Here’s an overview of our key philosophy. Use these 15 principles as a quick guide.
1 GUT INSTINCT
2 BOIL YOUR BONES
3 FORGET CALORIES, THINK NUTRIENTS
4 MEAT AND TWO VEG
5 GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
6 FAT IS YOUR FRIEND
7 SWEET ENOUGH
8 DRINK TO THINK
9 THE REAL DEAL
10 KNOW YOUR ONIONS
11 PREPARE, CHEW AND COMBINE
12 BE MINDFUL
13 STRESS LESS
14 TUNE IN
15 THE ‘BETTER THAN’ RULE
1 GUT INSTINCT
The gut is the centre of our immunity. A healthy gut, rich in beneficial microflora, leads to a healthy body and mind.
Without a healthy gut, your body will not be able to efficiently digest and absorb vital minerals and nutrients from your food. Because of this, it’s imperative to focus on the foods that enrich your immunity, reduce inflammation caused by internal and external stressors on your system and nourish you from within.
The gut is looked after by microflora (an internal ecosystem living together in harmony, geared to keeping you healthy). Your microflora is made up of 100 trillion bacteria, ten times more than there are cells in your entire body. For good digestive health we like to eat naturally fermented or cultured foods – full-fat yoghurt, sauerkraut, unpasteurised miso, kimchi and kombucha – rich in probiotics that keep our microflora diverse and topped up, such as our BBQ Ketchup (see here) or Pink Chilli Kraut (see here). We avoid refined and chemically processed foods and try to reduce stress levels that upset our system. We drink bone broth, eat slowly, chew thoroughly (see here) and practise proper food preparation, such as activating and gentle cooking, to help keep the gut healthy. (For more on activating, see here.)
2 BOIL YOUR BONES
Frugal, nourishing and tasty, bone broth is the age-old superfood at the heart of the H+H philosophy.
Thanks to its nourishing, easily digestible nutrients, bone broth is often used to treat ailments and nurture the sick. Just as green juice is the super concentrate of green vegetables, bone broth provides the essence of goodness that only animal foods can offer. The key to a good broth is the quality of the bones and a really long simmer to extract the nutrients, making it different from a classic stock, which is simply about flavour. A soup made with bone broth is tastier, more nutritious and satisfying than one made without it. For how to prepare bone broth, see here.
3 FORGET CALORIES, THINK NUTRIENTS
Counting calories is not a natural or sustainable way to live. Focus on nutrients not numbers.
All calories are not created equal and the body deals with different sources of energy differently. Rather, every calorie consumed should be packed with as many nutrients as possible, enabling you to feel satisfied with less food and for longer. Counting calories is not a natural way to determine the foods that you should be eating, and calorie-controlled ‘diets’ tend not to work in the long term or address the root cause of the problem. Nutrient-dense foods, such as broccoli topped with melted butter and a sprinkle of sea salt, will leave you feeling satisfied for longer, while a low-calorie ‘diet’ food, such as a low-fat or low-‘sugar’ cereal bar, might fill you up but leave you wanting more an hour or so later. Make the ingredients, not the calories, the first thing you check out when you encounter a new food.
While vegetables take centre stage, eating food from both the plant and animal kingdoms makes sense.
Eating meat, fish and vegetables helps us feel our best. Vegetables, which are naturally high in fibre, are the star of the show, with non-starchy varieties making up the majority of the plate and featuring in as many meals as possible. But animal foods of good provenance are essential to a healthy balanced diet, offering nutrients that are hard to obtain from plants alone. Meat doesn’t have to feature at every meal or in large quantities, nor does it have to be expensive. Make friends with your butcher and try the cheaper, less fashionable cuts, which are just as nourishing and often tastier. We like onglet, chicken livers, beef shin, lamb breast and, of course, bone broth.
5 GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
Choose complex carbohydrates: vegetables, legumes and pseudocereals, as well as fruit.
