Have you ever sat down to eat something in front of the TV and then wondered what happened to it? Have you suddenly realised you didn’t even taste it even though you were really looking forward to eating it?
Paying attention to how you eat is just as important as looking at what you eat.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease affecting more than half of women and nearly a third of men over the age of 60 in New Zealand. World Osteoporosis day in 2010 is being held on the 20th October.
Osteoporosis has no symptoms and the disease offers its victims no warning until it is well established. Often the first sign that you have osteoporosis is when you break a bone. It is mistakenly thought of as a disease only affecting older people.
Arthritis week this year starts on the 21st September. According to the Arthritis New Zealand website more than half a million New Zealanders will have arthritis in their lifetime. There are more than 140 different types of arthritis. It can affect people of all ages from babies and toddlers through to adults.
A vegetarian diet can be very healthy, but care needs to be taken to achieve a well balanced diet to ensure an adequate intake of nutrients.
In a previous article I looked at how to choose from each of the four food groups if you are following a vegetarian eating plan. The importance of getting protein from alternative plant sources such as beans, lentils, nuts and seeds was discussed.
Many studies have supported the evidence that vegetarians have a lower risk for developing health issues such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and diet related cancers. Overall vegetarians tend to have much healthier lifestyles – they are known to smoke less and drink less alcohol.
We have all heard the message that we need to reduce our fat intake. Fat is the most calorie dense nutrient we can eat with each gram providing 9 calories, while carbohydrate and protein each provide 4 calories per gram.
While we need to be careful with our intake of fat it cannot be eliminated completely. So what is the best oil to choose when we are faced with the wide selection available in the supermarket today?
How many times have you blamed your weight on your metabolic rate? A sentence that I hear quite frequently is “I think I have a slow metabolism”. But what is your metabolic rate and are there some things that you can do to make it more efficient?
Worried about your tummy and the funny things it does? You are not alone. While there can be many causes for different gut symptoms one of the conditions that causes a range of problems is Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Do you need a cup of coffee to get going in the morning, or as a “pick me up” in the afternoon?  You will not be alone. Caffeine may be the most popular drug in the world.
The main dietary sources of caffeine are coffee, tea, cola drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate.
For some people the thought of dried beans and legumes is not appealing or perhaps the challenge of getting other family members to try something so different just goes into the too hard basket. However it is never too late to try something new!
