Gemma Davis - The Compassionate Kitchen: A plant-based cookbook

Compassion: understanding, a sense of empathy and concern.

If we commit to eating with compassion, would what or who we eat change? For us, compassion starts with the relationship with self. When we cook from a place of loving and caring for ourselves we choose foods that reflect this, foods that nourish us. Healthy, real wholefoods. This is why we put this book together. The recipes that follow are designed to embrace this sense of honouring our wellbeing, and they also happen to taste great.

Compassion also affects our relationships with the wider community; how food is grown and sold affects us all, even if we are not always aware of it. This is especially true for those without a voice the animals that end up on our plates after a life of suffering in factory farms. This kind of farming now makes up more than 80 per cent of animal agriculture worldwide. If we stop and truly sympathise with what these sentient beings are forced to endure, it becomes much easier to make choices that align with one of our most important values to not cause others harm. Especially when we dont need to. More and more people around the world are proving that plant-based diets are both sustainable and enjoyable.

The plant-based meals you will find on the following pages celebrate glorious Asian flavours and spices, inspired by our recent and past adventures there. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do and that they encourage you to eat with a sense of compassion. Wed love you to discover that living a healthy, cruelty-free life is possible, without having to compromise on flavour or enjoyment.

LOVE, GEMMA AND TRACY

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This book is dedicated to everyone we have had the honour of sharing a meal with, our lives are richer because of who we spend our time with. May we make our world a little more kind and peaceful by the way we eat.

There are many paths that may lead us to choosing to eat more plants and less meat. It could be health reasons, since plants are high in live enzymes, are alkalising and full of antioxidants and fibre. It might be driven by the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Many studies, including those by the United Nations, have concluded it is causing major impacts such as deforestation, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, animal agriculture is one of the largest land and fresh water users in a world that is not getting any bigger, with a population that is not getting any smaller.

Perhaps swapping meat for plants is being driven by the desire to not harm animals, especially since we know we can live a healthy life without eating them.

Or maybe you have ended up with a plant-based cookbook because the time has come and you know that veggie meals can be complete and delicious as a stand alone. Simple as that.

Whatever your path, eating this way can be creative, tasty and filling, and we hope this book makes eating a plant-based diet, whether for a meal or for life, enjoyable and easy! It allows you to experience tweaked classics as well as a range of new combinations that we had lots of fun coming up with. We believe we can shape our health, our lives and communities by what we choose to eat, and its so much better if it tastes great while we do it!

This may not be a health book, but most of the recipes within these pages have the bonus of being good for you. Food plays such a large part in how we feel physically and emotionally, so the more accessible and tasty the meals are, the better it is for us personally, for our families and communities. Plus, the better we feel, the more likely we are to keep eating well!

Here are a few naturopathic tips that can help get you started on the road to feeling great. Keep in mind that leaving out or cutting down on artificial flavours and colours, sugars, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol goes a long way and leaves more room for the good stuff!

You do not need to fear fats. Fats are needed in our body to create hormones, improve brain function, nourish our hair, skin and nails and much, much more. The myth that fat makes you fat has been busted to maintain a healthy weight, good fats are our friend as they help with metabolism and feeling satiated after eating. The key is knowing which fats to consume and how to consume them, because not all fats are created equal.

It is best to avoid products that contain trans-fats which are are linked to many health issues. These are altered unsaturated fats, typically created through the processing of vegetable oils through hydrogenation, and found in many baked or processed products at the supermarket. It is also worth cooking with oils that are relatively stable at high temperatures, such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil or even macadamia nut oil, and decreasing your use of vegetable oils. Using flaxseed oil on your salads is also a great way to get more omega-3 in your diet. Eat those avocados, pre-soaked nuts and seeds and even include algae oil, either in supplements or you can put the oil in smoothies.

Drink more water. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get glowing skin is to drink 2 litres of filtered water a day. You may think if you drink more liquid you will be puffy, but the opposite is true when it comes to water it will help flush impurities out of your system and keep you hydrated and supple. Our bodies are made of about 60% water, so it simply makes sense. Make sure the water you drink is filtered, and whenever you can, try not to drink it from plastic bottle they are an environmental nightmare and can leach small amounts of chemicals into the water.

Sleep is oh-so-important to allow the body time to rest and rejuvenate and studies show 79 hours is the optimal amount. While we are sleeping, our skin makes new collagen and the body boosts blood flow, both part of the repair process that helps reduces wrinkles and dryness. Add to good sleep by meditating daily, and gain an even more extraordinarily deep state of rest several times deeper than sleep. This is why those who meditate tend to not only seem calmer, they look more refreshed too.

This is a really basic concept but one that if followed, can change your diet and overall health dramatically. Remember, less out of a packet and more out of the ground; the nearer the food is to its natural state, the better. We dont want to overload our bodies with toxins, and when we eat highly processed foods, this is what happens. We can cause inflammation in our system that can result in acne, cellulite and a dullness in our energy and skin tone.