Tag Archives: Organic Foods Dubai

Health & Wellness

Intelligent Luxury | My visit to Greenheart Organic Farms

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It’s hard to trust anyone with the title organic.  Organic is now big business, and everyone is getting into the game.

Organic and clean foods are also a source of medicine for the body.  Genuinely sick people rely on the right nutrients from organic foods as part of their healing process.  Big businesses are messing around with people’s lives by claiming to be organic when they are not, and consumers are buying without research and with too much trust.  Some of the biggest cons in the market include agave syrup which is just high corn fructose in a nice bottle and pink himalayan salt which adds no value to your plate just your monthly expenses.

It’s pretty confusing for consumers as the bad food list expands to include burnt toasts, or anything that contains refined sugar (that covers a wide list of products found in supermarkets) and barbecue meats that contribute to cancers.  There is also so much research out there that it can be exhausting to sieve through food trends.

I watched a fabulous show on Netflix titled Cooked with Michael Pollan, an important food writer.  In one of the episodes, one of the world’s leading experts said, eat anything you want.  Eat apple pie with ice-cream and expand on that list.  There is nothing wrong with eating all of it but on one condition, he said, that you make it all from scratch.  Such an easy philosophy and yet how many of us struggle on a daily basis to prepare the three meals a day without succumbing to the ease of using tin or jar food, or readily prepared meals.  I know it is not easy.  The trend of the world hasn’t left us mums enough time to cook. The typical family in the US spends less than 30 minutes preparing food and in Europe and India they are starting to follow the same trend.  Big industries want to prepare everything for you – it’s big money.

We need to fight big industries and starting going back to basics.  We don’t have a microwave at home.  Just get a saucepan to heat up your food.  It takes 5 minutes to heat up vs 30 seconds when you zap all nutrients away.

Greenheart Organic Farms

You can imagine my delight when I got an invitation from Elena Kinane, owner of Greenheart Organic Farms to visit her farm in the UAE.  It’s the real mccoy.  I was blown away by what I saw.  I wasn’t sure if I was standing in the UAE or a field in England.

Compost

One of the most important aspects of organic foods is the quality of the ground that it is grown in.  Sand is not nutritious.  Therefore, to make it so, quality compost is key, AKA ‘black gold’.  This compost has to be added for the crops to grow.  It takes 6-months to produce compost, and there are no shortcuts.

Elena keeps 800 goats and chickens on her farm  – the most healthy looking goats I have ever seen with shiny coats from all the organic produce they are fed on.  The cockerel had the most splendid display of colours like a painting from the 1800s having only eaten organic all his life too.  Their manure and leftover crops are prepared for composting and none of the animals are killed for food.  Most importantly, compost should not have any smell, and surprisingly there are farms around the world who do not know how to compost making their produce susceptible to E. coli.

The fields are manually prepared so no heavy machinery is used to plough the fields, and the compost is scattered in straight lines, and volcanic minerals are added to further enrich the soil.

No chemicals

Elena does not use any chemicals on her fields, and uses old farming methods to swot away white flies, and she organises her fields using certain crops to protect other crops.  For example, the smell of kale protects the tomatoes from certain insects.

Abundance

Her fields are overflowing with kale, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, kohlrabi, swiss chard, basil, purple pak choy, rocket, lettuce, fennel, coriander and the list goes on.  Her pain staking efforts of manually shading each broccoli and cauliflower from the desert sun takes time.  Her specially designed papermache cooling systems for the greenhouses cost money and profits from her sale are reinvested into her farm.  There is so much hardwork and effort that goes behind the scenes for the production of an heirloom tomato.

Elena is really a champion at pioneering organic in the UAE.  It is no easy feat and she does it from a place of pure passion and love for her job.  A mother of two, a farmer, and a supplier leaving her little time for anything else.  Four Seasons Hotel and Freedom Pizza are some of her customers, and she has won multiple awards, as well as winning the respect of international chefs, Giorgio L’Ocattelli and Tom Aikens, who have both spent time on her farm.

I trust Elena.  I trust her brand Greenheart Organic Farms.  In this day and age, Greenheart Organic Farms is intelligent luxury.  Whilst, big business wants us to buy the designer clothes, handbags and plastic toys for our children, the luxuries in life will be clean food.

I truly believe in organic for the family especially my children.  It’s hardwork but I persevere.  Most of my monthly allowance goes into food. There are 84 meals in a month so it is expensive for a family of 6 and time consuming but for me it is worth it in this day and age to have health above everything else.  Every month, I learn that I don’t need to buy pesto in a jar or tomatoes in a can.  Just buy fresh and use a blender.

Social media has many downsides but there are also important benefits, and one of them is the exposure healthy food bloggers get from social media changing the way nations eat and in the last 2 – 3 years they have created a new landscape for healthy eating – I applaud them.  As consumers, we are also responsible for setting the tone for future generations to lead big industries and not let them lead us.

