So there i was one blissfully rainy weekend, having recently left my job and my flat to persue my dream of chasing the irresistably unreachable horizon that teasingly eludes me the closer i imagine i come to it, with a belly show to fill the following morning and nothing, as yet, to fill it with. Like a rumbling tummy with the smell of a delicious feast about to fill it but that’s as far as i had gotten. No biggie i think, it’s not as though i haven’t been trying, it’s just that nothing has come out and really grabbed me … yet. I have no doubt in my mind that something will, even if it is cutting it just a wee bit fine even for my liking.

On this particular dazzlingly drizzle filled Sunday, i find my spirit flying freely up to the New Brighton bushlands that surround my best friends house. Inside around a table of tea and homemade goodies, i sit with a group of female friends who all have kids over contributing to the headonistic school holiday time and i observe the great skill and imagination it takes for any parent to feed a family.

Being a barefoot and fancy free kinda gal myself, i have never had to consider feeding anyone but myself, various boyfriends, and many lucky (or unlucky) friends along the way, so it is with some interest that i wonder – how do they do it ?

My questions are most interestingly answered by the sensational Sita, a fabulous foodie Mum who feeds five … yes, FIVE kids of which the ages vary from 17 down to her most recent addition at age 3. I wonder how much it costs, how she manages to get anything else done in the day apart from cook and prepare food, what the inside of her fridge looks like (as i recall the recent contents of mine before i moved out as being a few coconuts, some miso paste and half an avocado), what she keeps in the cupboards (things i no longer possess) and how their varying tastes in food determines the meals and shopping  ? If all of that wasn’t enough to be whizzing around my mind like a smoothie in a blender, i also found out that she has raised most of her children and stepchildren as vegans or vegetarians …

… “might you want to come on the show tomorrow morning and talk about all of this Sita ??”

“Yes Rachael, i would LOVE to !!”

“Right, that’s sorted then, let’s have another one of your homemade, vegan custard tarts and talk some more … ”

And this we did. In fact from the moment i first met Sita last year we talked food and i knew then that we would grow to be great friends (not only around the waistline).

For me, the best thing about BayFM is that it is community radio and instead of feeling anxious at the lack of preparation for the show, i eased any stress by reminding myself and Sita that this is grass roots radio, coming from the lives and hearts of those who are a part of this community and that we all have a story to tell that when shared, may help another by recognizing both the difficulties and joys that face us all each day in our own unique way. To hear someone say – “It’s hard, but this is how i do it and by the way, here’s a recipe that might make life easier for you and your twenty children” … or something to that effect.

Sita has such a beautiful, open nature and was an absolute natural on the show, to the point where i suggested she host her own show, so keep your ears and eyes out for her won’t you. I’m going to get her to send me a little something about herself and all that she does along with a scrumptious recipe she provided for chocolate brownies. The recipe mixture can be frozen and brought out when needed (pre-pre-pre-preparation is one of Sita’s specialities … of course it is when you have a family of 7 to feed !!).

Food, Love and Kids … i didn’t ask her which came first as i think they all go together … just like custard tarts and tea on a drizzly Sunday afternoon in New Brighton.

Sister Rasela xx

So, why do we get hangovers? How can we avoid them? How bad can it get? And what can we do when we have one?

 

The term hangover was originally a 19th century expression describing unfinished business—something left over from a meeting—or “survival.” In 1904, the meaning “morning after-effect of drinking too much” first surfaced.

In Norwegian, veisalgia derives from kveis (uneasiness following debauchery) and the Greek algia (pain).

THE QUESTION… How do I know if I have a hangover?
First of all, you will know when you have one, trust me. If you have never had one, consider yourself lucky and here’s to the hope that you are never plagued with one in your lifetime.

These are some of the symptoms of a hangover, if you are lucky you are not suffering from all of these at once. If this entire list describes your current condition, tell everyone to leave you alone and go back to bed.

• Dehydration
• Dry mouth
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Pessimism
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sensitivity to light and noise
• Trouble sleeping
• Suspension of the laws of gravity

If you would like to cheer up a little and gauge the severity of your pain, listen or read  The Six Stages of Hangovers.

