Your quick guide to nutrients...

Have you often wondered what nutrients are in the foods you are eating?

Do you want to get more iron or folate into your diet and don't know what to eat?

I am briefly going to go through a few sources of common vitamins and minerals to help you make better decisions about what foods to include on your plate.

The following list contains foods with the highest source of...

Vitamin A: carrots, liver, cod liver oil, squash

Vitamin D: salmon, cod liver oil, shiitake mushroom, egg yolk, oysters

Vitamin E: Hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, wheat germ oil

Vitamin K: Broccoli, spinach

Vitamin C: blackcurrants, red capsicum, berries, parsley, citrus fruits

Vitamin B1: pork, oats

Vitamin B2: lambs liver, almonds

Vitamin B3: Tuna, lambs liver

Vitamin B5: Tuna, beef liver

Vitamin B6: wheat germ, beef liver

Vitamin B12: tempeh, tuna, beef liver and kidney

Folate: Chicken liver, lentils

Potassium: Avocado, tuna, spinach

Calcium: sesame seeds, hard cheese, tofu

Magnesium: seeds, nuts whole grains

Sodium: chicken, fish, beef

Phosphorus: Milk, cheese

Zinc: oysters, cashews, crab

Iron: beef, chicken, pork, quinoa

Selenium: brazil nuts, salmon

Iodine: cod, yoghurt

Chromium: broccoli, eggs

Hopefully this is not too overwhelming for you. A good guide is to go by a little rule I like to call the 'plate divvy rule'.

1.) There should be a variety of colours on the plate

2.) There should be always green things on the plate

3.) Half the plate should be vegetables

4.) 1/4 of the plate should be protein

5.) 1/4 of the plate should be carbohydrates

You can adjust steps 3, 4 & 5 according to your needs.

Hope you find your quick guide to nutrients list useful! Stay tuned for more awesome blogs!!

Love to you all.

xxx

How to Read a Nutrition Label Part 2

Now that you are all nutrition panel numeric geniuses thanks to my previous post - How to read a nutrition label part 1, I will now move on to what I deem to be the most important aspect of the nutrition label - the ingredients list.

Currently, law in Australia permits that if an ingredient is less than 10% of the overall component of the food they don't have to list it on the ingredients list. This means that often preservatives and such will be added and they don't even have to list it! Diabolical I know...... there is not a lot we can do about it so lets instead make do with what we've got.

Ok, so the ingredients are often listed from most quantity to least quantity. So what exactly are we looking for? Well if you don't understand the ingredient, you cant read the ingredient or even pronounce it then its probably been grown in a chemical lab, which is a big no no for the liver and our other sacred organs. Any ingredient that can be written with numbers instead of words is also a big no no. However, I understand that sometimes we want to consume a little preservative 220 because its in our favourite chocolate bar and its a "sometimes" food right????

Look, I totally accept this. Unfortunately chemicals and preservatives have become so much a part of our foods. Thats not to say we have to eat them. There are plenty of organic and healthy alternatives but it does take effort. I strongly feel though, if we bother to take this effort now and choose real foods, not chemical concoctions we will be much better off in the long run.

So in the mean time there are few main things I suggest if you ever see on an ingredient list you should walk (or run) straight on by-

1.) High Fructose Corn Syrup/Corn Syrup/Fructose Syrup

- Found in pre - packaged desserts, ice creams, ice cream toppings, cereals, processed cakes/biscuits.

- Effect: Goes straight to the liver and causes fatty deposits to build up. Linked to ADD in children. Messes with the message signals that alert us that we are full causing over eating, currently being studied as the main cause of obesity.

2.) Aspartame/ Artificial Sweeteners

- Found in diet soft drinks, no sugar products.

- Effect: believe it or not sugar is better because its real! Artificial sweeteners have been proved time and time again to cause cancer. Just google the word and you will find as many scientific case studies as your little heart desires.

3.) Anti-Caking agent

- Found in grated cheese, refined foods, table salt

- Effect: interferes with vitamin absorption, weakens stomach acids, can cause muscle cramps, skin problems. Said to contribute to Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons Disease and hyperactivity in children.

4.) Sodium Nitrate

- This is often a tricky one to find on food labels because its not usually used in high doses- this doesn't mean its ok! Look for it in bacon, canned or smoked meats, luncheon meats- any meat that has an extreme red colour to it.

