I'm often asked which non-organic produce is ok to eat and which to avoid at all costs.

Ready to hear the answer?

As you know, we strive to only offer you organic foods at Tanya’s, but the process to become certified is insanely long, so legally we aren’t allowed to go on shouting the word Organic until we have The Soil Association stamp of approval.

At times I feel like giving up. Why bother paying almost double on organic produce if we can’t even say ‘organic’ on our labels yet? 

But I know my own values and it’s simply out of the question to start offering you anything less than pure natural food without anything sneaky. Or worse, anything poisonous.

When you get a Tanya’s 'salad bowl with dressing and nuts’, I want you to feel confident that you aren’t getting a ‘salad bowl with dressing, nuts, pesticides, fungicides, a dash of herbicides and a sprinkling of artificial chemicals’.

Then, there’s the expense of getting certified. 

This makes me wonder how many farmers out there don’t have a spare £850 to spend on maintaining certification every single year…

Perhaps their produce is sold in the conventional produce isles even though they use no chemicals or only natural insect repellents. 

Or perhaps their produce is so attractive to all the insects of the world, that it must be drenched in something to explode the stomachs of those bugs from first lick in order to keep them away.

(Btw, the main difference between our stomachs and the stomachs of those insects is the size. If we continue consuming mostly conventionally grown produce, it is only a matter of time until we too pay with serious consequences.)

THAT is the produce you want to avoid at all costs.

So, how do you know what THAT produce is? 

In the US, there’s a handy list produced annually by The Environmental Working Group (EWG) called The EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™.  

Aka Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.  

The guide ranks pesticide contamination on 48 popular fruits and vegetables and is based on results of more than 35,200 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

The top 15 foods with the least pesticides are called the Clean 15, while the 12 foods with the most pesticides are called the Dirty Dozen. 

CLEAN FIFTEEN (ok to buy if non-organic)

Sweet Corn*

Avocado

Pineapple

Cabbage

Onions

Sweet peas frozen

Papaya•

Asparagus

Mango

Eggplant (aubergine)

Honeydew Melon

Kiwi

Cantaloupe

Cauliflower

Grapefruit

DIRTY DOZEN (only buy these if organic)

Strawberries

Spinach

Nectarines

Apples

Peaches

Pears

Cherries

Grapes

Celery

Tomato

Sweet bell peppers

Potato

*A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.

In the UK, The Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) survey the pesticide residues in food every quarter.

Not all produce is tested every time, so I’ve taken the summary from (a rather outdated 2005 report by) the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN) and pulled the data together myself from 2015 and 2016 files for the most current list -

aka The Clean and Mean 18.

PRiF monitors popular home-produced and imported food to check for any pesticide residues.  This is done in order to check that:

-No unexpected residues are occurring in crops (this backs up the statutory approvals process for pesticides)

-Residues do not exceed the statutory Maximum Residue Level (MRL)

-Human dietary intakes of residues in foods are within acceptable levels

The top 18 foods with the least pesticides are called the Clean 18, while the 18 foods with the most pesticides are called the Mean 18. 

CLEAN 18 (ok to buy if non-organic)

Apples*

Aubergine (eggplant)

Banana

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Celery

Courgette

Kiwis

Leak

Mango

Nectarine

Onion

Pears

Peas without pods

Plantain

Potato

Radish

Sweetcorn

MEAN 18 (only buy these if organic)

Bean Sprouts

Beans with pods

Berries: Blueberries

Berries: Blackberries

Berries: Strawberries

Chilli peppers

Citrus: oranges, grapefruit and lemon if peel is consumed

Cucumber

Exotic fruit

Ginger

Grapes

Lettuce

Melon

Okra

Peppers

Pineapple

Prepared fresh fruit

Tomatoes

*This varies due to season significantly so personally I will always stick to organic.

These lists are super handy to take with you on your shopping trips or while travelling to know when to buy organic and when it’s ok to buy conventional.

I hope that in the future, Organic Certification will be Government funded and that the poisons used to grow our crops will need to be listed in the ingredients list of every label by law.

