It’s important to note that these have all had the sign off from my kids, so they are 100% family suitable.

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Salmon/ Tuna Poke Bowls

For the fish:

• Remove skin, chop into cubes

• Marinade for at least one hour, 2/3 hrs better: soy sauce (or coconut aminos for gluten free), organic sesame oil (I like Biona), rice wine vinegar, maple syrup or honey, juice of one lime (lemon ok if you have no limes).

• For rice, I always buy organic white rice, usually Jasmine. Rinse thoroughly, cook as per instructions, then cool.

• For crunchy cucumber salad: chop cucumber into thin slices. Marinade: soy/ aminos, pinch mineral salt, tsp raw honey, dash rice vinegar, dash sesame oil. Add chilli flakes or Shichimi Togarashi if you like spicy.

• For spicy mayo: I use Hunter & Gather avocado mayo (lovely clean ingredients), approx one tsp per person eating, a few drops tabasco, tbsp soy/ aminos, pinch salt, squeeze lemon if needed.

• Other sides I like: sauerkraut or kimchi, chopped and salted avocado, pickled onions (currently loving the Ottolenghi Hibiscus Pickled Onions you get in Waitrose), edamame beans, chopped mango with a dash of lime.

• Put it all together in bowls or let everyone build their own.

Scottish Stovies

This a comfort dish you may not have heard of if you’re not local, but it is SO easy to make, really easy to hide good stuff in, and it is so comforting and nourishing. Perfect for when you just want a hug in a bowl. I like to add a couple of poached eggs on top of mine to make sure I’m getting enough choline.

• Beef roasting joint of your choice. Season then brown on all sides- either in a pan or if you happen to be bbq’ing, do it on that. Once cooked and rested, slice then chop into bite size squares.

• Approx 1.5kg potatoes- peeled and chopped into chunks. Not too small.

• Optional: carrots/ swede chopped and peeled.

• Optional: soften some onion and celery in a pan with some butter.

• About 250ml good bone broth.

• Salt (a tbsp of good mineral salt, I like Baja Gold), pepper, couple of bay leaves.

• Put everything in either a casserole dish and cook covered (and secured with sheet of baking parchment) for approx 4 hours on low heat, OR pressure cooker for 2 hours. I have an Instant Pot so that is what I do.

• Serve: with oat cakes if you like them, lots of brown sauce.

Note that this makes A LOT of food so have a glass dish ready to store leftovers.

Easiest Ever Beef Kebabs

• Pack of grass-fed beef mince, at least 12% fat. Add to it:

• Salt, pepper, chopped herbs (chives, parsley), onion and garlic granules, or, take it in another direction with an asian/ bbq spice mix.

• Bonus point: if you have an ancestral organ blend such as Organised/ Lineage, add a tbsp into the mince to maximise the nutrients.

• Place a baking tray with tsp ghee into a hot oven (200c) until ghee melted. Remove, then while tray still hot, carefully flatten out your beef mince onto tray. Score the mince into sausage shapes.

• Return to oven for approx 10 minutes or a little longer if you like meat more well done.

• Serve these with literally any dish. They taste like little burgers.

Kids Favourite Pumpkin Pasta

• One pumpkin. Elite tip: put your whole pumpkin into the oven on low heat to soften it slightly- it makes chopping and deseeding SO MUCH EASIER. Deseed, slice, then roast in the oven on approx 160, with a little bit of ghee. Turn periodically. It’s done when golden brown on both sides.

• Let the pumpkin cool down, remove the skins.

• In a frying pan, melt a tbsp ghee or butter, and sautee an onion until soft. Add two cloves of garlic, cook for another 2-3 minutes. ALTERNATIVE: skip the onion and garlic and use onion + garlic powder if you’re pressed for time.

• In the meantime, cook your favourite pasta as per instructions. Save a bit of the cooking water.

• Add the pumpkin chunks to the onion. For my 3 kids I used one half of a medium sized pumpkin. Turn heat to low, add 2 tbsp creme fraiche, stir together. Blitz with a blender stick if you prefer a smoother sauce.

