Gluten free Zucchini fritters

Not wanting to waste any of our zucchini bounty, we have been eating it a few to several times a week.  It is possible that I was getting just a tiny bit sick of it.  That is, until, in an effort to use up several zucchinis in one meal, I made zucchini fritters.  They were delicious and restored my love for the vegetable of this summer.

It's also possible that the world doesn't need another zucchini fritter recipe, but they're so easy and so yummy I feel compelled to share.

Zucchini fritters

3 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)*
1/2 tsp sea salt

Choose any combination of the following depending on what you like or have on hand:
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
3 spring onions cut into 1cm pieces
1 cup peas
Handful of chopped mint and/or parsley
Zest from 1 lemon

Grate zucchini either with a grater or food processor.  Place in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  After a few minutes grab handfuls and squeeze out the liquid.  Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Add more flour if mixture is too wet.

Cook fritters in olive oil for about 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown.  You can then either eat straight away or put into a low to medium oven to keep warm.

Delicious served with a green salad or tomato salsa.

*Chickpea flour can be found at most whole food shops and even the supermarket.  You can also use almond meal or coconut flour to keep it gluten free.  Or simply use plain flour if gluten in not a problem.

Chamomile - a small herb with big actions!

First up in my series of common herb profiles is one that is known and used world wide - Chamomile.   Chamomile (Matricaria recutita; Chamomilla recutita) is a herb that has been used since ancient times.  Traditionally it was considered to have two specific fields of action: the nervous system and the digestive system.  It works particularly well therefore on nervous conditions that affect the digestive system.  Chamomile has always been used with children, indicating that it is considered a very safe and gentle herb.


Actions:
Chamomile has the following actions:
anti-inflammatory
antispsamodic
carminative (soothing to the gut wall, and reduction of gas),
mild sedative,
antimicrobial,
vulnerary (wound healing) and
diaphoretic (promoting or inducing a sweat).

You can see that is a lot of actions for a little common herb!  Do not under-estimate the humble chamomile.

A herbalist might use chamomile to treat the following conditions:

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Food sensitivities
• Flatulence and colic
• Diarrhoea
• Gastrointestinal inflammation
• Infantile colic
• Gastritis, peptic ulcers, reflux
• Restlessness and anxiety
• Topically for eczema (dermatitis)

Quality

You can use chamomile yourself at home to also treat the above conditions.  A cup of chamomile tea may not seem like strong medicine, but if it is made correctly with quality dried herb, it can have the same actions as outlined above.  Beware though, a cup of chamomile tea made with a teabag from the supermarket is not the same thing!  We are very lucky here in Victoria to have Southern Light Herbs, a family run business that grows and sources the very best quality herbs for their teas.  Visiting their farm made me aware of the vast difference in quality between their organic loose leaf herbal tea, and what is packaged and sold as tea in teabags.  Their tea is available from organic whole food shops, health food shops, and many naturopaths.

Making a cuppa:

Get yourself  some real dried chamomile flowers.  Add 1 - 2 tsp per person to a teapot or a cup with a lid.  It is very important when making a cup of chamomile tea that the tea is enclosed either by a lid or in a teapot, or else many of the active constituents may escape.  Leave to steep for at least 5 minutes.  Make it as strong as you enjoy, but I think the stronger the better!

Although night time is the classic time to drink a cup of chamomile tea to help with sleep, it can be enjoyed at almost any other time of day.  Make a cup to soothe an upset stomach, to decrease period pain, or to relieve a tension headache.

Chamomile - small herb - big actions!

Herbal Medicine

If you have never been to a naturopath, or are new to the naturopathic world, you may be unfamiliar with how we treat.  The main modalities I practice are Herbal medicine, and Nutrition.  Both are wonderful and effective entities in themselves, but when used therapeutically together, they can be outstanding in their effect on people, helping them to become well.



Herbal medicine is under utilised by our largely Western society in Australia.  However, from a world-wide point of view, the majority of medicine taken around the world are herbal remedies.  Herbal medicine is not a primitive form of treating that has been superseded by modern medicine.  It still has relevance and so much to offer to people in the 21st century.  It is my wish that more people are going to learn about and turn to herb medicine.  The 'world of the weed' has so much to offer!


Some of the herbs I use in my dispensary would have been familiar to, and used by the Greeks and Chinese 3000 years ago.  This is exciting.  Remedies would not be handed down over thousands of years if they weren't effective.  Our ancestors had a different concept of illness than today's modern medicine.  Back then they viewed diseases as imbalances to be corrected, rather than invasions to be attacked.  Herbal remedies were used to adjust patterns of disorder, and gently nudge a body back to health.