Modern diets are often heavily reliant on grains – cereal or toast for breakfast; sandwiches, wraps and noodles for lunch; biscuits and crackers for snacks; pasta or rice for dinner; and not to mention pastries, puddings and desserts. The majority of these commercial crops are intensely hybridised, sprayed with chemicals and often served in refined forms, which convert to glucose at a faster rate when digested and can have a rollercoaster effect on your blood-sugar levels. This encourages you to overeat as you tend to feel hungry soon after a meal. Whole grains can be harder to digest for many individuals and can lead to other digestive problems.
We stopped eating meals based on grains such as wheat, spelt, rye, oats and rice, along with potatoes. Instead we like to keep things diverse, with tasty recipes that encourage a broader range of nutritious foods, such as vegetables, legumes and pseudocereals (for example, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat) as our main source of complex carbohydrates. These foods are naturally gluten-free, more nutrient- and mineral-dense and, with plenty of fibre for gut microflora, a better option than refined carbohydrates.
6 FAT IS YOUR FRIEND
Enjoy both saturated and unsaturated fats in their natural and unrefined forms.
We do not advocate foods labelled ‘low-fat’. It’s not natural fat that causes health problems – it’s the processed stuff. We embrace the natural fats from both plant and animal sources – from olive oil, coconut cream, avocado and nuts to ghee, butter, egg yolk, bone marrow and dripping. Fat is an excellent source of sustainable energy that makes meals tasty and satisfying. It helps to stabilise blood sugar, optimises digestion and enables us to absorb vitamins. We cook with saturated fats such as coconut oil, ghee or butter and save the more delicate unsaturated plant fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil (which we always buy cold-pressed for its nutritional benefits) for drizzling on salads. Avoid all refined fats, especially hydrogenated ones (these are the saturated transfats): margarines, corn oil, processed vegetable oil, cooking sprays and vegetable suet.
FAT
SATURATED FATS – GOOD FOR COOKING
Typically solid at room temperature, the following fats are more heat stable and therefore more suitable for cooking, roasting and baking. Always choose full-fat varieties. Long-lasting if kept well – store in a cool place or in the fridge.
Animal fats (e.g. dripping and goose fat, either shop-bought or saved from roasts/skimmed from bone broth)
Butter (unsuitable for high-temperature cooking like roasting or stir-frying as the milk solids burn; great for baking and sautéing)
Coconut oil (virgin, unbleached)
Ghee (clarified butter)
UNSATURATED FATS – GOOD FOR DRESSINGS
Typically liquid at room temperature, the following fats are less stable in cooking, so save for drizzling, dressing, dipping and finishing dishes. Look for cold-pressed and unrefined varieties. Store in a cool place or in the fridge.
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (suitable for cooking at low temperatures, though we prefer to save it for finishing dishes)
Flaxseed oil (keep in the fridge)
Sesame oil (make sure to use plain, unrefined oil – also good as a body oil). Use toasted oil sparingly as a flavouring.
Macadamia nut oil
USE SPARINGLY
Honey (raw/unpasteurised, unrefined)
Maple syrup (pure, Grade B for flavour)
Dried fruit (raisins, goji berries, figs, dates, apricots, etc. – sulphur dioxide-free)
Fresh fruit (bananas, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, melons, berries, etc.)
AVOID
Agave (very high in fructose and often highly refined)
High-fructose corn syrup (sometimes called glucose-fructose syrup and used in sweetened soft drinks and juices, processed biscuits and breakfast cereals)
Sugar (white or brown)
Aspartame (and other synthetic sweeteners)
7 SWEET ENOUGH
Sweeten minimally for balance, keep it natural for nutrition and reawaken your taste buds.
When is a sweet not a treat? When it disrupts your metabolism. Sugar – in any form – activates the pleasure centres in the brain and it can become addictive. It is also now understood that even overeating fructose (natural fruit sugar) is a massive driver of obesity, along with fatty liver and heart disease. Sugar can promote inflammation in the body and also cause those well-known ‘sugar rushes’ (unwanted spikes in blood-sugar levels) that are usually followed by ‘sugar lows’. Keeping your blood-sugar levels stable is key to good health; leading to increased energy, weight loss and better overall well-being – including having a positive impact on your general mood and also your quality of sleep.
