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First chaff column of the year

February 2nd 2010 09:08
Hi, I’m Krissi and this is my column about food, nutrition and health. It’s a new year and I have not written a column in ages, so bare with me. Since it is my first column of the year and there are quite a few of you who have just left home, I thought maybe I should give you a little bit of advice. You may not think you need it, but humour me. Anyway, I love it when my readers send me emails, so feel free to suggest ideas for my columns or ask me questions. It’s hard work writing about 500 to 600 word columns each week without a clue about what I should write about. Yes, so advice.

1. Baked beans are a source of cheap low fat protein, calcium and iron. This is especially important for the vegans and vegetarians out there. Protein, as you may know is needed to form hormones and for cell repair and many many wonderful things that your body does. Iron is very important; it’s good for the brain and your immune system. Pretty damn good for something that comes out of can.


2. Chickpeas are also excellent sources of protein and they are tasty. Have them as hummus, falafel, roasted or in a curry.

3. Eat a variety of foods. Different foods have different nutrients, so it is important to add a bit of variation to your diet. Not only does variety prevent boredom, but also it helps your body get all the nutrients it needs.

4. Hostel food. You may want to avoid it. When I was a first year hostel student, I did eat hostel food. It wasn’t the most pleasant of “cuisine”. Often the vegetables were soaking in fat and if you were not in by 5 pm, you missed the “good” food. Although this was, quite some time ago and I believe a new company caters for Massey hostel students, so the food may be pretty decent.

5. Instant noodles and pasta for one aren’t particularly healthy. I know that they are quick and easy to make, but they are very high in sodium. Don’t get me wrong, your body needs sodium but only in tiny doses each day, say around 1600 mg. But too much is not good for you, especially those of you who have high blood pressure. Instead of eating instant noodles, boil up some rice noodles (they’re lower in fat because they aren’t deep fried like some types of wheat noodles) and top them with stir fried vegetables.


6. Eat whole grain bread its filling and full fibre, which is good for your digestive system, controlling your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

7. If you have time and access to the internet, check out http://www.foodworks.co.nz/ and http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/. Foodworks has the latest news on nutrition and the Healthy Food Guide is loaded with nutritious recipes to suit everyone including people on low budgets and up to date information on health and nutrition.
If you have any questions, just email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com or leave your questions here.

Krissi
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Picnic ideas

December 29th 2009 07:58
Picnic lunches
• Potato salad - chop up a few potatoes; pop them into a pot of water, cook and cool. Drizzle wholegrain honey mustard dressing over the potatoes and add raisins, chives and pumpkin seeds. Potatoes are a fantastic source of vitamin C, which helps you absorb iron.

• Brown rice salad - cook up some brown rice, drain and let it cool. Add dried currants, mandarin segments, cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds and dress with olive oil. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of protein and brown rice is a low fat source of fibre, iron, calcium, B vitamins and protein. Fibre helps fill you up and keep your digestive system healthy. Iron is essential for a healthy immune system, calcium is needed for muscle function, B vitamins keep you energised and protein is required to help repair damaged cells and for making all sorts of hormones.

• Sandwiches – sandwiches make a cheap, high fibre healthy meal, depending on the ingredients of course! Make sandwiches with fancy whole grain bread and fill them up with lean meats, tuna, or salmon. Add chopped cherry tomatoes, lettuce, hummus, carrot, avocado, low fat cream cheese or cottage cheese for a tasty sandwich. Try peanut butter sandwich with grated carrot and raisins for an interesting vegetarian alternative.
Snacks

• Rice wafers with hummus. Hummus and rice wafers are yummy but healthy and is reasonable inexpensive too. Hummus is full of protein, and is a source of iron and calcium. Try pumpkin and kumara hummus for something a little bit different.

• Grapes and cheese – choose a low fat cheese like Edam and cut into small cubes.
• Cottage cheese on rice crackers – these are tasty and are a good source of calcium and protein.

Dessert
• Tropical fruit salad – combine chopped up pineapple, guava, mango, rock melon and honeydew. Tropical salads are rich in taste, vitamin C and fibre.

• Blueberry muffins – homemade blueberry muffins made with wholemeal flour and minimal sugar and saturated fat are best. Wholemeal blueberry muffins are great source of fibre, and vitamin C.

• Strawberries – they are yummy and packed full of vitamin C and vitamin A, which helps you see. And guess what? Strawberries are almost in season, which means they will be cheap.

• Yoghurt – freeze a few pots of yoghurt and bring them along frozen to your picnic for a delicious cool dessert. Yoghurt is a good source of vitamin D and calcium, which are great for your bones.

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Hi everyone, this week I answer a couple of readers’ questions. Keep the questions rolling in because I really appreciate it and gives you an opportunity to learn something that is relevant to you.

Question one: Can you please suggest some dairy and gluten alternatives?

Dairy alternatives

Instead of cow’s milk you can try soy, rice, oat or almond milk. Soy milk is high in protein and has a distinctive taste, but it is good for baking and cooking. Almond milk is high in protein, vitamin E and healthy fats and blends well with other flavours. Unfortunately, nuts and soy are commons allergens so they may not be suitable for some people. You can get oat milk, which has a moderate levels of protein and has a nutty flavour but it isn’t good for people with celiac disease. Rice milk is quite sweet, but it’s quite watery and low in protein which makes a less than adequate alternative to cow’s milk.