You can purchase Greenheart Organic Farm products from their website www.greenheartuae.com or visit their farmshop

Greenheart Organic Farm Store, The Light Building, Ground Floor, Shop 8, Arjan, Al Barsha 2, Dubai.

T : +9714 361 7010
M : +9714 (0)56 6407060
E : admin@greenheartuae.com

Health & Wellness

Cooking for my family | Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup Supercharged |Using my Greenheart Organic Vegetables

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Did I mention how much I love Greenheart Organic Farms who are based in the UAE already?  This week I thought to share with a receipe that I use with the children using butternut squash and pumpkin!  It’s the LONG weekend so here are ways to get inspired to cook with the kids.  We have blended the concept from two well-known cookbooks, Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daugher, and Honestly Healthy by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson.  My son, Luca, is crazy about cooking so although he isn’t a fan of this soup, it is a way of making him like appreciate the ingredients and enjoy his ‘own cooking.’

The health benefits of these supercharged ingredients in this pot of soup are countless from high levels of Vitamin A in pumpkin, pumpkin can also reduce cancer risk, fresh turmeric can help with inflammation, butternut squash delivers ample dose of dietary fibre, has significant amounts of potassium and vitamin B6.

Ingredients

2 onions chopped

2 Cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of garam masala (or curry powder)

Half a large butternut squash chopped

Half a pumpkin chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 red chilli de-seeded

Fresh Turmeric

2 pints of organic vegetable stock

Coconut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Sprinkle with chia seeds before serving

Instructions

Sweat the onions in the coconut oil, then add the garlic, garam masala powder, fresh turmeric, carrot and chilli and fry until fragrant.  Then throw in the butternut squash and pumpkin and ensure that all the spices are mixed in well, and when they start to soften gently pour in the vegetable stock to ensure all the root vegetables are covered.  Then add salt and pepper to taste.  Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, and cool for 15 minutes.  Then simply blend, and left overs can be frozen.

If you are cooking for children 6 months – 1 year, this can be mixed with brown rice, with no salt or chilli added.

Greenheart Organic Farms Opening Hours: 11:30am – 5pm except Fridays

For more information visit the website www.greenheartuae.com

Health & Wellness

Top tips for packing organic snacks for the holidays | Some super snacks to pack for the family | Greenheart Organic Farms

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It’s the Easter holidays! We have been crazily packing all week, and we are still not done. Most importantly, I have also made a trip to Greenheart Organic Farms this week to pick up some dry foods snack items to take on holiday with us. I love organic and superfoods but having it whilst we travel is not always possible so a mini dry supply will do. In any case, we are heading to the beautiful clean mountains of Europe so we don’t have to worry too much as food quality and freshness is just out of this world. However, room fridge bars are still full of temptations, and I need to stock up on brilliant for the children and me.

#1 LoveRaw Bars

We are packing for the plane journey for the kids and ourselves the new LoveRaw Bars – 100% Organic Superfood Energy Bar made and packed at LoveRaw in Cambridgeshire, UK. The company started back in 2013 when Rimi, the creator of LoveRaw quit her intensive investment banking job to rebuild her health. A new concept was born on her kitchen table in the UK, and the bars were initially stocked at Whole Foods London, and they have now gone global. These organic bars are gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, and soy free. Some of the bars are also good sources of Magnesium and Omega 3+6, and there is no added sugar and low GI.

Flavours include:Cacao & Spirulina Organic Bar, Coconut & Chia Organic Bar, Cacao & Maca Organic Bar, Rosehip & Lemon Organic Bar and each one costs AED14.50.

Ingredient benefits

RAW CACAO is 100% pure and unprocessed. It’s full of natural antioxidants, particularly polyphenols (found in berries & oranges) and flavanols (found in red grapes and green tea). Raw Cacao can neutralise harmful free radicals in your body and promote overall health. It’s also a great mood enhancer!

SPIRULINA is an algae that is often recognised as the world’s most nutritionally rich superfood. It is composed 65% of protein and amino acids. Due to a high concentration of chlorophyll, spirulina is a great detoxifier

MACA is commonly known as the ‘Peruvian Ginseng’. Maca is potent in B-Vitamins and also provides Vitamins C & E.

CHIA is packed full of omega 3 fatty acids. These fats are important for brain & skin development. Chia is also high in antioxidants which have been shown to fight free radicals that contribute to the ageing process. An all round winner

ROSEHIP is a great source of Vitamin C, containing more than 60% than most citrus fruits. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant which acts by targeting free radicals that are harmful to your body. Rosehip is also high in Vitamins E & K which quicken the healing process for skin irritations and bruises.

LEMON has been traditionally used for centuries for its strong antibacterial, antiviral and liver cleansing properties. It is also used by many cultures for boosting immunity and aiding weight loss. Lemon oil is also naturally high in Vitamin C.

#2 Organic Sun Dried Mulberries

Other healthy treats that we are taking along include The Organic Sun Dried Mulberries from Sun & Seed. The Mulberry Tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants on Earth. The white Turkish mulberry are high in iron, calcium, fibre and Vitamin C and rich in anti-oxidants.

