Healthy eating, healthy living, with Jamie Hamby

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Eating a good diet is often associated with feeling better and being healthy.

Jamie Hamby, manager and holistic health practitioner at Richard’s Foodporium, works to help people treat pain naturally rather than with medicine.

“There’s something happening,” Hamby said of the number of people who are deciding that they don’t want to take medicine anymore. “I have a feeling that a lot of awareness is because of ‘Doctor OZ.’”

Because of the jump to alternative medicine, Hamby is now working with three in-town doctors to implement an alternative plan. She is also working on her doctorate.

Coming from a nursing background, Hamby said she wants to bridge the gap between medication and natural alternatives.

But for Hamby, the issue of natural medicine hits closer to home. As she sat in the back office of the store, she opened up about her own health issues.

At 14, Hamby was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that induces abnormal uterine cells to grow outside of the uterus. After 14 surgeries, Hamby was sent into early menopause, at the age of 29.

“When the doctors said that they had shortened my life span by taking my last ovary, I really started buckling down,” she said.

A steady diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meats — grass-fed or organic — no grains and no wheat has Hamby feeling better than ever. But to her, it’s not a diet; it’s a lifestyle change.

“It’s the first time I’ve really felt this healthy, and this is going to be the way it is from now on,” she said.

As a newbie in the kitchen, Hamby is doing a lot of experimenting to make meals that not only fit her new lifestyle but that her children like, also.

One of her household favorites is dairy-free, almond-flour pancakes.

“It’s the kids' favorite, it’s quick, easy and sometimes we make it for dinner,” she said.

Although eating gluten-free is always a goal, Hamby said that to make the change realistic, she follows the 80/20 rule; 80% of the time eating right, with a 20% allowance for what she calls "life days."

Dairy-Free, Almond-Flour Pancakes

What you need:
1 1/2 cups fine-ground blanched almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs
4-5 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla or juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup fruit (optional)
Oil for frying

What to do:
In a medium bowl, sift and/ or mix together flour, baking soda and spice. In a separate bowl, blend together eggs, milk, honey and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingrediants to the dry and mix well. Let rest for a few minutes. Pre-heat your pan over medium heat; watch the heat closely. If it gets too hot, not only will the pancakes burn, they will be badly shaped and hard to flip.

Add batter to pan. If you have trouble flipping pancakes, try making them silver-dollar sized.
Fry the pancake til it starts to bubble and the edges start to form. Flip carefully using a thin metal spatula.