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 Some foods on the market today are so full of artificial flavourings, colourings, preservatives and additives that they would be barely recognisable to our grandmothers.
Keep cooking natural with ingredients that are minimally processed and good for you. You’ll feel and look better for it! Here is our guide to show you how to get back to basics and go natural…
 Organic ProductsIncorporating organic products is a perfect way to work towards natural cooking. Choosing organic products reduces your intake of chemical residues that may be present on food such as fruit and vegetables. Organic food also has less impact on the environment by reducing the levels of chemicals that get into our waterways and soils. Compared to most processed foods, unprocessed foods contain higher natural levels of fibre, vitamins and minerals, thus if you focus on using natural ingredients as the basis for your cooking you’ll not only feel better and healthier on the inside, it will also shine through on the outside!  Avoid excess consumption of processed foodsIf you read the ingredients lists of some foods they are full of ingredients that are very foreign to the most of us. Often highly processed foods are low in nutritional value and high in fat, sugar or salt, such as chippies or soft drinks. Swap these for unprocessed, natural foods and you’ll get a higher level of nutrition. For example, in a handful of chippies you’ll get a lot of sodium and fat. Swap this for a small handful of nuts and you’ll get vitamin E, B Vitamins, protein and the healthy
monounsaturated fats.  Key Ingredients for Natural CookingOne great ingredient for natural cooking is rolled oats. They are high in fibre, low GI and provide iron, zinc and B Vitamins. They are fantastic for your heart health, digestion and are also good for your skin too. While eating oats can help keep you beautiful on the inside, taking advantage of the goodness of oats in Aveeno Intense Hand Relief and Daily Moisturizing Body Wash will also ensure you have beautiful skin. They contain colloidal oatmeal which helps keep your skin beautiful soft, moisturised and protected from the elements. In fact, the products are clinically proven to relieve
dry skin and moisturise for a full 24 hours. Other ingredients, which are key for natural cooking, include: - Brown rice, beans, lentils
- Fruit and vegetables
- Herbs and spices
- Nuts and seeds
Guidelines for natural cooking: - Limit highly processed foods
- Use basic, unprocessed or minimal processed ingredients as the basics for your cooking
- Eat in season – it is likely to be better quality and fresher
- Buy a great recipe book for inspiration!
Recipes .jpg) Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad1 cup uncooked brown rice 1 ¾ cups water ¼ cup soy sauce 1/2 onion chopped finely 1 425g can of Ceres Organic chickpeas, drained 1 red pepper, finely chopped 3 spring onions finely chopped ½ cup cashew nuts finely chopped ½ cup each of Ceres Organic sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds Dressing ¼ cup Gabro Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon honey Put rice and water in a pot and simmer for 45 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Add the soy sauce and the chopped onion and mix well. Leave for at least two hours, or over night. Add all the dressing ingredients into a screw top jar and shake until mixed. Or if you have a food processor you can blend the ingredients in the processor. Just before you serve, add the remaining ingredients and dressing and mix well. Homemade Muesli Bars 4 cups rolled oats ½ cup almonds 1/3 cup mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup dried fruit mix of choice ¾ cup flour ¾ cup melted honey 1 cup grapeseed oil Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line a 30 x 24cm tin with baking paper and grease. Mix oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and flour in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine warmed honey and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until well combined. Press firmly into the tin and bake for around 30 minutes or until crisp. Cool slightly then cut into bars. Makes 20. Nicola .jpg) Feeling inspired? Go in the draw to win a $300 Ceres organic hamper pack, loaded with goodies to help keep you and your body pure and healthy - from the inside out! We've also got nine Aveeno packs to give away, containing the lush Intense Relief Hand Cream and the Daily Moisturizing Body Wash. Both products are loaded with the active natural goodness of oatmeal to soothe and moisturise even the driest of skin! Click here to get in the draw now! .jpg)
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