What do you think?

x Tanya

Please note that these lists are updates all the time, so keep an eye on the below resource links for the latest findings:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/#.WYHGQ62ZP-Y

http://www.pan-uk.org/reports-manuals-guides/#_pesticides_and_food

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546947/expert-committee-pesticide-residues-food-annual-report-2015.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pesticide-residues-in-food-results-of-monitoring-programme

Thank you soooo much for coming out to support us during the opening of the brand new Tanya's store! Tennis fans will appreciate this picture of one of our guests: [caption id="attachment_2499" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Novak Djokovic at Tanya's[/caption]   Not gonna lie and tell you the feedback has aaaall been jolly good, as a few of you really miss the 'restaurant service' (as you know - we are now a store WITH a restaurant, not the other way around), but overall, it's been super well received and I'm so happy you're happy that your favourites are on the menu again! Today I'm posting what I planned to post when Lake was ACTUALLY 16 months (she is almost 18 months now)... The new video "Healthy toddler diaries- What I feed my 16 months old in a day" is LIVE at last! Weeeeeee! I kept trying to edit it so many times but something (like opening a new store haha) would always stand in my way. For. Six. Weeks. Straight! Then a few days ago it hit me- there's more to the reason why I had so many obstacles...I simply didn't know how you would take the fact that MY child is not vegan. Not that I ever tried to hide it, I simply never stated that Lake is being brought up without animal food, but there are so many of you praising her vegan upbringing online, that naturally I thought I'd be letting you down. I hope not! Please watch to see what her day of eating as a 16 months old looks like and why I've made these choices for my greatest little love. In this video you will discover: -What Lake has for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as snacks -Why I don’t cook fruit -What vegetable mylk (yep not nut or seed) has all the minerals for strong teeth and bones -Why she’s not vegan and what animal food I choose for her -Which probiotics have my pick -Which is the best oil to cook with -Why tomatoes are better cooked than raw -Why it’s best to avoid egg white -The behind-the-scenes of Tanya’s retail space just before we opened on 19th June! If the video doesn't play, watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gCvyNJ9YYoE Feel free to comment and ask questions x

If you think raw food is awesome and you like chocolate, you would've probably, most definitely, certainly, absolutely heard of Pana Chocolate!

No matter where I am in the world, I always make sure I sample the raw chocolate on offer and although I’ve tasted some pretty incredible treats, Pana Chocolate is still heading the leaderboard for their perfect combination of taste, texture, flavour, values and love marks.

Can you imagine my excitement when I heard that Pana himself (I didn’t know it was a person’s name either- ‘Pana’ sounds like the best raw chocolate in the world to me) is releasing a book AND he’s coming to London from Oz AND he wants to teach us his top recipe secrets AND he wants to do it at Tanya’s!!

Well if that’s not enough good news, how about that he is going to run this workshop for you next week, so that you have plenty of time to learn the techniques right in time for the healthiest most delicious Easter!

The recipes Pana will demonstrate are:

Chai filled chocolates
Strawberry Basil tart
Mini Lamingtons (very Aussie for you)
Bloom breakfast bars

And if all THAT is not enough, you will be the first to get an exclusive sneak peek into how we are progressing for the re-opening of Tanya’s Reinvented, sample everything we demonstrate, be able to purchase a copy of the book for only £15 (or bring yours) and have it signed by the master himself, and go home with 2 x Pana Chocolate bars!

Book your ticket now>>

When: Saturday 1st April
Time: 3pm-5pm
Where: Tanya’s inside MY Chelsea, 35 Ixworth Place, SW3 3QX
Fee: £45pp
What’s included: Step-by-step raw chocolate demo, tasters of our favourites from the book, Q&A with Pana Barbounis, book signing (bring your own or buy a £15 copy on the day) and 2 x Pana Chocolate bars.
How to book: via Eventbrite here>>

See you there, I hope!
It’s my first workshop in over a year and numbers are super limited, so we’ll have full house in no time (don’t say I didn’t warn ya!)
Happy Friday!

As you might know, we offer our Alkaline Cleanse packages only three months per year. Since we put a limit to how many we're able to offer, they usually sell out pretty quickly.

We send these detoxes all across the UK, which is amazing as we are now able to produce more than just enough to service London.

But, I still receive messages from many of you not residing in the UK as well as requests for tips from those that can't afford my Alkaline Cleanse, so I decided to take a day to document what the detox involves, what ingredients we put into it and how I recommend everything to be taken, so you can do your own cleanse at home :)

Here we go...

Today, I'm doing my own #AlkalineDetox #TanyasCleanse. FUN!

