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By Tim Altman 09/03/2018 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vietnamese Salad – Ideal for Paleo or Ketogenic Diets, Weight Loss and Intermittent Fasting Programs

Vietnamese Salad Recipe

Even though I’m a nutritionist, I’m not much of a foodie, or a chef, so I love simple meals that are easy to prepare, and easy to digest.

This Vietnamese salad is a ripper, and is really tasty.

With no grain or dairy, and an option of removing the sugar, it is ideal for ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting programs, paleo diets, and weight loss diets or elimination/detox programs.

The recipe is as follows (courtesy of taste.com.au):

INGREDIENTS

  •  3 (600g) chicken breast fillets – in this case I used lamb.
  •  1/2 large wombok (Chinese cabbage), finely shredded
  •  2 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
  •  1 cup fresh mint leaves
  •  1 cup fresh coriander leaves
  •  1 quantity Vietnamese dressing
  •  1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

VIETNAMESE DRESSING

  •  1/3 cup lime juice
  •  1/3 cup fish sauce
  •  4 small red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
  •  2 tablespoons brown sugar – I removed this and replaced it with some stevia to make it lower in sugar or calories, so truer to a Paleo meal or detox recipe, or in line with the guidelines to keep one in ketosis on a ketogenic diet. It still tasted yum!!
METHOD
  • Step 1
    Make dressing: Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, chilli (and sugar – optional) together in a jug until sugar has dissolved.
  • Step 2
    Place chicken in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer, turning once, for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan. Cool. Shred.
  • Step 3
    Place cabbage, carrot, mint, coriander and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve.

 

By Tim Altman 01/09/2017 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Video: The Dangers of a Gluten Free Diet by Dr John Douillard

Dr John Douillard Attempts to Debunk Some Myths About Wheat and Gluten

Further to a blog I shared recently (see below) questioning whether gluten and/or wheat is as evil as it is now suggested, I thought I’d share this video by Dr John Douillard as some further food for thought – https://timaltman.com.au/opinion-article-myth-big-bad-gluten/

I like this guy’s work. He’s also done some great work on breathing.

Dr Douillard offers a different perspective on the gluten/wheat subject and attempts to debunk some of the current myths about wheat and gluten – that wheat has only been available for 10,000 years; that there is more gluten in modern wheat; that wheat is indigestible; phytic acids in grain are toxins etc. etc.

He suggests that sugars and processed foods are a poison to the brain and body, not wheat or gluten as such, and that eliminating wheat maybe be going too far. We need to look at the bigger picture around this topic rather than focusing on the negatives about wheat and gluten.

For example, a lot of the foreign chemicals in modern wheat (pesticides, toxins in the environment etc) kill the microbes in our digestive system that are involved in breaking down wheat.

Also, whilst wheat is harder to digest that many vegetables and fruit etc., this may be beneficial, even necessary to our immune systems; and it this many of the other additives in processed foods (of which wheat is a major constituent) that make them so hard to digest. These include indigestible olis and fats that make the bread etc. stick together and not go off so quickly. These additives are indigestible and accumulate in our liver and arteries, so it is so often these that are the poisons or the toxins rather than wheat per se. The solution being not to eat processed wheat and grains, but to source high quality, whole grain, non-processed, even sour dough products that are as natural and low in chemicals as possible.

My 20 cents on this is that Dr Douillard’s point is definitely worth considering, and we have perhaps become far too hard line on wheat and gluten (unless you have Coeliac’s disease), however I still stick to my long held belief that the more wheat one eats, especially wheat in processed foods, the less vegetables and fruit one eats. And these are jam packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre etc. So, whilst I’m happy to include some good quality wheat and grain in my diet, I still focus on trying to eat as many vegetables and fruit (fruit in season for the climate I live) as I can – aiming for at least 9 whole handfuls per day of vegetables and fruit. That is where you will get bang for your buck in terms of nutrient value….

If you’d like to improve how you can optimise your nutrition, book an appointment via the calendar on this website or email me at tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918.