What to eat and drink for Breakfast?

Apparently the most important meal of the day.....Breakfast! So, I've put together a short post with a few breakfasts and their benefits, to help you make a simple choice when deciding what's best. They're all pretty popular choices, and you may well be eating them already, so let's take a look at them......



 Eggs 

Eggs do often get a bad reputation, but they contain lots of essential nutrients, 13 in fact, including protein. Research has shown that a high-protein morning meal wards off unhealthy snacking later in the day.

Coffee

I’ve done a short post about coffee and its benefits in the past, and here it is again. This essential morning ‘get-me-up’ is packed with antioxidants. In moderate amounts coffee has shown to have heart benefits and may slow cognitive decline. It may also ward off some cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, the most common cancer in the world, and protect you from type 2 diabetes. Coffee-Break anyone!?

 

Bananas

A medium banana is rich in fibre, vitamin C and potassium, which you don't often get in the typical American diet without a heavy dose of salt. A medium banana has 422 milligrams of potassium and no sodium. This combination can help control blood pressure.

Grapefruit

A great source of vitamin C and potassium. Also high in fibre to help you feel fuller longer. A 2006 study found that making half a grapefruit your "appetizer" of sorts can speed up weight loss.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great source of protein. It's also a great source of calcium. Just stay away from the flavoured varieties. It's diluted with added sugars. Instead, opt for low-fat plain and sweeten with fresh fruit.

Carbs - Energy, Muscle-Building and Brain Power......PLUS WIN £500 CASH!!!

A few top tips to help guide you on your carb intake....

Boost your brain power

Low blood sugar deprives your brain of glucose, leaving you fluffy-headed and weak. The good news? Mental stimulation is packaged in punnets: scientists have linked carb-rich berries to reduced oxidative damage in the brain, which follows earlier research that a blueberry smoothie maintains concentration for up to five hours.

Maintain healthy hair

All that extra energy gives your follicles a boost, too: of two groups who spent six months on either a low-carb or a low-fat diet, the latter were 24% less likely to report hair loss, say Philadelphia University researchers. It could be down to the nutrients in fortified cereals: just 50g of cornflakes gives you your full RDA of cell growth-promoter folic acid.

Increase your endurance

For intense exercise, forget the low GI rule – temporarily. “Sugary carbs deliver an instant hit of energy,” says ultra-running GP Dr Andrew Murray. “For any activity longer than 60 minutes, you need between 30-60g of carbs per hour.” A banana packs 36g.

Fight cancer

Your protein-rich diet may be getting you stacked but it could also be putting you at risk of lung and bowel cancer, according the Annals of International Medicine. Combat it with super-carb broccoli, and boost the green stuff’s cancer-fighting abilities with a probiotic yoghurt. A University of Illinois study found good gut bacteria up your intake of broccoli’s big ‘C’ fighting compound sulforaphane.

Get the balance right

Eat too many carbs, though, and you could find your waistline expanding. Sports nutritionist Becky Stevenson reveals how much is enough...

Light activity (less than one hour per day) 4-5 grams of carbs per kg of weight

Light to moderate (one hour per day) 5-6g

Moderate (1-2 hours per day) 6-7g

Moderate to heavy (2-4 hours per day) 7-8g

Heavy (more than four hours per day) 8-10g

And that's about it for the carb blog post and the benefits they include. But remember, too much can be bad, so make sure you follow the above advice.

One last thing before I go, I am doing a competition where you could win £500 cash (paid into your PayPal account). All you have to do is purchase a £1.00 ticket, before 10/08/2014. You can enter as many times as you like, and there are no restrictions on entrants, so please share around. Winner will be picked at random on Friday 15th August 2014 23:00PM BST.
If you want to be in with a chance of WINNING £500, get your ticket now by visiting the 'Buy Now' Link 

Nutrition for Babies

Adequate nutrition during infancy is essential for lifelong health and wellbeing. Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or more.

Key facts

• Every infant and child has the right to good nutrition according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Undernutrition is associated with 45% of child deaths.
• Globally in 2012, 162 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted and 51 million have low weight-for-height, mostly as a consequence of poor feeding and repeated infections; 44 million were overweight or obese.
• About 38% of infants 0 to 6 months old are exclusively breastfed.
• Few children receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods; in many countries only a third of breastfed infants 6–23 months of age meet the criteria of dietary diversity and feeding frequency that are appropriate for their age.
• About 800 000 children's lives could be saved every year among children under 5, if all children 0–23 months were optimally breastfed.

