Food and nutrition during night duty?
Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Q and A
Question:
I’m a nurse working on a busy intensive care unit, and also a triathlete. I have a set rota of Monday and Wednesday days and Friday night duty. What would you suggest for nutrition, and eating times during night duty so I’m not to be completely drained when it comes to training at the weekend?
John Gough, email
Answer: (more…)
Spotlight on Barley
Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Food Spotlights
Barley is a great all-round wholegrain, and one the most nutritious grains available. It is wheat-free, but not gluten-free. It’s also one of the lowest GI carbohydrates around, providing B vitamins, both soluble and insoluble fibre, and lending worthy amounts of minerals. Barley also contains noticeable amounts of the well-documented antioxidant “phytochemicals” lutein and beta carotene, normally only sought from colourful vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and carrots. Antioxidants are known to play a vital role in disease protection, healthy heart function, muscle tissue repair, and even slow down physical aging! Barley can be bought whole (as groats) or “hulled”. Both are unprocessed, but quite slow to cook, so leave time for this. You will also find pot or pearl barley, which are quicker to cook, and also very nutritious. Pearl barley is probably the best choice, as it’s easy to prepare, and widely available in supermarkets, and health food stores. However, it is the (more…)
“Open” Avocado sandwich on rye bread
Posted on 24. Aug, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Delicious Meals & Recipes
Making an “open” sandwich, using one thick slice of good fresh wholegrain bread, is a great way to ensure you fill up with lots of vegetable and salad ingredients! If you avoid bread because it makes you bloat, or you feel you don’t digest it well, choose a wheat-free rye bread, or a more digestible loaf such as a sourdough, spelt loaf or sprouted wheat bread. Look in health food shops for these varieties.
Serves 1
1 thick slice or 2 small slices of wholegrain rye bread (or spelt bread or sourdough if preferred), lightly toasted if desired
½ avocado sliced
A handful of sprouted alfalfa
Lettuce or any green leaves
A handful of watercress
1 large tomato sliced
6 slices of cucumber
Wholegrain mustard
Place the sliced avocado on the bread, and then “pile high” the rest of the ingredients, as you wish!
Nutrient breakdown per sandwich
302 calories
18g fat
10g protein
28g CHO
8g fibre
124mg calcium
Spotlight on Avocado
Posted on 24. Aug, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Delicious Meals & Recipes, Food Spotlights
One of the nicest additions to salad meals and starter dishes, has to be the humble avocado. If you don’t already do so, I suggest embracing these wonderful green fruits to regularly add to your diet. It is an unfortunate (and sad) observation of mine, that too many people avoid avocados because they believe them to be fattening. This is simply not the case, and while they do contain plenty of healthy “good” fat, avocados are not fattening. Not all fat is bad, and what may come as a surprise to many… most, if not all, natural fats in the right quantity and balance, are vital to optimal physical and mental functioning. (more…)
Almond and Herb Salad
Posted on 18. Aug, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Delicious Meals & Recipes
Almonds are a great source of protein, as well as being full of calcium and magnesium – two essential minerals for healthy bones, and healthy muscle function. There are several “good oils” present in almonds such as the main Omega-6 fat linoleic acid. However the majority of oil in almonds is the omega-9 fatty acid, oleic acid – the same fat we find in olive oil. So, all in all, almonds are an exceptionally healthy food to regularly include in your diet… just don’t roast them or buy them roasted or salted!
Serves 2 (more…)
Do-it-yourself food sensitivity test
Posted on 13. Aug, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Body Shape and Weight Loss, Digestion & Metabolism, Food, Diet & Health, Sport & Fitness
There’s an assortment of tests nowadays to diagnose food sensitivities, also known as food intolerances. Many of these high street or laboratory tests are however very expensive, and due to the changing nature of our environments, our emotions and our bodies, no test can ever be 100% reliable.
Getting to know your body better, and learning to recognise the signals it gives you in response to a food or drink, is very beneficial, and certainly wise, before spending your hard-earned money on a test. This very simple “do-it-yourself method” is very useful indeed, and can be an excellent indicator of how a food (or drink) might be affecting your body, health and energy levels.
What is the best recovery food?
Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Q and A, Simply Nutrition Blog
Question:
I’ve recently upped my training volume and intensity and was wondering which drinks (or even food) are best to aid recovery between sessions. What ingredients should I be looking for and avoiding? I’ve heard milk is one of the best recovery aids. Is this right and how does that work?
Kate Johnson, email
Answer:
Let’s assume your increased energy needs to fuel training and recovery is around 500 kcals per day. “Feeding” this increase is best achieved by small calorie increments throughout each day, eating 5-6 small meals. Here are a few “training specific” points to bear in mind. The pre-training meal is important to provide “fuel” for the upcoming training session. The body needs carbohydrates to fill the glycogen stores of the liver and muscles, to be “burnt” for energy. Note too, that the body also uses fat during prolonged exercise, and fat oxidation can be “optimised” by keeping insulin levels low prior to the onset of exercise. To achieve this, consume (more…)
Q&A – How to cook healthily for the whole family
Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Q and A
Question:
I’m a mother of three (ages 5, 3 and 6 months) with an Ironman husband and I’m finding it tricky to cook meals for the whole family. I’m so unsure what my husband needs to eat and how to turn it into food for the kids and me too.
Nettie Stow, New Zealand
Answer: (more…)
Is canned salmon good to eat?
Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Food, Diet & Health, Womens Health
Canned salmon can, in fact, be a great way to get oily fish regularly into the diet. It is especially useful for those who can’t always afford fresh fish, and since alot of canned salmon is wild, it is often a better alternative if your only source of fresh is farmed salmon. Do read labels however, to check that it is wild that you are buying! If you buy fish with bones, you also benefit from additional calcium – in a very absorbable and natural form! Of course tinned varieties are available all year too. If it’s packed in it’s own oil, even better as you can benefit from extra fish oil (a potent anti-inflammatory), and therefore extra Omega-3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA – once again, in a very natural, balanced form. Wild salmon is also one of few dietary sources of Vitamin D, a nutrient that is receiving a lot of attention as being fundamental to the entire functioning of the human body – especially with regards immunity, bone health and reduced disease risk. Just an added note – if you can also find low-salt varieties of canned fish, that would also be a bonus, especially for those individuals who need to be vigilant of excess salt in the diet.
A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Woman – Part 2
Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by Lucy-Ann in Body Shape and Weight Loss, Digestion & Metabolism, Food, Diet & Health, Womens Health
The general focus of the diet…
The diet should be as clean as possible. This means eating food that contains NO unnecessary additives, preservatives, hormones or hormone-mimicking chemicals (xenoestrogens), sugars, or trans fats/hydrogenated fats. Eating only natural, unprocessed foods (in itself) will ensure that all these biochemically and hormonally disruptive substances are kept to an absolute minimum.
Highly beneficial foods…
Nutritional science has come a long way, and it is now known that the following foods are highly beneficial for proper hormone production and healthy oestrogen metabolism.
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