This month, Victoria Kruse shares the best way of re-educating your body.
As a wellness expert, Victoria has been on the path of creating health strategies that will stay with you way longer than the initial diet-changing excitement. Here are her tips on how to do it:
- Don’t try to make a diet change when you are under any type ofstress or looking after other people’s needs.
- While not always possible, try to take some time off from your ‘normal life’, this way you stay away from old habits.
- Get advice. Read a book, talk to someone who follows a similar eating lifestyle that you wish to emulate. But not too much advice; learn and apply what is possible.
- Do not make too many rules for yourself. As humans, we tend to rebel against rules instead of setting goals or guidelines that we wish to achieve.
- Find ways to reward yourself that are not food-based. Over the past hundred years, we have developed a compensation system that centres around food, particularly the most addictive substance known to humankind – sugar. So, instead of food, maybe this could be points towards your dream handbag, a long-awaited holiday or even, and more importantly, some quality time with a loved one.
When asked how long it takes to successfully switch to a new diet, Victoria says: “If you are mentally ready and you have read the above, and you commit, I would say 21 days. Your body needs time to clear out toxins and work through any physical addictions and for your mind to find new neural pathways to joy. We subconsciously seek pleasure and society has conditioned us to pursue that in ways that are not natural and through substances that negatively activate dopamine.”
Victoria Kruse is a sustainability and wellness mentor. She was born and raised in a small town in New Zealand, surrounded by nature and rich biodiversity, and has always eaten homegrown and seasonal food. She is a chameleon with many talents and much knowledge to share. She worked in numerous fields before reinventing herself through learning and experience to become a sustainability and wellness mentor in the Maldives resort industry. As the creator of the ‘Wellness Your Way’ initiative, Victoria has developed recipes and shared with guests her philosophy of eating well for health and a more sustainable planet Earth
Pecan Cookies
Ingredients:
250g pecan halves
1 free-range egg, preferably pasture-raised
1 tbsp grass-fed butter at room temperature
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
¼ cup erythritol (if you are not keto, then you can use coconut sugar)
Extra pecan halves for decoration
Method:
Step one – activate your pecans
Nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, a substance that they produce to stop predators
from eating them. However, when humans consume phytic acid, it inhibits our ability
to absorb essential minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium. Activating also
removes the bitter flavour that nuts can have.
Place the pecans in a bowl, cover with water, and add one tsp of raw apple cider vinegar.
Leave it for five to six hours and then drain and place them in the oven to dry for 12
hours at 60° Celsius.
Step two – make the cookies
Place pecans in a food processor (or blender) and process until they resemble a fine
crumb. Add all other ingredients and process together until it forms a ball, like a dough.
Use a spoon to make round balls and place them on a lined baking tray. Press a pecan
half into the dough and flatten the ball with your fingers.
Bake them for nine to 10 minutes at 175° Celsius. Remove from the oven and leave
for at least one hour to cool down as they can be delicate and easily break when warm.