Let’s get one thing straight. Chickpeas are not the devil. That said, I tend to skew my diet towards a paleo approach ie no legumes or grains. That’s how I feel best and having not eaten grains or legumes (aside from the odd occasion) for the past five years, I think it’s safe to say I’m not missing out on anything.

I’ll have some every now and then as I’m a pretty flexible eater when I’m out and about, but I don’t add them to my grocery shopping list. I know a lot of people have been told to stay away from the legumes if they have gut issues – microbial imbalance, SIBO and the like. And for the most part, it seems to be an effective treatment in the short term, allowing guts to get back into balance and from there, the foods they’ve eliminated can be introduced. I know I’ve experienced this myself with legumes, grains, fruit, nuts and fermented products. All of these things once caused me some serious digestive upset but now I’ve found a way to eat them without any side effects.

Any way, this is why you won’t find any grains or legumes in my eBook MADE. This book is the exact food I eat every day and a thorough how-to on building a bowl that nourished the gut and the mind.

This beetroot hummus is part of Step 4 in the eBook, it’s the part of the bowl-building journey where you get to add your own flare. The veggies have been taken care of (the base of the bowl), the protein is done (that’s going to keep you full) and now you can add whatever you like to make it interesting and allow you to actually eat well without falling face first into a tub of coconut ice cream.

Whether it’s adding some tartness with my lemon tahini drizzle, some softness with my paleo hummus or a little crunch from some toasted pinenuts (or if you’re like me a combination of all of these)… This is honestly my secret to eating well with ease…

Eating food that actually tastes amazing.