And we have a winner........

Congratulations to Kathryn O'Neill

Kathryn has won a copy of Luke & Scott's, 

Clean Living Quick and Easy.

Kathryn left her suggestions on the HCG Closet page on Facebook and Beren very much loved the idea of meatloaf, raw cheesecake and bliss balls.

I thought I should share some recipes for the above.  My latest fave meatloaf recipe is the one from Skinny Mixers.   I mean seriously, who can go past a meatloaf wrapped in bacon!!  

mmmmm

BACON

 This is a super easy recipe, And, although it is for thermomix it can easily be made without one.  

My go-to cheesecake recipe of late is the one from Luke & Scott's Clean Living Cookbook.  

This book is amazing and jam packed with awesome recipes.  I mean, my dad who is an old school meat and three veg kinda man LOVES this cheesecake!!

Lastly, from the same book comes the bliss balls.  

Now, I often will just chuck a range of nuts/seeds/fruit etc in the mixer, blitz and roll up but my kids love these ones.  

So, for a healthy treat this is what I make.  

Don't forget you can get Luke & Scott's books at all good stores or online thru amazon.  

So, even if you didn't win this time around you don't have to miss out!

Question time with Luke and Scott

In my journey of reaching and maintaining good health I have come across some great people, recipe books and speakers.  I am loving the path I am on and love being able to share what I have learnt with others.

When I received a copy of Clean Living Cookbook by Luke & Scott 

for my birthday I was rapt.  

I have said previously what a fabulous book it is, filled with amazing recipes.  

I have since got their Paleo Sweets book (OMG!) and their Paleo Breakfasts book,both of which I would thoroughly recommend.

But, I wanted more.  I emailed the guys and told them how much I appreciated their books and asked if they would like to answer some reader questions.   These guys are awesome and very kindly agreed to not only a question/answer session but also a give away of their newest book Clean Living Quick & Easy.  

How great is that!!

So, to get the ball rolling, here are the answers 

to your questions.

1. Were you eating a paleo diet completely before MKR or did you develop more afterwards?

Luke: I was eating what I considered to be healthy, but certainly not paleo. It was a great and exciting learning curve for me once the show finished, as I really wanted to regain my health and look and feel my best, so I 100% completely embraced paleo upon completion of filming. My physical and mental transformation was quick and really quite exceptional. 

Scott:  Prior to MKR I was paleo but arguably not as purist as i now am.  My understanding of nutrition has evolved over the last 2-3 years and so has the foods I include and don't include in my diet.

2. Many sporting people will insist on eating carbs for energy.  What are your views on this?

Luke: I have trained my body to use ketones for energy. Which in its simplest form is when our body uses fat as energy as opposed to carbohydrates. If I need to exert myself in an intense way and need more of an energy burst, I will make smart carb choices such as a banana or some berries for the added boost my body needs. At the end of the day, you need to listen to your body and do what works for you.

Scott: Generally speaking we fixate on carbs being the source of our energy for training and sport. The fact of the matter is we can perform exceptionally well on a ketogenic diet, I would say that if you training volume include considerable amount of high intensity training then some safe starches are fine.

3. Will your sweets book come out in hard copy?

Luke: All of our books will be released in the same format as the others in the Clean Living Series. We look for uniformity across the brand. One day down the track we might bring out a massive hard copy collection. You will have to wait and see.

Scott: Our next book FAST FOOD has heaps of amazing sweet recipes, all of which can be made in no time, with little fuss.

4. You use a huge amount of seafood in your current book.  Will the next book have more land animals?

Luke: Yes, you will see lots of land animals ranging from grassed beef, organic free range chicken to free range pork, and of course, lots of different varieties of sustainable seafood choices.

Scott: It's not deliberate to include more seafood vs land animals, I guess it just works out that way.  We do try to keep the sources of protein as varied as we can and include some cheaper cuts to keep budgets low.  We feel its important that if you do choose to eat meat then you should respect the animal and eat nose to tail. 

5.  You seemed a bit reluctant to use high fat in MKR.  Do you still follow this principal as strictly or have you changed your views?

