizes poisons in the intestinal tract. It can be combined with water and also psyllium husk to make a bowel-cleansing regime. If you suffer from irregular bowel movements, constipation, wind, bloating or always seem to be feeling hungry, your digestive system may not be working properly and could perhaps benefit from a gentle cleanse.

Bentonite and psyllium colon cleanse recipe:
Bentonite clay and psyllium smoothies are a traditional naturopathic regime to cleanse the bowel of excess toxin build up. To make your own simply add one tablespoon of bentonite clay liquid and one tablespoon of psyllium husk powder to half a glass apple juice and water. Have this smoothie before Breakfast (on an empty stomach) for 2 – 3 days. You must not eat one hour before or after drinking the smoothie. The Bentonite clay needs to absorb the toxins and the psyllium husks need to scrub your intestines uninterrupted by the food. Eat fresh leafy greens and avoid processed foods and sugar for these 2 – 3 days.

I recommend Yerba Prima Bentonite Liquid Clay available here

With new years over its time to say hasta la vista to the Champagne, pastries and caffeine, and hello to green juices, vegetables and water. Oh yes indeed, it’s detox time.

Always a sucker for the ‘latest’ and ‘greatest’ natural health products I have tried just about everything when it comes to detox and detox formulas only to reach the conclusion that nothing beats good old fruit and vegetables. Fortunately, one of my job perks is that I get to create health food products that I’d use. With this in mind I decided to investigate which vegetables / herbs are the most detoxifying. The result was Green Cleanse capsules, a unique blend of Barley grass, Alfalfa, Psyllium, Liquorice root and Slippery Elm. Here’s what each ingredient does:

Alfalfa – Rich in chlorophyll it has strong blood cleansing and building properties. It contains all 27 vitamins and aminos, 28 minerals and antioxidants. Alfalfa is well known as a nutritive tonic, which cleanses and detoxifies the body.

Barley grass – Barley grass contains one of the highest known herbal quantities of blood purifying chlorophyll.

Psyllium hulls – Supports healthy bowel movements and improve the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

Slippery Elm – A highly nutritive tonic food for all conditions of deficiency. It helps to rebuild the body at a cellular level and calms inflamation. High in niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and vitamins E, F, and K. It also contains the minerals calcium, iron, sodium, selenium, iodine, copper, zinc, potassium.

Liquorice root – A natural anti-inflammatory which aids in the relief of muscle spasms and inflammation. Licourice root will help expel excess toxins and mucus from the bowel.

So if you’re half way through a detox or just starting one, Nature’s Relief Green Cleanse capsules will support your bodies cleanse and can even speed up the detox process. It’s recommended you take 2 capsules a day before Breakfast for 4 weeks. When doing a detox it’s important to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day (ideally you should aim for 2-3 litres) and include a generous portion of leafy greens with every meal. It hopefully goes without saying that you should cut out all sugar, caffeine and processed foods. Do this for 2 – 4 weeks and your body will be glowing after. Detoxing may leave you feeling low energy – especially if your body is used to running on sugar and caffeine. Take it easy by trying light walking, yoga or pilates.

Green Cleanse is available online here green-cleanse

If the legs on your Santa sleigh are already starting to fall off then why not plan your new year’s detox now. Not only will it ease some of the guilt from the back to back nights of overindulgent eating and drinking, it’ll give you a healthy goal to kick off your new year right.

There’s many ways to detox, you can fast on a liquid only diet consisting of only vegetable juice and water for 3-7 days, go see a colonic irrigation specialist (yes, this is where they stick a hose up your rear end and ‘flush’ out your bowel) or perhaps start spending half your day in an infrared sauna. Most of them have their merit but it’s about finding what’s going to work for you. I’ve tried just about everything (aside from the ayuvedic detox which involves very pricey massages and specially prepared meals) and what I have found is that I cannot ‘fast’ (obstaining from solid food) for longer than a 15-hour period. Even as a kid my 40-hour famine for charity was more like a 5-hour famine with 2 empty boxes of barley sugars left at the end.

So what I personally recommend when embarking on a detox is to start slow and simple.  Decide how long you want to do your detox for – 2 weeks is a good amount of time. You may choose to do small fasts in the morning to give your system time to cleanse (rather than busy itself with digesting more food).  I often fast until lunchtime by replacing Breakfast with a boysenberry smoothie or pure cucumber, lemon and celery juice.  During the 2 weeks you should cut out all caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods. If you have a strong sugar addiction (like myself) then try 85% dark chocolate for an after meal treat. Increase your water intake to 2 litres of water a day (it sounds excessive but hydration is the key to a successful detox). Each meal should include leafy greens. Aim for a small salad bowl serving of crisp lettuce leaves, delicious cherry tomatoes, capsicum, avocado and alfalfa sprouts, or whatever wets your appetite. A nutritionist once explained to me that vegetables, especially vegetable juice, is like Drain-O on our internal system and since then I have chugged down a vegetable juice every day.

