Health Advice

You may have heard the term ‘superfood’ bandied about as much as certain newspapers like to accuse every type of food of causing cancer, but what exactly are these superfoods and why are they so good for us?

A superfood is said to be one with a high phytonutrient content, offering numerous health benefits. A good example of this kind of food is blueberries, which have high levels of:

• Anti-oxidants
• Anthocyanins
• Vitamin C
• Dietary fibre

Whilst these foods may be healthy and good for you, professional nutritionists rarely go as far as to call them ‘superfoods’. These experts believe that the term is used far too much as a marketing ploy.

So, are these ‘superfoods’ healthy? Yes. Will they give you superpowers or cure diseases? Definitely not.

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Many people resorts to herbal treatment to help with illnesses and conditions as a alternative to medicine. Chamomile - has a relaxing effect on the mind and body, it is an excellent sedative for anxiety and muscle tenseness – many people enjoy it benefits in the form of tea. Valerian - is another type of herb which is know for its tranquillizer effects. The plant contains a volatile oil which have been shown to reduce anxiety while maintain normal mental awareness and enables us to continue the most complicated mental exercises without drowsiness. It also stops from loss of consciousness and depression. People have been known to take this herb before exams and driving tests.

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To fast track to a super healthy person there are some foods which contain more nutrients then others and are easy to incorporate into your diet.

Broccoli is one of them - it’s one which you can either cook or have raw. It’s packed with anti oxidants and rich in folic acid helping fight against heart disease. It’s also packed full of anti aging nutrients. Alongside Broccoli Olive Oil is the other superfood which is a good source fat and better than vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Due to the high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acid and anti-oxidants substances studies have shown that it’s it protects against heart disease by controlling bad cholesterol.

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One of the best ways of celebrating pregnancy these days is by throwing a Baby Shower, having a sports themed baby shower is one way of having lots of fun, staying active and involving everyone in the games. With a whole range of decorations and food ideas in the market sports themes will be easy to plan. Many websites offers blogs where you can find information about baby shower ideas and recipes. If you do decide to go with a sports themed baby shower you can provide healthy food which promotes healthy eating for everyone even if you’re not pregnant. A healthy balanced diet is recommended for everyone throughout life even if you’re not pregnant but during pregnancy to ensure both you and your child get the right nutrients for growth is essential. Recommended foods will be those which are high in calcium, iron and folic acid. For the baby shower in particular, food items such as fruits salads, pasta dishes all which are easy to prepare and healthy are great. For healthy treats raisin and bran muffins go down really well as does a mozzarella and tomato salad which is light item for those who want to avoid a heavy snack. With so many recipes available in the supermarkets there’s no reason why you can’t make your baby shower fun and healthy at the same time.

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Experts from The British Medical Journal carried out a study and found a high correlation between Drinking steaming hot tea and an increased risk of oesophageal (food tube) cancer. The oesophagus is a muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach, the risk of cancer can be increased if black tea at temperatures of 70C is consumed on a regularly basis, the theory behind it is based on the fact that regularly drinking very hot drinks damage the lining of the gullet, therefore assuming a regular habit of eating and drinking very hot foods and drinks could increase your risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus.

In conclusion: Being a nation of tea lovers in the UK, we don’t tend to drink black tea at such high temperatures and we usually add milk, which cools it down, where as in eastern Europe and Asia this is not the case, although there was no conclusive association between the amount of tea consumed and risk of cancer. However some points to consider are:

• Adding milk, and gently stirring to aid the process of cooling down before consuming.
• Leave for 5mins to allow natural cooling, occasional stirring to speed the cooling process.
• Ideally tea should be less then 60C in temperature, to minimize the risk of cancer.

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Cooking with lard (pork fat) has decreased in popularity. This is great due to the high levels of saturated fat it contained hence not a good option in terms of health. Lard has shown to increase bad cholesterol levels and increase inflammation in the body. It provides one of the unhealthiest options for food preparation and therefore consumption should be limited. Being able to cook and prepare healthy treats and positively affecting your cholesterol levels, immune system and heart health is vital. As it’s easier to use healthy fats such as sunflower oil or olive oil when cooking at low temperatures it makes sense to opt for a healthier cooking methods such as grilling, oven roasting or steaming rather than frying.

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Sugar is divided into two categories – that which is naturally occurring sugar (Intrinsic Sugar) and part of the cellular structure of plants, found in food such as fruit and vegetables. The foods we know are part of a healthy diet and the sugar is slowly absorbed in the body. Refined sugar or sucrose is known as Extrinsic sugar and is extracted from sugar cane, honey or sugar beet and commonly added to manufactured foods such as cakes, biscuits and drinks. Other types and sources include maltose from barley, lactose which is found in milk and fructose found in fruit and honey. Artificial sweeteners can be used to replace sugar but long term it’s better to wean yourself off the taste of sugar and sweet flavours.

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