Monthly Archives: November 2011

Food Hospital

Television is positively saturated with food programs nowadays, it seems that we can’t get enough of watching people chop, stir, braise and bake their favoured dishes.

One quite different program has just begun though – Food Hospital.

This program attempts to alleviate medical problems, simply by making dietary changes. This is a subject quite close to my heart – after months of daily headaches, I discovered that I had an intolerance to onion and had to eradicate it from my diet. This small step made a huge difference to my daily health and, despite my GPs reservations, proves to me that diet has a radical impact on the way we feel.

There is a fun quiz on the Food Hospital website to see how much you really know about nutrition http://foodhospital.channel4.com/the-truth-about

Of course, what we eat impacts on our future health as well as how we feel now. Indeed, in the news only this week it is reported that scientists have discovered that eating a diet high in fibre, such as oats and brown rice, can significantly improve your chances of avoiding bowel cancer.

It is also reported that diet-related illnesses cost the NHS £9 billion every year. My wonderful Grandad never smoked or drank, ate loads of fruit and vegetables, cooked all his meals from scratch and hardly ever indulged in junk food. He lived a full and happy life well into his nineties.

So, I am not going to follow any faddy diets (as the Food Hospital website shows, these are often detrimental to our health), but eat as well as I can as often as I can (though the odd chocolate or glass of wine may pass my lips!) and hopefully I will be as healthy as he was.

Start the day a super-healthy way with this delicious Homemade Muesli breakfast.

Dairy Diary Homemade MuesliHomemade Muesli
A Dairy Diary recipe.

 

 

 

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Did you enjoy Bonfire night?

Fireworks

So, did you all enjoy Bonfire night; oooing and aaaaahing at the spectacle adorning our skies?

I must admit, when it comes to fireworks, I have never grown up. I simply love them.

At home we enjoyed a very tame campfire with tiny fizzing ‘fireworks’ for my tiny children, then there was the local display for the older ones. From this display, we purchased some ‘toffee’ apples.

I was both horrified and amused to see a label on the back stating ‘Warning, this product may agitate or cause disruptive behaviour’!

Luckily we had hidden them from my four-year old who would have been climbing the walls for weeks.

It’s a tough call, how do we tread the fine line between depriving our little ones of fun and seriously considering their health?

Given my job, I think I lean a little too much towards the latter and was mortified to find my other half giving our twins baby biscotti for breakfast! Having talked to many parents and grandparents, feeding children is a constant source of consternation.

A food writer friend once admitted that she found it the most difficult part of parenting. Those of us who have a genuine interest in eating good food have real trouble accepting that our children don’t always want to eat it too! Until I became a mum, I never contemplated that I would give my son tomato ketchup with everything, just to get him to eat!

So how DO we get them to eat well?

Dependent on the child, I think we can to a point, and then we have to accept their limitations. Give them the healthiest foods that we know they like, even if this is very repetitive. It may seem like a cliché, but arrange food on a plate like a train or face – it really does work. AND involve them in food preparation and cooking; this works with children of any age and they do seem far more inclining to eat what they have created.

So, let’s try to relax a bit, feed our little ones as well as we possibly can, get them involved in the kitchen but don’t worry so much (note to self!)

Corned Beef FlanCorned Beef Flan

Corned beef is often a hit with children as it
doesn’t have the chewy texture of other meat.
Omit the onion and herbs and this is a winner!
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

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Corned Beef Flan

This tasty dish is a winner with childrenCorned Beef Flan

Corned Beef Flan

Corned beef is often a hit with children as it doesn’t have the chewy texture of other meat. This tasty Corned Beef Flan is a winner with children! A Dairy Diary recipe. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

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