• Add in the pasta, plus a small amount of the cooking water to bring everything together.

• Serve with loads of grated parmesan on top, and a couple of the beef kebabs.

Nori + Miso Mayo Sardine Wraps

This is my favourite way of eating sardines to date. It cannot be overstated how much eating sardines regularly will upgrade your health, so please please do whatever you can to get them into your diet! Nori is rich in fibre, protein and minerals, so its a massive upgrade to the traditional flour wrap.

• One nori sheet (you can get them online but also in most supermarkets)

• For the miso mayo, I combine one tsp of Hunter & Gather avocado mayo and 1/2 tsp of organic miso. Spread that onto the rough side of the nori.

• Add your pickles: I like pickled onions, kimchi, or cornichons here. The pickle really helps to cut through the sardines and gives this meal such good zing.

• Drain your sardines (make sure you are buying sardines in olive oil, with the skin and bones), and place about half of a tin of sardines per wrap.

• Wrap it up like a fajita and enjoy.

Home made marshmallows

Gelatine is an essential part of marshmallows, but it’s also an essential part of your healthy diet. It is so good for your skin condition and glow, for healing, for hair, for your gut structure (and therefore for your nutrient status, energy, mental health). I’ve always been tempted to use maple syrup here, but actually, Lucie Camilla gave me her recipe for marshmallows with sugar and I have to say that the structure is just that much

better.

• Gelatine: I like Planet Paleo grass-fed beef gelatine. You will need 3.5tbsp- bloom this first, ie add 100ml cold water to it, stir and let it sit 5-10 mins.

• Prepare your tray: use one that is not too big or your mallows will be skinny. Butter then dust your tray with either icing sugar or arrowroot powder.

• While your gelatine is blooming, put 400g golden caster sugar in a pan with a tiny squeeze of lemon, pinch of good salt and 50ml water. Heat this very gently on low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and no longer crunchy. Then bring to the boil.

• Remove from the heat as soon as sugar is melted and bubbling. Just before your mixture comes off the heat, a tsp of good vanilla bean paste or scrape a vanilla pod.

• I also like to add a tsp of Erbology Rose hydrosol (rose flower water) or Anima Mundi Rose powder- I am a rose obsessive. Other things you can add: matcha, Anima Mundi Butterfly Pea Flower, orange essence, pearl powder, AND also dip in melted dark chocolate.

• Start your mixer on low in the gelatine bowl, and start to pour in the sugar mixture. Keep beating until the mixture becomes thick and glossy and starts to hold its structure- I stop when it starts to ‘climb’ up the beaters.

• It will start setting quickly so you need to be snappy. As soon as your mixture is ready, pour it into your tray. Let set for a few minutes, then dust, and add an extra sprinkle of sea salt.

• This will be fully set within about an hour. Cut it into squares and store in an airtight container. Add one to every drink you have.

Mince Bowls

This is my ride or die meal, my fail safe, the most versatile thing in my repertoire. Filling, nourishing, can be dressed up or down, cost effective, and everyone likes it.

The absolute basics of cooking a mince bowl:

• Grass fed beef mince, at least 12% fat. Place it in a bowl, mix with salt & pepper.

• Heat your pan to high heat, with a tsp of ghee. Add your mince, flatten it out to the pan, and cook on high until its browned on the bottom. Treat it the same way you would a steak right now.

• Once browned, break it up, and cook until it’s done to your liking- for me its 5 mins from this point tops.

• Remove from pan and serve with your favourite sides.

• Optional: before you cook your mince, fry up an onion, some garlic, grated carrot, celery, mushrooms, or any other veg you like. Then add meat.

• Optional: make it asian with a glug of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and some spring onions. OR, soy sauce, sesame oil, a little bit of maple and tabasco, OR make it ‘Mexican’ with sweet paprika and bbq sauce (i really like Ottolenghi Sweet & Smoky seasoning) and some beans.

