Monday 23 July 2012


A lot of times when I talk about healthy eating with my clients they kind of roll their eyes, and goes yeah, yeah but it is so hard to always think about it. But does it really have to be that hard?

I love berries on my breakfast muslie or porridge, so when I was in Sweden recently I did a short stroll in the forest behind our summerhouse to see what I could find for my breakfast.




Blueberries are rich in Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene as well as rich in the minerals potassium, manganese, and magnesium. They are very high in fiber and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. But this is just the tip of the nutritional iceberg, recent studies tells us that of all fresh fruits and vegetables, blueberries provide the most  health-protecting antioxidants, those valuable elements which prevent cancer-causing cell damage and may reduce the changes in cells by age related diseases.

After 25 hours travel and back on Australian ground my throat started to get a bit irritable, and I always then go for citrus fruit with heaps of vitamin C. This time I went out in our back yard here in Melbourne, to see what I could find for my poor throat.


Citrus fruits are best known for their content of vitamin C, an anti-oxidant that may provide protection against cancer causing agents and that may boost the immune system. All of the citrus fruits have lots of vitamin C, but kiwifruit is an especially rich source, with 70 mg in 100g of fruit compared to 40mg for grapefruit and 49mg in oranges. Citrus fruits also provide vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. They also contain some minerals, including phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and they are sodium free.

I know that everyone doesn’t have a back yard with fruit, but we should think about what’s in season and make our menus accordingly. We eat pretty much the same way throughout all four seasons, which is a big oversight on our part. We should "listen" to our bodies and adjust our diet according to our bodies' needs, which change from season to season. That will give you and your family and nice variety of food and vitamins, but it is also good for the environment. 


Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta


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