WHY CAN'T I BUY AN APPLE?

I have just had a very traditional seaside weekend!
The weather was typically British - drizzle and cloud, yet the beach huts were full of people brewing tea and sitting in deck chairs - ever optimistic!
So we walked along the prom, remembering childhood holidays of sandcastles and rockpool fishing.
Then it was lunch time.....and the only food available at the sea front was: fish and chips, burger and chips, hot dogs, crisps, ice cream, doughnuts, popcorn, candy floss, sweets and chocolate! I could not buy an apple - or any other fruit for that matter. The closest I could get was a banana milkshake!
Fortunately I had packed some dried fruit and nuts (good planning Bev), so we munched on those until we could find somewhere that sold something that vaguely resembled fresh food!

Is it any wonder that the British are getting bigger?


Have a happy day,

Bev

IS ORGANIC MORE NUTRITIOUS?

Eating organically grown fruit and vegetables will greatly reduce your exposure to chemicals, but the question is, are they more nutrtitious?
A 2009 report commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency found that organic and "conventional" produce was more or less the same nutritionally.
An organic carrot may be free of contaminents but it is unlikely to provide you with more vitamins and minerals than a non organic carrot.
However you can help the environment. Fewer chemicals used in growing organic food results in less pollutants in rivers and streams.
From a nutrition point of view it does not matter which you eat, but, be aware that certain produce are heavily treated with pesticides, such as apples, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, potatoes, celery and spinach.
If you are considering buying some organic foods, you would do well to choose these.
Whatever you decide remember to EAT YOUR 5 A DAY!

Bev

BAN THE BLACKENED BANGERS!

It's summer - really!
Time for the great British barbecue - between the showers!
However you may wish to think twice before you serve up charcoal coated food.

A survey recently published by the University of Texas followed 1,700 people over the past 12 years, who had diets that included blackened meats.
The findings were that people who ate well done meats were twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as those who ate rare meats, which were less blackened.
The risk was highest for those who ate red meats.

To minimise the risks of these cancer causing chemicals there are a few things you can do:
1. Invest in a gas barbecue
2. Cook the meat under the grill or in the oven first, so there is less time over the charcoal
3. Barbecue vegetables as they do not form toxic chemicals
4. Trim the fat off the meat
5. Marinate meats to lessen blackening
6. Don't overcook
7. Flip food often
8. Prevent flare ups

Happy Barbecuing !

Bev