Luke: We were very reluctant to use bad quality food sources, but have always been really excited to use good quality fats that come from meat, avocados, nuts and seeds. On the show we really wanted to reflect making the healthier choice with the options on offer. And we certainly steered away from sugar.

Scott: I don't recall being reluctant to use fat - we often spoke of the benefits of eating full fat over reduced fat products.  Im a huge advocate for the high fat diet; we have lived in a world where saturated fat has been the bad guy for 40-50 years and now the tide is slowly turning which is good news for health.  The sooner we pull away from vegetable oils and trans-fats the better off we'll be. 

6. Will you be doing a book tour with the next book?  How about a visit to Tasmania?

Luke: We will be doing a series of pop-up restaurants around the country. Melbourne and Sydney are first of the block and we will announce more dates to follow. We love being able to reach our fan base and connect with people who really embody our clean living lifestyle.

Scott: We would absolutely love to come to Tasmania to do book tour.  Tasmania is one of my favorite places to visit and boasts some of the best scenery I've ever seen.

7.  Eating a paleo inspired diet isn't the norm for most people, particularly those who are active. What prompted the shift from a high carb diet to this for you?

Luke: In fact, we have seen the opposite to this statement. We have seen that highly active people are more so switched on to how they fuel there bodies and what effect food has on their performance. It is sometimes the supermarkets and advertising campaigns in health and fitness magazines that tell a different story that we still need high amounts of carbs to function. To me, it seems the healthier more active people are the more educated and informed, because they care.

Scott: The shift came from listening to my body and witnessing the telltale signs of a high carb diet - lethargy, mood change and energy dips.  The shift was also a consequence of reading as most as i could around the subject - arming myself with as much info to make informed choices around nutrition.

8. What are your thoughts on electrolyte replacements such as Hydralyte during sustained physical activity (eg 4+ hours of cycling, tri, ironman etc). Do you have any ideas on alternatives?

Luke: My choice is always to go natural. Coconut water is natures superfood sports drink, 100% natural and so good for you. A way better option.

Scott: Its imperative to ingest some form of electrolyte replacements during sustained exertion, otherwise performance will be impaired and diminish.

9. What are your thoughts on the HCG Protocol and the concept of reaching leptin sensitivity.

Luke: Not my specialty thanks x

Scott: My thoughts are that we should shift our focus from weight management to health.  Once we start eating for health then our weight will naturally revert to its optimum.  Forget quick fixes, fads and short cuts - food should be enjoyed with an eating plan which has longevity and one you can sustain indefinitely.  I encourage people that are hoping to lose weight to eat real food, minimise their intake of carbs/sugar and embrace a high fat diet.

Thanks to both Luke and Scott for helping out here and their generous offer of donating a copy of their latest book for a competition.  

Keep your eye on this space

 if you 

would like to win your own copy.

Primal Living Tasmania conference - part two

Now I know you are probably already a bit jelly that you didn't get to this event and you missed out on awesome food and stuff.  

Let me just say "but wait there is more.........."

Speakers!!

and what an array of speakers!

Gary Fettke

Christine Cronau

Jenna Lovell

Rohan Anderson

Alexx Stuart

Guy Lawrence

David Gillespie

Zee Arain

Rod Tayler

Gerard Chrochon

Chrystal Fieldhouse

Not all of them were my 'cup of tea' and I feel that a couple probably could have been left off the list and stuck to their trade table instead, but that is just my opinion.

Gary Fettke

I was really looking forward to Gary speaking as I have followed him for some time,  and I was not disappointed.  Although I believe sugar is the root of many evils and have cut it out of our diet I didn't feel he was preaching to the converted.  He spoke alot about the link between inflammation and glucose/fructose and the mitochondria which I found really interesting.  Another thing he highlighted was the need for seasonal eating.  He used paleolithic man (stoneage) as an example, describing their need to 'fatten up' in the good seasons (summer/autumn) to tide them over the harder months when food was more scarce.  This makes sense as our weight does change seasonally.  Anna spoke of this in her article recently.  And, because the focus of the day was mostly low carb, high fat (LCHF) he also spoke about good vs bad oils' and the study of 'blue zone longevity' which is something I want to read more on.

