Spatone – Liquid Iron Supplement

For Women

Generally, women have higher iron requirements than men due to extra demands caused by blood loss during menstruation or pregnancy.

In fact of all the minerals iron is the only one where women’s requirements are greater than men’s.It’s not surprising therefore that many women are found to be low in iron, in particular vegetarians and women who exercise regularly, e.g. female runners.

Latest figures from the Department of Health1 show that as many as 91% of women aged 16-64 may not get their recommended daily amount (RDA) of iron from their diets.
One third of all women, and two in five under the age of 34, have intakes so low that it affects their health.
An additional 6% of women have full blown clinical anaemia, which leaves them feeling chronically tired and unable to concentrate.
Spatone is a natural iron-rich mineral water from Snowdonia, Wales that is scientifically shown to help maintain healthy iron levels whilst being extra gentle on the stomach.
Discover Spatone AppleSpatone is now also available with a delicious apple taste and added Vitamin C – all the goodness of Spatone now even more convenient!

For Men

Adult men can, and do, become iron deficient, but not nearly as much as children and women, for obvious reasons: no growth spurt and no menstrual blood loss.
However, men who participate in endurance sports on a competitive level may have a higher need for iron due to iron lost as part of strenuous exercise or footstrike haemolysis in runners. The highest loss of iron per day in top class athletes can be up to a staggering 2mg!1

Whilst for women, iron deficiency is largely contributed by their monthly cycle; for men, iron deficiency may be due to an underlying medical condition such as peptic ulcers, astric ulcer, haemorrhoids or other forms of gastrointestinal bleeding. Because iron deficiency in men is not as common as with women, symptoms may not be related to iron deficiency at first.
If you experience symptoms of iron deficiency, please consult your health care professional for further examination and advice.

For Children

In 2001, the World Health Organisation found 10-20% of children aged 1 year to be anaemic in industrialised countries.
Newborns have an average of 500mg of iron in their body but by the time our children reach adulthood they need to accumulate 10x as much!
The recommended daily allowance of iron (RDA) for children is 8 – 10mg per day. However this takes into account the poor absorbtion of iron from food sources. It is said that breast-fed babies need less because iron is absorbed three times better from breast milk.

A common time for iron depletion in babies and toddlers is between 9 – 24 months. Please pay particular attention to ensure iron-rich diets for your baby or toddler and do not delay seeking medical advice if concerned.

Drinking too much cow’s milk is a common cause of iron depletion in young children because cow milk contains little iron but plenty of calcium which is believed to inhibit the absorption of iron.

Children who don’t get enough iron through their diet are at risk of developing iron deficiency. Iron is well known to play a crucial role in both the physical and cognitive development during childhood. There are large areas in the brain that are saturated with iron (equal to the liver) thus indicating the importance of iron for brain development.

Spatone is suitable for children from the age of two. So whether you have toddlers or teens – by encouraging them to drink one sachet of Spatone a day you help support their development.

Source: http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-ie/ie/our-brands/spatone

Delicious Plan B Stir Fry

Healthy vegan recipe – Plan B Stir Fry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
• handful of broad beans
• 2-3 jerusalem artichokes
• 250 g or a small packet of tofu
• 1 big sweet potato
• handful of unsalted cashew and pine nuts
• 2 tblsp soy sauce
• 2 tblsp sesame oil
• drizzle of honey
• stick of lemon grass
• thumb size piece of ginger
• 1-2 cloves of garlic

Method
1. Toast the pine nuts and cashew nuts in a pan until they start to colour, no oil is needed for this.
2. Chop up the sweet potato and Jerusalem artichokes and pop them on a tray with a drizzle of oil. Bake them in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15-20 mins or until tender.3. Put  ome noodles in a pot of water and cook as per the cooking instructions on the packet.
4. Cook the garlic, ginger and lemon grass in a hot pan at a high heat for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add the chopped tofu which you can marinade in 2 tbsp of soy, 1 tbsp of sesame oil and a squeeze of honey in advance.
6. Cook the ingredients in the pan for a few minutes before adding in your broad beans.
7. When the sweet potato and Jerusalem artichoke are ready pop them in the pan and mix everything together.
8. Add in your noodles and let them soak up all the juices. Add more soy and sesame oil to taste.
9. Throw the toasted nuts in at the last minute and reserve a few to garnish!
10. Serve and enjoy!
Source: http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes/2012/0222/2983-plan-b-stir-fry/

Smoked Salmon Gateau

Health Recipe Smoked Salmon Gateau

Ingredients:
110 g/4 oz plain flour
1 small eggabout 150 ml/1/4 pint milk
sunflower oil, for frying
225 g/8oz smoked salmon slices
225 g/8oz cream cheese
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
juice of 1/2 lemon
25 g/1 oz baby salad leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
2 – 3 tbsps Dalkey Mustard Dressing