Use small amounts of natural sweeteners (see table here), which are rich in vitamins and minerals, and let them enhance the natural flavour of the food, not overpower it. Balance sweet treats with protein, fats and fibre for better blood-sugar balance. Beware of snacking freely on dried fruit, as it is a concentrated source of sugars, and be sure that it is dried naturally and not treated with sulphur dioxide.
+ Stevia and xylitol are two sweeteners that people with diabetes or blood-sugar problems find useful because they do not have a direct impact on blood-sugar levels. They are helpful for anyone trying to cut down on the amount of sugar they use. Just be sure to check the labels for pure forms and don’t be fooled into over-sweetening foods with these ‘safe’ sweeteners. Your brain still registers a ‘sweet’ sensation when you consume them so they are no substitute for weaning yourself off sweeter-tasting foods in the long run.
8 DRINK TO THINK
Cut caffeine, fizz and fruit juice. Drink water to help flush toxins, curb cravings and stay alert.
Without realising it many of us may be mildly dehydrated, which can lead to feelings of fatigue and loss of alertness, something that’s worth bearing in mind before you reach for anything other than water. If you feel hungry between meals, check that you are properly hydrated. Drinking something with a bitter or sour flavour, such as ginger, lemon or lime water, will also help to beat cravings.
If you rely on a glass of wine or two at night to wind down, consider dropping this habit for a week to see if it affects your sleep and, in turn, your mood and stress levels the next day. Keep your caffeine intake to a minimum particularly during the first half of the day as caffeine, as well as sugar, can overstimulate you and aggravate existing health problems. Remember that decaffeinated coffee (unless water-decaffeinated) is chemically processed and still contains some caffeine.
During sleep your body goes through a process of cleansing and repair. First thing in the morning, wake up your system with a glass of water to hydrate your body and get your system moving. We like to drink warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice to help this process. Don’t down drinks in one because this can shock the system, especially cold drinks – drink them at room temperature or warm and savour them. Remember the old saying ‘chew your drink and drink your food’.
+ Filtered water. It makes sense to ensure that you’re drinking, cooking and even washing food with the most purest water possible, so we recommend using the best water filter that you can afford.
Rediscover whole, unprocessed foods. Pure apple juice from a carton is not the same as eating an apple. Choose delicious flavours from nature, not laboratories.
Eating real wholefoods, with all their natural nutrients and fibre and minimal processing for maximum nourishment, makes sense. This is food that delivers, with every delicious and nutrient-rich bite. Use processes that enhance the nutrients in your food and aid digestion, such as soaking, sprouting, fermenting and cooking. These days food is often highly processed to a point where your body may struggle to recognise it as food. If you look at the back of the packet and barely recognize the ingredients, your body will respond in the same way. Foods labelled ‘pure’, ‘natural’, ‘healthy’ or ‘whole’ might not have had anything added but can still have had plenty taken away, so find out what your food is and what it isn’t. Eating seasonally offers the best value and flavour, and adds variety to your meals.
10 KNOW YOUR ONIONS
Where does your food come from? How was it grown? Choose naturally grown and reared food that has no artificial additives and hasn’t been genetically modified.
How your food is grown is important both for you and the environment. Choose food produced by traditional rather than intensive farming methods, and use your spending power to champion local food that has been organically grown or humanely reared. Make it your business to know the provenance of your food so that you can avoid, where possible, putting toxins, chemicals, artificial additives or GMO ingredients into your body. Choose home-grown or naturally farmed foods, including organic and biodynamic-certified produce, or those from a sustainable wild source – especially for meat, fish and dairy (see here).
11 PREPARE, CHEW AND COMBINE
Bump up your digestion to maximum efficiency and enjoy what you eat.
You are what you can digest – not simply what you eat – so as well as maintaining a fit and healthy gut and choosing real foods, we must properly prepare ingredients to get the best from them. Follow these three key steps for optimum digestion:
+ PREPARE. We soak, or ‘activate’, our nuts, seeds, pulses and pseudocereals to release nutrients and make them easier to digest (see here for more details). When you’re cold, be sure to cook your foods and add warming spices. Enjoy refreshing salads and cooling yoghurt when you’re feeling hot, and make easy-to-digest soups when you’re feeling under the weather.
