The Clot Thickens  by Dr Malcolm Kendrick
 
There is no doubt that the title of this book wins hands down and I was so looking forward to reading it. I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr Kendrick and he is as entertaining to chat with as he is to read. Perhaps it is the Scottish charm. Whatever it is he deserves to be taken very seriously for his sterling work on heart disease. He has dug deep to give us an alternative view of what causes heart disease. Well away from the cholesterol hypothesis that keeps the medical world kachinging away.
 
Of course, his view is not welcomed by the mainstream. Why would it? But he puts across great arguments for how and why atherosclerosis and heart disease are prevalent and what to do about it. The book's detail does make it not the easiest to understand at times but ultimately his tone and humour bring you through. 

Anne Maher
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Being an organic grocery of course we are interested in consuming foods that are not contaminated with herbicides and pesticides or GMOs. Glyphosate the main ingredient in “RoundUp” as more readily known is possibly the most commonly used herbicide we are familiar with. A weedkiller also is readily sprayed pre-harvest to act as a desiccant to help the process. It is popular! The use of glyphosate has increased significantly in recent decades and is more so due to genetic modification of crops since 1996. More studies have shown the rising level of glyphosate in our water and bodies. The full effects of which we will never fully know although the associated rises of many neurological conditions among others cannot be ignored. Independent research is always difficult to find.

Currently, glyphosate is approved in the EU until 15th December 2023 with an approval renewal process underway. However, there are strong opposition voices to this renewal with many concerns being expressed about the health risks associated such as non-Hodkin Lymphoma and serious eye damage.  Noted that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans by the IARC in 2015 with subsequent significant lawsuits brought against Monsanto and Bayer yielding eye-watering sums of payouts in the USA yet reading the EU documentation you might be inclined to think it's relatively harmless!

Weedkiller is big business make no mistake and there is of course a strong lobby to keep it being used. 
Using organic food and care products is an active way to reduce your risk of increasing exposure.

Instead of waiting for research to allay your concerns you can become the case study of one. Make the switch and see how much better you will be! As a community, we need to have a vested interest in ourselves.

Anne Maher
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Roast dinners are a huge favorite, especially when we have organic chicken. As my mother often says, 'We didn't have organic in our day,' to which the standard reply is, 'You did, except it was just called chicken!'"

Following the tradition my mother taught me, I simmer the chicken (giblets removed) for 30 minutes in a saucepan of water with chopped onions and two whole cloves of garlic. Once finished, I remove the chicken and keep the stock for making gravy and cooking the celery.

Next, add your chicken to your roasting tin, along with more garlic. Pour in some of the stock and let it cook.

Parboil the potatoes and toss them in semolina before placing them in the oven. This ensures crispy on the outside and soft on the inside roasties. Roast your carrots and potatoes in the oven, and steam the broccoli and cauliflower. Don't forget to make your gravy. Enjoy!

PS: You can also simmer the giblets in water with onions and garlic for about an hour. Strain and let it cool. I then place it in ice cube trays for freezing. It can be a great addition to rice, vegetables, pasta, and more for added flavor. You can also freeze it in batches of 1/2 and 1 pint for casseroles, and other dishes.

Geraldine

Recently I have been experimenting with making ‘ fried’ dishes without the use of oil. A fry without the use of oil may seem kind of strange, but there is more and more awareness of how fats, even plant-based fats such as oils should be consumed in moderation if at all.
 
I remember when selling my book at a fair, one or two people asked me if the book contained oil-free recipes. I used to love a nice dollop or two of olive oil and just about anything, but it may not be such a good idea.
 
I did not think it could be done, but I was pleasantly surprised. The idea is to caramelize the onion using water instead of oil, with a little patience it actually works, and the final result is quite tasty.
 
 
Recipe
 
Makes enough for 4 good servings.
 