'Fun', because not only have I done it before but I designed it my way. I've tried many juice cleanses and noticed that long term they weren't right for me. I needed some solids to make it through; and because I felt so lethargic and starved, I noticed the pH of my body going from slightly acidic to very acidic! I played around with food combinations, added probiotics, fibre, more chlorophyll, calcium and other nutrients and minerals to the mix, spaced out all the 'snacks' strategically and BAM!... Alkaline result!

My alkaline cleanse comes complete with your own set of pH Strips so you can also monitor your own #AcidAlkaline levels through the day (or buy your own litmus paper from a Pharmacy). 💚

[7:30AM] SPICY CHIA

Here is my first 'meal' of the day on #TanyasCleanse #AlkalineDetox. I say 'meal' because it is complete nutritionally. The chia provides protein and cleansing fibre, the lime is the most alkalising food of all and the cayenne is there to fire up your digestion.

If chewing it, you'll receive extra benefits- this meal will be able to mix with your saliva, which is the first step of digestion within your system.

[9:00AM] ALKALISER JUICE & PROBIOTICS

This is our signature organic cold-pressed juice at Tanya's. It's made of kale, spinach, cucumber, lemon & green apple. Greens contain high levels of alkaline minerals, including magnesium & calcium, but they won't digest well if the juice is gulped down. Sip slowly & focus on it making you shine from within.

Either empty the OptiBac probiotic sachet into the juice or dilute in water to have as a shot, but try to have the probiotics at the same time as sipping on the juice. Optibac offer an amazing line of live cultures for every one of your needs & this one in particular is 'for a flat stomach', because it helps against bloating during the cleanse. I recommend taking probiotics every single day for healthy intestinal flora. 💚

[10:00AM] DETOX DUST SEEDS

Enjoyed crunching on these super delicious activated sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds. They have been soaked to make them easier on the digestion, then sprouted to boost the nutrient value and their pH, then coated in spices which promote detoxification (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, rosemary, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, pink salt) while strengthening the immune system. Finally they’ve been dehydrated below 47degrees C to keep them raw and full of enzymes.

Please chew lots and do not mix these seeds with any liquid. If you are thirsty, let them digest first, then drink after 30 minutes. 💚

[12:00 PM] DOCTOR JUICE

This organic cold-pressed juice contains beetroot, carrots, celery, green apple, lemon and ginger. The root vegetables are helping to keep me grounded and balanced, while lowering the discomfort of toxin release from my body during my #AlkalineDetox #TanyasCleanse today. The antioxidants and electrolytes within the juice will provide you with energy and mental focus, while looking after your immune system too!

[2:00 PM] KALE WHEATGRASS CRACKERS

These crackers are packed with fibre to scrub your insides clean. They contain sprouted oats (all gluten free), hulled flaxseeds, chia seeds, kale, sunflower seeds, ginger, cracked pepper, pink salt and lots of wheatgrass powder.

Please do not flush them down with any liquids, chew them slowly on their own. Your body is designed to provide you with enough fluids for ideal digestion and it is possible to restore this memory within it in as little as three meals. Solids are not to be eaten with liquids and you will get great health benefits following this alkalising principle. 💚

[4:00 PM] VISION JUICE

This organic cold-pressed juice is the healthiest afternoon treat. It contains organic carrot, orange, mango and fresh turmeric root. The anti-inflammatory properties within the juice will help settle any bloating or joint issues, while the sweetness from the fruit will take care of unhealthy cravings in a healthy way.

Although citrus fruits are often mistaken for being acid, they actually leave an alkaline ash in your body after they are burned into energy. That’s true only and specifically for cold-pressed, non-processed and non-pasteurized juices, like the organic hand-squeezed juice I had at 4pm during #AlkalineDetox #TanyasCleanse.

Try sipping yours with closed eyes and visualise how your cells are waking up and guiding the acids to leave your system. 💚

[6:00 PM] ALKALINE SOUP 💚

This soup contains whole blended vegetables for you to get all the fibre. It, like the entire #TanyasCleanse, is also free from nuts and mushrooms, which can be acidifying for the body.

I prefer a warm soup, but would like to keep it raw, so I simply transfer mine into a bowl and add boiling water, then stir. As you are not microwaving it or keeping it over a burning stove, this won’t ‘cook’ the soup or kill any enzymes.