+ CHEW. Chew before you poo, which not many people do, boo hoo. Yes, we did just write that, because it is so important! Seeing and smelling your food is where digestion begins. Once it reaches your mouth, the enzyme amylase – present in human saliva – starts the process of breaking down food. Therefore chewing well and savouring each mouthful before swallowing is a crucial stage in digestion. Remember that there are no teeth in your tummy!
+ COMBINE. Since different foods are digested at different rates, we base our recipes on the simplest form of food combining – that is, avoiding substantial amounts of protein and starch (such as chicken and quinoa) in the same meal. This optimises digestion to get the most out of the nutrients, which leads to more energy and increased overall well-being. We also like it because it makes more room for green, leafy vegetables on the plate. Don’t worry too much about this yourself, as all of the recipes in this book already fit the bill and include serving suggestions to go with each dish, so we’ve done the work for you!
12 BE MINDFUL
We advocate mindful eating – being conscious of what you are eating and how you are eating it.
Think about what you are eating – why you’ve chosen to eat it, as well as where it comes from (see left) – and take your time to eat and truly appreciate your food. Your meal shouldn’t play second fiddle to working, reading, writing or watching TV. Even if your food choice hasn’t been ideal, stuffing it down quickly and pretending it didn’t exist will only make things worse, not just for your digestive system but also your conscience. By connecting with your food, you’ll be better placed to ask yourself what it is or isn’t doing for you.
Eating is emotional. What food does to your state of mind is just as important as what it contributes to your physical health, so it’s crucial to avoid the cycle of deprivation and guilt. Maybe you don’t need to be eating banana bread and chocolate cake, but if you want to, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. We always enjoy what we choose to eat and eating well is not about being perfect. If we see some gorgeous hand-made croissants and fancy eating one, we’ll buy it and enjoy every mouthful. No guilt.
Knowledge is power, so in learning more about our food, going back to basics and getting into the groove with what suits, you can get back into a state of mind where you can say: ‘I love my food and my food loves me!’
13 STRESS LESS
Reduce internal, external and environmental stress to enhance your sense of well-being.
Plan ahead so that you keep well fed; try to reduce toxic chemical products in your home and work environment, and value the importance of sleep. Make early nights a priority and daily downtime non-negotiable and you will soon reap the benefits. Try to reduce stimulants – keep coffee, sugar and alcohol to a minimum, try a cup of green tea in the morning or a couple of squares of dark chocolate as a pick-me-up instead.
Reducing both internal and external stresses, from what you put into your body to your worries and fears in life, will have a positive effect on both your mind and body and hence affect your food choices and how you cope with life in general. See our lifestyle section (see here) for tips and tricks for a new way of living and creating new ‘good for you’ habits.
14 TUNE IN
Your body needs you. We are all individuals, so get to know yourself better, understand what makes you thrive and be the best version of you.
Our aim is to help you navigate through the confusion and teach you to approach health and wellness in a more intuitive way. It’s important to stress that there is no ‘one size fits all’ with nutrition. Eating well for you personally is key; your mood, surroundings and the weather can have just as much of an impact on your nutritional needs as your metabolism or general physical health. Be aware that your nutritional needs may change throughout your life too – such as during pregnancy, during times of intense activity or when you’re unwell. This all might sound like hard work, but it’s just based on tuning in to what your body responds to best. Turn to here in the lifestyle section for the good habits that work for us – plenty for you to try out and keep if they suit you or discard if they don’t.
15 THE ‘BETTER THAN’ RULE
The one to remember: don’t strive to be perfect – life happens. Do the best you can at the time.
Adopting a few healthy habits and making practical food swaps is better than not making any changes at all. Preparation is key, but of course we can’t predict the future or control our circumstances; so when you’re out and about, if hunger strikes and you don’t have any good food to hand, go for the next best thing. For example, if you’re stuck in an airport, with only high-street foods available, just look for the healthiest option on offer. It might not always be the most fun or the most appealing but it will be more sustaining. If options are very limited and you can only go for the ‘unhealthy’ choice, however, don’t beat yourself up about it; enjoy it for what it is. Remember also that when you start to eat healthily, your taste buds will adapt, your cravings will diminish and you will want to choose the better option every time.