Whatever your Summer modus operandi is you should set aside 2 weeks to do a gentle detox. The benefits are huge, your eyes will be brighter and whiter, your liver and kidney function will improve and your digestive system will be helped. Treat your body like a temple it will pay off later I promise.

Let’s begin by pointing out the obvious: alcohol is not healthy. Overindulging in alcohol is not healthy. Overindulging on a weekly or fortnightly basis is not healthy either. This guide is for those who lack the ability or will power to say no to a glass of Champagne or 5 over the silly season.

The endless Christmas celebrations (that begin in November) can have you looking rounder and rosier than Santa Claus, come Christmas day. And with 7 calories per gram, the number of calories in alcohol is second only after fat (9 cals/g). So here’s a short list of my top 4 ‘healthier’ alcoholic beverage choices and I assure these picks are sufficiently agreeable in taste.

1. Champagne There’s nothing like a cold glass of Champagne to start off a perfectly delectable evening. A regular 120ml glass only contains approximately 91 calories.Champagne gives you the same amount of antioxidant heart protection as red wine, and way more than blueberries and most fruits, increasing heart muscle energy production, and protecting your heart’s cells from free radical damage.

2. Martini Cosmopolitans and chocolate martinis, while delicious, are high in calories and sugar but not all martinis are bad. I highly recommend sipping on a dry gin martini, with as little as 140 calories it is virtually guilt-free. Gin is also an effective diuretic. It helps in passing more water than any other alcohol due to the juniper berries which gin is partially made from. It offers a short term solution to bloating (when drank in moderation).

3. Vodka & Soda For a more casual affair try a refreshing vodka, soda with fresh lime and mint. Not only low in sugar it’s low in calories too with only 60 calories a glass. Save on your salt intake by asking for sparkling water instead of regular soda water (which is high in sodium).

4. Bloody Mary When made with real tomato juice this brunch cocktail is absolutely divine and only 129 calories. Tomato juice is also high in Lycopene, a vital anti-oxidant that helps fight against cancer forming cells and other diseases. *If you’re ever in Sydney make sure you visit the bartenders at the Rockpool Bar and Grill on Hunters St – they make the best Bloody Mary’s.

Since the beginning of time man has known of the healing powers of herbs, vegetables and fruit. Nowadays we tend to forget that food can actually be our medicine too. This book should really be on every health-conscious individuals book shelf.

‘Grow Your Own Medicine’ written by Australian naturopath Mim Beim is a seriously interesting read. The book outlines over sixty plants (herbs, fruit and vegetables) and their healing properties in great length. Did you know, for instance, that thyme oil is an antiseptic? Or that damaina tea boosts libido? I bet you didn’t. This wee plant encyclopedia will teach you all about the plants individual medicinal powers, how to grow and care for them and how to utilize them best – in teas, tinctures, compresses or otherwise. I guarantee you will never look at your vegetables and fruit the same.

No matter if you’re a keen gardener, health enthusiast or just like reading, this book is well worth getting… or better still, give it as a gift for Christmas. Books are an easy answer for those who hard to buy for.

Book available at most leading book stores or online here.

A sweet corn cob dripping in butter with a pinch of sea salt used to be my idea of a good time… that was until recently when I learnt that in actual fact corns not healthy or even a vegetable? Feeling betrayed by this little known fact I decided to dig a little deeper.

It turns out corn is actually a grain produced by an annual grass plant similar to grains from wheat, oats, barley, rice, etc. and is the most sugary, starchy, empty grain there is. It has the worst fatty acid profile (high Omega 6 / Omega 3 ratio) of all grains (which promote many cardiovascular, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases). Corn is also a popular fungal host to 22 different fungi including Aspergillus (a fungi that puts out body debilitating mycotoxins that can literally kill animals and people).

Cheap to produce, corn is in everything and I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff like corn chips, popcorn, corn flakes etc. It can be found in around a quarter of the 45,000 items in the average supermarket often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Here’s a short list of some more food additives that often come from corn: Baking powder, Calcium lactate, Calcium stearate, Sugar, Dextrin, Dextrose, Glucose, Glycerine, Lactic acid, Lecithin, Acid, Malt, Maltodextrin, MSG, Potassium gluconate, Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium- or Potassium-fumarate, Alpha-Tocopherol (vitamin E), Sorbitol, Starch, Sucrose, Vanilla Extract.

