Viva Brighton Issue #65 July 2018

RECIPE
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Chia oat pudding
A versatile, family-friendly breakfast by CNM’s Brenda Lee
I’m a nutritional therapist. I was a chef for
many years, but I took a bit of time out in 2002
and did an intensive complementary therapies
course. One of the modules within the course
was on nutrition, which forced me to look at
my own diet – I thought, wow, I’m eating really
badly. That’s when my interest in nutritional
therapy was sparked.
I was already pescatarian at the time and I
decided to cut dairy out to see what happened.
That completely changed my life. I used to
always have lots of mucus in the back of my
throat, I was suffering from sinus problems all
the time and I had a cloudy head, I couldn’t
concentrate. As soon as I took the dairy out,
my brain started clearing up and I could think
straight, and the mucus disappeared, my sinuses
were clear – it was brilliant.
I studied Nutritional Therapy at Westminster
for three years, but then my first son was born
and because of complications I had to give it
up. I moved to Worthing in 2013 and decided
to try and finish my course. The closest place
to me was CNM (the College of Naturopathic
Medicine) in Brighton.
We studied everything from what nutrients are,
what they do in the body and how they keep
the body healthy, to the things that can deplete
the body of nutrients. We learnt about the gut,
about the brain, about how things that we take
in, like pollutants and toxins, can affect the
body, and how we as nutritional therapists can
help to counteract the negatives, using foods
and, in certain cases, supplements as well.
I’m going to be speaking at The Healthy
Breakfast, at the Eden Café on the 5th of July,
and one of the main points I’ll be looking at
is how to optimise your nutritional intake as a
family. I’m intolerant to dairy, my oldest son is
intolerant to dairy and has multiple allergies,
and my youngest son is… fussy. So it’s a
juggling act.
This is something we have at home regularly.
It’s so versatile – you can do a lot with it – and
it’s a very nutritionally dense base. The chia
provides fibre, protein and omega 3. The oats
add more fibre, as well as lots of vitamins.
Because I have two young sons, a six-year-old
and a three-year-old, I try to mix things up to
keep it interesting. Sometimes we have it hot,
like a porridge; sometimes I set it as a pudding
in a jar and layer it up with fruit and purée, or I
turn it into a smoothie bowl.
The base is very simple. I’m not one for
measurements, but I usually use a serving-size
spoonful of oats and chia seeds (mixed together)
per person, and cover with water. If you prefer,
you can use coconut milk. Leave these to soak
overnight.
For the topping, we tend to go by colour.
Avocado is central, because of the fats and
protein it contains, and to that I might add
beetroot and berries to make a red pudding,
or kale, spinach and apples to make a green
pudding. I’ll blitz the avocado with the fruit
and vegetables, and a handful of seeds, to make
a purée. Then I’ll either fold this into the
pudding or layer it on top.
As told to Rebecca Cunningham
The Healthy Breakfast is hosted by CNM.
Tickets £10, including a vegan cooked breakfast.
Visit naturopathy-uk.com
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