Method:
To make the pancakes, sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt, then make a well in the centre. Break the egg into the well and add a little of the milk. Mix the liquid ingredients together, then gradually beat in the flour until smooth. Beat in enough of the remaining milk until you have achieved the consistency of thin cream. Cover with cling film and leave to stand in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan. When hot, brush with the minimum of oil. Pour a small amount of the batter, about a quarter of the mix is right. Swirl it around until it is evenly and thinly spread over the bottom. Cook over a moderate to high heat for about 1 minute or until the edges are curling and the underside is golden. Flip over and cook the second side for 30 seconds or so until golden.
Turn the pancake on to a plate and repeat until you have four pancakes in total, lightly oiling the pan between pancakes. Leave to cool, then using a 5 cm/2 in cutter that is 5 cm/2 in deep stamp out three circles from each pancake.
Using the same cutter, stamp out eight circles from the smoked salmon, then cut the remainder into strips and reserve. Whip the cream cheese in a bowl with the chives and lemon juice. Season to taste.
To serve, line the cutter with cling film and set on a serving plate. Put a pancake round in the bottom of the cutter and add a spoonful of the chive cream cheese. Cover with a layer of the smoked salmon and then add another spoonful of the chive cream cheese. Repeat these layers and finish with a pancake round. Carefully remove the cutter and repeat until you have four in total. Place the salad leaves in a bowl, season and add enough of the dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Add a pile to each plate with the reserved smoked salmon strips. Drizzle around the remaining dressing and garnish with the lemon wedges.

Source: http://www.kevindundon.com

Butternut Squash And Spinach Risotto

Ingredients

• 300g (10oz) butternut squash
• 1 large red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red sweet/bell pepper
• 100g (3½oz) spinach
• Generous handful of flat leaf parsley
• 1tsp olive oil
• 200g (7oz) Arborio risotto rice
• 600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
black pepper, to taste

Method

• Peel the squash, scrape out the seeds, and cut into cubes around 1cm (½in) across. (Note: the weight given relates to the squash after peeling.)
• Finely chop the onion, garlic, and red pepper.
• Wash and roughly chop the spinach (though baby spinach leaves will be fine whole).
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
• Fry the squash, onion, garlic, and red pepper together over a low/medium heat until the squash starts to soften.
• Add the rice and stock, and simmer for 15-20 minutes (check the instructions on your rice), stirring frequently and adding additional hot water as required to keep the rice from boiling dry.
• Season liberally with black pepper.
• Once the rice is cooked, add the spinach and fresh parsley, and stir it through until the leaves wilt.
• Serve immediately.

Source: http://blog.rachelcotterill.com/2013/11/butternut-squash-spinach-risotto.html

Tasty Vegan 3-Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 cup chopped green beans (stems removed)
1 can chickpeas.
1 can red kidney beans (ditto above), or 1.5 cups cooked
1 orange bell pepper (finely chopped)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup packed fresh parsley (finely chopped)
3 green onions, finely chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

7-8 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1.50 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
1 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 tblsp pure maple syrup
1 tblsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Method
1.Add several cups of water into a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Add chopped green beans and blanch for 2-3 minutes in boiling water.
2. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place into a large bowl. Drain and rinse chickpeas and kidney beans and place into a large bowl along with the green beans, bell pepper, optional jalapeno, parsley, and green onion. Mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined. Adjust to taste if needed.
4. Pour on dressing over salad and mix well. Best if you place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the mix of flavours to develop.
5. Season with salt and pepper and adjust dressing to taste. Salad will taste even better the next day. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days

Source: http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes/2012/0827/3256-tasty-vegan-three-bean-salad/

Skin Essentials

As the saying goes, “beauty comes from within”. Just as your face can betray your emotions, your skin can betray your inner health. Poor skin condition is often the body’s method of communicating that deeper internal problems may exist. Dry flaky skin may indicate that you don’t have enough oils in your diet or are not drinking enough water. Spotty skin may indicate that the liver is under pressure. So to achieve beautiful skin we have to treat from the inside out!

Proper nourishment for the skin is vital. Junk foods need to be curtailed. Wholesome nutrient rich foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are important. Skin boosting nutrients include essential fatty acids, Vitamin A, B vitamins, Zinc, Selenium and Vitamin E. Zinc is a particularly potent antioxidant for the skin but it also helps with wound healing and laying down collagen. Zinc deficiency has been shown to exacerbate eczema and acne conditions so supplementing with Zinc would be recommended in such cases. Vitamin A, often taken as Beta Carotene supports healthy skin renewal, provides antioxidant protection against UV rays and regulates skin pigmentation.

