Today’s special guest is another person I discovered on Instagram (@theholisticingredient) and now religiously jump on her blog all the time. Amy’s story is a very inspiring one about how nutrition can really change your health. She has some amazing recipes on her blog The Holistic Ingredient and I am sure you will LOVE them as much as I do! Here is a bit about Amy.
I was diagnosed with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) at the beginning of 2011 following a slow decline in health over about 20 years. This diagnosis put a swift end to an 18-year corporate recruitment career and a business I had put my heart and soul into. Yet at the same time it created the catalyst for the most monumental, amazing transformation I could ever have asked for. I am now a Reiki Practitioner and a student at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York, studying to become a Health Coach. I have a BLOG where I share recipes and chat about the ‘ingredients’ that played a huge part in my recovery. I am working on a gluten/sugar/additive free recipe book I hope will be published early next year. In February I will become a Certified Practitioner of Hypnosis, NLP & EFT.
Interestingly I had always believed my diet to be really very healthy. Prior to my diagnosis I was the fruit salad queen – every morning for breakfast I’d eat fruit salad with low fat yoghurt. For lunch I’d have cans of tuna with beautiful big salads, maybe sushi. I’d have fresh fish probably 5 times a week and would incorporate tofu and other soy products. Whilst I ate a little meat there was never any skin on the chicken or fat on the lamb. In fact there were next to no saturated fats (at all) in my diet. Little did I know what that diet was doing to my body. The turning point was my diagnosis and the toxicity readings. My mercury count was so bad it didn’t rate on their scale. My body was full of heavy metals, in part as a result of my diet.
I have since learnt that (good) saturated fats combine with heavy metals and aid their removal from our bodies. I am no longer able to eat fish (for their mercury content) and I barely eat fruit (sugar content). My gluten/sugar free diet consists of organic whole foods, animal protein (including the skin on the chicken, the fat on the lamb!), nuts, seeds, good saturated fats (with a heavy leaning towards coconut oil) and dairy. And the odd berry!
My recovery relied almost solely on my diet. There were no drugs – just easily digestible food that was both nutritious and detoxifying.
Egg Salad Wrap
This is what I call the anti-bread wrap. Eggs are my very favourite protein source and I particularly love this recipe because it is so quick to make.
2 eggs
1 heaped tspn finely chopped parsley
salt & pepper
1 tspn coconut oil (or oil of choice)
¼ sliced avocado
2 or 3 chopped cherry tomatoes
1 handful of chopped mixed herbs
1 handful rocket or spinach
(or any salad selection you would prefer)
Give the 2 eggs a really good whisk and add parsley with the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a small omelette pan. Once the pan is med-hot pour in the eggy mixture and whirl it around the pan. As the edges are just drying, with your spatula drag the mixture into the centre allowing the wet egg mixture to fall to the sides. Do this around the pan until it looks almost cooked – it will take 2-3 minutes. Then flip the omelette over and cook the other side, for about 1-2 minutes. Turn onto a plate and lay along one end your chopped salad ingredients. Then very carefully roll your wrap up, cut in half and hey presto – an eggy wrap!
Done 🙂 Thanks Amy xx