I ate prayed and (self) loved my way through the Amazon to discover a world full of color, life and super foods I had never heard of. One of which I would like to introduce you to today.
When I was 32 I went through what I would say is to date and I know always will be- my life’s greatest challenge, both on a personal and physical level. My then long term relationship broke up- in a very shallow way, and as a consequence of that relationship, I was also unwell, not just emotionally, but physically- I was put through so much stress that as a healthy athletic woman -I suffered a trans ischemic attack- which is essentially a warning sign of a stroke.
After spending 6 days in the Prince of Wales Hospital and being given the all clear, in fact given a perfect bill of health- I was introduced to the literally death defying symptoms of stress. The effects that long term constant stress can have on your body will set your body on pathway of cascading inflammatory responses that restrict blood vessels, increase stress hormones such as cortisol, increase insulin levels, and arterial build up just to name a few. Thank god the source of my stress that had me teetering between intuition and psychosis like only a cheating man who has your heart can do, skipped town with another woman- id like to mention they broke up not to much later. When you have faith in love and trust in it, you can really be taken for a ride by those that don’t have the same depth or awareness- shall we call it. Truth and love is not looked at in the same way by everybody.
It was that year which was the end of my dark days- the breaking of me, because you see – as i ventured out into the world i soon began to realize that my “tribe” of people were of a spiritual nature- those i gravitated to where a magical mixture of depth and soul. One of my first (known) encounters with soul connection was with a cute little lady by the name of Sue Ellen – as she, the very wise soul whom I love dearly once said to me- “Its not until you are broken that you are open” (Faeriality)
Some months later a friend was getting married- in Chile! Why not I thought- so I was off, but if I was going that far, I was going all the way. I was blessed enough to work for a sports agency who was very supportive and gave me the months I wanted/needed off. I spent a week in Chile with the Bride and Groom- attending their wedding at the Presidents palace in Chile- I still can’t believe the grandeur or that I was even in a palace! With Pamela and Renato off on their honeymoon, it only left one thing to do- finish my holiday, I had Peru, the Amazon, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Uruguay to go! Solo. Before I left I’d booked nothing but a Mountain bike tour in Bolivia and a ticket to a soccer match in La Boca Argentina a few days before my return flight out of Buenos Aires.
It was whilst push biking, walking, busing and the occasional flight across the Andes that I discovered a world full of new foods I had never heard of let alone seen down there in our great southern land.
Along my way I stayed within a remote part of the Amazon forest at a place called Explorama Lodge- where of a night (in our lodge made of local wood with Calico material as windows) you would hear the sounds of the animals as you went to sleep- and the squeals of the monkeys that waited you outside your door of a morning- the monkeys, not the Jaguars! And yes- the spiders, you know that term “as big as dinner plates” – aaargh- body shudder!
It was when I was at Explorama lodge that we were fed mostly raw local foods- you have no idea how remote this was- it was awesome, literally 300km’s up the Amazon from the closest town called Iquitos, so lets face it- I wasn’t going to get much else, even if I asked!
We have major immune system dysfunctions in our western culture and civilization, I mean major major stuff going on- everybody has auto immune disorders, hepatitis, herpes, eczema, psoriasis- all kinds of things going on. How can we knock that stuff out? Well I tell you one thing; western medicine is not going to be able to figure out how to knock it out, because they are on the wrong theory totally- they are totally out to lunch literally metaphorically AND metaphysically!
When you step out of the Western World you see the true nature of life, standing on the edge of the Amazonas river as those clouds roll in like set of waves across the forest -like clockwork every afternoon they drop their fall and roll back out immediately, you understand the eco system of the planet, the natural organic way we need to live to thrive as humans- if we are to survive as a specie.
Introducing you to another new food that is not only deliciously tasty, but nutritionally medicinal to your body!
Sacha Inchi Seeds! Also known as Inca Peanuts or Savi Seeds- grown high in the Amazon rain forest of Peru.
Sacha Inchi seeds look like nuts, tastes like a nut but is really a seed. Now we are pretty hard pressed- or given the article of oil- should I say “cold pressed” to find seeds with a positive Omega 3/6 ratio – Flax seeds and Chia seeds have a favourable higher Omega 3 than 6 content, however not many people know of Sacha Inchi Seeds that also have a favourable Omega 3:6 ratio. The oil content of these seeds is 45.1 percent omega-3, 36.8 percent omega-6, and small amounts of oleic, palmitic, and stearic fatty acids.
A rich source of protein- in fact a complete protein.
Really high in Tryptophan an amino acid that promotes a positive mood
High in fibre- containing around 20% of your daily intake
High in anti oxidants including Vitamin E & A
And of course- they are a seed- so they are gluten free.
There are so many choices of foods out there that are enjoyable to eat, that are actually nutritious and useful for positive cellular regeneration to help keep us out of disease states for as long as possible.
I read a great analogy in a book a few days ago- it went like this:
“If the diagnosis of ‘terminally ill’ has forced us to re-think our priorities for living, it has served a valuable purpose. Positive changes in how we appreciate that time, how we think, and eat, and act are likely to follow. Some of these changes may even bring us back to health and postpone our eventual termination”
We are all headed to the same destination- dont you want to put that off as long as you can!
With that said- try to make wise food choices, most of the time. Life is for living and even as a nutritionist, i can’t deny that a pie at the footy, pizza and Mexican aren’t some of my favourite foods- but they are unhealthy non favourable foods that are good for nothing but our taste buds. So make sure those treats are rare.
Remember the days when you might get fish and chips once a week? Well that was my child hood- we couldn’t afford to much more; every other meal apart from that one Friday night treat was made at home- whole foods. Times are changing, yes life is busier and our food choices are changing, but fitting in time to cook is essential.
Do you need help losing weight- want to learn the tricks to your metabolism that can end your struggle with weight gain? If you would like any dietary or nutritional assistance, please contact Kylie at kyliem@www.cabothealth.com.au
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