Hangover ratings:

• One Star Hangover:
  No pain. No real feeling of illness. Your sleep last night was a mere disco nap, which has given you a whole lot of misplaced energy. Be glad that you are able to function relatively well. However, you are still parched. You can drink 10 sodas and still feel this way. You are craving mostly stodgy, savory foods with a side of chips and gravy.
• Two Star Hangover:
  No pain, but something is definitely amiss. You may look okay but you have the mental capacity of a staple gun. The coffee you are chugging is only exacerbating your rumbling gut, which is craving a fresh and fruity pancake breakfast with icecream. There is some definite havoc being wreaked upon your bowels. 
• Three Star Hangover:
  Slight headache. Stomach feels crappy. You are definitely not productive. Anytime a girl walks by you gag because her perfume reminds you of the random gin shots you did with your alcoholic friends after the bouncer kicked you out at 1:45 a.m. Life would be better right now if you were in your bed with a dozen donuts and a thai takeaway watching the E! fashion awards. You’ve had 4 cups of coffee, a gallon of water, 3 Gatorades and a liter of coke, yet you haven’t peed once.
• Four Star Hangover:
  Life sucks. Your head is throbbing. You can’t speak too quickly or else you might puke. Your boss has already lambasted you for being late and has given you a lecture for reeking of booze. You wore nice clothes, but that can’t hide the fact that you missed an oh-so crucial spot shaving, (girls, it looks like you put your make-up on while riding the bumper cars.) Your eyes look like one big vein and your hair style makes you look like a reject from the class picture of your highschool class of ’84.
• Five Star Hangover:
  AKA “Dante’s 4th Circle of Hell.”
  You have a second heartbeat in your head, which is actually annoying fellow employees. Vodka vapor is seeping out of every pore and making you dizzy. You still have toothpaste crust in the corners of your mouth from brushing your teeth in an attempt to get the remnants of the garbage fairy out. Your body has lost the ability to generate saliva, so your tongue is suffocating you. Death seems pretty good right now. You definitely don’t remember who you were with, where you were, what you drank and why there is a stranger still sleeping in your bed at home.
• Six Star Hangover:
  Otherwise known as the “Infinite Nut smacker”
  You wake up on your bathroom floor. For about 2 seconds you look at the ceiling, wondering if the cool refreshing feeling on your cheek is the bathroom tile or your vomit from 5 hours ago. You try to lift your head. Not an option. Then you inadvertently turn your head too quickly and smell the funk of 13 packs of cigarettes in your hair. Suddenly you realize you were smoking, but not ultra lights… someone handed you Marlboro reds, and you smoked them like it was your second full time job. You look in the mirror only to see remnants of the stamp “Ready to Rock” faintly on your forehead… the stamp on the back of your hand that has magically appeared on your forehead by alcoholic osmosis. You have to be to work in t-minus 14 minutes and 32 seconds and the only thing you can think of wearing is your “hello kitty” pajamas and your slippers. 

Hangover Biology 101

While drinking isn’t necessarily bad, remember that alcohol is a drug. Your body attempts to protect itself by producing enzymes to metabolize (breakdown) and remove the toxins from your body. But when the toxin level exceeds your body’s ability to break them down  in an efficient manner, you experience the unpleasant and classic symptoms… of a hangover. The excess toxins may irritate your stomach, cause you to vomit, and in general, make you feel ill.

So, is it possible to avoid them? It would be a great strategy, but the fact is, the exact origin of the toxins is unknown. They may be present in the alcoholic beverage itself, or they may be created by the body as a metabolic by-product.

Alcohol also acts as a diuretic, which means that it increases the release of urine from the body. This is because your kidneys and liver require water to dilute and process the toxins. When you drink alcohol, your body actually requires more water than usual in order to perform this function efficiently. If water and fluids are not readily available to aid in this detoxification process, the body redistributes whatever water is available. All parts of the body are affected by this redistribution of fluid, even the brain. And you wonder why your head hurts!

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is responsible for breaking down the alcohol in the liver. The tolerance that habitual drinkers build to alcohol is due to increased levels of ADH. Some research suggests that men tend to have more of this enzyme than women, and as a result can usually drink more than women of equal weight. For some reason, people of Asian descent reportedly produce less of the enzyme and people of Polynesian, Maori and Aboriginal decent are often missing this enzyme altogether.

The Toxins Involved in a Hangover

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)

Produced naturally during fermentation (the making of alcohol).

By-products of metabolism

When the liver breaks down alcohol, enzymes produce a by-product called acetaldehyde. This highly toxic substance enters the system and can make you feel very ill.

Congeners

Congeners are toxic substances created during the alcohol fermentation process. When you drink alcohol, these toxins are dispersed through your system as your liver breaks down the alcohol. While congeners are not the sole cause of a hangover, they do seem to contribute in some manner to the “quality” of the ensuing hangover.

Knowing something about the level of congeners in your chosen alcoholic beverage may help you determine how sick it can make you. In general, the fermentation and distillation processes determine the amount of congeners in the end product. Lower levels of congeners may mean a kinder, gentler hangover, if there is such a thing.