Ingredients: cucumber, spinach, celery, lemon, mint, peas, avocado, basil, mixed herbs, cumin, pepper, pink salt.

[7:00PM] VEGGIE STICKS & TURMERIC TAHINI DIP

Crunching on raw vegetables has been found to release serotonin and aid digestion. That’s an ideal combination for boosting your body’s pH also. Sesame seeds provide the highest form of calcium, which together with the lemon are the most alkaline way to end your day. The turmeric is high in anti-inflammatory properties, perfect for calming any uncomfortable toxin release.

Remember to chew plenty and enjoy every bite consciously. Ingredients: carrots, celery, raw tahini, lemon, cayenne, pepper, pink salt.

(I decided on a change of scenery and came out into the My Chelsea reception to have my dinner and just look at what I discovered in their guest book above!)

[ALL DAY] GREEN COMPLEX POWDER

This 1 litre bottle includes 10g of Neal's Yard Remedies Green Complex Powder. Inside is a mix of spirulina, spinach, parsley, chlorella, seagreens ascophyllum nodosum, barley grass, wheat grass, green tea extract, acerola cherry extract (on manioc maltodextrin), oat grass.

I simply add filtered water, shake shake shake and sip on it through the day while on the #TanyasCleanse. I also recommend that when you take a sip, imagine it flowing to your cells and purifying them, while you say ‘I love and respect every cell of my body. Being healthy is my divine right’.

So there you have it!

As you can see just a 1 Day Package includes more nutrients and minerals than many of us get in a whole week, but if you are after a nice internal scrub, glowing skin, weight-loss, mega energy boost, flatter stomach and serious improvement in your digestion, I'd really go for a minimum of 3 days, better yet- two lots of 3, so you get 6 consecutive days in total.

1 Day - to give your digestion a break and boost pH levels - £69

2 Days - for a system reboot and an all organ spring clean - £135

3 Days - acid toxin release and a clean, slim, alkaline start - £199  

Happy detoxing!

Weaning can be so confusing.

Even NHS seem confused.

First they recommend weaning at five months, then at six months and now they suggest that four months is the ideal time to introduce your baby to solids to avoid possible food intolerances later in life.

The food intolerance reason does make sense to me, but I had to go with my own motherly instincts here and follow baby led weaning (which I was soon to learn is an actual thing, though I’m yet to read the book)…

I let Lake lick fruits and my green smoothies here and there when she was four months. I added probiotics to her breastmilk when she was just a week old (via my own diet and by coating nipple in it). I added spirulina to her bottle once a week when she was about two months. When I finally decided to try out with her first ‘meal’, it was a banana and she only had 1 or 2 tiny spoonfuls. I was so excited to see how she likes it, that I blended up an entire banana, only to realise that this is not something to rush.

For her next few ‘meals’ instead of trying out different foods in a blender, only to see them wasted, I would chew them up in my own mouth like mama-bird and feed her from a spoon. We started this process at five months with just one solid ‘meal’ per day, which quickly escalated to two ‘meals’, that also became a little bigger each day. Then instead of fitting in food in-between her milk feeds, I took one milk feed away and then another and replaced them with watered-down ‘solid meals’.

Now at 7 months, instead of five milk feeds over the course of 24 hours, she has three milk feeds and two to three solid feeds, which are usually a decent bowl-full. Hungry growing girl.

I try not to offer any snacks, so she understands her routine. Only water, which she happily accepts especially after rolling around all over the grass in the park.

I think it’s always best to introduce little ones to solids with a mono diet and slowly add extra ingredients.

Here are the foods Lake enjoyed immediately when they were blended up till smooth for her to swallow:

1. Avocado, flesh only
2. Peas, slightly softened in hot water
3. Apples or pears, cored and peeled
4. Banana, peeled
5. Sweet potato, boiled
6. Watermelon, so juicy, no need to blend, just let them suck

When it comes to recipes, I’ve tried sooooo many varieties, many not even worth mentioning, because the little lady just turned up her nose to them, no matter how hungry she was. There’s been lots of trial and error, but the below recipes are absolute winners in our household.

There are no quantities, because only you will know how much your baby eats. If you find that there’s way too much waste, store it in the fridge and try giving it the next day warmed only by some boiling water.

MY ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS FOR WEANING