Incorporate some flax seed oil into the diet and drinking about 1½ litres of water per day should make a significant difference. Skin gets thirsty too! You may also benefit from taking some Silica, which provides the skin with the building blocks it needs to repair damage and renew skin cells. Silica needs to be taken for several months to achieve firm and smooth skin.

The Digestive system and skin tend to be very closely connected. If you tend to suffer from sluggish bowels on a regular basis, it may well be affecting the condition of your skin. If wastes are not eliminated efficiently, they accumulate within the bloodstream and are re-cycled in the liver. If you feel that your liver is a bit sluggish and overloaded, you may benefit from taking a combination of Milk Thistle and Dandelion which will gently aid the elimination of toxins from the liver and help to regenerate liver cells.

Stuffed sweet potatoes with scrambled eggs, maple sausage, cherry tomatoes and avocado!

INGREDIENTS

 

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 3 large eggs, scrambled
• 3 maple sausage links
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 1 hour, or until tender; let cool enough to handle.
• Cut each potato in half horizontally, then carefully scoop out the centre of the potato, reserving for another use, leaving about 1/2-inch of potato on the skin.
• In a medium skillet, add sausage links and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Add eggs, crumbled sausage, cherry tomatoes and cheese to each potato skin. Place into oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• Serve immediately, topped with avocados.

Source: http://damndelicious.net

Asparagus & Goats Cheese Tartlet ….. From Chef Kevin Dundon

Asparagus & Goats Cheese Tartlet

Serves 4

Served warm or cold these are sure to please, replace the asparagus with some red onion marmalade for another flavoursome variation.

12 Spears of Asparagus cut in half lengthways

400g/ bollies goat cheese

2 leeks, thinly sliced

20g butter

50ml cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
Pastry:
250 g flour
125 g butter

A pinch of salt

1 egg

Prepare the short crust pastry by sieving the flour into a bowl and adding the butter and salt.  Use your fingertips to combine the ingredients until resembles breadcrumbs.  Add in the egg and use a knife to mix, the pastry should come together into a ball in a bowl, add in the egg to or make readymade pastry.  Then blind bake in the oven for 12 min.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Chop the leeks in a medium sized pan, add the butter, let it melt and add the leeks.  Sauté 5 minutes on a medium heat, then add the cream and seasoning cook a further 2 – 3 min to reduce the cream.

In the meantime, place a large pot of hot water to boil with salt. Prepare a bowl of ice cold water on the side. When boiling place carefully the asparagus in the water, and boil, simmer for 2 -4 minutes depending on the size of the asparagus. Remove from the water with a spider or in a colander and place in the ice cold water. This will stop the cooking of the asparagus keeping them green and crunchy.

Fill the blind tart with the creamed leek then place the asparagus 4 – 5 on top, add the goat cheese on top.

Place the tartlet in the oven for 10 – 15 min to allow the cheese to melt and caramelise.

If desired, serve with fresh leaves.

Source: http://www.kevindundon.com

Feeling Tired / Stressed

Tired – Sleep Pattern 

Much of your sleep pattern is dependant on your adrenal glands – they act as your ‘body clock’ regulating how you feel when you wake and how well you switch off at night.

During stressful times, these glands are under pressure and as a result your body clock can be out of sync (think of how exhausted you feel when you are stressed, and how hard it is to wake up in the morning). To support these glands take a good B complex daily, and higher doses during periods of stress. Eventually, you should be able to rely on the quantities of the B vitamins available in a good quality multivitamin (ideally 50mg of all the B complex) to combat the effects of daily stress on the body. Licorice is also a useful herb in terms of Adrenal support.

Sleep is key for repair in the body – and essential for your health. Valerian has been used for a long time as it helps to get you into the deep sleep that is required for healing. A combination that also provides Avena Sativa (that’s oats to you and me) is even more beneficial as oats are great for relaxing the nervous system.

Tryptophan, an amino acid is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. Natural sources include poultry, milk and milky products, pumpkin seeds. Eating carbohydrates with tryptophan-containing foods makes this calming amino acid more available to the brain. Tryptophan is also available as a supplement.

Vegetarian Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 slices granary bread
• 1 large handful watercress
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
• small squeeze lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 dessertspoons reduced-fat humus
• 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced

Method

1. Toast the bread.
2. Mix the watercress, carrot, lemon juice and olive oil together.
3. In a small bowl spread the humus over each slice of toast.
4. Top 1 slice with the watercress and carrot salad, sandwich with another slice of toast and top with the tomato.
5. Lay the final slice of bread, humus side down, then press down and eat as is or cut the sandwich into quarters.

Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2555/vegetarian-club