For you who have not yet seen this movie, WATCH IT. It is scary, horrible and unbelievable! I did not realise before watching this movie how bad it really is!
Seeing how food is produced and how it is all controlled by big companies who seem to care less about our planet and animal welfare. Watching this just made me a think. A lot. I want to eat organic!
Unfortunately I know that at this stage (however at some point I will) I can simply not afford to change everything to organic, but I have decided to change a few things. Even if it's not a lot it is still a step in the right direction. Milk and meat are the two main things.
I am still looking more into this, and comparing lots of different organic foods with non-organic ones, to see how much the difference in price actually is.
For an example, 2 litre bottle of organic milk costs $4.10, and the milk I usually buy costs $3.50. So were looking at a difference of $0.60 per bottle! I would usually consume (me and Dave together) 2, maximum 3 bottles per week, so were talking about a difference of less than $2!!
WATCH THIS MOVIE. It will make you be more aware of this, how most food is produced today is a big problem and it will not solve itself! If the demand of organic foods increases than the production will follow.
Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Iron
About two months ago I went to see my doctor, and found out (this had nothing to do with me going there in the first place) that my Iron levels were very low. I had the same problem about a year before this visit, and to be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. I got iron supplement that I am now taking, and in a month or so I have to go back to check that they have worked ok.
Just thought I would share with you what I have learnt so far:
Iron is found in every cell of our body. Iron helps our bodies to make red blood cells,by binding to a protein called haemoglobin, this form of Iron transports Oxygen from our lungs around in the body and is important for burning of fats and carbohydrates. We need enough Iron to support immunity, energy levels and brain function
There are 2 different kinds of iron we get from food, Haem Iron and Non-Haem Iron.
Haem Iron is found in animal products, the best source is red meat (liver, kidneys even better), it is also found in chicken, tuna and eggs.
Non-Haem Iron is found in plant foods such as Quinoa, chickpeas, beans & lentils, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.
About 20% of Haem Iron is absorbed by our bodies, but only around 5% of Non-Haem Iron is absorbed!
Vitamin C help our bodies to absorb iron, so make sure you eat for an example an orange or a tomato with your meal to increase absorption. A Non-Haem Iron source can also help to absorb more of the iron in Haem Iron, so for an example, eating red meat with beans, lentils or green vegetables will increase the absorption.
Spinach is a green leafy vegetable, it is high in iron and also calcium, but it contains something called Oxalic acid, which binds to the iron (as well as the calcium) making it much harder for our bodies to absorb it.
Women need more Iron in their diet than Men, this because of menstrual periods.
Adult women need about 18 mg of iron each day, men 8 mg. Pregnant women need as much as 27 mg per day!
It is however also possible to get too much iron in the diet! So before starting to take Iron supplement a doctor should always be consulted.
Just thought I would share with you what I have learnt so far:
Iron is found in every cell of our body. Iron helps our bodies to make red blood cells,by binding to a protein called haemoglobin, this form of Iron transports Oxygen from our lungs around in the body and is important for burning of fats and carbohydrates. We need enough Iron to support immunity, energy levels and brain function
There are 2 different kinds of iron we get from food, Haem Iron and Non-Haem Iron.
Haem Iron is found in animal products, the best source is red meat (liver, kidneys even better), it is also found in chicken, tuna and eggs.
Non-Haem Iron is found in plant foods such as Quinoa, chickpeas, beans & lentils, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.
About 20% of Haem Iron is absorbed by our bodies, but only around 5% of Non-Haem Iron is absorbed!
Vitamin C help our bodies to absorb iron, so make sure you eat for an example an orange or a tomato with your meal to increase absorption. A Non-Haem Iron source can also help to absorb more of the iron in Haem Iron, so for an example, eating red meat with beans, lentils or green vegetables will increase the absorption.
Spinach is a green leafy vegetable, it is high in iron and also calcium, but it contains something called Oxalic acid, which binds to the iron (as well as the calcium) making it much harder for our bodies to absorb it.
Women need more Iron in their diet than Men, this because of menstrual periods.
Adult women need about 18 mg of iron each day, men 8 mg. Pregnant women need as much as 27 mg per day!
It is however also possible to get too much iron in the diet! So before starting to take Iron supplement a doctor should always be consulted.
Welcome!
A certain someone came up with the great idea that I start my own blog about a big interest of mine: Food and Nutrition. Now, I am certainly no expert in this area, however very interested and keen to learn more.
I have always had little or more interest (this varies from time to time) in healthy foods, why they are good for us and how they affect our bodies. If I look back to when I was about 15 or 16, all I cared about was for food to be low in calories and fat, and I stuck to a very strict diet.
As my life changed and I started new schools, my way of eating also changed. I did no longer care as much, I guess the saying everything in moderation could be a way to put words on my way of living (I suppose as an 18-year old this is probably not at all strange)
After this came the great GI-diet, cut out carbs and you can eat whatever you like- sort of concept (I will say tho that me and my sister probably did not know enough about this when we tried it out!) I remember reading that a carrot had a higher GI value than a snickers bar, since the bar has nuts and therefore fat it will get a lower value.. This is a little confusing so you have to know your food (which I later learned).
Then followed one semester of University, with lots of exercise and with that came a growing interest in food and nutrition.
So this goes, up and down and I'm constantly changing the way I live (which is a good thing, we need to explore!) change of city, country, work, all this is affecting us in many ways.
On this blog I am going to share my thoughts, ideas and findings.
As I want to learn more about this I would very much appreciate ideas and feedback from all you out there who share this interest!
I have always had little or more interest (this varies from time to time) in healthy foods, why they are good for us and how they affect our bodies. If I look back to when I was about 15 or 16, all I cared about was for food to be low in calories and fat, and I stuck to a very strict diet.
As my life changed and I started new schools, my way of eating also changed. I did no longer care as much, I guess the saying everything in moderation could be a way to put words on my way of living (I suppose as an 18-year old this is probably not at all strange)
After this came the great GI-diet, cut out carbs and you can eat whatever you like- sort of concept (I will say tho that me and my sister probably did not know enough about this when we tried it out!) I remember reading that a carrot had a higher GI value than a snickers bar, since the bar has nuts and therefore fat it will get a lower value.. This is a little confusing so you have to know your food (which I later learned).
Then followed one semester of University, with lots of exercise and with that came a growing interest in food and nutrition.
So this goes, up and down and I'm constantly changing the way I live (which is a good thing, we need to explore!) change of city, country, work, all this is affecting us in many ways.
On this blog I am going to share my thoughts, ideas and findings.
As I want to learn more about this I would very much appreciate ideas and feedback from all you out there who share this interest!
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