- Effect: causes cancer

5.) Monosodium Glutamate or MSG

- Found in asian foods, packet soups, stock cubes, seasonings

- Effect: causes nausea, migraines, swelling, rashes, eczema. Studies have also reported a link between MSG consumption and obesity.

6.) Artificial colours and flavourings

- Found in candy, confectionary, cordials, soft drinks. Often listed as a number.

- Effect: learning disorders, ADHD, ADD

A general rule of thumb besides the 'if you cant understand it, read it or pronounce it' rule is that if it has more than 5 ingredients its too processed. The more processed a food is the more damaged it is and the more exposure it has had to chemicals. The best thing to do is always choose fresh foods or foods with a clean ingredients list- that is one with no numbers and clear, easy to understand food items.

So, just to recap what you can do to ensure your body is as free from chemicals as possible -

• choose fresh foods or make your own
• look for minimal ingredients on an ingredient list
• avoid preservatives and additives, artificial colours and flavours (often written as numbers)
• stay away from high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and trans fats
• Avoid MSG, anti caking agent and sodium nitrates
• look for foods with less than 10g of sugar and saturated fats per 100g

And remember "if you cant read it, understand it or pronounce it" on an ingredient list - stay away from it!

Hope this has helped!

Love to you all.

Learning to Read Nutrition Labels Part 1

Nutrition labels are a funny thing. They are supposed to help us make informed choices about what we are eating yet they are no help to anyone when we cant read them! I am going to take you through a few simple ways to read a nutrition label quickly and effectively.

The following information applies per 100g of the food. This is a VERY general yet quick and easy way to pick out a healthy food choice.

Fat: No more than 10g of saturated fats

Sugar: No more than 10g of sugars

Sodium: No more than 400mg of sodium

Now, it gets a little more complicated..... Take a look at the following nutrition label as an example:

Energy per 100g is 2351 kj

Protein per 100g is 8.4 g

Fat, Total per 100g is 40g

- saturated 24.1g

Carbohydrate per 100g is 38.8g

-sugars 32.9 g

Sodium per 100g 0.3mg

See how Carbohydrates has 2 parts? It will give a total carbohydrate count and then one specifically for simple sugars. Eg:

Carbohydrate 38.8 g (per 100g)- TOTAL VALUE

- Sugars 32.9 g (per 100g) - HOW MUCH OF THE TOTAL IS MADE UP OF JUST SUGAR

So we can see that majority of the carbohydrate value from this product comes straight from pure simple sugars. (Note: all carbohydrates are broken down to sugars eventually but if they are already broken down into sugars they enter our bloodstream more rapidly...) So we can see that this product is about 32% sugar.

Now, we look at fats which also has 2 parts - a total value and a value for saturated fats. Some labels will now even show you how much trans fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (the latter two being 'good' fats) are in the product.

In this case there is approx. 24g of saturated fats per 40g of total fat meaning that 50% of the fat type in this product is saturated fat.

Now lets look at the protein component. There is 8.4g of protein in this product per 100g. This means there is less than 10% protein in this entire product.

The sodium level here is very low at only 0.3mg per 100g so lets ignore sodium for the moment.

Looking at the total we can see that this product is:

8% protein

40% fat

32% sugar

The total kilojoule value of this product is 2351kj (per 100g). To convert that into calories we simply divide it by 4. So per 100g there is 587 calories!

So is this product healthy? Well, considering that out of the 587 calories consumed majority will be from fat and sugar I would suggest not. Remember, its not necessarily just about the calories but its more where those calories are from.

I hope this has helped you understand the basic nutrition label. Stay tuned for part 2 to discover the next step to being a nutrition savvy label reader! Its not just about the numbers on the nutrition panel!!

PS. I will give a gold star to the person who can guess what food product was used in the example here.....any takers???

Feeling like something sweet?? You must try this...its sooo yummy!!

HOMESTYLE FRENCH TOAST WITH SMASHED PEACHES

Please note the picture shows apples not peaches as i didnt have any peaches! :)

Serves 1-2

1 Slice of good quality thick wholegrain bread cut in half

1 ripe peach

1 organic free range egg

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

2 tbs of organic milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp Unsalted Butter & rice bran oil for frying

Honey, to serve (manuka preferred)

LSA, to serve

Yoghurt, to serve

Use a really good quality thick homestyle bread for this recipe, I use spelt bread for this recipe. It’s best the bread is slightly stale as it will absorb more of the liquid, if its fresh, use it frozen to help it hold its shape.