More expensive alcohol generally contains fewer congeners because it undergoes a more rigorous distillation process that filters out a higher percentage of the congeners. Darker colored drinks, such as whiskey, brandy and red wine have more congeners than lighter drinks such as vodka, gin and white wine.

Your liver breaks ethanol down with the aid of enzymes produced by liver cells. These chemical reactions do many things including impairing the liver’s ability to supply glucose to tissues, in particular to the brain. Glucose is responsible for the brain’s energy and the lack thereof results in fatigue, weakness, moodiness and decreased attention.

• Some people believe the sugar in sweeter cocktails contribute to the severity of hangovers.
• Smokers and even some non-smokers tend to smoke more when they are drinking and this can lead to nicotine poisoning which will also worsen hangovers.
• Some people are genetically lucky when it comes to hangovers and rarely, if ever, suffer the effects.
• Weight is a factor. The less one weighs the more that person will feel the effects and after effects of alcohol.
• The older you are the more likely you are to have a severe hangover. This is usually not a factor because we tend to take it a little easier as we learn from the mistakes of the past. But you have been warned.  

Hangover Remedies

• Drink Water: You’ll feel miserable until you are rehydrated. Water is an excellent hangover remedy. So is orange juice, unless your stomach is too upset to handle it.
• Eat Something Simple: Eggs contain cysteine, which may help combat hangover symptoms. Milk is more food than water, but it serves to rehydrate you while supplying calcium, which may ease your misery.
• Sodium Bicarbonate: Try a spoonful of baking soda in water to help quell the hangover queasiness.
• Exercise: It raises your metabolic rate, which helps you clear toxins associated with metabolizing alcohol. Exercise helps you deliver oxygen to your cells, which can increase the speed at which you detoxify harmful compounds.
• Oxygen: Supplemental oxygen is another way to speed up detoxification after drinking alcohol, without having to exercise.
• Vitamin B1 or Thiamine: Thiamine helps prevent the buildup of glutarate in the brain, which may be associated with part of the headache associated with a hangover. Other B vitamins are depleted when you drink, so taking a B vitamin complex may be beneficial.

FACT OR FICTION – DO THESE WORK?

Black Coffee

Coffee contains a high amount of caffeine, which is a stimulant and therefore helps fight fatigue. But when the caffeine wears off, a drinker may be even more tired than before. Coffee can help alleviate a pounding head because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it reduces the size of blood vessels. This counteracts the effect of the alcohol, which makes them swell, making the head hurt in the first place. Unfortunately, caffeine is also a diuretic like alcohol and can make a drinker even more dehydrated than before, thereby increasing the severity of the hangover. Overall, coffee isn’t a good hangover cure.

Conclusion:

• FICTION – Remedy

Hair of the Dog

Contrary to popular belief, more of the “hair of the dog that bit you” only delays the inevitable. One of the reasons hangovers are so unpleasant is the liver is still processing the toxins left over from alcohol metabolism. Drinking more alcohol can make the symptoms seem to lessen at first but will only make the situation worse once the liver breaks the alcohol down, because it will have even more toxins to deal with.

Conclusion:

• FICTION – Remedy

Burnt Toast

At first, the burnt toast remedy may seem that it’s actually based on scientific fact. The culprit behind this fictional cure is the carbon in the charred bread. Carbon can act like a filter in the body. While it’s true that activated charcoal (which is a treated form of carbon) is used to treat some types of poisonings, it’s not currently used to treat alcohol poisoning (something that is vastly different from a regular hangover).

The carbon/charcoal found on burnt toast is not the same as activated charcoal and is actually a carcinogenic (cancer causing) … bbq meat etc

Conclusion:

• FICTION – Remedy

Fried or Fatty Foods

Although eating fried or fatty foods the morning after will probably only irritate a drinker’s stomach further, eating them before drinking can actually be helpful. Putting anything in the stomach prior to indulging in alcohol helps prevent a hangover, but fatty foods in particular stick to the stomach lining longer and therefore slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. While that might make it take longer to feel the alcohol’s effects, it also gives the body more time to process the byproducts and will increase a drinker’s chances of feeling decent in the morning. So much so, in fact, that a Mediterranean folk tactic is to take a spoonful of olive oil before drinking alcohol. Eating lighter food such as a fruit smoothie will provide energy and alleviate some symptoms by replenishing the electrolytes the body lost from dehydration.