What about corn-fed meat?

I never buy corn-fed chicken or beef and personally don’t think it should be sold. Cows do not naturally eat corn, they eat grass so it’s not surprising that corn-fed meat is nutritionally inferior. 65% of the calories in beef from corn-fed cows come from fat. Steak from a corn-fed cow has nearly 9 times more saturated fat than steak from a grass-fed one. Growing a cow used to take 4-5 years; now it only takes 14 months with a diet of just corn – pretty scary right? This acidic corn-based diet wreaks havoc on the cow’s digestive system and is usually offset with frequent dosing of antibiotics to counteract bacterial infections the diet will indefinitely cause.

Make up your own mind but I do recommend avoiding corn-fed meat for a start – it’s just not healthy meat. And if you are going to have that sweet corn cob then go easy on it now you know its real nutritional profile.

After a quickie business trip to Hong Kong last week I was left with a great appreciation for Cantonese food. Unfortunately however, I had to endure two-day long stomach pains as a result of an appalling choice of dinner (seafood soup) during my flight home. This bad choice serves as my inspiration for this week’s blog.

It’s fair to say eating plane food is never going to be a gastronomic experience, even when the menu touts that the likes of Peter Gordon and Matt Moran have designed it. But it doesn’t have to be a nauseating one either. So here are a few tips on how to be a savvier in-flight diner than I was.

My first recommendation, and one I usually follow, is to bring your own dinner.  Before you hop on the plane try pick up a big salad or light baguette on the way through, often it’s the only way you’re guaranteed to enjoy a meal you will like. If you are willing to roll the dice and indulge in the onboard selection or don’t have time to grab anything, go for the lightest and plainest option. Usually the meals are highly processed and contain an array of preservatives that are hard for the body to digest, let alone at high altitude, so things like plain rice and chicken are best. Equally, you should avoid the seafood, especially sashimi. You may say the ‘no seafood’ advice is really just common sense, but when my last flight’s meal choice was limited to seafood and vegetable soup, a bowl of creamed corn (out of a can) with prawns or pork broth with white fungus – it looked like the best option. I later had time in the bathroom to reflect on that decision.

One thing you should do without fail when flying is to drink plenty of water. Flying is one of the most dehydrating things for your body. As soon as the plane reaches cruising altitude every cell in your body is crying out for hydration. Opt for still water over carbonated. Often carbonated water can upset your stomach and slow down the digestive process. If you feel like a hot beverage during the flight, choose herbal tea never coffee – the last thing you want to be is over stimulated wriggling around on a long flight.

Failing all that, you can always do what the gentleman next to me did and skip dinner, down six glasses of straight gin with a splash of tonic in the space of half an hour and then pass out for eight hours. Be warned however, because you’re dehydrated the potential hang over is going to feel that much worse.

Hello Spring. Hello Hay fever! Spring is that abundant time of year that brings with it new life and a deluge of airbourne pollen. Approximately 20% of New Zealanders suffer from Hay fever and if you’re one of those lucky people you’ll know how irritating it is sneezing your way through the day. Fortunately I have a solution: bee pollen.

Although many plant pollens can cause or exacerbate hay fever, bee pollen can actually help reduce the symptoms of the conditions. Bee pollen is different to airbourne, allergy-causing pollen as they come from two different sources: bee-pollinated plants and air pollination-reliant plants. There have been over forty five bee pollen clinical studies performed through out the globe on individuals who suffer from hay fever and asthma, among other things. The hay fever sufferers whom took part were given bee plant pollen capsules and monitored. An overwhelming 73% of people revealed a 75% progress rate when taking a daily dose of bee pollen. 78% of asthma patients averaged a 75% improvement in taking bee pollen orally.

Another reason why bee pollen is so effective in decreasing allergic and hay fever responses is the Quercetin and Vitamin C content. Quercetin is a potent antioxidant that promotes a healthy inflammatory response and inhibits the release of histamine into the body. Vitamin C is one of the most important anti-allergy vitamins as it builds a strong immune system and immediately relieves allergic reactions and is also anti-inflammatory. Many naturopaths advise taking bee pollen before the allergy season begins as it may take a few weeks for the pollen to work

If you have a love / hate relationship with Spring because of hay fever you may want to give bee pollen a go. It’s a 100% natural alternative that may even help rid you of allergies in the long term. I recommend Naturebee Potentiated Bee Pollen. Unlike other bee pollen’s that can be hard to digest, Naturebee is almost completely bio-available – ready for your body to soak up all its nutrients. As with any bee products you should take caution if allergic to bee stings.