Sarah Wilson, Author at Sarah Wilson

19 extra tips for fixing constipation

July 31, 2018August 12, 2014 by Sarah Wilson

A few weeks ago, I ran a post by Dana from Hypothyroidmom.com on how she reversed her constipation. Boy, a lot of us are blocked up, hey!? (I’m really tempted to drop some poo puns in here…like how the response created a sh*t storm… but will hold it in… I mean refrain.) I’ve since put together a follow-up post for you with the extra tips shared in the comments – far from a comprehensive list, but some great ideas.

Some of the common themes that came through in the comments:

1. Cut back on dairy as it has a protein called casein which can sometimes slow things down.

2. Take psyllium husk regularly. Although, if you are going to go down this road, please up your intake of water. If you don’t, it will simply worsen the constipation. I’m personally not so keen on psyllium husks. If you get occasional constipation, it’s OK. But for many, the husks can actually form a hard “plug” that, well, is immovable. Slippery elm powder is a far better solution – see below.

3. Take some colloidal silver consistently for about a week. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the stuff, you can read more about it here. And here’s an opposing view stating reasons against ingesting it. I’ve not tried it myself.

4. Get a colonic. I have a range of thoughts on colonics. For anyone seriously stuck, it’s a neat way to re-boot. I don’t like the idea of using them as a regular “detox” tool – unnecessary, potential risks and not “natural” (Just Eat Real Food instead).

5. Eating clay. You can read more on the topic here.

6. Load up on seasonal greens. In winter, make green soups, put spinach in everything and have some spirulina with warm water and a dash of lemon juice.

7. Take bitter melon capsules. Reader Danni says: “I have a thyroid problem and have suffered many of the problems outlined above. I have been taking two bitter melon capsules (read more about them here) after each meal and have found

17 clever things to do with ice cube trays

August 5, 2014August 5, 2014 by Sarah Wilson

Honestly, my go-to advice when anyone asks me for the smartest culinary trick up I have up my apron? I bulk-buy ‘n’ freeze. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I love my freezer and often share nifty ideas on how to use left overs, stretch meals out or prolong produce by using this under-praised white good to its fullest potential (which is, in actuality, when it’s full – a full freezer is more energy efficient than an empty one, because solids freeze at a lower temperature than air, requiring less electricity.)

xxx — Puree your leftover greens to use in your morning smoothies

But today, let’s get nerdy with ice cube trays. Ice cube trays are handy little freezer gadgets. They’re great for the obvious, but also really helpful for storing leftovers.

Tip #1: I suggest you use silicone ice cube trays. They make it easier to remove things when frozen.

Tip #2: Once things are frozen, simply remove from the cubes and store them in ziplock bags, freeing up the tray for more foods.

But now…

Smart things to put in your ‘cube tray

1. Coconut water to use in your morning smoothies. Do the same with coconut milk or cream, and use in smoothies or add to curries. PS here’s why I prefer smoothies over juices.

2. Peanut-butter cups in individual serves. Try my recipe from I Quit Sugar.

3. Leftover herbs. Fill each hole of an ice cube tray about half way full with chopped herbs and top with leftover stock or olive oil. They keep indefinitely and you can pop them out once frozen and store them in a ziplock bag. Toss them into soups, sauces and stir fries. Hard herbs like oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary work best for this.

4. Leftover avocado. Puree avocado with coconut water and/or cream and a little lime juice. Freeze in cubes to pop out and blend with extra greens for a nutritious smoothie.

5. Goitrogens. I sometimes puree my par-cooked and frozen broccoli florets, kale and spinach and freeze in an ice cube tray, ready to add to a morning smoothie. Steamed cruciferous vegetables have a lot less goitrogens in them than when left raw.

6. Homemade chocolate. It’s the perfect size for an after dinner treat. (Find the recipe in my eBook dedicated to chocolate.)

What I eat on planes

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 by Sarah Wilson

This is another one of those posts I do when the questions on a particular topic roll in too thick and fast for me to respond to on an individual basis. Every time I travel somewhere I cop this one: but what do you eat in the air?