• Best sides: bone broth rice, baby potatoes (esp good if you cook then cool them as this makes them more beneficial to your gut with a smaller sugar spike), carrot salad (carrot ribbons + ACV + EVOO + chopped herbs), salted tomatoes, pickles, raw cheese cubes, roasted pumpkin or squash, steamed asparagus, a couple of eggs, niche one: banana cooked in ghee until golden brown, a drizzle of spicy honey.

Teriyaki Chicken + Bone Broth Rice

• The chicken: for 5 of us, I bought 12 chicken thighs with the skin and bones. This is a bit of a hassle, but you need to debone the chicken (because chicken with no bones costs exactly double), then cut into chunks.

• Marinade for 3+ hours: soy sauce, white wine vinegar, grated garlic, maple syrup .

• Cook on medium heat in a tsp of ghee until golden brown on all sides.

• Rice: rinse and cook as per instructions, but I used bone broth instead of water to make it super nourishing.

• Spicy mayo or miso mayo as in previous meals.

• Separately, I cooked some chopped mushrooms in a little bit of butter, and steamed some purple sprouting broccoli. Once both were ready I tossed them in a pan with some soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.

• Combine everything in a bowl, drizzle with mayo, garnish with chopped herbs and a sprinkle of Shichimi.

Chicken Foot Bone Broth

• I buy my chicken feet from a trusted local farmer- i recommend you do the same. There are also a number of good farms where you can order online.

• My chicken feet are always visibly clean, for which reason I have not bothered to trim their claws, and have never had any issues. This is a step you can add in if you are unsure.

• You can add things to your broth to make it more healing, such as whole garlic, star anise, onion, carrot, celery, ACV. However, I am a purist and a lover of ‘one and done’ so my chicken feet go into the pressure cooker just covered with water, with a heaped tbsp of mineral salt and two bay leaves. You can also throw in any other bones you have (chicken carcass from a roast for example).

• I put this into the pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for four hours. Strain once cooked and transfer to glass storage.

• This is bone broth of unparalleled quality. It will always jiggle (unless you add too much water. Don’t be greedy- cover your feet with water and maybe just a tiny bit more). It is so nourishing to the gut, it will speed up skin healing, it will make your hair shiny, it will nurse you through an illness, it will make amazing sauces.

• Chicken feet are still super cheap, but quite hard to come by, so when I do see them at the farmer’s market I tend to buy double or triple the amount and freeze.

And that’s my weekly roundup of what I’ve been cooking! I hope you enjoy, and let me know if you make any of these.

Jules

xxx

I’ve had a couple of run-ins with leaky gut over the years, none of which were pretty. Your gut can quietly be leaky for a long time, and you might mistake this for a period of low health, bad skin, feeling achey for no reason. For me, it always came to a head when a stomach bug or food poisoning came on board- if your gut structure is compromised, you are extremely exposed to picking up things that wouldn't normally affect you. From there, the downward spiral can be rapid.

So…

If your gut is wrecked from bad eating or excessive drinking, if you’ve been on meds, if you’ve had food poisoning that turned to IBS, if you’ve been under severe mental or physical stress, if you’ve unknowingly been living through coeliac, SIBO, parasites or gut infections, if your immunity is compromised- there’s a good chance your gut needs some urgent TLC .

here’s what to do to start feeling better, and it works fast.

S. boulardii: Hero probiotic yeast (not the same as probiotic bacterium). Prevents harmful yeast and bacteria build up, binds endo + mycotoxins, super gentle, strengthens tight junctions, supports the antibodies in your gut that act as your first line of defence.

I use Saccharomyces Boulardii from Seeking Health.

Zinc Carnosine: Think oysters (zinc) + red meat (L-carnosine). Support healthy stomach acid production and mucosal healing (all the healthy goodness of the gut lives in the mucosal layer).

I use Zinc Carnosine from Seeking Health or Integrative Therapeutics.