One of the most wonderful things about the herbal world is that herbs behave as more than just an assembly of chemicals.  Whereas many drugs are used for only one action on a specific disease state, many herbs can be used across different body systems, and have multiple actions.  I may be a bit biased, but I think that's tremendously exciting.

I am going to run an occasional series on some of the more common herbs that I have in my dispensary, so that you can get a sense of just how amazing these common plants, or weeds are.

Zucchini....vegetable of the Summer

For the first time, this Summer, I have been growing Zucchini. I can't believe I've never grown it before.  Without much effort on my part, the plants have grown lush and green, and provided a bumper harvest of zucchinis that just keeps giving.  The vegetables seem to grow centimetres overnight.  Despite some, which have become bulbous and hard, most are delicious.  Luckily I have been craving zucchini many lunch and dinner times.

Here are some of the ways we have been eating zucchini over the Summer:

Raw
This has been a revelation for me.  Prior to the last year, I have to admit I have never considered eating zucchini raw.  Now I can't believe what I've been missing for so long.  Raw grated zucchini is delicious just with just a pinch of salt and pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and shredded mint.  Also, whenever I am making a 'thrown together' salad for my lunch, I grate in about half a zucchini.



Zucchini spaghetti
This is a nifty little trick to decrease carb content and increase nutrient content of pasta meals.  It's very easy to make spaghetti like shapes from zucchini to have in place of traditional pasta.  Use a mandolin if you have one, otherwise using a vegetable peeler, (or I find a cheese slicer works really well), slice zucchini into thin wide strips.  Then pile the strips on top of each other and cut into thin strips.  They can either be used raw, or lightly fried in oil and garlic before placing the pasta sauce on top.



Cooked minted zucchini
Finely slice zucchini and add to a pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and salt and pepper.  Add a chopped handful of mint and chilli if desired.  Cook until soft.

As you can see, not really recipes, but just some ideas of how to enjoy abundant zucchini.

A New Year

It is usual at this time of year to be thinking in terms of resolutions, or 'intentions', and many people are busy making resolutions in relation to their health or fitness.  It is timely however, to remind ourselves that the basis of good health is actually simple.  It is not the latest superfood, or super expensive supplement that is going to make you healthy, it is the foundation of health that is created by a few simple habits that will increase your vitality and make you feel really well.

Being healthy requires effort.  You have to take control of your own health and make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle.  By looking at four key areas though, you can make a big difference to your health.

1. Food
Is the majority of what you're consuming making a positive or negative contribution to your health and well being?  It is an un-avoidable fact that vegetables are the cornerstones of good health, closely followed by fruit.  Make vegetables the main component of lunch and dinner, and then add some protein (animal or vegetarian) and a good quality oil for a salad dressing.  For example, eat a large salad for lunch and enjoy plenty of veggies at dinner time.  You don't want to be hungry, so add enough protein, and good quality fats (such as avocado) and oils.

Remove all white products (flour, rice and sugar) from your pantry and diet, and replace with whole grains e.g. brown rice, quinoa, oats, millet.


2. Exercise
Our bodies are designed to move, not sit for long periods of time.  As well as creating specific exercise times during the week, make a determined effort to move more during your normal day.  The extra movement over a day really adds up.


3. Hydrate
Many people are living in a state of partial dehydration.  Our bodies need for fluids to be replenished is often overlooked.  Aim for 6-8 glasses of water a day, plus some herbal teas.  Start each day with a glass of warm water with squeezed lemon juice, and be mindful of how many caffeinated drinks you drink.

4. Rest
The best diet in the world, or the highest quality supplements aren't going to be able to do their job and make you feel great if you're not getting adequate sleep and rest.  Sleeping well is the cornerstone of good health.  Address any sleep problems you have, and get help if necessary.  Our bodies need between 7 - 8 hours sleep most nights.




The New Year is a great opportunity to get serious about your health goals.  Instead of doing it on your own, experience the difference it makes letting a professional help you achieve your goals and guide changes to your diet and lifestyle.  A naturopath is in a unique position to help you achieve the best health possible.

Make this year different

Hayfever

This Spring in Melbourne has seen many people suffering with hay fever.  Even people who have never had hay fever before are experiencing symptoms.  So, what exactly is hay fever?

 It's correct name is seasonal allergic rhinitis, and it is the result of the body mounting an allergic response to pollens and grasses that are present at certain times of the year - particularly late winter and spring.  Symptoms may include sneezing, runny nose, irritated eyes and itchy ears or mouth.  The exhaustion that many people experience is a result of the immune response that the body mounts in response to the pollen.  The body views the pollen as an invader, and releases cascades of inflammatory chemicals.

There are many things you can do apart from taking anti-histamine medication, to reduce your symptoms.  They include:

Vitamins
Take a good quality vitamin C tablet or powder regularly during the day.  Up to  3g of Vitamin C over a day should be fine.  Vitamin C in conjunction with the bioflavonoid quercetin works best, as quercetin is a natural anti-histamine.

