Category: Food Page 1 of 2

Free-range eggs no longer available in UK due to bird flu. People can no longer buy free-range eggs in the UK due to the length of time hens have been kept indoors following outbreaks of bird flu. The eggs in shops will be labelled as “barn eggs” due to birds being kept inside for more than 16 weeks.

The country is experiencing its largest ever outbreak of avian influenza and measures are in place to prevent the virus from spreading.

About 55% of all eggs produced in the UK are free-range, says the RSPCA.

It means they come from birds that, during the daytime, enjoy unlimited access to outdoor pastures.

Signs will be put in supermarkets to inform shoppers of the change from Monday, and free-range labelling will only return when hens are permitted to go outside again.

Aimee Mahony, chief poultry adviser at the National Farmers’ Union, said the government’s advice was that there was “still a high level of risk” to birds of catching flu. This is an incredibly difficult time for all bird owners and vigilance remains vital,” she added.

Ms Mahony said farmers were following “stringent biosecurity measures” and adapting hen houses to make birds more comfortable.

Both “barn” and “free range” eggs meet the RSPCA’s welfare standards, because the hens that lay them have freedom and space to move around, along with perches for roosting and nest boxes.

The difference is that for barn hens, this all happens inside, whereas free-range hens can access to the outside through “popholes” – although bird flu restrictions have put a stop to this.

The RSPCA says consumers buy more boxes of free range and barn eggs than those from caged hens, which are also known as battery hens.

However, the charity says a large proportion of eggs used as ingredients in products like mayonnaise, cakes and sandwiches are still from hens kept in cages.

It says battery cages provide less than the size of an A4 piece of paper of space per bird and have limited facilities for perching, nesting and scratching and do not meet its welfare standards. The charity says about 35% of egg-laying hens are still kept in cages.

Tricks to Get Your Child to Eat fruit & Vegetables
There’s huge range of delicious in-season fruit and vegetables available at the moment just waiting to be eaten. You can dine like a king on fresh apples, pears, berries, plums, damsons and gooseberries.

Or feast on tasty veg such as asparagus, cucumbers, mushrooms, courgette, spinach, tomatoes and radishes. They’re all fantastic, healthy choices which are perfect for creating yummy meals that should appeal to the whole family.

But if – like many parents out there – you’ve got a pint-sized picky eater on your hands, it isn’t always that easy to persuade them to tuck in at mealtimes.

So an article in the UK Daily Mirror recently pulled together five great hacks which should help to get your little ones eating fruits and vegetables in no time. This is government advice for England only.

>>> Add this one thing – a bit of butter:

Almost everything tastes better with butter, right? But there’s actually some science behind this trick. Lots of vegetables are bitter and young palettes are actually extra sensitive to this kind of flavour.

A small knob of butter can take this away and turn your veg into a triumph. And believe it or not, butter is actually a good source of vitamins A, E, and D3, which are important for growing kids.

>>> Serve things which are in-season – they taste so much better:

Marion Regan is managing director of Hugh Lowe Farms, a family run soft fruit farm established more than 125 years ago in Mereworth, Kent. She says: “Eating seasonally makes sense from a sustainability and environmental point of view.

“Really seasonal food is about quality food. When something is ‘in season’, it is at its absolute best, from the point of view of flavour, texture, sweetness and usually price too. Freshness is key to flavour – seasonal fruit is fresher and less travelled.”

Knowing where to start with seasonal fruit and veg can be daunting if you’re not used to it so it’s worth looking around for easy recipes to start with.

Look for a list of seasonal veg at www.vegpower.org.uk/seasonalveg and get creative.

>>> Turn vegetables into a starter:

We’re never hungrier than when we’ve just sat down at the table and are waiting for our food to arrive – and the same goes for kids. Take advantage of that famished frenzy by serving a first course of vegetables.

Serve raw or roast to bring out their natural sweetness, and consider serving with a dip to spice things up.

>>> Tell them where their fruit and veg comes from:

Knowing where your food comes from and supporting those who provide it is important – for both parents and kids alike. Make meals times interesting by showing your children where the items on their plate come from on a map – such as the one above.

There are so many reasons why supporting local producers is important, from the way the landscape works, to the need to reduce food miles and the importance of keeping the local economy strong.

>>> Try blending fruit and veg into smoothies:

A recent US study found children aged three to five can almost DOUBLE their daily veg consumption if served them pureed rather than whole.

You can either serve these in a glass – or blitz them and add to recipes. Some parents have had joy blending carrots to put in spaghetti sauce or popping sweet potatoes into pancake mix.

Healthy Eating – A Lifestyle Choice
Eating healthily is a lifestyle choice that you make. People often talk about dieting, but going on a diet is merely a short-term way to change how you eat. However, people often go on a diet hoping to fulfil a long-term goal, but soon have to find themselves going back onto the diet again after returning to their normal eating habits. Rather than repeatedly doing on short-term diets, the way to make a real change to your life is to make healthy eating a permanent part of your lifestyle. It should be something that you work to change, until it becomes part of your everyday life.

Why Choose to Eat Healthy?