His last words really stuck with me  

"we need to be humble in our eating; local, seasonal, natural"

Christine Cronau

I am new to the Christine band wagon as I only just started following her the last few months.   Christine's talk focused heavily on the LCHF philosophy.     How our low fat culture has seen a rise in strokes, heart disease, diabetes and thyroid disfunction.  She highlighted many of the dietary myths that are spun around food promotion and the 'health' industry.  

Rohan Anderson

I loved this guy.  

Do yourself a favour and check out his blog.  

He is so entertaining and tells a story of tree change that is becoming very common.

 David Gillespie
David has written multiple books on sugar and oil.  His talk focused on oils and had some great information that was new to me.    Check out his books  (via link above) if you haven't heard of him.  I particularly found this chart informative.  It outlines how much polyunsaturated fat is contained in certain oils.  Obviously the ones on the left with least amount are the ones you want to use and avoid those on the right.  Sorry the photo quality isn't much better.

Although I suspect the speakers were in many cases 'preaching to the converted' I found this to be an informative and entertaining day.  I am really glad I went as there were many things I learnt, particularly from the speakers I have commented on above.
If you are bummed you missed out because you live interstate then please check out Jo's website as she is taking this national.  I am not sure if she will have the same speakers but keep your eye out for it in your part of the woods.  It seems to be the current trend in workshops and I have seen Changing Habits hosting similar as have Low Carb DownUnder

Awaken your skin - Twenty8 Essentials Skin Care Range Review by Coach Kate

I have to admit that I have heard so many positives (and no negatives) when it comes to the Twenty8 Essentials skin care products that I could write a fabulous post recommending them myself.
However, I personally have not used them. It isn't that I don't want to, because I do. But, being a sole parent on a carer's pension means that I have to budget very carefully and unfortunately this does not include such a purchase at the moment. 

But, when I put the call out asking for someone who uses the products to write me a review Kate from Coach Kate kindly stepped up to the mark and offered.

Awaken your skin, your senses and your soul: Twenty8 Essentials Skin Care Range Review by Coach Kate

My skin is naturally dry and can be flaky without some kind of topical moisturiser, and unfortunately the HCG protocol is very limited in the types of personal care products you can use whilst on the protocol.
Kim Morrison, the founder of Twenty8, has developed a HCG approved skin care range based on the oil from the jojoba seed. Fortunately, the molecules found in jojoba oil are too large to deeply penetrate the skin and be absorbed into the blood stream. Technically it's not really an oil, but rather a liquid wax. It sits on top of the skin, more like a protective barrier from the environment and therefore preserving the skin's natural sebum to keep the skin hydrated.

I purchased both the Spritzer Toner and the Ester Plus (+) Face Serum to use whilst I was following the HCG Protocol by Cyndi O'Meara (4 Phase Fat Elimination Protocol). I have quite sensitive skin and for the past year have switched to all-natural preservative-free personal care products, which has dramatically changed my skin. As such, I am extremely fussy with the skin care products I choose to use.

 I was very impressed with the range! I found it thoroughly hydrated my face, without affecting my weight-loss results. 

My only qualm was that it left my skin quite shiny, which was fine of an evening, however it meant that most days I chose to use a mineral foundation powder over the top. I normally only wear foundation for special occasions as I find it can clog my pores and feel quite heavy on my skin.

The Twenty8 bodycare range is such a beautiful indulgence. I found it almost therapeutic to massage the Ester Plus (+) Body Serum into my skin after dry body-brushing. Having a routine after dinner, such as dry body-brushing and then massaging the jojoba-based oil is a fantastic distraction from those night-time nibbles that are a big no-no whilst following the HCG protocol.

Whilst on the HCG, you are going through a significant detox - physical and emotional. I found that using the Detox and Strengthen Synergy Blend in my oil diffuser was very grounding and satisfying. It was like the smell in the air reminded me to stay true to my commitment to the HCG and myself.

If you would like to find out more about me and my own health journey, please visit my website 

NB. Kate and I received no payment or product for this review.  If you purchase via any of the links I will receive a small percentage of sales as an affiliate.