Conclusion:

• FACT – Prevention
• FICTION – Remedy

Eggs

Eating eggs the morning after provides energy like any other food, which is the primary benefit. But eggs do also contain large amounts of cysteine, the substance that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde in the liver’s easily depleted glutathione. Therefore, eggs can potentially help mop up the left-over toxins.

Conclusion: FACT – Remedy

Bananas

Eating bananas the morning after a night of heavy drinking provides lost electrolytes like any food would, but it also specifically replenishes the potassium lost to alcohol’s diuretic effect. Other potassium-rich foods such as kiwi fruit or sports drinks work just as well.

Conclusion:

• FACT – Remedy

Water

Replenishing the body’s water supply after a night of drinking combats dehydration, and it also helps dilute the leftover byproducts in the stomach. Adding salt and sugar to water helps replace the sodium and glycogen lost the night before. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks can achieve the same effect.

As a prevention method, drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage slows down drinking, providing more time for the body to deal with the alcohol (the body can only process about three-quarters of an ounce of alcohol in an hour). Drinking a few glasses of water before going to bed helps fight dehydration after the body finishes breaking down the alcohol.

Conclusion:

• FACT – Prevention and Remedy

Fruit Juice/Coconut water!!!

­The fructose — fruit sugar — in fruit juice helps to naturally increase the body’s energy. Studies have proven that it also increases the rate at which the body gets rid of toxins such as those left over from alcohol metabolism. Fruit juice is also a good idea the morning after because it’s high in vitamins and nutrients that were depleted the night before because of alcohol’s diuretic effect. Vitamin supplements high in vitamins C and B are also effective.

Conclusion:

• FACT – Remedy

MY PERSONAL REMEDY – WATER WATER WATER DURING DRINKING

VITAMIN B (before bed produces vivid dreams) but hey, I’d rather have a vivid dream than a vivid hangover!!!

BANANA SMOOTHIES MADE WITH COCONUT WATER

Ineffective or unproven remedies

Recommendations for foods, drinks and activities to relieve hangover symptoms abound. The ancient Romans, on the authority of Pliny the Elder, favored raw owl‘s eggs or fried canary. while the “Prairie Oyster” restorative, introduced at the 1878 Paris World Exposition, calls for raw egg yolk mixed with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. By 1938, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel provided a hangover remedy in the form of a mixture of Coca-Cola and milk (Coca-Cola itself having been invented, by some accounts as a hangover remedy). Alcoholic writer Ernest Hemingway relied on tomato juice and beer. Certain mixtures were developed specifically for the purpose. The “Black Velvet” consists of equal parts champagne and flat Guinness Stout. A 1957 survey by a Wayne State University folklorist found widespread belief in the efficacy of heavy fried foods, tomato juice and sexual activity.

NATURAL HANGOVER CURES

There are a number of tried and tested natural hangover cures, but today we’ll deal with one that has been seen to be the most effective of them all. Milk thistle beats everything else to the number one position of the ‘hangover cures‘ list.

Milk thistle is used in natural medicines to aid the functioning of the liver – which is, the primary organ responsible for detoxifying the human body. These leaves are known to help the body in clearing out the toxins and thus, they help reduce the risk and effect of hangovers.

If you are a regular drinker, it would be advisable for you to take milk thistle everyday or on most days of the week. It has been proven as a ‘safe’ herb; and doesn’t have any significant after-effects in the long run. Milk thistle tinctures are generally available in local health food stores; and are economical. So you won’t end up burning a hole in your pocket either.

If you don’t drink regularly, you could try taking these tinctures on the day when you are to indulge in drinking.

The best way, however, is to use this thistle before you start drinking. It is known to avoid the symptoms of a hangover. Like they say ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ Aye Aye, to that!

National Geographic has an interesting article about some of the strangest hangover cures from around the world. Perhaps they mean “cure” in a way that you’ll never touch alcohol again if you’re forced to take these the morning after:

Germany: Pickled Herring

 

Romania: Tripe Soup
Tripe – aka cow stomach – is the go-to ingredient for many Romanians suffering from a hangover. It’s also a common “cure” in Mexico and Turkey, and no doubt many other countries as well. But in Romania, the edible offal is boiled in a greasy, salty soup of root vegetables, garlic vinegar, and cream.

Poland: Sour pickle juice
Polish hangover remedies are all about the sour. Some say that soured milk (which is unpasteurized and has been left at room temperature for a day or tow) does the trick. Others favor sour – very sour – pickle juice, heavy on the vinegar.

Hangovers are poorly understood from a medical point of view. Health care professionals prefer to study alcohol abuse from a standpoint of treatment and prevention, and there is a view that the hangover provides a useful, natural and intrinsic disincentive to excessive drinking.