Eating a healthy diet brings you a huge range of benefits. Your body depends on getting the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients. If there is something that is lacking in your diet, it can affect you in various ways. You can feel both physically and mentally affected by a poor diet. You might feel tired or lacking in energy, or you could find it difficult to concentrate. A poor diet can affect your moods, and it could mean that your hair and skin aren’t as healthy as they should be too. Healthy eating can boost your immune system, fuel your brain, and keep your whole-body functioning as it should be.

What Is a Healthy Diet?

The question of what exactly healthy eating is may not be easy to answer. There are many ways that we can define a healthy diet, but the definition will vary depending on cultural attitudes, personal opinion, and more. In some countries, the recommended number of fruit and vegetable portions a day is five, while in others it can be more than twice that. Of course, there are plenty of things that we know, scientifically, that our bodies need. We can try our best to ensure we get enough of the main food groups and key nutrients that we require, from proteins to fibre and vitamins and minerals. A healthy diet can be different for each individual, but there are some key rules we can follow.

How to Make Long-term Changes to Your Diet

If you want to make healthy eating a lifestyle change and not just something that you do to lose weight or for a quick detox, you need to know how to make the changes long-term. Making long-term changes to your habits isn’t easy, but it can be done. The best thing to do is to start off slowly and make one change at a time. You will struggle if you suddenly change your diet completely. It’s also a good idea to remember the rule of having everything in moderation. A healthy diet doesn’t have to mean a complete lack of treats. You simply have to be careful about balancing your diet so that you don’t eat too much of any one thing or too little of anything.

Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice, and it might be something that doesn’t come naturally to you. However, it is possible to make a change.

The Popularity of the Vegan Diet
Recently more and more people have begun to consider eating less food that is sourced from animals and many have even begun to follow a vegan diet completely free from any type of food derived from animals including meat, dairy, eggs and honey. In previous years people that chose to become a vegan were in the minority and generally viewed as hippies or animal rights supports, however nowadays as people a beginning to realise the damage that farming on such a large scale is having on our planet and the health benefits of a vegan diet many are becoming more open minded to the possibility.

As becoming vegetarian and vegan has become more commonplace many companies have vegan-friendlyce vegan friendly alternatives to everyday products making the change far easier than it ever has been before.

With options such as meat free burgers, dairy free milk and plant-based cheese readily available in mainstream supermarkets and other local stores many people are able to enjoy all their favorite meals just with a few small differences. Being able to have the choice of such a wide range of tasty alternatives becoming vegan doesn’t have to mean you are limited to only eating vegetable stews or lentil soups!

Many people that have chosen to follow a vegan diet say that when eating balanced vegan meals over time they have begun to experience really positive changes to their general health and wellbeing. Along with reports of weight loss and higher energy levels people have also been recorded as experiencing less digestive and stomach issues, improved hair, skin and nails and better sleeping patterns.

Very often too much read meat and dairy produce can be difficult for the body to process so it causes a strain on the digestive system, particularly the bowel. Having too much to process within the body can cause a buildup in toxins that can reduce the bodies general wellbeing and result in problems such as a lower than usual immune system, bad skin or stomach pains.

As farming on such a large scale is unsustainable for our planet by following a vegan diet we are lowering the demand for products that are produced in this way. As the damage that is being caused by farming becomes more apparent a lot of people feel that becoming vegan is the only option if we want to help reduce climate change significantly, this is especially true of younger people under sixty.

While becoming totally vegan may not be for everyone making an effort to eat less meat and dairy is something that really, we all should be trying to do. Opting to become vegan is a simple choice for some and they find it easy to make the change, however for others it is a lot more difficult as they feel they will have to give up the things they love, but by finding out more about some of the delicious alternatives that are on offer and discovering a few tasty vegan recipes making a compromise at least a few times a week is a massive step in the right direction.

Making the Switch to a Healthy Diet
Switching to a healthy diet doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy, and you don’t have to change everything all at once—that usually only leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan.

A better approach is to make a few small changes at a time. Keeping your goals modest can help you achieve more in the long term without feeling deprived or overwhelmed by a major diet overhaul. Think of planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps—like adding a salad to your diet once a day. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices.
Setting yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, try to keep things simple. Eating a healthier diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories, for example, think of your diet in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. Focus on avoiding packaged and processed foods and opting for more fresh ingredients whenever possible.

Prepare more of your own meals. Cooking more meals at home can help you take charge of what you’re eating and better monitor exactly what goes into your food. You’ll eat fewer calories and avoid the chemical additives, added sugar, and unhealthy fats of packaged and takeout foods that can leave you feeling tired, bloated, and irritable, and exacerbate symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Make the right changes. When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it’s important to replace them with healthy alternatives. Replacing dangerous trans fats with healthy fats (such as switching fried chicken for grilled salmon) will make a positive difference to your health. Switching animal fats for refined carbohydrates, though (such as switching your breakfast bacon for a donut), won’t lower your risk for heart disease or improve your mood.

Read the labels. It’s important to be aware of what’s in your food as manufacturers often hide large amounts of sugar or unhealthy fats in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy.
Focus on how you feel after eating. This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The healthier the food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.

Drink plenty of water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many of us go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.

This post is taken from a third party, HelpGuide, a mental health and wellness website. Their mission is to provide empowering, evidence-based information that you can use to help yourself and your loved ones. Visit their website to read the complete posting. Placing third party posts isn’t something we would normally do, but with mental health being so important we felt this would be a good idea.