Top Talk
TV’s Celebrity diet specialist and therapist Marisa Peer is straight to the point, “ I’m not great at gardening but I am a big fan of vegetables and herbs. Broccoli, cabbage and sprouts are wonder foods. Avocados are ‘super food’ too. People should eat more greens. The problem stems from people being made to eat them when they are children and they have very negative memories associated with the food. It’s not the foods fault. Try these foods again as an adult and you’ll be surprised how good they can taste. Food is medicine. If you eat the right food you can start to feel better and healthier in only a few days. It really doesn’t take long to see the results in your body.”
Celebrity Fit Club’s nutritionalist continues, “Fresh coriander is one of the best things you can add to your food. It promotes the production of serotonin, the body’s natural ‘feel good’ chemical. If serotonin levels are low – and processed foods stop the body absorbing the chemical – it can trigger eating disorders, mood swings and depression, so coriander can make all the difference. Cinnamon is brilliant too – it can lower blood sugar and is great sprinkled on porridge. Chilli flakes and other hot spices will speed up your body’s metabolism and help you lose weight. I’ve put lots of simple tips like this in my book ‘You Can Be Thin’ and eating healthily will enable you to lose weight easily and naturally. I have got a lovely little herb garden at home and cut herbs most days, they’re so good for you. You can even grow them on a windowsill indoors of course”
“One thing everyone should have in their garden is an open tub of margarine.” She explains, “I have had one in my garden for 5 years and nothing grows on it and nothing eats it. It’s so bad for you – the ingredients are almost the same as plastic. Not even rats will go near it. I call it Frankenstein Food. You don’t even get mould growing on it – try it, even on an outdoor windowsill. People say ‘Oh, it’s ok, I never eat marg anyway’, but it’s in popcorn, ready meals, even Horlicks. It’s hidden in foods. Cornflakes and crackers never ever go mouldy – they’re Frankenstein Foods too. In the USA they have ‘museums’ for food that is 10 or 12 years old and it’s not gone mouldy or disintegrated in any way. It’s so full of chemicals.”
“My philosophy is if it grows or roams you can eat it. If you can hunt or harvest it, you can eat it. Anything else, just leave it alone. Mind you, I did have a client who asked, ‘not much grows or roams in Sloane Square, what should I eat?’ Honestly! It doesn’t have to grow or roam on your actual doorstep!” She explains impatiently.
“And why on Earth, when we do we buy organic fruit and vegetables from the stores, is it wrapped in so many layers of plastic? There’s no need for it. Plastic bags should be banned too. If they’re banned you can’t use them – it’s that simple. I love the way they double bag your groceries in the States in those wholesome paper bags. I am quite green – I try to make little changes in my life. I always shower instead of having a bath, I often turn the heating down a degree or two and am forever turning the lights off after my 18 year old daughter. I‘ve also stopped using the tumble dryer and am going to disconnect it so my daughter can’t either!”
Marisa’s daughter isn’t quite as green then? “Well, she’s not big into it to be honest but I do make her take her clothes to the Charity shop as a gesture toward recycling. Some of her friends are a bit over the top. They think it’s their responsibility to change the World. I think that’s a bit ambitious and really it would be better if we all started by taking responsibility for our own lifestyles.”
Coriander Crops
It’s easy to grow your own coriander crop and if you haven’t got a herb bed, the feathery leaves are attractive in a bed or border and the plant will reach about 2’, making it a good ‘gap filler’. It prefers a sunny site and doesn’t like being too wet but otherwise is fairly easy going. Sow seeds thinly at the end of the month and leave them to grow where you sow as seedlings don’t like being transplanted. Sowing at intervals will ensure a continuous crop and once the foliage had reached 8 -10 inches, regular cutting will encourage tasty new growth.
Did You Know?
- 17 billion plastic bags are handed out each year and the average person will accept 5 in a week.
- A recent scheme to reduce the use of supermarket plastic bags resulted in sales of bin liners increasing by 400%
- In 2002, Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags as they were blocking drains and causing flooding during the monsoons. Closer to home, Modbury in Devon, was the first town in Europe to ban plastic bags from shops. One local said, ‘It’s considered anti-social behaviour to carry a plastic bag these days.’
www.lynneallbutt.co.uk
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