I don’t believe in ‘rules’ for healthy eating. Nor do I like the idea that food is labeled as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for you. Food is food and some foods are just more helpful in promoting good, lifelong health than others. In saying that, I have to admit that there is one ‘rule’ that I [...]
What does your pregnant body need and how do you eat enough of it? This post is a brief summary of the key nutrients required in pregnancy and how to ensure you’re eating enough. Protein – As your body provides 100% of the raw materials for your growing baby, your proteins needs are dramatically increased [...]
Zinc is an essential mineral primarily required by the body for normal growth and development. Science has actually discovered that zinc is involved in so many different functions that it can be found in almost every cell of the body. With approximately 300 or more enzymes requiring zinc to function properly it’s actually quite difficult [...]
Even though you may not have heard the term ‘fortified food’ before doesn’t mean you don’t eat them. In fact, most of us eat fortified foods every day without even realising it. So what are they? Fortified foods are processed foods that have been ‘fortified’ or had vitamins and minerals added to them. In most [...]
If you suffer from lactose intolerance or have an allergy to cows milk, you’ll know that getting enough calcium into your diet every day can be quite difficult, particularly when health promotion mainly focusses on dairy as your best source of this important mineral. Although dairy is a rich source of calcium and is where [...]
Calcium is an essential mineral required by the body for a number of different functions. It’s most well known role is being the major mineral component of bones and teeth. Without sufficient calcium intake, particularly during periods of rapid growth, the bones can become inadequately mineralised. When the calcium component of bones becomes too low [...]
Vitamin K is usually the nutrient that most people don’t know anything about or haven’t even heard of before. It is a fat soluble vitamin and it’s most important role is involved in the formation of a blood clot. Vitamin K is made up of a family of compounds also known as quinones and is [...]
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin and is actually the name given to a family of 8 different naturally occurring chemicals which have a range of functions within the body. Primarily, vitamin E is an essential part of the bodies anti-oxidant system and helps protect the body against oxidative stress. Anti-oxidants fight oxidative stress [...]
Vitamin D is the vitamin that we get from the sun. It is actually not considered a true vitamin but a pro-hormone created by the action of sunlight on the skin and then activated by the liver and kidneys. The activated form of vitamin D has a number of functions within the body, one of [...]
One of the most common questions I am asked is: “Are carbohydrates bad for you?”. With so much conflicting information, the answer is not as simple as we would like it to be. So are they bad for you or not? What are they? Carbohydrates are a family of nutrients that provide the body with [...]
