Read more
With the hot weather over this festive season, I wanted a salad that was light yet summery for my Christmas spread. So I created this broccolini, cannellini bean and mango bowl. Give it a whirl and let me know if you make it! Tag #optimahealth with all your creations. Served 14 of us as a […]
Read more
This is my nutrient dense chicken soup for the soul. Aside from chicken and a good lot of legumes, it is chock full of vegetables meaning it’s high in fibre, full of many different nutrients and is entirely satiating. A head cold has been lingering the past few days so have been dosing up on […]
Read more
This minty salsa verde is so delicious and is such a timely reminder that spring is on its way. I have made this more than once and have it enjoyed it with everything from lamb to salmon to roast vegetables. It is extremely versatile. Not to mention it is full of wholefood ingredients and gives […]
Read more
According to traditional Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and other types of alternative medicine, food combinations are key to ensuring a balanced, alkaline internal environment. Their belief is that if you combine the wrong foods, your body is at risk of becoming acidic, unbalanced which causes the oh-so-lovely symptoms of bloating, candida, gas and other digestive complaints. […]
Read more
Pumpkin is the best orange vegetable. There, I said it! I truly think it is. I mean, I LOVE sweet potato and I LOVE carrots, but I ESPECIALLY LOVE pumpkin. Hence, why this salad, to me, is the ultimate warming autumnal feed. Complete with warm grains, slow roasted pumpkin goodness and crunch and texture from […]
Read more
Snacking as a concept, isn’t bad. For some it’s utterly important to snack or have smaller meals and for others, three meals a day is plenty. Regardless of whether you snack every day or once in a blue moon, this post should resonate some what. When it comes to snacking, too often it does more […]
Read more
I’ve touched on the nutritional benefits of quinoa before and this week it was a feature in the first ever edition of the Optima Health quiz on Instagram. Hence, I thought it timely to post a salad featuring this most brilliant grain. This is my broccoli and quinoa salad. Its nutty, its fruity, its plain […]
Read more
I love pumpkin. Its orange, its so incredibly versatile, and it tastes amazing. It’s also full of so many health benefits – such as its high in fibre, zinc, sulfur, vitamin A, phytosterols, protein and tryptophan. Being rich in these nutrients means that pumpkin gives us better immunity, better digestion, clearer skin, reduced cholesterol, stronger […]
Read more
What is fibre? Scientifically speaking, dietary fibre refers to the non-starch polysaccharide components of plants that are resistant to digestion in the small intestine. Stay with me. In other words, it encompasses the non-digestible parts of plant-based foods with the main sources being fruit, vegetables, cereals/grains and legumes. There are three main types of fibre: […]
Read more
Spring is the perfect time to start phasing out of the more hearty, wintery meals and into the lighter, summery salads. This Spring Beef Salad was inspired by the dribs and drabs of my weekly vegetable shop as well as a leftover beef. That’s why it is so appealing, as it can be adapted to […]