Because this dessert contains red wine, save it for a special occasion rather than an everyday dessert.  This recipe is taken from my cookbook ‘Healthy eating for the menopause’.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours’ soaking

Cooking: about 20 minutes

 

2 tablespoons of sultanas

1 tablespoon of cider vinegar

1 lemon

4 large firm pears

300ml/0.5 pint red wine

3 tablespoons honey

1 cinnamon stick

1 level tablespoon black peppercorns

Yogurt, to serve

 

At least two hours before you intend to cook the pears, put the sultanas in a small bowl and pour over the vinegar and the juice of half the lemon. Toss to mix well. 

 

Peel the pears and halve them carefully lengthwise, leaving the stalks attached to one half. Scoop out the cores.

 

Pour the red wine into a saucepan just big enough to hold the pear halves snugly. Heat gently and stir in the honey, cinnamon, peppercorns and 3 tablespoons of the remaining lemon juice. 

 

When the honey has dissolved, put the pears in the liquid and spoon some over their tops. Cover and poach at the gentlest possible simmer for 15-20 minutes turning the pears from time to time and spooning liquid over them, until the pears are translucent and tender but still quite firm. 

 

Remove the pears to a serving dish and strain the liquid. When the pears are cool enough to handle, stuff the cavities of four of the pear halves with a mounded spoonful of the macerated sultanas. Reassemble with the other matching pear half and wrap tightly in greaseproof paper.  Put the pear packages and liquid to chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.

 

To serve, unwrap the packages and spoon over some of the reserving poaching liquid. Serve with some plain yoghurt flavoured with a couple of spoonfuls of the poaching liquid. 

 

– Letter from Marilyn – December 2008

– In the News: recent progress in the world of health

• Organic milk is better for you
• The happiness herb
• Child asthma linked to ‘stressed out’ mothers
• Weekend weight gain?
• Five steps to a longer life
• Eating eggs could cut your cholesterol

–  Case Study

• This month’s case study is 30 year old ‘Amy’ who came to the Clinic for help with constipation and bloating 

– Ask Marilyn:

• How do I get rid of bad breath?
• I’m menopausal, how can I make the party season easier?
• Star Question: How can I increase my bone density?

– Ingredient Spotlight:

• Sweet Potatoes

– Monthly meal idea:

• Sweet Potato Cakes

– Have a healthy Christmas

• Simple ways to avoid winter weight gain

– Natural indigestion cures

• Natural treatments

– Boosting immunity

• with Lifestyle Choices 

– Easing the transition

• Natural ways to treat menopause-related mood swings and irritability 

– Discovering Herbs

• Aloe Vera

– Christmas Party

• Healthy eating tips

– Quick Tip: Pool your resources

• Check out the whereaboutsof your local pool. Swimming builds endurance, boosts muscle strength and doesn’t hammer your joints.

– Quick Tip: Power talk

• 10 minutes talking a day boosts brainpower.

– Quick Tip: Star of Bethlehem

• If the stress of Christmas is all getting too much try this star of Bethlehem meditation for seasonal stress.

– Coming Next Month (January 2009)

Dear Readers

Welcome to this December issue of Natural News.  We are well and truly into the winter now and it is so important at this time of year to protect ourselves from colds and flu.  Last month I covered the benefits of a good night’s sleep and regular exercise and this month you’ll learn how your morning shower, deep breathing and fresh air can boost your immunity.  It is important that we do all we can to help ourselves because we are exposed to bacteria and viruses every day and it is only the strength of our immune system that stops us being constantly ill. 

 

It was Louis Pasteur who discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin. In the early stages of his research, he said, `In order to for you to have a disease you have to have germs’. This encouraged the conventional approach to ‘germs’ and illness. Scientists were determined to find the ‘germs’ responsible, and to get rid of them. But somewhere along the line, these scientists lost sight of the fact that our bodies can do this for themselves. If our bodies are strong and healthy, with our immune systems functioning at optimum level, we are much less likely to become ill, and when we do succumb, we heal that much more quickly. The emphasis clearly needs to be on keeping the body strong, rather than finding shortcuts to health.

 

Exposure to bacteria will not necessarily cause an infection. There has to be a weakness present in order for this to happen. In other words, it is the body’s ability to fight its own battle that governs whether or not we succumb to illness.

 

Years after making his original statement, Louis Pasteur backtracked, saying: ‘In a state of health, animals are shut off from the invasion of germs …The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything’.  If the terrain (your body) is healthy, disease cannot take hold. Interestingly, Louis Pasteur’s work is considered to be a turning point in the treatment of disease, but his final message has been largely ignored. Conventional medicine isn’t preventative. Nutritional medicine is.  And that is what you are aiming to achieve.

 

Kind regards

 

Marilyn Glenville