#3 Organic Sun Dried Inca Berries

Organic Sun Dried Inca Berries from the reputable brand Sun & Seed, are also known as Cape Gooseberries, Peruvian Groundcherries or ‘Golden Berries’. They have the same texture as dried cherries with a tangy flavour, and they can normally be added to a variety of foods but on this occasion they make a great snack for the children and me (probably a little too tangy for Daddy!). This super fruit from Peru are filled with high levels of phosphorous, potassium and protein.

#4 Pukka Herbal Tea Sachets

Finally for beverages we are bringing a few sachets of Pukka herbal tea to have in the room. Warm tea with snow outdoors. Couldn’t think of a better way to relax. Ideally I am dreaming of sitting by the warm fire with a cup of tea and a good book, but the reality will be slightly different with 4 kids. The cup of tea will do for now.

Most of these items can be delivered to your home, otherwise pop down to the shop and do a quick grab.

www.greenheartuae.com

Health & Wellness

Some super supplements if you are in your thirties.

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I am extremely lucky to have a doctor as a husband. (he is not a supplement expert but he explains the science to me when it gets technical when I do my reading).  We are both very much into healthy living, and we have the occasional slip-ups like most people, but we will both get back on the healthy living track to try and help our body live the best way possible. Whilst in London and New York, I always set half a morning aside to visit my favourite store, Whole Foods Market.

One of the great thing about being married to a doctor is attending his medical conferences where I often meet highly specialized anti-ageing experts from all over the world.  They can help me understand the stuff that I already know but it is always so confusing so I ask them to help me simplify some of the more important information on mind-boggling topics supplements.

Most recently, I met one of the leading doctors from LA who believes women around my age (mid-late thirties) should take the following supplements so I went shopping at Whole Foods on Kensington High Street during my trip back to London. I love the whole organic concept when it comes to food but struggle to be disciplined about my supplements – so I asked him for a short list that I could deal with on a daily basis.

#Vitamin D – it has several important functions including regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.  These nutrients keep bones and teeth healthy.  Vitamin D can obtained from sunlight but if you have darker skin, it is harder for the sun’s benefits to penetrate the skin.

Good food sources – oily fish and eggs

#Magnesium – is a crucial mineral to help keep the body’s function pressure normal, bones strong and the heart rhythm steady.  If you regularly consume alcohol, drink dark soft drinks, caffeinated drinks, these tend to reduce the amount of magnesium available in the body.

Good food sources – beans and nuts, brown rice and whole wheat bread and green leafy vegetables.

#Zinc – it is much required by more than 300 enzymes in our body which are currently known and it plays a huge part in immunity, reproduction, skin health and vision.

Good food sources – oysters and other shellfish, grass fed beef, lamb, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeks, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, quinoa and oats.

#Omega 3 – there are a list of benefits from a healthy heart, regulation of cholesterol triglyceride and the  intellect of your children as it has  a big impact on the health of the brain.

Good food sources – fish (but be aware of mercury levels and other toxins) so the best would be wild Alaskan salmon and small sardines.

#Curcumin (contained in turmeric) – it has been used in India for thousands of year, and it is the spice that gives curries its yellow colour.  It is a powerful anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant properties.  Top tip:  this is even more absorbable with black pepper so add it to your cooking together.

Good food sources – you can add this spice to curries, pasta sauces, omelettes to boost your food.

Which brands

I discovered that the world of supplements was not as ‘clean’ as they like to make out – yes, the world of healthy living has to be researched well too.  Many of the supplement companies use binding agents to club together the ingredients making a tablet.  The problem is I don’t know which brands to buy. The shelves at Whole Foods are stacked with pills with so many brands  – and choice is mind-boggling these days.

I spent time with the Whole Foods in-house expert, and Viridian came out as one of the top brands because they don’t binding agents in their supplements, instead the supplements are placed in a casing which is softer on the stomach. Viridian products are also available in Dubai.

Viridian

I am not selling on behalf of Viridian, and I am coming from a place of passion and I really want to share my research with you.  After my chat with the in-house expert I was curious to find out more about Viridian.  I went onto the Viridian website, and I fell in love with their ethical concept.  The owner of the company was 17 when she chose to become a vegetarian and spent her twenties passionately working on a Health Magazine in the UK before joining Solgar.  Then she worked her way up to become the MD of Solgar UK.  When the company was sold in 1999, she launched with a team of advisors and experts, Viridian.  This company finds the best quality ingredients, and some are organic, and they do not use binding agents.  She is also passionate about charities, and insists that parts of the profits are donated to charity.  40% to children’s charities, 40% to the environment, and she allows her consumers to vote for the charities they want these profits to go to.  I love supporting businesses like these and want to encourage more of them to be around.

Please note that I am not a doctor or nutritionist but I have a passion for trying to super charge my body. Please ensure that you speak to your doctor before taking any of these supplements.