You can get soy alternatives to cheese, cream cheese, yoghurt, and ice cream. You can also try sorbet if you don’t like the idea of soy ice cream. Check the labels for foods that contain dairy as food manufactuers add dairy to a wide variety of food including chips. Also, check for lactose, which is a form of sugar that is found in milk.

Gluten

Gluten is a wheat protein, which is a common allergen and many people are intolerant to it. It is found in a wide variety of foods including, but not limited to the following:

* Wheat
* Barley, barley malt, barley flour
* Rye
* Oats
* Wheat flour
* Einkorn
* Spelt
* Semolina
* Durum
* Bulgar or Bulghar
* Kamut
* Cracker meal
* Couscous
* Tabbouleh
* Tempura crumbs
* Malt, unless specified as being made from a non-gluten source (such as corn).

Check for gluten because it is often found in unlikely foods like sauages. You can get gluten free bread, which are labelled as such. You get rice, potato and corn flour as alternatives to wheat flour, which contains gluten. You can get gluten free pasta and rice noodles, which don’t have gluten. Try rice crackers and wafers. Try amaranth (often sold as flour), buckwheat, millet (like rice and can be made into flour), quinoa (made into pasta), teff (made into flatbread), or wild rice.

Question two: Do you have any interesting sandwich suggestions?

Yes I do. Sandwiches are probably of the cheapest, depending on what you put in them, and most convenient, versatile meal you can make. And they don’t have to be dull. No longer will you have to stick to boring old Marmite or ham sandwiches because I have a few sandwich fillings for you.

* Chutney, avocado and cheese sandwich

Fill up your sandwich with chutney, chargrilled peppers, sliced avocado and cheese.

* Cucumber sandwich

Place thinly slice cucumber on wholegrain bread spread with low fat mayonnaise.

* Egg and mayonnaise

To make two sandwiches, boil up an egg, remove the shell, mash up and add some low fat mayonnaise. Mix together and spread on bread.

* Cheese and pickle sandwiches

Slice up some cheese and a few pickles (onions or gerkins) and place them on some grainy bread.

* Peanut butter and carrot sandwiches

Combine 1/2 cup of peanut butter, ¼ cup shredded baby carrots, 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds, 3 tablespoons of currants, 2 tablespoons of honey in a bowl and spread onto 4 slices of whole grain bread to make 8 sandwiches.

* Fruit sandwiches

Combine a ¼ cup of cottage cheese, ½ cup of soft low fat cream cheese with pineapple, 1/3 cup of chopped dried fruit and spread the mixture on 4 slices of brown bread.

* Tasty tuna sandwiches

Combine a can of tuna, one red pepper, and three green onions, thinly sliced in medium bowl. In small bowl, combine one cup of parmesan cheese, ½ cup of low fat mayonnaise, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and one teaspoon of basil leaves and blend well. Add to tuna mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate tightly up to 2 days.

If you have any questions, then please email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com or leave your questions here.

Krissi
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Random food facts

October 31st 2009 02:39
16 facts about food and nutrition
1. Chocolate contains psychoactive ingredients, which are known to make you feel good, but the only trouble is that you need to eat about 20 kilograms of chocolate to feel the buzz.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Odd foods

September 26th 2009 01:07
Unusual foods and odd food laws

Okay this column isn’t really nutrition or health related but it does contain a few fun facts about food. Here are a few unusual foods that I have found on the internet and around home


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V, snacks and vegetables

September 19th 2009 07:09


This week’s column is a little, well, random, but that’s way we like it. Or at least that’s what I think. This week I’ve decided to look at low odour snacks, V, good and bad vegetables and fruit disguised as vegetables


[ Click here to read more ]
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Food packaging

August 25th 2009 03:44
This week I’ve been asked about what can and can’t be put on food packaging in New Zealand. If you find this sort of thing interesting, then please read on.

In New Zealand, food manufacturers can make nutrition claims relating to polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fatty acid, omega fatty acid, low joule (energy), lactose, gluten and salt, sodium or potassium content in foods. They can also make vitamin and mineral content claims, including claims that a food is “a good source” of a vitamin or mineral


[ Click here to read more ]
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Weight loss tips

August 16th 2009 19:37
Lately I’ve been speaking with my friends about keeping your weight under control and I thought it would be a good idea to share a few my tips with you. Let me know which tips work for you.

Think healthy


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Health questions and answers

August 6th 2009 06:40
“Hello, I am a 50 year old woman that is recovering from breast cancer (mastectomy right side) and just had a bone density test. My doctor called and stated that I have the beginning phases of osteoporosis. They want to put me in prescription medicine (fosamax). I want to know if it possible that I might work on diet instead of drugs. I exercise plenty, I am 5'7, 130lbs. Any help would be appreciated.”

I suggest taking the medication provided by your doctor as well as


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Fighting winter nasties

August 6th 2009 06:36
Fighting Winter Nasties
Winter is here and there is no escaping it. Well you could hide in your flat next to your oil heater until spring comes along. However, until then you are a little vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Luckily, we can do something about this. Altering your diet and making it healthier can make a big impact so I have a few tips to help you.

[ Click here to read more ]
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