Healthy Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Pudding in bowls with fruit


Pudding ingredients









  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 5 tablespoons real maple syrup


  1. Put all the ingredients in your blender.
  2. Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
  3. Enjoy!


Pudding 2





Here we go again … Flu Season!

Sick child.jpg

Flu season is coming around again (for those of us in the southern hemisphere that is). If you caught the flu last year, you know that is was a harsh one. And if you got vaccinated you probably got the flu anyway, because the vaccine was a very poor match for the prominent flu types. It was only 5-37% effective depending on the strain. I’m not going to discuss whether or not you should vaccinate for the flu. That’s your choice. But given how ineffective it was last year, I thought you could use a few other tools to help you stay healthy this flu season.

The first place to start is hygiene. Wearing surgical masks and washing hands, decreased flu-like symptoms by 75% in a study group of university students living in residence together. That’s huge! I know we don’t all want to walk around wearing a mask, but you can make sure you wash your hands when you get home and before eating. And if you have to be in contact with someone who has the flu, I think a mask would be worthwhile.

3833130 - child washing hands

The next important step is to keep up your immune system should you get exposed to the flu. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and avoid sugar as much as you can. Sugar makes your immune cells less effective for hours after, so try to watch the extra treats especially if a friend or family member already has the flu.

You want to make sure your gut bacteria are happy. The good bacteria in your body help to fight off invading pathogens. You can keep them happy by consuming fermented products such as kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut, tempeh and apple cider vinegar, eating yogurt with active cultures, or taking a probiotic supplement. For more information on gut health, read my article about your microbiome.

54767380 - intestines with gut bacteria on blackboard

It is important to take care of your mental health if you want to keep yourself physically healthy. Psychological stress is associated with a greater risk of depression, heart disease and infectious diseases. So take time out – exercise, garden, meditate, whatever it is that helps you to relax. And make sure you are getting enough sleep. There is nothing that your body finds more stressful than not getting enough ZZZZZs.  Read here about how you can improve your sleep.

Exercise is important for everyone. Appropriate exercises will be different for each person given their individual level of fitness. To keep your immune system at its best you want at least a brisk 30-minute walk each day. If you are training for an event such as a marathon though, this can also put a strain on your immune system. A happy medium is best.

Hot-Cold showers are an excellent way of improving your immune system, increasing circula­tion and elevating energy levels. After finishing your regular shower routine, do 20 seconds of cold and 1 minute of hot. Alternate 2-3 times, ending with cold. I know how it sounds, but it really works. Try it! Look how happy it is making this baby:

28095828 - baby taking bath and douche

There are also several herbs and supplements you can take to help you stay healthy. Autumn and spring are particularly stressful on our bodies as the weather can’t decide what its doing. Try Change of Season Soup, which is full of traditional Chinese herbs for boosting your immune system. I sell this through Emily’s Little Tea Company, but don’t have it up on the website yet.  Drink this tea daily, or make it into a delicious soup. You can also take daily vitamin C and zinc to improve your immune system.

If you find you are always getting sick, see your local naturopath. There could be an underlying issue that might be easily fixed with some diet or lifestyle changes. Stay healthy!










  • 2/3 cups melted coconut oil
  • 4 eggs, preferably at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut yogurt
  • 3/4 cups apple sauce
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 grated zucchini (about 1.5 cups)


  • 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 4 cups wholegrain spelt flour
  • 1 cup whole rolled oats


  • 3 medium apples cut into small chunks


  5. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together.





How Much Salt do we Need?


Salt or sodium is a naturally occurring substance that our bodies need to function.  We need it to:

  • Maintain the right balance of fluids in our bodies
  • Transmit nerve impulses
  • Contract and relax our muscles

Our kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in our bodies for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys hold on to the sodium. When your body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in your urine.  But when there is too much sodium the kidneys increase blood pressure to try to excrete more of it. This increase in blood pressure over time can lead to stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure.

The average Australian intake of salt is about 10g or 4000mg sodium per day. The suggested intake for optimal health is 4g of salt or 1600mg of sodium.  So Australians are consuming a lot more salt than they should be which is setting them up for future (or current) health problems.  The good news is that you lose sodium when you sweat, so when you exercise you may need to consume a bit more than this.  Otherwise, it needs to stay down!

Once your blood pressure has increased due to a high salt intake, it may not go down with reduced intake so it is important to decrease your salt intake before you have high blood pressure to prevent any damage to your body.

You may be surprised at how much sodium is in many commonly consumed foods.  Here are a few examples:

Masterfoods BBq sauce = 15ml serve (1 tablespoon) = 164mg sodium

Masterfoods tomato sauce = 15ml serve (1 tablespoon) = 127mg sodium

100g of beef sausage (about 1 sausage)= 652mg sodium

6 inch meatball sub from Subway = 695mg sodium

1 cup of Nutrigrain cereal = 144mg sodium

Masterfoods beef stroganoff sauce = 529mg sodium per serve

Lean Cuisine Chicken Chickpea Curry w Brown Rice and Quinoa = 763mg sodium

Gatorade 591ml bottle = 250mg sodium


So, if you have 1 cup of Nutrigrain cereal (but most people probably have a larger serving), a sausage with sauce at Bunnings or your friend’s BBQ and then a Lean Cuisine for dinner, you are at your limit and you can’t have the hot chips, chips and dip, cheese or salted nuts for a snack.  Most of these processed foods are also high in sugar.  Read about what sugar is doing to your body and other reasons why you should watch these foods in my blog article about sugar.

Pre-packaged and processed foods as well as restaurant foods are where most people are getting their salt from in their diet.  Some of them may even look healthy with ‘heart ticks’ or stars on them, but make sure you read the label for yourself before assuming anything in a package is nutritious, because it usually isn’t.


Even though you may not have high blood pressure now, it is important to implement healthy lifestyle habits before major health issues creep up.  Try to cut down on your intake of processed foods, especially meats, and decrease your take-away and restaurant food.  And for those in Australia, you don’t have to stop at every sausage sizzle you see!  I know they are everywhere, but that doesn’t make them good for you.

Enjoy your salt as a light sprinkle you add yourself and your kidneys will thank you.


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