L-Glutamine: Main fuel source for your intestinal cells. Helps repair and seal the gut lining + balance real hunger and satiety cues.

I use L-Glutamine capsules from Metagenics

Betaine hCl + Digestive enzymes if you have low stomach acid symptoms (full quickly, bloating regardless of what you eat, burping, undigested food in poop). Stomach acid is needed to break down protein, absorb minerals and keep unwanted microbes in check. Digestive enzymes suppprt the process.

I use Metadigest Hcl Complex from Metagenics

Butyrate: In a healthy gut, this is a fermentation product of beneficial gut bacteria and is used by colon cells as fuel. Supports tight junctions + mucous barrier repair, drives down raging inflammation, nourishes colonocytes and provides them with energy to function more efficiently.

I use Sodium Butyrate from BodyBio

Aloe Vera juice on empty stomach: calms irritation in the mucosa and supports repair of tight junction function.

I use Organic Aloe Vera juice from Fushi

Prioritise: I would start with S. Boulardii (first thing in the AM on empty stomach) + L-Glutamine with your meals or as per instructions, Zinc Carnosine as per instructions.

As your next level, add Aloe for gentle soothing + Butyrate.

Use Hcl if you experience symptoms of low stomach acid (heartburn, burping after meals, gas, bloating esp after eating protein rich meals, full quickly).

Meat stock: Rich in minerals, gelatin and amino acids that support the gut lining without being too harsh on digestion. Slow cooked and easy to tolerate.

Marshmallow root tea: Contains soothing mucilage that coats and calms irritated digestive tissue. Helps to repair stomach lining.

I like this organic marshmallow root you can get on Amazon.

Mega hydration: If your gut is leaky your body can be regularly finding itself dehydrated. Replenish with mineral water (bonus if you can structure it), a pinch of good quality mineral salt or a clean electrolyte, coconut water, fresh orange or organic pomegranate juice. Rehydrating once you’ve felt the symptoms is a lot harder than just keeping hydrated before the event.

No cold, raw foods on an empty stomach, no excess hard fibre- the physical process of warming and breaking these down is too demanding on a gut that is already under severe strain. Let this be your warm, soft, cosy era.

A note on probiotics- while these are popular in gut healing conversations, there needs to be a word of caution: if your gut is leaky and damaged, you first have to heal and seal it, and only then consider adding more bacteria to the mix, ideally after testing (because throwing extra bacterial strains at a gut that already resembles a sieve might make things a lot worse). Testing can be immensely beneficial, because on top of your leaky gut you could be dealing with SIBO or various GI infections (bacterial, viral or parasitic) which need to be addressed as an essential part of improving your gut health for good.

Testing: if you regularly struggle with gut symptoms I really recommend getting tested. You might find you have an infection, a parasite, or SIBO- all of which require specific treatment in order to get you feeling good again. You might find that your gut is just chronically depleted of useful residents (as I did)- in which case, you would be a prime candidate for a good probiotic. In either case, having the real facts in your hands eliminates years of guesswork. I’ve previously used healthpath.com and also had a GI Map done by a functional practitioner.

And finally… two common irritants for many people are dairy and gluten. If your gut situation is dire, removing these both, at least temporarily while you get over the hump will most likely help.

Whatever happens, remember that healing is possible. If you are serious about getting better, you can and you will Improve. Your glow will return. But please, don’t forget to live while you’re on the road to recovery- that’s the most important.

Jules xx

For 15% off all healf orders, you can use my aff link healf.com/jules15

For 15% off BodyBio orders, you can use my aff link here

Read my two part post on Instagram: Part 1 + Part 2

Tried + tested + loved by yours truly xx

-Vitamin B1 supp*- I like Thiamax from Objective nutrients or as part of a methylated B complex

Quicksilver Methyl-B complex specifically for everyone who knows they have an MTHFR gene variant (but can also be taken without mthfr)

Integrative Therapeutics Vitamin E

Designs for Health Inositol to improve insulin sensitivity >> hormone balance supporting

