May 23

May 23 What foods to eat for bone health

When people think of bone health - calcium is the first mineral that might spring to mind. However, there are more minerals that are needed for bone health than just calcium. Many trace minerals such as copper, manganese, zinc and boron are also important, as is vitamin K1 and vitamin D. Bone is a dynamic, living tissue that is constantly being broken down and rebuilt, even in adults. Not many people think about looking after their bones until they start to break down as in arthritis or osteoporosis. However, there is lots you can do to ward off oesteoporosis, which is where there is more bone breaking down than being formed.

Feb 18

Feb 18 What foods to eat during the menopause

Kat Bright

Blog

The menopause can be a scary time with lots of unexpected things happening in your body such hot sweats, irregular periods, weight gain around the middle, brain fog and anxiety. Peri-menopause is the time leading up to the actual menopause when changes start to happen and this period can last up to 10 years which can surprise lots of women. There are lots of foods that you can introduce or increase during this time to help you manage your symptoms.

Jan 6

Jan 6 stuffed vegetarian butternut squash

Kat Bright

Recipes, Mains

This is a perfect dish when you want a vegetarian meal that looks a bit special. Can easily be doubled to provide a meal for four if needed. It’s very easy to make, but still looks impressive. I am always looking for ways to include more mushrooms in my diet as they are so highly nutritious for us. See the tip below for all the benefits.

Sep 18

Sep 18 a week of healthy snacks

Val Simpson

Blog, Recipes, Snacks

Kat and I are not really snackers, but with 5 children between us and busy schedules we know that they are often a necessity to keep us all going, mums and children alike. However, with so many supermarkets and health shops increasing their range of so called "healthier option" snacks, it is easy to get confused with the often misleading claim on the front of the packets.The nutritional labels at the back are so often just as confusing. The solution to ensure you know exactly what you eat? Make your own snacks and get the kids involved with flavours. Many of the snack bars sold in the supermarkets or health shops as "healthy" are often still very high in sugar due to the dried fruit content or sugar alternatives used. We have so many great options on the website, baked snacks, raw options, all gluten free and mostly nut-free for a school policy compliant lunch box. We believe that a good nourishing snack should always include protein.

Aug 23

Aug 23 fat soluble vitamins

Kat Bright

Blog, Nutrition, Health

If you follow us on Instagram you will know that we recently posted a series called Nutrient Spotlight, where we took each vitamin and mineral in turn and spoke of how it is used in our body, why we need it and any symptoms of deficiency - also most importantly how you can find these nutrients in your food. The series was so popular that we have added them to our blog so you'll be able to access them easily. This week we spotlight the fat soluble vitamins – Vitamins A, D, E and K. It's very important to remember that these vitamins are stored in our body (in the liver) and so it's very easy to reach high and potentially toxic levels.

Aug 1

Aug 1 Let's talk about fat

Kat Bright

Blog, Nutrition, Health

For those of us growing up in the 70s, 80s and 90s we were told that eating a low fat diet was healthy and we switched from high fat butter to margarine, full fat milk to skimmed milk and we stopped drizzling oil and butter on our salads and vegetables. Thankfully those days are now behind us and finally the message that eating low fat is healthy is starting to be replaced by the message that eating healthy fats is good for you. However, I still find there are many people that cling onto eating a low fat diet and have a fear of eating any fat. The idea that eating fat makes us fat was first touted in the 1950s and since this low fat message we have seen a rise in obesity, a rise in dementia-related illnesses and a rise in heart conditions.