Undernutrition is associated with more than one third of the global disease burden for children under 5. Infant and young child feeding is a key area to improve child survival and promote healthy growth and development. The first 2 years of a child’s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and fosters better development overall.

Optimal breastfeeding is so critical that it could save about 800 000 under 5 child lives every year. In countries where stunting is highly prevalent, promotion of breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding could prevent about 220 000 deaths among children under 5 years of age.

WHO and UNICEF recommend:

• early initiation of breastfeeding with one hour of birth;
• exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and
• the introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.

Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients in children aged 6 to 23 months. It can provide half or more of a child’s energy needs between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and one third of energy needs between 12 and 24 months. Breast milk is also a critical source of energy and nutrients during illness, and reduces mortality among children who are malnourished.

Adults who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight/obese. Children and adolescents that have been breastfed perform better in intelligence tests. Breastfeeding also contributes to the health and well-being of mothers; it reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer and helps space pregnancies–exclusive breastfeeding of babies under 6 months has a hormonal effect which often induces a lack of menstruation. This is a natural (though not fail-safe) method of birth control known as the Lactation Amenorrhoea Method.

Information sourced from the World Health Organisation website. Please check back regularly for more posts and also check the offers posted around the site, loads to choose from. Thanks for reading. 

Latest Health Product Offers

Below I've listed a few of the best current health deals on offer today! From weight loss supplements to sexual health supplements. Check the links and see if anything takes your fancy. And especially look out for the deals with free product offers. All are genuine, tested and reviewed products. If you have any questions please contact me.

Also, if there's a particular product you're looking for, just ask, I can sort many products, including tooth whitening, joint care, many weight loss products, hair loss or removal, and more.



Professional athletes and bodybuilders turn to creatine supplements when they want to get the most out of their workout. They use creatine supplements for their ability to help support building of muscle tissue and increasing energy during workouts.

Enlast is a brand new topical lubricant designed for men and women to immediately increase sensitivity and pleasure, and give a more intense and satisfying sexual experience.

Look Slimmer, Darker, And Feel Incredible. While most self-tanners and sunless tanning products leave an unattractive "orange" finish, only a few products actually give you that beach body you've always wanted....

The Virility EX program is the most powerful natural male enhancement program available anywhere in the world. With years of success behind our product and being one of the only companies that uses 100% natural ingredients we foresee you having...

Joint Advance is a unique advanced formula especially created with you in mind. There are many joint supplements on the market today. But Joint Advance is ahead of all of them because it has so many all-natural herbal ingredients.

The Dermology Acne solution is a revolutionary acne skin care system formulated to treat acne from the inside-out. The Dermology Acne Solution is not just another topical acne treatment product. It is an entire skin care management system that...

Revitol Anti Aging Solution is a cutting edge anti wrinkle cream which can help you look younger and more beautiful by reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other effects of aging. This revolutionary anti aging cream utilizes the...

The HealthBuy United Kingdom store provides a full line of exclusive health and beauty products. We are proud to offer a wide range of natural health supplements and skin care products made only from the finest natural ingredients available...

Healthy Recipes - Macaroni Cheese

I came across a simple healthy recipe for the classic, macaroni cheese, and today, I'll share it with you. Just 405 calories, only 7 grams of fat and 18 grams of carbohydrates.

So, onto the recipe, and firstly, the ingredients you'll need;


- 125g of cheddar cheese (low-fat variety)
- 125ml of milk
- 1tsp of mustard powder
- 1tbsp of flour
- 1/2 tsp of sea salt
- 1/4 tsp of pepper
- 300g of low-carb macaroni
- 200g of butternut squash
- 125ml of chicken stock
- 1tbsp of olive oil spread 


And finally, how to make;

1) Put a large pan of water to boil on a medium heat. Add salt to the water. Once the water reaches boiling point (large, moving bubbles), add the macaroni. Stir immediately after adding the pasta, and occasionally during cooking process, to stop it sticking. 
Boil the macaroni for 7 minutes; you want it a little underdone as it will cook further when it goes into the oven with the sauce. 

2) Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Cut into quarters (you'll need about half a squash). Cut into slices, about as thick as a one pound coin (not too thick, as it'll take too long to cook). Boil for 7 minutes in lightly salted water. 
Melt the margarine/olive oil spread in a frying pan, sprinkle in the flour, and whisk. Let it cook for a minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, then add the milk, and mustard powder. Turn up the heat, and bring to the boil. Let the sauce reduce until the consistency is like heavy cream (should take about 3 minutes). Whisk constantly. Once the squash is soft, drain it, and mash/blend until it's pureed, and lump-free. Addd this to the sauce, and stir well.

3) Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Grate the cheese over the large holes on a box grater. Stir the cheese into the sauce.

4) Drain the macaroni in a sieve; give it a good shake, and make sure to get all the water out. Then pour into the sauce. Stir well, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish (make sure to grease the dish before hand, with a little non-stick cooking spray). Pop the casserole in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes............And then serve.


A simple recipe for a childhood classic. I hope you enjoy, and this comes in useful. Please leave comments, feedback or messages.

Healthy Foods - Omega 3's, Improving Sleep and Heart Health

It's all well and good saying healthy foods, but what exactly are the healthiest foods, and more importantly, what makes them so healthy? Here's a few quick healthy food tips, and the benefits they hold;

1) Scientific researchers have found that drinking cherry juice can improve all aspects of sleep in adults. According to the scientists, the key is the high melatonin content, which they believe causes optimum sleep-time. 
As well as this, eating cherries on a regular basis can prevent arthritis. They contain a high amount of anthocyonin, which is a compound that reduces inflammation in your joints and muscles. 


2) There's 38% extra brain-boosting omega 3's in an organic chicken, compared to a caged chicken, so choose wisely when you're next out shopping. 
Omega 3's can also help prevent depression, arthritis and cancer, amongst other diseases.


3) Help protect your heart by eating honeydew melon. Top nutritionist Lorner Driver-Davies says that the fruits potassium and water content combine to combat the high sodium levels in a Western diet, which will safeguard your blood pressure. 
Another heart protecting food is the mushroom, which University of Illinois researchers found to be rich in total dietary fibres, that can help maintain a healthy heart. 

Still protecting the heart, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that you could reduce your risk of a heart attack by 41% by taking a multivitamin everyday. 

Healthy Recipes - Honey-Mustard Salmon

Healthy eating's the topic again as I give you a recipe of honey-mustard salmon with asparagus, a high-protein, low-carb meal, great for recovering from an evenings training session. Nearly 40g of protein, , virtually carb-free, over 50% of your RDA of folate and 40% of your RDA of vitamin C (both essential for muscle repair), and it's only 360 calories.
Not only a great post-workout meal but also holds other essential health benefits in the ingredients. As mentioned in an early blog post, salmon can help reduce eye fatigue, which is ideal if you're sat in front of a computer screen all day. The asparagus can also keep your eyes healthy, as well as help fend of gum disease, lower blood pressure and fend off signs of ageing. 

So, onto the recipe, and first, the ingredients;

Serves 4

- 4 salmon fillets
- 450g of asparagus
- 1tbsp of butter
- 1tbsp of brown sugar
- 1tbsp of honey
- 1tbsp of soy sauce
- 2tsp of Dijon mustard
- 2tbsp of olive oil
- 50g of parmesan
- Salt & Pepper

How to make;


1) Heat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Then combine the butter and brown sugar in a bowl, and microwave until the mix melts together. This should only take about 30-40 seconds. Remove and stir in the mustard, honey and soy sauce.

2) Toss the asparagus in a bowl with half the oil, and grate in the parmesan, and season to taste. Place the asparagus in a baking dish and roast until al dente. 

3) Heat the remaining oil in a pan over a high heat. Season the salmon and add to the pan, flesh-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Then you want to turn them over, and brush half the honey-mustard mix over the fillets, and place in the oven. Bake for around 5 minutes, until the salmon is firm, and flakes easily.

4) Remove from the oven, and brush them with the remainder of the honey-mustard mix. Plate them up with the asparagus and serve.

And there you have it, a quick and simple healthy meal that can be cooked up in 20 minutes, enjoy!