Rotating a good binder first thing in the AM on an empty stomach: I like PectaSol, Codeage Full Spectrum Binder +, Taketsumi Supreme, Seeking Health S. boulardii

Raena bioidentical progesterone cream

Progest-e bioidentical progesterone

For 15% off all orders at Healf feel free to use my aff link here xx

1. Metagenics Hcl + Broad Spectrum Enzymes

2. Jarrow Formulas Lactoferrin

3. Metagenics L Glutamine

4. Integrative Therapeutics Zinc Carnosine

5. Body Bio Butyrate- 15% off with my link

6. For a single biomarker test- One Day Tests

7. For a full blood panel with two follow-up panels through the year- Do Health (use code JULES to spreed through waitlist and access early bird pricing)

8. For 15% off all products at healf use this aff link

The boring bit… In simple terms, insulin is the hormone that signals every cell in your body to open up and receive glucose. And glucose isn’t just ‘sugar’- it’s bread, its rice, it’s fruit, it’s milk, it’s oats. Glucose is necessary, but when we create a situation of overexposure- when insulin is triggered too often (taking on too much/ too often/ without sufficient fat or protein to balance it out), our cells become so used to high insulin, they eventually become desensitised and resistant. Glucose builds up in your blood while your body produces more and more insulin in an attempt to trigger a reaction. A breakdown is iminennt.

Signs you may be insulin resistant:

• Intense cravings for sugar, carbs and stodge

• Energy crashes and feeling sleepy after meals

• Hanger to the point of inability to think straight every time you delay or skip a meal

• Feeling hungry soon after eating

• Night waking, around 2-4am

• Brain fog, trouble concentrating, anxiety, irritability

• Skin tags or dark patches on neck, underarms, groin

• Stubborn fat or weight gain around tummy

• Bloating and discomfort after meals

• Irregular or painful periods, PMS, acne breakouts

• Fatigue on waking

What this can ultimately lead to:

• In short term: weight gain, mood fluctuations, anxiety, irritability, poor sleep, brain fog, dull skin, breakouts, skin tags, exhaustion, poor exercise recovery, cravings, hanger, low grade inflammation, puffiness, bloating.

• Longer term: insulin resistance leads to mitochondrial breakdown, meaning that your individual cells struggle to carry out their functions, and since all cells are affected, dysfunction manifests differently in different bodily systems. Damaged reproductive cells = infertility, damaged brain cells = cognitive decline, damaged liver cells = trouble detoxing, fatty liver, and so on.

• Health conditions where insulin resistance is strongly implicated: Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, PCOS, non-alcoholic fatty liver, hypothyroidism, hypertension, CVD, stroke, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, gout, skin tags, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and ultimately, cancer.

Another essential thing to know is that there is a powerful, vicious cycle type relationship between insulin and cortisol- our get-up-and-go hormone (which can quickly become our stress hormone when out of balance). High insulin causes sugar crashes » sugar crashes trigger stress response » stress elevates cortisol » cortisol raises blood sugar » insulin gets even higher, and so on. In amongst all this chaos, two things happen:

1. Insulin tells your body to store more fat. Drat!!

2. Chronically elevated cortisol puts your body in a constant state of fight or flight. It is physically impossible to lose weight in F&F, because it is against our biology- your body doesn’t know where your next meal is coming from, so you best believe it’s holding on to everything it can.

So if you’ve been ‘doing all the right things’ but constantly spiking your glucose levels OR feeling stressed out of your mind, this might be why.

If all of this sounds daunting, please know that walking away from insulin resistance is easier than you would imagine. I will cover this in depth next time, but until then, my main tip is to fill your plate with real, ideally animal based protein, like meat, fish, eggs, using lots of good fat like butter, ghee, olive oil, avocados, and adding fruit (or your choice of fibre) last- as a garnish.

I truly believe that one of the main components of health is knowledge: it allows us to make real, smart, educated decisions when it comes to our most valuable asset. If you found this post helpful, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Jules xx

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