I’ve covered off what I eat when I’m travelling, that is, what I eat in foreign countries when I don’t have access to a kitchen and familiar foods.

I’ve also touched on what I eat on the run, including toting my breakfast and lunch to work. But today we’re going to cover air travel in all its hyper-packaged, processed, over-salted glory.

I mostly don’t eat on domestic routes

On short flights I simply don’t eat. Honestly, all of us can survive 1-2 hours without food. Snacking is a confection of the food industry to get us eating more of their food. Up until the 1990s common wisdom was to eat three square meals a day. This is what our bodies are designed to do. They like to rest a good 4-5 hours between meals. But in the early 90s nutritionists modified this to the “5-6 small meals a day” prescription in response to their client’s crazy blood sugar issues (from eating too many sugars and cheap carbs).

My issue with snacking is also this: snack food is mostly crappy. And always so on planes.

Know this:

Because our sense of taste dilutes at altitude, plane food is jammed with extra flavourings and salt.

On international flights

On long flights, or if my transit and flying time is right on a meal time, I will generally pack my own food and eat it at the airport or mid-flight. This is what I do:

I use up veggies that will go off in the fridge while I’m away. I chop up red capsicum, beans, snow peas etc and put in a ziplock bag (these can be rinsed out, dried and rolled up taking up less room in my suitcase than a lunchbox). I tend to always have a wedge of avocado or cheese lying around. I put that in the bag, too (I always eat fat
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How to plan a great hike

October 29, 2018July 23, 2014 by Sarah Wilson

It’s kind of funny being asked to explain something that comes as second nature to you. “Um, you just do it,” comes the reply from the nuclear scientist who splits atoms for a living.

But given I’m so often hike-bragging (hagging?) all over social media under the pretense of encouraging more people to hike on their weekends and vacations (in lieu of shopping), I feel it’s my responsibility to actually break things down for those who are wanting to give it a go, some of you for the first time. Anyone doubting the incredible benefits of hiking it’s worth my flagging:

*Research shows that spending time outdoors increases attention spans and creative problem-solving skills by as much as 50 percent.

* Just one hour of trekking can burn well over 500 calories (if calorie counting is your caper).

* Hiking can lower blood pressure by four to 10 points, and reduce the danger of heart disease, diabetes and strokes for those at high-risk.

* Another study found that long distance hiking trips may improve antioxidative capacity in cancer patients.

* And this bit of boffinism shows that using hiking as an additional therapy can help people with severe depression feel less hopeless, depressed and suicidal.

In a semblance of order, here’s how I do it:

I make it all about the hike.

Some people travel to a city or region for a museum, or the café scene, or for the wineries. From there they experience other things (great food, sights, smells). When you really want to give hiking a go, go to where the best hike is and build in other experiences from there. It’s not a bad formula to adhere to. Great hiking scenery generally attracts great food and culture and other experiences. And like-minded people.

I use hiking as the raison d’etre of my travelling. That and eating.

Research your hike thus:

Google: “Best hikes in [insert name of area]”. If you’re really happy to travel anywhere in the world for a rippin’ hike, check

Being creative can be a lonely path

July 31, 2018July 18, 2014 by Sarah Wilson

I loved reading about this new study into the connection between creativity and mental illness. It effectively found that creativity has little correlation with genius. While there is a connection with a highish IQ (the “average” creative has an IQ around 120), the real nexus is with a touch of madness. But more specifically (and interestingly), a particular ability to see things others don’t.

The author’s final conclusion on the Thing that denotes creativity is this:

“Creative people are better at recognising relationships, making associations and connections, and seeing things in an original way—seeing things that others cannot see.”

He goes on to say that this ability to see things differently can be a very lonely experience…which, in turn, he feels, explains the mental illness nexus.

A quote from his own writing on the subject:

“When you work at the cutting edge, you are likely to bleed.”

It would appear mad to go to the cutting edge if it were only painful. But here comes my favourite bit, the bit that made me

Smart things to put in your ‘cube tray

Fremantle

I mostly don’t eat on domestic routes

On international flights

I make it all about the hike.

Research your hike thus: