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February 2007

Pumpkin & Sweet Potato salad

Bake small chunks of pumpkin (wash the skin and leave it on) and similar sized sweet potato pieces with sliced garlic, drizzled olive oil, and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce for about 30 minutes at 180⁰.  Turn vegies over to coat all sides in sauce.

Allow to cool completely and add (with garlic pieces) to tossed salad of raw grated beetroot (1 cup), endive, spinach and mixed lettuce leaves (3 cups), 1/4 cup of flaked almonds and 1/4 cup of cubed fetta cheese.  

For a dressing with a difference, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a shaker, then add finely grated fresh ginger (about a teaspoon for mild, a tablespoon for hot), 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil, dash of vegie salt, and a couple of grindings of black pepper.  Shake well, and sit on table for self-serve of the dressing.  (Pouring it over in advance means the lettuce can go limp and you want it crisp and yummy!  Delicious!)

A burglar has just made it into the house he's intending ransacking, and he's looking around for stuff to steal. All of a sudden, a little voice pipes up, "I can see you, and so can Jesus!"

Startled, the burglar looks around the room. No one there at all, so he goes back to his business.

"I can see you, and so can Jesus!"

The burglar jumps again, and takes a longer look around the room. Over in the corner by the window, almost obscured by curtains, is a cage in which sits a parrot, who pipes up again, "I can see you, and so can Jesus!"

"So what," says the burglar, "you're only a parrot!"

To which the parrot replies, "Maybe, but Jesus is a rottweiler!"

Dear Reader 

How have you been?  No, really, I'd love to hear from you, so drop me a line and let me know what you have been getting up to.  And, if you have a favourite recipe you could share with me, that would be terrific.  It will end up in the Newsletter, so please acknowledge if it has come from a magazine or website, as I want to post it in good conscience.

I have found a really interesting website called www.change-ability.com which has some philosophical discussions by Blog, that I think you will enjoy so if you get a chance, do check it out.  As well, there are great book reviews too, that I have found interesting and highly unusual.

I had a great night at a square dance with Dennis and friends, on Saturday night at Jill's Jive Dance Club at Albion, and it was really funny to see us getting left and right mixed up, and confusing what we thought we heard with what we really should have heard!

Master the Cat is still a handful but provides us with just enough purrs to keep us hooked!  Try 3am meows that say, "wake up, I want to play" as he pounces on your feet! Luckily he only weighs 12 kg or I'd lose my legs. Must be all that meat he eats.  

And on the weekend, we took delivery of a 1/2 of a side of beef from Robbie Shaw 07 5424 1800 of Robbie's Boutique Meats.  I get beautiful grain fed beef delivered to my door, cut up how I like it!  Of course, I buy in bulk and so I get it for a great price.  I like Robbie, and I like the convenience of getting my meat delivered to my home and you might too.

I am staying with the theme of eating issues in this edition, as my knowledge has really expanded while doing this locum at the hospital.  So, any questions, give me a call.

Warm regards Narelle  

More on Eating Disorders

Firstly, let's define an Eating Disorder: 

“a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behaviour that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food and that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning. This disturbance should not be secondary to any recognised general medical disorder or any other psychiatric disorder” (Fairburn & Walsh, 1995:135).

In other words, someone who has an eating disorder does not eat as normal people do (that's the disturbance) and this can be relative to how much/how little they eat, when they eat, and whether food/drink is absorbed.  There are very strict rules to be observed and sometimes they are very complex as well.  For example, the rule might be no protein foods, no carbohydrates and no fats.  That cuts out most foods, doesn't it?

If a person has a medical or health problem, then appetite and consumption of food may be diminished or increased, and if there is a psychiatric disorder, then that too may affect intake of food or drink.  

So, if there is no other medical condition and no other psychiatric disorder, and there is disturbed eating or eating-related behaviour then the person may be likely to have an Eating Disorder.

Without medical and psychological interventions, Eating Disorders are potentially life threatening in some individuals.

Anorexia Nervosa 

As outlined in the last newsletter, Anorexia Nervosa is "a complex emotional disorder characterised primarily by an obsession with food, weight and thinness."  (Hofland, S. & Dardis, P., 1992:27)  Persons with an Anorexic Disorder may restrict their intake of food, over-exercise and sometimes purge as well.

What then, is Bulimia Nervosa? 

It is defined as "a psychiatric disorder characterised by binge-eating followed by some form or combination of purging, including laxative or diuretic use, strenuous exercise and self-induced vomiting, to eliminate unwanted calories." (Hofland, S. & Dardis, P., 1992:27)

¹Bulimia usually involves being caught in an out-of-control dieting cycle.  For most, this will involve restricting food intake for some time, followed by episodes of uncontrollable overeating (bingeing). Then, to compensate for overeating, the person will engage in some kind of activity to avoid weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting (purging), use of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, fasting, or excessive exercise. Food intake will then be restricted again, setting the cycle back to the beginning. Weight fluctuations around normal weight may be evident in those with Bulimia, although there is often no visible impact on body weight.

Binge-eating disorder is similar to Bulimia but the person does not engage in purging or other compensatory behaviours. Thus, with Binge-Eating Disorder, a person will engage in periods of bingeing, usually following periods of restricted eating. Binge-Eating Disorder will often lead to weight gain.

Remember, don't self-diagnose or diagnose someone else.  

Formal diagnosis of an eating disorder should be made by a health practitioner, based on a list of specific clinical features. It is important to remember that although a person may not satisfy the clinical definition of an eating disorder, they may still have an eating problem that is both physically and emotionally damaging. Some people will engage in behaviours characteristic of one or more eating disorders.

Eating disorders can be overcome. Early intervention may prevent serious problems from developing, so it is important to seek help and advice if there are any concerns about unhealthy eating patterns, rapid weight loss or any other warning signs; preferably before the behaviours and beliefs associated with an eating disorder become well established.

Please give me a call if you suspect that you have eating issues.  The sooner you receive treatment, the sooner this illness will relinquish it's insidious grasp.

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Master's Wisdom!

Master says, 

"Make me work!  All this rest does nothing
for my mind or my beautiful body."