Yesterday whilst driving to a friend's going-away party with two other compadres, my car broke down on the Inner City Bypass, and had to be towed by RACQ.

After much joking (and a good dose of worry) over worst case scenarios in terms of what health problem the car was experiencing, we discovered it was all because of a leak in the coolant reservoir. This is fortunate, at least it wasn't the radiator or the engine which would have been much more costly!

This occurred after the car had received a full mechanical service just a week ago.

When I went to pick my car up post-service, I was given the general thumbs up with a short comment that, "we had to top up the coolant - it was empty." That seemed to fix things in the short term.

Until of course the leaking, heavily deteriorated hose carrying coolant to the radiator finally gave way completely. By the road yesterday we couldn't help but notice the hose was already in tatters, an observation seemingly overlooked by the guys to whom I paid $200 to "service" my car!

I feel more than a little pissed off, since a lot of pain could have been avoided had the mechanic looked just a little deeper and asked, "why was there no coolant left in the container?"

Had this happened, perhaps they would have noticed the highly eroded hose attachment leaking coolant all over the shop, and fixed the problem not by simply topping up the fluid, but by addressing the root cause of the problem.

Ah, the bandaid approach. Got an Iron deficiency? Your blood results prove it. Here's a liquid iron supplement to take indefinitely. Headache? Just pop a panadol and get on with it. And it doesn't seem to matter whether it's a naturopath prescribing a plethora of "supplements" or a doctor prescribing drugs - these "fill the hole" approaches do not address the root cause of the problem. This type of service is anything but holistic.

Such solutions reek of the allopathic approach. I don't have an issue with iron supplementation during pregnancy, temporary times of stress, or following some kind of traumatic or medical blood loss. Having worked as an emergency room vet, I see the great value in acute pain-relief drugs, antibiotics and sedatives.

But I do have a problem when naturopaths, or anyone else for that matter, prescribe nutrients or drugs on a long-term basis without at least addressing the root cause of a problem, rendering patients dependent on their coolant top up/expensive supplement whilst the stuff leaks out through a broken hose, an undiagnosed gut absorption condition, or a diet lacking in natural sources of iron and a lifestyle saturated in work-induced cortisol overdrive and acidic relationships.

Addressing nutrient deficiencies is a very important part of nutritional and general medicine, don't get me wrong. But health care doesn't stop at a supplement sale. It should always be accompanied by lifestyle interventions, detoxification, and a good hard look at any underlying limiting beliefs, unaddressed emotional issues, misdirected attitudes and unhealthy behaviours.

The question is not, "What is the drug/supplement/surgery of choice for condition x", but rather, "Why do I have condition x?" " Why do I have an iron deficiency?" Or, "What is the deeper issue behind my headache?" 

Unfortunately, the education, training, and reimbursement of all types of health professionals (including naturopaths, doctors, dietitians etc), are often focused on treating disease using drugs, supplements and surgery rather than comprehensive patient-centered treatments focused on the individual. For example, as reported in a study published in the British Medical Journal (1), the four most common types of  clinical questions are:

1. What is the drug of choice for condition x?

2. What is the cause of symptom x?

3. What test is indicated in situation x?

4. What is the dose of drug x?

This shortsighted approach to health care (and mechanics) should give us all cause for serious concern, because it is perpetuating a system that is far too costly and increasingly ineffective for the prevention and management of chronic diseases whose root causes are to be found in a much more complex perspective on patients’ lives.

I won't be taking my car back to the same mechanic, that's for sure.

1. Ely JW, Osheroff JA, Gorman PN, et al. A taxonomy of generic clinical questions: classification study. BMJ. 2000;321:429-32.

Q: Do you have any healthy meal ideas to feed a family of 6 which won't blow the budget?

A: That's a fairly detailed question to answer, as healthy eating whilst not expensive requires a shift not only in what foods and meals you create, but an honest look at where you're spending unnecessarily and a mind open to shifts in lifestyle that might include: shopping at weekend markets, creating veggie gardens, taking part in co-ops, planning ahead more than a week, and buying dry foods like nuts and dried legumes in bulk.

A few recipes I give you will not be enough to save a significant amount of money when it comes to feeding any more than two people.

When you first decide to include more whole foods in your diet, it may seem costly, since you will need to restock your kitchen with some new items. However, once you’ve made the initial transition, maintaining your kitchen will be less expensive in the long run.

Having spoken to numerous families who have transitioned to a healthier diet, they often come from a mindset of shopping at a traditional supermarket such as Coles or Woolworths, and the typical family of 4 would spend an average of $800 per month on groceries, eating 2-4 meals out every week.

Once they start including more whole foods in their diets, most families this size continue to spend an average of $800 per month on groceries, but instead they prepare almost all the family’s meals, using the highest quality ingredients on the planet. What a difference in health (and yumminess and satisfaction) this can make!

Packaged food is very expensive, yet it appears that households with very low incomes tend to be the largest consumers of packaged products - and consequently the social sector suffering the most from chronic illnesses like diabetes.

If you are on a budget, it simply makes much more sense to put your food dollars toward natural foods. You’ll spend less on doctor visits, and you’ll be naturally glowing without having to spend a lot of money on makeup, clothes, facials, and other cosmetic purchases.

Notice where you’re spending money needlessly. Manicures and pedicures are not necessities. Impulsive long-distance phone calls and expensive coffees should take a backseat to the joy of cultivating real health!

