Pete Evans has just released a new book titled “Heal”, here is an extract including 5 simple tips to improve your health, restore balance in a modern world and a delicious and yummy recipe from one of Australia’s favourite chefs. 

Eat a real lunch

While you may have the best of intentions to eat well, it can be easy to slip into unhealthy choices when at school or work. Eating a healthy lunch every day just takes a little preparation. Some people spend an hour or so on Saturday or Sunday to do some bulk mealprepping ???? easy lunches such as egg muffins, chicken or meatballs,or soups (my kids get at least one thermos of soup each week – usually chicken and vegetable). Others like to pack hot or cold leftovers (there are amazing storage containers that keep food safe until lunchtime).

I always start by packing some animal protein such as meatballs,sausages, chicken, paleo hot dogs, ham, fish cakes, paleo sushi oran egg dish of some sort. To this I add some fresh fruit and cooked or raw vegetables. My girls also enjoy seaweed as a snack and I like to make sandwiches with nut-free bread. I always include a bigbottle of filtered water and a little organic dark chocolate or a paleoseed cookie. We even created our own range of nut-free cookies named after the girls called Chindii cookies (Chilli and Indii).

Get some daily sunshine

You’ve probably heard by now that being in the sun for a fewminutes each day is the best way to get enough vitamin D. But didyou know that sunlight doesn’t provide the vitamin directly?

Ultraviolet-B radiation from the sun converts a type of cholesterol inour skin to make an inactive form of vitamin D that is then activated by the liver and kidneys. The active form of vitamin D is crucial forhealthy cell function as well as for the health of our bones, teeth, skin and hair. This is why I respect and honour the sun, as it provides free medicine for everyone!

So step outside without sunscreen for 5–10 minutes a day (or up to 30 minutes if the UV index is low or if you have naturally dark skin),and you will ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Of course, ifyou stay outside for longer than this, you’ll need to protect your skin – especially in the middle of the day. My number one rule is to never get burnt!

Move

Keep your body free from injury by finding ways to improve yourfunctional movement. Functional exercises simulate common movements you might do in daily life such as pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, squatting and lunging. These use multiple joints and numerous muscles, so instead of only moving the elbows (for instance, doing a bicep curl), a functional exercise will usually engage the core and might involve the elbows, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles (such as kettlebell swings, push-ups or lunges). These types of exercises create balance in the body, making everyday activities easier and reducing your risk of injury.

Create the ultimate room for sleep

Sleep is absolutely crucial for cellular repair and therefore the healthy functioning of every bodily system. Lack of sleep affects our concentration, short-term memory and reaction time as well asramping up our appetite. (Poor sleep triggers the hormone cortisol,which switches the body to sugar-burning mode so that we have the energy to get through the much longer time we’re awake.) Unfortunately, there are many factors that can work against good- quality sleep, including stress, illness and having very young children. The following tips will help minimise interruptions to your slumber.

Make your bedroom a peaceful heaven

Even low-level noise can disturb your sleep. Double glazing is great for reducing noise, as is sealing draughts around doors and windows. (If you work shifts or live in a particularly noisy area, consider investing in a sound machine that emits white noise and helps block out those noises that wake us up.) And if you’re travelling, make sure you always pack ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones.

Celebrate mealtimes together

Sharing meals as a family is vitally important for many reasons: it helps children expand their tastebuds in a supportive environment, it allows parents to model healthy eating habits, it teaches children food etiquette and it also encourages positive communication skills (e.g. young children learn how to take turns talking and listening).Most importantly, it strengthens family bonds.

I don’t think there’s ever been a time since my children were old enough to sit in a highchair that we haven’t sat down to a meal together. Even when I’m fasting at breakfast, I’ll still sit at the table (or be nearby cleaning up the dishes that I used for cooking the family breakfast).

For us, dinner is a time we all look forward to, where everyone feels comfortable to talk about their day or to share coming events that might affect us all. We often have some soft music in the background and all screens and phones are off (except, perhaps, when one of us wants to record some spontaneous dancing that might happen during dinner!).

Then, now time to put in practice with the Pumpkin & Buckwheat Risotto recipe!

prep + cook time 40 minutes serves 6

Buckwheat, despite its name, has no relationship to wheat. In fact, it is a gluten-free seed packed with fibre and protein. It contains two useful amino acids for vegans – lysine and arginine – and is a good source of magnesium, which assists with muscle recovery and growth.

Ingredients

40g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese (see diet swap)
3 sprigs rosemary
1 large onion (200g), chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic
800g butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm dice extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
11⁄2 teaspoons ground turmeric
11⁄2 cups (300g) toasted buckwheat (see tip opposite) 3⁄4 cup (105g) skinless roasted hazelnuts 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock (see diet swap & swap)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
2 Place 2⁄3 cup of the hazelnuts and the parmesan in mixing bowl; chop for 10 sec/speed 7 or until very finely chopped. Scrape down the side of the bowl, ensuring none remains or it will stick to the bowl when in cook mode. 3 Remove 11⁄2 tablespoons of the rosemary leaves from sprigs.
Place rosemary leaves, onion and garlic in mixing bowl; cook for
2 min/120°C/speed 4 or until onion is softened.
4 Reserve 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Place remaining pumpkin on prepared tray with remaining rosemary sprigs; spray with oil and season. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
5 Meanwhile, add remaining pumpkin to mixing bowl with turmeric; blend for 10 sec/speed 6 or until coarsely chopped. Insert whisk attachment in mixing bowl.
6 Add hazelnut mixture, buckwheat and stock to mixing bowl; cook for 30 min/100°C/stir mode (the risotto will appear wet). Stand risotto for 5 minutes before serving for the perfect soft consistency. Serve risotto topped with roasted pumpkin, remaining coarsely chopped hazelnuts and extra parmesan, if you like.

diet swap For dairy-free and vegan options, omit the parmesan and substitute with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. For a gluten-free option, check that the stock you are using is gluten-free.

swap Use eight Vegetable Stock Concentrate cubes on page 42 combined with 1 litre (4 cups) water instead of bought vegetable stock, if you like.

Tip

You can also make the risotto with 300g arborio rice and the same quantity
of stock.

NUTRITIONAL COUNT PER SERVING

14.7g total fat (2g sat fat)

1631kJ (389 cal)

46.9g carbohydrate

13.9g protein

6.8g fibre

Heal by Pete Evans, Published by Plum, RRP $32.99