Chocolate originates from cocoa beans from the Theobroma cocoa tree. The beans are fermented, ground and separated to cocoa butter and powder. Cocoa has been used for many used as a medical aid. It is rich in flavonoids which have potent antioxidant functions. These include being : Anti-inflammatory Helping blood vessels to dilate so helping […]
Eating Mediterranean to beat the bills
One thing I love about nutrition and dietetics is the conundrum that is complex science that usually translates down to simple health messages. The Mediterranean diet is a great example. The science behind how it all works on the body is long winded actions of polyphenols and antioxidants. However you don’t really need to worry […]
Eating to help in Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is one of those areas that I didn’t ever set out to work in. It just came along and found me. An Occupational Therapist who I had worked with previously approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining their team. With every bit of […]
Vitamin D for under 4’s
I’m writing this post after a few people have asked me if they should be giving vitamin D to their children. The answer is Yes. In 2016 the guidance on vitamins D changed and now the recommendations are that everyone in the UK takes 10 mcg a day. Especially in the autumn and winter months. […]
Restriction and Eating Disorders.
Having an eating disorder can make you feel invincible, it can sometimes be hard to see how being underweight and restricting your food intake can cause physical health issues, but there are so many knock on effects of being a low weight. When your body is not getting the nutrition that it needs it can […]
10 portions of fruit and veggies a day?
So today we woke up to the news that 10 portions of fruit and vegetables is the new 5 a day. 95 studies on fruit and vegetables have been analysed by researcher at the Imperial College of London. They found that the most benefit came from eating 800g per day, as 80g is a portion […]
Plant Waters – are they all goodness?
One of the trends for 2017 drinks is apparently going to be plant waters. Hyped to be full of goodness and said to be packed with health busting effects, I took a little look into them. Birch water is one that has been around for a little while, making headlines in 2016 and is available […]
Family Mealtime Mayhem.
Family meal times are in my house a whirlwind. In my mind we are all going to sit down, enjoy a tasty, hot meal, with some lovely conversation and in relative calmness. The reality is very different. At the time of writing this I have a 6 year old girl, a 3 year old boy […]
Detox the diet talk.
Diet and Detox. These words can be destructive. They suggest that you need to lose weight, that you have been doing things wrong, that you are not good enough, that your body is full of toxins, that you need to change the way you look. I see a lot of broken people with broken thoughts […]
2017 Food Trends: the hot, the not and the ones to spot.
According to those in the know these are some of the food trends coming our way in 2017. In my cynical mind this usually means things to be wary of or foods that will become super expensive. However there are also some interesting new foods on the horizon which I’m looking forward to trying. Wellness […]