Hi everyone and Welcome to my December Newsletter.
Wishing you a Very Happy Christmas and New Year.
I know that I’m not the only one, but how did the year go so fast and how are we now so close to Christmas and New Year? Houses around me are already starting to put up their Christmas lights – and I will definitely try to do better than I did last year – which sadly was nothing. I know where my lights are now, so there is no excuse. 😊
I have been spending more time in my garden, especially now that I have my veggie beds sorted. I got a square metre of soil delivered – it didn’t sound much, - but when Mike and I had to put it in the wheelbarrow and take it round into the back garden, it was amazing just how much there was and how heavy! Anyway, we did it over two separate days, and now all my raised bed, pots and planters are full and ready to go. Let’s hope that the summer weather plays nice with a good mixture of sun – on the weekends, I’m sure everyone agrees with that 😊 - and rain – during the week and only late at night. Not much to ask!! 😊
My article this month is on turmeric for female health re menopause and fertility, is a topic that I have covered in the past, but it was a while ago and it’s something that comes up on a regular basis at the markets, so I thought that it would be well worth putting it out there again. I’m long past those days but for younger women it can be very helpful, not just with fertility, but also for those who have painful periods. There is no magic bullet, I wish there was, as I used to suffer each month, but if turmeric can help to reduce the pain even a bit, it all helps.
Finally, this month’s recipe is a real Christmas treat, with a turmeric chai ice cream pudding – how decadent is that? You can find my chai at the markets or online at a special price of $30 each or two for $50, a saving of up to $25.
Turmeric for Hormone Balance & Fertility
There are three key properties which make turmeric so amazing for both hormone balance and enhancing fertility: anti-inflammation, antioxidant, and liver detoxification. All three of these elements can treat underlying factors for hormonal imbalance and fertility issues.
For most hormonal imbalances, there are a set of underlying factors which can be contributors to these issues. These are things like chronic stress, how our genes are expressed (either positively or negatively), oxidative stress/free radical damage, chronic inflammation, telomere shortening and decreased immune system response. Now, why these underlying factors may be present in the first place is a whole other story about how we eat, move, love, and stress – I’ll save that for another time. But what if there was a medicinal food available which is able to actually positively affect all of these underlying factors? You guessed it, that’s turmeric and thus curcumin.
For our hormones to be in balance and running optimally, we need antioxidants from the food we eat or the supplements we take. As discussed above, antioxidants are necessary in protecting our body against some of the deleterious effects of what we eat, our environment (the air, the products we use in our home, the products we use on our body, our stress levels, our sleep, etc. – if these things are not optimal. Antioxidants can also prevent aging at a cellular level, and this includes preventing damage to our egg health which can impact fertility.
Another positive aspect of using turmeric to improve fertility is that turmeric may be helpful in improving our biological age. Our biological age is different than our chronological age and takes into consideration many factors which include our diet, stress, exercise and other lifestyle factors which literally age us or keep us young. When we have a lower biological age, we set ourselves up for more success with getting pregnant at a later chronological age. One marker of our biological age is called a telomere. A telomere is the end cap on our DNA which affects cellular aging. The shorter the telomere, the more health risks are present that come with aging, including infertility. In fact, telomeres have been studied as a marker for male infertility. New research has also found that curcumin not only can stop telomeres from shortening, but can also protect and lengthen your telomeres, which is basically turning back your biological clock!
Besides its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric also aids the liver in detoxification of hormones. It has been shown to aid in phase 2 liver detoxification, which helps in removing unneeded hormones and other toxins from the body. And it also may even regenerate liver cells.
Turmeric may especially be helpful in conditions such as painful menstrual cycles, PCOS, hormonally related headaches/migraines, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and auto-immune conditions such as Hashimoto’s. So much goodness hiding in plain sight. Got to love your turmeric. 😊
Although Health2all Turmeric is safe and effective it is important that you speak with your preferred health professional before taking any new supplement.
