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.

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?

A great evening at the Viva Mayr Xmas party

Smart Nutrition spent an amazing evening last night with the team from Viva Mayr from the beautiful medical spa which is nestled amongst the hills and sits on the edges of a glorious lake in Austria.

We were lucky enough to sample some of the Viva culinary delights prepared by the head chef ‘Florian Klinger’. We chose from avocado spread a delicious smooth and creamy dip, artichoke hearts filled with artichoke and shrimp puree – pure heaven, pumpkin and parsnip soups…mmm,  steamed trout and vegetables which were exquisitely presented and finished off with some Austrian strudel cookies.

The Viva philosophy is all about eating well, a visit to the spa will help you to retrain your eating habits paying particular attention to chewing your food and supporting your digestion.

Still saving for a Viva trip then start putting the philosophy into practice at home.

Eat at a table and not crunched up on the sofa to give your digestive juices room to work.

Chew you food thoroughly – if you’re a fast eater and always finish first aim to finish after you partner.

Don’t drink lots of fluid with you meals as this dilutes stomach acid.

Don’t eat when you’re angry or upset as the hormone adrenaline that you produce at these times shuts down digestion.

Don’t eat on the go as again the energy needed for your digestion will be going to your muscles..

Chew chew chew chew  and chew…. this begins the whole digestive process and helps the body to start producing digestive juices.

Only one study fitted the reviewers’ criteria for inclusion. In this study, 146 patients were randomly assigned to take garlic supplements or placebo for 12 weeks. The results were dramatic; only 24 of the people taking garlic supplements reported coming down with a cold, compared with 65 of those taking the placebo. In addition, the number of days that people were sick was reduced from 5 in the placebo group to 2 in the treatment group.

Garlic contains hundreds of compounds that support health via detoxification, lowering cholesterol and protecting against cancer. This research demonstrates, for the first time, that garlic can also protect us from the common cold.

I am intrigued to hear from you about your pets eating habits. many people quite rightly adore their pets and lavish them with the best food that money can buy, making sure their pet has all of the right nutrients that it needs  - special food for oral care, old age or kidney problems but do you treat you own bodies with the same loving care and attention, fast food, high salt and fat and a lack of good quality supplements to cover any shortfalls in the diet.

It doesn’t stop at food either, toys, bedding, walks and cuddles yet as a nation we know we are spending less and less time relaxing and looking after ourselves, Something has to change!