Herbs

Nettle

Elderflower tea can be very effective, especially for nasal symptoms.  Choose an organic, loose leaf tea, and drink several cups throughout the day.  Nettle tea is also very useful.  You can make it with either fresh nettle leaves (use gloves!), or buy it as a dried organic tea.      


Liquid herbs
One of my favourite things as a naturopath is being able to create individualised herbal tonics for people.  Herbal tonics can be formulated to be anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and immune modulating so are great for helping the body reduce its immune response to pollens.

Diet
If hay fever symptoms are still getting you down, it may be a good time to review your diet.  To decrease the load on your immune system, reduce any foods that could be potential allergens.  This could involve avoiding or reducing wheat products such as bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastries, etc.  Dairy products may also be increasing the allergenic load on your body so need to be reduced.  Food additives such as the sulphur that is in non-organic dried fruit, and wine can worsen or trigger hay fever symptoms, so are best avoided.

Preparation
The best results are achieved by preparing your body for hay fever season a good 6 weeks before you expect symptoms to start.  However, if it is already upon you, taking good quality herbal and nutritional supplements will still greatly decrease your symptoms.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

These seven words sum up the philosophy of professor and journalist Michael Pollan. On Sunday night Michael Pollan gave a talk for the Wheeler Centre at the Melbourne Town Hall.  He was an excellent, entertaining speaker, but I have a feeling his talk was falling on the ears of the already converted.  If only his message could be spread further to the general public, and not just be received by those with already strong or professional interest in food and diets.

His message is very simple, but has a lot of research behind it.  He believes that if we got back to our traditional food wisdom, and didn't look to big corporations to feed us, we would dramatically improve our health.  He doesn't claim to be an expert on nutrition, but can see very clearly that we have gone horribly wrong with our current western diet. 




I think the first part of his message is the most powerful, but at the same time it is easy to miss.  Eat Food.  The processed food products that make up much of the western diet are not, in fact food, but rather 'food like substances'.  These products have many additives, and scarily long shelf lives.  To make his point, Michael brought with him a bag full of products he had bought from Woolworths.  None of them were what people from a generation or two ago would recognise as food.  And interestingly, most of them were in brightly coloured packaging that was making some form of health claim, or boasting the addition of the latest talked about nutrient (e.g. omega 3's).

If any 'food' makes a health claim it is probably wise not to eat it.  The foods that are genuinely good for us don't make any health claims.  Fruit and vegetables will not come in bright wrappers broadcasting their health giving properties.  If any food product contains an ingredient that a third grader wouldn't be able to pronounce, don't eat it.  If a product contains more than five ingredients, don't eat it.

Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.

Naturopathic Wisdom

Last night I went to a talk given by a woman who was one of my lecturers during my Naturopathy degree.  I hadn't heard this woman speak for many years, and it was a wonderful experience to sit and listen to her wise words again.  She trained as a naturopath in the 'old' days, over 30 years ago.  Back then Naturopathy hadn't been complicated by the need to be evidenced based and scientifically valid, which is now the case.  Most courses now only teach evidence based treatments.  It is considered progressive and more desirable to make naturopathy more scientifically accountable.  Prior to the last 10 -15 years, there was a strong emphasis on teaching students naturopathic philosophy.  Naturopathic philosophy hasn't changed for the last couple of hundred years, but is at risk of being forgotten, or over-shadowed, by evidence based treatments, and dare I say it, a need or desire to sell lots of products or supplements. 



If naturopaths are focused on prescribing products to their patients, they may not be focused on understanding their patient, and viewing their disease or condition through a naturopathic paradigm.  In this instance there is little to distinguish a naturopath from a medical practitioner.  The only difference will be in the prescription - drugs versus herbal and nutritional supplements.



A naturopath that remains true to naturopathic philosophy will not sell you a product to treat each symptom that you present with.  Naturopathy has so much more to offer.  A good naturopath will investigate how the condition or illness you present with is being experienced in your body. The basis of naturopathic philosophy is that the body is self healing.  Therefore, what processes have occurred or not occurred to allow this condition to take hold in your body?  How do you operate energetically, metabolically, and emotionally?  It is the job of the naturopath to determine how healing has failed for their patient, and what processes are not functioning well to allow the disease process to take hold.

This is the strength of naturopathy.  We are able to do this through having a longer consultation time with people, and asking many questions, and also through using Iridology.  Sometimes a thorough case history may provide all the information, and sometimes Iridology can be used to understand a person and what is happening in their body more deeply. 

Knowledge of scientific research and evidence based treatments is necessary, but allowing naturopathic philosophy to determine a patient's treatment protocol is essential to provide good naturopathic care.