Taken from an article by Dr Laurie Terzo
Turmeric Chai Xmas Ice Cream Cake
What You Need:
1 litre of vanilla ice cream (I use French Vanilla low fat)
180g block Old Gold Cherry Ripe frozen and smashed up
1 cup flaked or slivered almonds
1 tablespoon CurQone Organic Turmeric Chai
Step1:
Allow ice cream to get slightly soft (not melted) and mix in all ingredients. Mix well and place in single serve containers or to make a pudding shape use a lettuce crisper. Cover and freeze overnight. You can really put anything you like in the Chai ice cream mix.
Variations:
Chocolate ice cream with dried cranberries, shredded coconut and almonds.
Swap the chocolate block to Old Gold Rum & Raison, this one work really well for Xmas!
You can put more or less Chai in also according to your taste. Even a little alcohol would not go amiss – it is Christmas after all. 😊
Step 2:
Remove from freezer and allow to melt SLIGHTLY or you can put it into warm water just so you can invert the container to let the ice cream slide out to serve on a plate. Decorate with some melted dark chocolate and glace’ cherries or dried cranberries or really whatever you would like.Serve IMMEDIATELY and enjoy a delicious alternative to the old Christmas Pud!
Enjoy. 😊
UP COMING EVENTS
So, with Christmas and the school holidays on the horizon there are lots of extra markets for you to come along to. Added to which the month starts on a Sunday, so that always makes it interesting for me as my usual pairings are thrown out. This is the lead up to my being extra busy, so I hope to see you at one of the markets.
Sunday 1st Dec – Blackhead Bazaar - 8am – 1pm. Great market for all the family, I will be along the top row as before, and I shouldn’t be too hard to find with my bright orange gazebo. 😊
Friday 6th Dec – Gloucester Christmas Market – 5pm – 9pm – Held in Billabong Park as the Farmer’s Market is. Still, time to get your Christmas gifts. Note: This is a twilight market.
Saturday 7th Dec - Harrington Marine Rescue Market – 2pm - 7pm. Held down by the river, next to the Bowling Club. Another Twilight market for me.
Sunday 8th Dec – Forster Town Market - 8 am – 1pm. Near the campsite on Head Street.
Thursday 12th Dec – Wingham Christmas Market – 5 – 9 pm at the top of Isabella Street. Yet another twilight market for me.
Saturday – 14th Dec - Tuncurry Market – 8 am – 1pm See you over the bridge at the John Whiley Park. Please note the change of date – this is the 3rd Saturday
Sunday 15th Dec – Laurieton Market - 8am – 1pm down by the river on Short and Tunis Streets.
Wednesday 18th Dec – Scotts Head Market – 3pm – 8pm Held down by the campsite/beach – lots of great stalls, music and food. You know it's holiday time when the Scott's Head Markets start.. Yes, these are always twilight markets. 😊
Saturday 21st Dec – Forster Farmers Market – 8am – 12pm – Held on Little Street, near the Police Station.
Sunday 22nd Dec – Taree Summer Fest – 3pm – 9pm – held down by the river in the Queen Victoria Park. This is my final twilight market of 2024 – hope to see you there.
Saturday 28th Dec – South West Rocks Market – 8am – 1pm – Held down by Horseshoe Beach. I'm back, time to get out and about after the Christmas celebrations.
Sunday 29th Dec – Pacific Palms Market - 8am – 1pm. At Elizabeth Beach, another great market for all the family and dog friendly. My last market of 2024, so come along for a fun day out.
For those of you who can’t get to those markets all you need to do is ring me on 0406 036 845 or you can now go to my website – www.achealthysolutions.com.au and order from there, and I will arrange for it to be posted or delivered to you. The cost is the same as at the market and postage/delivery is free on all orders over $100 with a flat rate of $10 below that.
To Your Happiness & Health
Alison Carroll
aka The Turmeric Lady
AC Healthy Solutions
Comments