Growing meat? Really?

I've just read a really interesting article by the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18813075 about the upcoming food shortages and how we are possibly going to cope with them. The issue of food running out is already becoming a public issue here in the UK, supermarkets and markets have been fighting over the price of milk and celebrity chefs are doing the best to get people to use the bits of meat that are usually thrown away. The BBC have come up with a few solutions to the problem, including growing meat in a test tube and farming insects, all of which scientists are currently wasting thousands of pounds to test. The answer has been there all along, if everybody adopted a more plant-based, organic diet, we wouldn't have to worry about running out of food for a long time yet.
Oh, and if anyone from the BBC reads this the answer is no, a vegetarian could not eat meat from a test tube. It's still meat, there are many reasons for being vegetarian, and even if it was just about hurting the animal you still have to get the initial sample from a cow in the first place.

30 Tastes of...

Someone once told me that if you taste a food 30 times, you will grow to accept it. Whilst there are some foods that I don't think I'll ever grow to like, nor do I want to (Marmite springs to mind - I'm definitely in the Hate camp), I am finding this fact to be true. As part of my allergy-free diet, I have to take 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil a day. You can add it to certain foods, although I prefer to just down the spoonful. The important thing is that you consume it cold, as it helps to maintain the properties of the oil. Flaxseed oil, or linseed oil as it is also known, is a great natural source of omega 3, which is why I take it. The label on the bottle describes it as having a 'slight nutty taste', but as someone who generally likes nuts, I would not describe it as such. For the first few days, I had to force myself to swallow it, but the 30 tastes rule must work because, after two weeks, I find it much more bearable now. I wouldn't say I like it, but it's edible.

Caffeine Cold Turkey Day 3

Oh my God - I have no idea how people cope with coming off hard, class A drugs. All credit to them. After 3 days without any coffee, I still feel pretty terrible. OK, I will admit that I caved slightly. No, don't worry, I didn't run into Starbucks and order a double espresso, but I did take my migraine medication. I know it's not technically cheating, but I still feel guilty. Suffering two days with a constant headache and my brain feeling like it was full of cotton wool cracked me, I had to do something or I wouldn't have been able to function at all at work. I know I've been extra snappy with my colleagues this week, although the hot weather has fortunately also brought out the grumpy side of a few other people so I don't think anyone's noticed me too much.
Every morning this week I have dropped more things and walked into more objects than I did the day before. I boiled a pan of milk for five minutes yesterday before I realised that I hadn't put any buckwheat flakes in it. I'm really hoping that this feeling isn't going to last much longer. Outside of work, all I've done is sleep. I have felt SOOOOO tired. I haven't even been to the gym (apart from my pathetic attempt on Tuesday) or done any sport, which is really unlike me.
My original plan was to go caffeine-free for four weeks and then go back to just having a coffee once in a while. After seeing what it does to my body, though, I don't think I ever want to have caffeine again!

Caffeine Cold Turkey

Picking one of the hottest days of the summer to try going caffeine-free for the first time probably wasn't the best idea. It's hard to tell how much it is the sun making me light-headed and tired, and how much it's the lack of coffee. I thought the worst part would be first thing this morning when I got up. I imagined myself half-asleep, attempting to run through my morning routine and accidently putting the buckwheat flakes back in the fridge and soya milk in the coffee machine instead of water. However, I felt fine until about 10am. That's when the tiredness and the headache hit me. Considering caffeine is so addictive, I haven't actually craved it all day, although I almost went and bought a coffee to keep me awake at my desk. I persisted, though, and I've made it through the day sans-caffeine! My usual 45 minute gym workout was a bit half-arsed, and I had to have a nap when I got home, but I'm hoping my energy will come back as the days go on.

One week down, four to go...

Week one of my allergy-free diet and lifestyle is behind me, and I feel good. I'm not saying that I suddenly leap out of bed at 5am (unfortunately that's what time I have to get up for work) every morning and bounce around all day with a huge grin on my face instead of eczema, but I do feel better. One big difference I have noticed is that I'm much more focused and able to concentrate better. I don't feel as stressed, either. And I'm not really missing any of the things that I've cut out of my diet. I thought I'd be craving bread and chocolate, but it's not really bothering me. I think that's because I'm eating the right stuff so my body doesn't feel the need to crave the bad things, but whatever the reason it seems to be working.
This week my aim is to cut back on caffeine even further than I have done already. From tomorrow I'm replacing my morning filter coffee with decaf, so it'll be interesting to see how I cope without the caffeine fix and if I cave and go and buy a real coffee from the coffee shop in my office.

Whoever knew buckwheat was so versatile?

Considering that I'd barely heard of buckwheat a couple of weeks ago, I'm surprised at how many products there are available made from it. I've just had my first taste of buckwheat pasta and it tastes like..., well, it tastes like pasta. The only discernible difference is the appearance. If you can get past the fact that the colour of buckwheat pasta makes it look more like something that would ooze out of an alien in a sci-fi movie, you should be fine. I don't think I'm going to really miss wheat pasta on my gluten-free diet.

Funky Feet

In keeping with my love of all things made in the UK (if you live in the UK that is) I have to tell you about one of my favourite British businesses. Funky Feet Fashions are based in Shrewsbury and make the most adorable baby shoes, clothes and accessories. All their products can be ordered online at www.funkyfeetfashions.co.uk, from soft shoes and clothing gift sets to personalised cushions and bunting. It's so exciting when my friends have babies because it means that I get to shop at Funky feet again. All the products are really good quality as well. I bought my nephew a soft toy from Funky Feet when he was a baby, and it's survived over three years of being chewed, stained and dropped into puddles. And the best thing is, everything is hand-made here in the UK.