A panel of European ‘experts’, who have the job of telling European citizens what they can be told about the health benefits of food, have agreed that there was insufficient evidence provided to establish a cause and effect relationship between prunes and normal bowel function. I am  talking about EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Foods, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) Perhaps they should sample some prunes for breakfast and see if they would like to change their minds.

If you are curious to know how Mother Nature ensures healthy bowels through the humble prune, read on.  Prunes are a great source of fibre, but they also contain something called dihydrophenylisatin whihc is a laxative. This enables a more healthy and regular rhythm of contraction (peristalsis), which helps to ensure regular movements.

Prunes also contain different sugars, especially sorbitol.  Sorbitol in particular is like a magnet for fluids, helping to draw fluid into the intestines keeping the waste soft and speeding its passage out of the body.  It’s thought that the dihydrophenylisatin and the sorbitol are enough on their own to yield the desired benefit Which explains why prune juice which does not contain any fibre also manages to work.

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The DoH has now recommended that consumers cut their consumption to eat  2.5 oz (70g) of red or processed meat a day – the equivalent of three rashers of bacon. The weekly recommended limit is likely to be 1.1 lb (500g), the same as eating a large pack of minced beef, two 8oz steaks or four 4oz pork chops.

With the British classic ‘meat and 2 veg’ dinner plate it can be easy to forget that there is a whole variety of protein sources to choose from to obtain a balanced diet, limiting reliance on red meat.

Lean White meat
Chicken, turkey and game are great sources of protein. When you can opt for organic meat to reduce your exposure to pesticides and to help keep your intake of saturated fat low don’t eat the skin and remove this before cooking. Eating more turkey is also good for the waist line as it is so low in fat plus it can boost mood as it contains the amino acid tryptophan which is needed by the body to make serotonin which hep to lift mood.

Organ meat
These  include liver, kidney and heart. As well as a protein source liver also contains iron, copper, B vitamins, Vitamin A & C. Pregnant women should avoid too much Vitamin A and therefore should avoid Liver unless advised to eat this by their GP.

Eggs
A great source of very digestible and absorbable protein along with being a great source of Iron and B vitamins.  Eggs make great breakfasts, scrambled or poached, easy snacks when boiled and great lunches when added to quiche or as a simple quick and nutritious dinner  stuffed with veggies of your choice an omelette is a winner.

Beans & Pulses
Beans and pulses are good sources of vegetable protein as well as providing plenty of fibre and being rich in the minerals calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and folic acid. Add any of the following to soups, stews, curries or salads – lentils, chickpeas, aduki beans, pinto beans, haricot beans, butter beans, kidney beans, mung beans, cannellini beans, soya beans and split peas.

Quinoa
Although this is classed as a grain Quinoa is also a good complete protein source. You can sue quinoa grain like couscous or rice or quinoa flakes make a great porridge of savoury crumble topping.

Tofu
Tofu (Soya bean curd) also contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin K as well as being a complete protein. It works well if you marinade it with strong flavours and add it to stews, curries, soups and personally I like it grilled until a little bit crispy and then and added to salad.

One of the ways you can do this is to eat well.
A Womans hormone cycle needs certain nutrients to function well. Magnesium  found in dark green leafy vegetables and wholegrains such as brown rice and wholegrain / wholemeal bread along with vitamin B6 found in wholegrains and natural yeast are known to balance the menstrual cycle whilst the herb agnus castus is best at regulating the menstrual cycle by acting on the pituitary gland which is responsible for  releasing the hormones that regulate ovarian function.

If you are menopausal try a Soya yoghurt every day as the phtoestrogens it contains help to balance your hormones, add some ground linseeds as the lignans in these also help hormone balance.

The best vegetables women should opt for are the cruciferous vegetables; cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussel Sprouts, these help hormone balance and also support the liver in removing excess hormones from the body.

Of course making time for yourself away from the mayhem is the number 1 no brainer – you deserve it, go on give yourself a break.

Blueberry and Avocado Build-up drink

Sesame seeds            1 tsp (about 4g)
Whole almonds            1 tsp (about 4g)
Hemp seeds (shelled)            1 tsp (about 4g)
Silken tofu            35g
Large avocado (half of one) 75g
Blueberries            100g
Cloudy apple juice            100ml
Rice Milk            125ml
Honey            1 tbs (about 20g)
Coconut oil             75ml

This makes approximately 570ml

Grind the sesame seeds, almonds and hemp seeds to a fine powder in a blender or seed grinder.  Then combine with the other ingredients and blend until smooth in a blender.

Total calorie content:  A 200ml glass contains approximately 388.0 kcal

Do drink this straight away otherwise the avocado may brown slightly.