Next weeks Belly will be with Sista Tess and the lovely Lilith who will be here to present her regular segment “Cooking with the stars – Capricorns”

Sister Rasela wishing you a hangover free 2011!!

BayFM website – bayfm.org

 

 

Talofa. Your tastebuds are being tantalised today by Sister Rasela on which will be my last Belly show of the year. Of course we won’t be leaving your belies empty – Sister Tess is back next week and i’ll be serving up large portions of the Belly show in the new year but as always December is a time of reflection. I personally believe that every day you wake up is a new year but for now, let’s go with what the calendar says and think about what your journey with food has been like this year.

I don’t know about you but it has been another fascinating trip for me. I feel privileged and extremely lucky to be a part of both the belly show and the beautiful Bayfm – YOUR community radio station – where i have had opportunities in abundance to both meet and talk to so many incredible foodies from the Shire, both resident and passers through. I’ve also been drawn into the Raw Food world this year which has helped to give me the energy to continue with the 50,000 things i do (well, ok, maybe more like 20,000), I’ve also found myself working amongst and becoming a part of our blossoming farmers markets but most of all i have loved being able to share knowledge and information as well as stories and tales surrounding food as nutritional medicine. I always leave it up to you to decide what you feel is best for you.. FEEL being the operative word of course. You are your own experiment… don’t believe other people!! Listen to them and then see what works best for you through a process of trial and elimination. It’s a long and hopefully healthy life so there’s plenty of time to think about it… just don’t leave it too long because the benefits of being healthy are so incredible, you are going to wish you did it sooner, no matter when you start.

I’d like to give thanks to BayFM and all the guests for providing the place, the space and the time to share all of this with you – the listener – because without you there would be nothing to do and no reason to do it.

So, let’s get on with this show where i’m exercising my right to be Samoan and am taking it easy… I invite you to put the kettle on if you’re at home, make a cuppa, slow down if you’re driving to take a breather and settle in for the rest of the show… all you have to do is listen… how easy is that?

I send out this first track and ask you to stop for a moment to give thanks to your body for carrying you through this wonderful life. Whether you’re big or small, fat or skinny, whoever you are, whatever you’re doing and wherever you’re doing it – LOVE YOURSELF AND LOVE OTHERS, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE… Track 1 Billy Joel – Just the way you are.

The following is taken from the book “The Sex Life of Food” By Bunny Crumpacker.

“They dined on mince and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon” , by Edward Lear. -The Owl and the Pussycat

The first meal is a simple one. Eve’s was just a bite of apple; a baby’s is just a bit of milk.

Some babies try to eat even before their first meal. There are infants born with tiny calluses on their thumbs from sucking in utero, already working at filling the void. Once delivered, eating is the first continuing encounter the hungry babe has with the rest of humanity. Food is our first comfort, our first reward. Hunger is our first frustration.

Simple as it is, that small sip of milk, the first meal is the beginning of a complexity of food and emotion that is mirrored over and over again in a pattern that never stops. When we begin to eat as babies, we fall in love. We discover pleasure, we make friends, we learn to smile. We sup with darker things too – loneliness and fear, anger, even pain – and relief, afte having waited so long, empty, for the next meal.

No wonder, then, that grown up, when we open our mouths to eat, our souls fly out. We are too thin or too fat. We go on food binges, secret eaters alone with the refrigerator in the middle of the night. We eat too little and are afraid too little is too much. We eat too fast and develop heartburn. We work our mouths constantly: we chew gum, we make a fashion of cigars, we drop in for a cup of coffee, we suck on candy, we smoke cigarettes, we talk too much, we drink too much.

In one way or another, we’ve been worrying about food since the apes moved down from the trees when the fruit ran out. We’ve been so busy chewing that we haven’t sat down and thought about the missing link between our dinner and our selves, between the way we eat and what we eat and who we are – why we eat in the ways that we do….

This book is a great read and i suggest you do if you are interested in these few opening paragraphs. It goes on to cover some very interesting and intimate aspects of food and relates to just about everyone in one way, shape or form.

Without going on to copy the whole book, i will leave it here and hope that you enjoy this feasting season. I will NOT tell you to go easy on your bellies, listen to when yours say’s it’s full, to not overindulge and to remember that we live in times of excessive consumption so don’t buy into the need for more than you truly do need… i’m sure you already know these things. I WILL however wish you a relaxing and sunny break, full of love and happiness and all that comes with it.

See you again in the calendar New Year!

xx Rasela