Healthy hydration – Are you drinking enough?
Water is hugely important considering an adult’s body is made up of around 60% water! Every single cell in your body needs water to function properly. Dehydration can be defined as a 1% or greater loss of body mass due to fluid loss and dehydration of 2% or more can result in reduced mental and physical function, headaches and symptoms of fatigue. Fatigue is often one of the first signs of dehydration. Whats the benefits? Drinking water has many benefits. For example, water
10 reasons to take a 10 microgram supplement of vitamin D
1. Around 1 in 5 adults (aged 19-64 years) in the UK have low vitamin D levels.
2. Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin but a pro-hormone. T
Edible insects on the menu – what’s the nutritional content?
As the world population increases the growth of the livestock sector is increasing at an unsustainable rate. Therefore, alternative sources of protein must be identified. Insects can be farmed at a relatively low economic and environmental cost, so could we be adding insects to our shopping lists in the future? Insects are not a new food. We have eaten insects for thousands of years and over 2 billion people around the world enjoy eating them on a regular basis. You may be
Burns Supper - How healthy is haggis?
One of the main ingredients of haggis is liver, which is high in vitamin A, vitamin B12 and folate. Heart and lungs will provide some iron,
Make ‘Nutritionist’ a legally protected title
Anyone can call themselves a ‘Nutritionist’. This is probably why people are often confused about what food and nutrition messages are actually true and evidence-based. It’s also the reason why I often find myself explaining to individuals that you do not need to ‘detox’, or avoid foods that cause acidity within the body, or use coconut oil in everything! Currently in the UK, due to a lack of regulation, anyone can set up and practice as a nutritionist, meaning there is no r
Food and nutrition trends for 2017
Happy New Year!! So what's going to be popular this year in terms of food and nutrition? Here’s my suggestions on what may be trending in 2017. Plant power up Plant protein and plant based foods have been increasing in popularity in recent times and this is likely to continue into 2017. Vegetarian and vegan meals and eateries will play a big part this year. As a vegan diet involves cutting out whole food groups (meat and dairy) careful attention should be given to the daily
Top tips for healthy eating at Christmas
In the 12 weeks leading up to Christmas, we buy on average 9000 extra calories in unhealthy snacks which could lead to a 1kg (2.2lbs) weight gain for every adult (Food Standards Scotland, 2015). On Christmas day alone, we consume on average 6000 calories – around three times what an adult needs. It can be so easy to add calories over the festive period, so it’s a good idea to keep active. One small sausage roll (about 100 calories) would take around 25 minutes to walk off,
The Truth About Meat – Chicken nutrition
Earlier this year I helped with some research for the BBC One programme ‘The Truth About Meat’ which was shown on the 29th September. I was delighted to be on camera too with Presenter Chris Bavin talking about the nutritional content of different types of chicken. Analysis of the fat content of five different types of chicken (listed below) was conducted by scientists at the University of Stirling. Cheap supermarket chicken £2.55 per kg Corn-fed chicken
Food and drink – A skilled, innovative future
Earlier this week I attended the Scotsman conference on food and drink: a skilled, innovative future, in Edinburgh (20th Sept 2016). The event opened with some impressive stats on Scotland’s Food and Drink sector from this year’s Bank of Scotland report. Over £14 billion a year turnover for Scottish Food and Drink makes it the largest manufacturing sector in Scotland (£1 billion more than oil and gas). A 24% growth in turnover and 14,000 new roles are expected over the next
Game on! - What makes venison a healthy, nutritious choice?
Healthy, local, quality foods are increasingly desirable to consumers. Scottish venison fits well with this, and the demand for venison has been increasing at around 10% year on year (Scottish Venison Partnership, 2016). Venison is an extremely lean meat, low in fat and saturated fat, high in protein and packed with vitamins and minerals. This versatile meat, which is full of favour, can be used in a variety of recipes. You can roast it, stew it, stir fry it, or use minced v