So I’ve come up with some easy Breakfast tips to get you inspired about your first meal of the day.….

• Add variety. So many people eat the same thing day in day out, try out some of the options below as these will help to keep you interested and will also provide a rounded source of different nutrients.

• Step out of breakfast boredom – who said breakfast had to be cereal and toast?  poached fish on toast is a great way to start the day, add  grilled tomatoes and some griddled artichokes too. Delicious and also very good for mood and memory and liver

• Make sure your Breakfast contains some protein – lots of people opt for toast and jam which is a carb rich start to the day. Try having nut butters instead – good choices are almond nut butter, hazelnut butter and cashew nut butter or try a seed paste such as tahini which is packed full of protein and calcium.

• Poached egg on toast take minutes to make and you can put the saucepan on to simmer whilst you jump in the shower, out of the sower and in the eggs go, you get dressed and come down to your Breakfast.

• Short of time then grab a smoothie, use a protein powder and mix with your liquid of choice choosing from cow’s, soy  or rice milk or even fruit juice. Shake this as you are walking out of the door and drink it on your commute.

• Soak sugar free muesli the night before for a more digestible meal and add a handful of mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and linseed plus grab some berries for speed or a grated pear if you have more time. Steer clear of the varieties that contain heaps of dried fruit as these are still sugary and won’t help your energy levels later in the day.  If Working on being a domestic goddess then try making your own…see the delicious.recipe below..

Three seed Muesli

450g porridge oats

450g quinoa flakes

250g sunflower seeds

50g sesame seeds

50g coconut flakes

450g oat bran

200g pumpkin seeds

200g hazelnuts

250g chopped dates

Place all ingredients together in large bowl and mix well.  Store in airtight container. Soak overnight to make the quinoa flakes more digestible or if you never have time to soak opt for 900g of oats and omit the quinoa flakes.

This is a great muesli that easily doubles up as a mix for porridge – just heat it up with a milk of your choice.

Researchers from the Universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have found that there is a link between eating trans and saturated fats and an increased risk of depression whereas olive oil is protective against it.

Saturated fats are found in red meat, dairy such as cheese, milk, cream, ice cream and butter as well as being found in many packaged and processed foods. Trans fats are processed fats and oils and have been found in the past in margarines (although these days much less so), fried food like crisps and chips and foods like samosas and spring rolls.

Results showed that despite the fact that none of the volunteers suffered from depression at the beginning of the study, at the end of the study, 657 new cases had been detected.

For those in the study that are higher amounts of trans fats they “presented up to a 48% increase in the risk of depression when they were compared to participants who did not consume these fats” said Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.  He added that, “the more trans-fats were consumed, the greater the harmful effect they produced in the volunteers”.

The researchers also looked at the effects of polyunsaturated fats found in fish and vegetable oils on the occurrence of depression.  Professor Sanchez-Villegas , “In fact, we discovered that this type of healthier fats, together with olive oil, are associated with a lower risk of suffering depression”.

healthy eating tips would be to eat more polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and also seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin, linseed and sesame seeds.

Try this delicious and easy seed mix

Seed Mix
It is useful to have a coffee grinder to grind nuts and seeds. Have a mix of one part each of sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds (these should be organic when posssible)) with two parts linseeds (flax) kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Take a good handful of this a day, grind in the coffee grinder and add to cereal, top onto yoghurt or add to salads. Delicious, packed full of good fats and has the added bonus of minerals and some protein too.

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Good dietary sources of these foods rich in B6, B12 and folic acid

Dark green leafy vegetables, Whole grains, Fortified breakfast cereals and fortified refined white flour. Whole grain flour. rice, black-eyed peas, lentils, bananas, avocado, broccolli, wheatgerm, peanuts, eggs, tuna, salmon.

More information about homocysteine and its effect on health

Test for high homocysteine levels

The researchers found that a quarter of women have inadequate intakes of iron, more than 50% lack the antioxidant selenium and nearly one in 10 men are low in magnesium. Intakes of iron, magnesium, zinc, iodine and selenium are woefully low in adolescent girls and one in five pre-school children have abnormally low iron stores. A significant number of elderly people are also iron deficient. The team discovered that blood levels of vitamin D are too low to sustain normal bone health in a quarter of adults while fish intakes have declined in the last decade and are now too low to meet recommendations for omega-3 essential fatty acids.

The new report- ‘Towards a Healthier Britain 2010’ – reviewed the key areas where nutrition could be improved, with independent nutrition experts Dr Carrie Ruxton and Dr Pamela Mason examining the evidence from national dietary surveys. In addition, more than 70 scientific papers were explored looking at the potential role of vitamin supplementation.

Time to think about a multivitamin?