Cut back on other expenses if you must, and learn to put your health and well-being first.

This does raise an interesting comparison, though. For example, a container of raw almond butter costs about $8, whereas a container of supermarket-bought peanut butter costs about $4.

The almond butter is a far superior food because it provides essential raw enzymes, calcium, and protein that the body can fully assimilate, whereas the supermarket-bought peanut butter is full of hydrogenated oils, salt, sugar, and other preservatives that the body cannot process. In the long run, isn’t it worth spending those few extra dollars on the almond butter? It baffles me that people think $3 is too much to spend on a papaya, but they’ll spend that amount or more on a bag of potato chips and a soft drink!

Whole grains like millet, brown rice, and buckwheat cost very little and are very filling, as are sweet potatoes and sprouted grain breads. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables as well as many raw nuts and grain items at inexpensive co-ops, online community exchanges and wholefood bulk manufacturers.

If you like simple foods and are creative with nuts, dried fruit, and dates, you can keep costs down and still have dessert.

Do your homework, price things out online, and you will find a way to fit a healthy diet lifestyle into the tightest budget.

I could sit here all day finding healthy recipes for you that you may or may not use, but the best thing I can think of is to give you the cheaper FOOD ITEM OPTIONS and let you use your genius and googling skills to put together some simple recipes from these.

Inexpensive Staple Foods
Carrot soup and other vegetable soups
Sweet potatoes
Pumpkins
Sprouted grain bread products
Brown rice and other whole grains

Inexpensive Raw Food Products
Bulk bags of organic carrots & apples for juicing
Raw almonds and walnuts
Organic sultanas
Banana and almond butter shakes
Tahini-based salad dressings and shakes
Avocados
Dates

Let me know your thoughts, contributions and questions, there are many more food and meal ideas that could be added here! Feel free to email me [email protected] if you have anything you'd like to ask in private.

Happy budgeting!

In many cultures and religions, there is a tradition of offering thanks before eating. We recognise the blessing of having food, acknowledge that other living things die so that we may eat, and that while we eat others go hungry.

Many traditional cultures also eat a much simpler, more natural diet than we do in the west. However there is a tendency for indigenous peoples to be content with what they have, and offering thanks is one way of expressing this.

A respect for food and contentment with what we have, both develop a healthy attitude towards what we eat. Giving thanks and eating simply are ways we can experience greater health and vitality, as well as a deeper connection with the earth from where our food came.

Contentment and simplicity go hand in hand. If we always require complicated, exotic and expensive food items in order to be content, we are missing the point (although these things can be a wonderful celebration on special occasions).

Eating a humble yet delicious diet of fresh, seasonal, and regional foods whenever possible, brings an element of joy and lightness to eating. Such simple eating means stepping away from the Standard Australian Diet (S.A.D) of dense yet nutritionally empty processed foods, unnecessary supplements and complicated “health food” products.

By offering thanks, we recognise the miracle of life that produced our food, the macrocosm in the microcosm, the big in the little. In simplifying our diets, we reduce the environmental costs of production as well as our own intake of preservatives. And by understanding the beauty of simplicity, we can experience true contentment with not only our food, but with our bodies and with the force that created the foods that nourish our bodies and souls.

When done mindfully, eating can become more than just a way to nourish our physical bodies or to fill an emotional void. It can become a form of meditation. Every meal is an opportunity for you to practice the yoga of eating.

Mindful eating means being present whilst preparing, blessing and eating our meals. It means fully enjoying and experiencing each bite of food. Notice the aromas of your food before and after it enters your mouth.

Notice its textures and temperatures. Taste the combinations of flavours on your tongue, which can change as you chew. Feel the food moving down your oesophagus, and the response of your entire being to this act of nourishment.

You will find that eating mindfully is more pleasurable, not less.  As a time-poor culture with a 3-second attention span, we overeat not because we enjoy food too much, but because we do not enjoy it enough!

When you make even one minute of your meal an eating meditation, you are more likely to digest efficiently, notice when you’re reaching your stomach’s capacity, and stop when you are full. But do not practice mindful or meditative eating solely as a means to eat less, or lose weight, as you will be missing the bigger picture.

Eat mindfully not as a form of willpower with an ulterior goal, but to delight in food, and to listen to the body so that you can give it what it needs. Try it next time you're eating alone, and once you've practised a few times by yourself, do it when you're with friends. Taking just a few moments to really enjoy your food can contribute to greater satisfaction and in the long run, greater health.

This is a delicious dessert with no dairy in sight for the vegans! Creamy, rich and borderline hallucinogenic!

MAKES 1 TO 2 SERVINGS

For the Sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup pecans
3 dates, pitted

Make the sauce first so your ice cream isn’t melting while you wait. Using a food processor blend the dates and pecans till smooth and add maple syrup. Blend till it’s a nice, creamy and smooth consistency.

For the Ice Cream
5 pitted dates, soaked (if using medjool dates no need for soaking)
3 frozen bananas, broken into pieces
1 tbsp raw cacao powder OR 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (if you want a more of a butter-pecanesque icecream)
Homemade Chilli Cinnamon Chocolate (recipe available - ask me)

Using a food processor blend the dates to a smooth paste consistency, then begin adding bananas and cacao. Cut the chocolate into smaller pieces and add to the mixture once it becomes smooth and creamy also for a divine chocolate-and-chilli chip concoction.