INGREDIENTS 

• 1 large onion - sliced
• 3 or 4 medium potatoes – washed & cubed
• 1 tin of butter beans - drained
• 1 red pepper – cut into strips
• 1 or 2 hot chillis – with seeds left in if you want it spicy
• 3 tbsp – tamari soya sauce
• ½ tsp – paprika
• ½ tsp – dried oregano
• A handful of cherry tomatoes – cut in two
• 2 or 3 scallions - chopped
• A pinch or two of sea salt at the end, but taste it first.

 
METHOD

1.  Steam the cubed potatoes till just soft, then set aside.
2. To a large pan on medium heat add ¼ cup of water and slowly soften the onion.
   After the water has evaporated, add another ¼ cup and keep cooking until the onion as a little browned and soft.
3. Add the chopped red pepper and chilli and another ¼ cup of water and cook a few minutes until softening.
4. Now include the cubed potato, the butter beans, the tamari, paprika and dried oregano. Add another ¼ cup of water and heat it all together, stirring gently so the herbs and spices are nicely incorporated.
5. Add the chopped tomato and green onion ( scallion ) just before serving
6. A pinch of salt at the end if you wish.

 
A one pot meal, without oil, only a little salt and plenty of flavour 😊
  
Bon appétit !
 
Jacques
 @HungrySoulVegan - Changing the Culture

I used to teach people about food labels and once up a time thought it important enough to impart the “useful” information on. Remember when the book came out about E numbers and drove us all mad checking for MSG disguised as a coded number on the back of packets? Eircodes for chemicals…

Occasionally I will check a food label in a local supermarket (just because) and to be honest I shudder at the contents. Ultimately if you have to read the labels then its probably not food at all, but an ultra processed version of something resembling it. With all the information crammed in there the script has got smaller and smaller. Reading glasses needed for food shopping?! Such effort involved in the journey to acquire food! Shopping has become a forensic science. No wonder it is exhausting and stressful! The reward? A toxic soup of chemical formulations that hardly nourishes.

It is local apple food season and the memories are evoked of childhood foraging from the neighbour’s orchard.  Our primal instinct to judge the safety and palatability of food has now been eroded by plastic, barcodes and fine print. It’s like having to crack a code to eat nowadays. One of the positive consequences of exposure to real food is having a multi-sensory experience of smells and aromas to greet us. Real foods (unpackaged) delight the senses in ways we need to remind ourselves of again.

​Anne Maher

Why are we sick by Benjamin Bikman

Let’s just say it as it is. The title is eye catching you must admit and this months book is worth investigating. I had the pleasure of chatting to the author at a recent conference following his presentation. In the book he presents his evidence on how the major diseases we are all familiar with - cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease have a common root cause. Insulin Resistance.

Its compelling and easy reading with a positive plan on how to reverse and prevent this root cause problem. You will think differently about that sweet tooth you have! 

Anne Maher

I've tried nearly every cream, balm, and ointment under the sun to help with my eczema. This is THE BEST.
You only need to use a small amount. I'm overjoyed to have discovered this amazing balm, all thanks to Sandra of Raw Botanicals. My mum is thrilled as it is 100% organic, contains no chemicals, is locally made, and is not tested on animals. Review by Ruby
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Let us know which of our products are your favourites and why
Email Geraldine [email protected]

A dramatic rise in olive oil prices echoes the impact of wild fires on the olive groves of Greece in recent times. It is difficult to imagine the devastation involved when a resource such as olive groves that are hundreds of years old goes up in smoke. Livelihoods, memories, traditions gone in an instant. Can we compare such an experience here in Ireland? I’m remembering the images of the foot and mouth animal pyres in the Cooley peninsula. The trauma of that time is hard to go back to and in truth at the time I did not appreciate the enormity of it.
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Our reliance on olive oil though driven by years of nutrition advice and the benefits of the Mediterranean diet etc., have contributed to us forgetting about our local equivalents. Should we not be able to access olive oil at all being prohibitively expensive or not available what do we do? Use rapeseed oil for salad dressings? Use lard for cooking? Tallow for frying?

What is tallow you say? This is the thing… we need to reacquaint ourselves with the foods we actually have. The nutrient dense and economical version we have on our door step. You might actually be surprised…

Anne Maher