Whisk the egg, cinnamon, milk and vanilla in a shallow dish or plate till combined. Place the bread into the egg mixture until mixture is fully absorbed and bread is coated on both sides.

Into lightly simmering water drop the peach – skin and all, and lightly simmer for 10 minutes. Do not over cook the peach or it will be too mushy.

In a fry pan add the unsalted butter and rice bran oil – this stops the butter from burning. Cook the toast on both sides on a low flame for 5 minutes on each side. Make sure it’s cooked all the way through or it will be soggy.

Take the peach out of the simmering water and run under cool water, this stops the cooking process and makes it easier to handle. Cut into halves and remove the pip and skin (if desired).

To serve: Spread the French toast with butter, place a peach half on top and lightly smash it with a fork, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with LSA and dollop with thick yoghurt.

Enjoy!

Quickie List

I know lots of people think that it is really hard or a chore to be 'healthy'. Well, I am here to ease your troubles man! So, I am going to give you a quickie list of things you can do through the day to make you a healthier person. These are all minimal effort, top result kind of things. Aim to include a few of these in your day to day and you will be well on your merry way.

1.) Drink Water! Just keep drinking water all through the day. The average person should aim for 2L per day but this of course depends on your size. Water helps clean up our insides and makes all the biochemical process more effective! Ohh..for the first few days you will need to pee A LOT but that soon subsides....

2.) Sugar in your tea and coffee. Don't forget those little teaspoons all add up. Try enjoy your hot beverage without, or put a bit less every time. Every bit taken out counts.

3.) Sugary Foods - I am talking anything that has more than 10g of sugar per 100g of food. Read the nutrition labels and become savvy! Sugar is sweet, but too much is over kill....

4.) Put down the salty snack foods and change it up for nuts, rice crackers, fruit, veggie sticks and dips. The healthy alternatives are infinite and you will feel so much better through the day.

5.) White bread is a big NO NO on my list but if you have to sandwich your sandwich filling in something go for a wrap. Its lighter, filling and way more exciting! Just make sure its wholegrain.

6.) Throw in some greens. Look at your plate, is there something green on it??? Aim for something green on your plate at all times. And no, green icing on your cup cake does not count...unless it has spinach in it....?

7.) Cut out on juices, soft drinks and alcohol. They are just unnecessary sugars and calories. Water is just as yummy. If your really feeling like it though try diluting your juice or opt for a herbal tea, or water with a squeeze of lemon or lime and a sprig of mint - sensational! With alcohol avoid where possible but red wine is the better choice.

8.) Laugh, exercise, gossip, mediate, hug, touch, socialize, do something fun! It will make you feel great on the inside and outside. Oh and don't forget- take the stairs not the lift - an oldie but a goodie.

9.) Chew slowly! It takes our bodies 20 minutes to realize that we are full. So chew slowly, savour your food try and taste every flavour. You will not only enjoy your food more but your body will be able to tell you when you are full more effectively. Learn to communicate with your body.

10.) Dont eat just before sleeping. Try to give your body at least 3-4 hours to digest properly before going to bed. Otherwise we can feel sluggish and have nightmares!

So there you have it! 10 little things you can easily do every day to make your bodies, mind and spirit happier and healthier!! Give it a try, you might just surprise yourself!

Love to you all.

Off the topic but sooooo good!!

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http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/

Welcome to Food with Feelings!

Hello readers!

Welcome to the first installment of 'Food with Feelings'! These blogs will be full of nutritional advice, recipes, the workings of the human body and other esoteric pursuits! It will also act as a bit of a forum for you to ask questions and leave advice as you feel appropriate.

So, why have I decided to start this blog?? More about me will be unravelled in the blogs to come, but basically I want to get the knowledge I have on nutrition and food and how it can impact on our spiritual and emotional well being, out into the greater public. I feel such a strong urge to share my info with the world and what better place to do it than the internet??

My main mission is to publish my own book titled "Food with feelings" with information, and a collection of recipes for every feeling!

So join me here at Food with Feelings for what will hopefully be a wonderful journey through the life of food, mother nature and the soul!

Love to you all.

PS. Topics to come....

- Eating Consciously: the new approach to weight loss and well being

- Recipes: Vegetarian Bolognaise

- Superfoods: Quinoa

- Vegetarian & Vegan diets

- Supplements

- Food as Medicines