PROCESSED FOODS?!

WELL, ANYTHING YOU HAVEN'T PREPARED YOURSELF....(that's my definition, anyway.)

Not the 'pulled it out of a bag or tin and popped in the microwave' kind of food preparation this generation is known for. Actually taking foods in their most natural state, possible and transforming them into your chosen meal.

The best kind of 'processing', and sometimes the only kind, we should be doing is digestion. But it takes a different kind of 'process' to get there.

But this world is heavily dependant on instant meals and quick prep' convenient foods. It doesn't mean that what you eat has to take all month to make, you can get organised and prep in advance to stay healthy.

Start with your spices like cinnamon or turmeric. Buy them separately to mixed up spice sprinklers which usually have added salt and preservatives.

Budding Health

Last section I talked about refined sugar. I was hooked on it! The lust for a sugary, sweet taste was unreal. Cinnamon pretzels, hot chocolates, muffins, cakes, haribos, even baked beans!!

But now, after a period of slow weaning, continual self- control, and fastings, I am finally off processed sugar.

Yep, I still crave sweet things but now I eat fresh fruit, particularly seeded grapes and apples.

I use ripe plantain, and ground cinnamon to sweeten meals. (We did try ground liquorice root for a while but found cinnamon was stronger.)

Try it! Add blended plantain, with a touch of water, to sweeten your next bowl of porridge.

Processed foods hide all sorts of nasties. In-store sliced bread used to contain a 'flour improver' called L-Cysteine or E920, which comes from human hair or chicken feathers. (That's just narsty!)

Some brands started using alternatives for that, but how many other things are put inside the 'food'? (See articlewww.theguardian.com/lifestyle/wordofmouth/2013/may/10-gross-ingredients-food-horsemeat-scandal, for more).

Now I make our own bread! Next episode I will show you how to, using only five ingredients.